Video Caption Generator
Upload a video and this video caption generator adds accurate, perfectly timed captions to it automatically — MP4, MOV, AVI and more, free and without a watermark.
Export the finished file with captions burned into the picture for Reels, Shorts and TikTok, or take a clean .srt or .vtt subtitle file for YouTube, Vimeo and web players.
- ✓MP4, MOV, AVI, MKV
- ✓Burn in or export SRT
- ✓No watermark
- ✓Free
Launching 10 September 2026. Join the waitlist to caption your first video on day one.
Built around the video file itself
Not a transcript tool with video bolted on. The output is designed to go straight back into your edit or straight to a platform.
Takes what your camera gives you
MP4, MOV, AVI, MKV, WEBM and M4V, at any resolution up to 4K. No converting to a "supported" format first and no re-encoding before you upload.
Burned-in or sidecar
One upload, both outputs. A captioned MP4 for feeds that play muted and have no captions button, or a separate subtitle file for players that do.
Framed for the platform
Caption position and line width adapt to a 9:16, 1:1 or 16:9 frame, so text stays clear of the Reels caption bar and the TikTok action rail.
Styling that matches your brand
Font, weight, colour, outline, shadow, background box and vertical placement are all yours to set. Save a look once and reuse it across a series.
Frame-accurate timing
Captions are cut on natural speech pauses and aligned to the audio at word level, so lines change when the speaker does rather than a beat behind.
Original quality out
Your video comes back at the resolution and bitrate you uploaded, with captions composited on top. No downscale, no logo, no length cap on the free tier.
How to add captions to a video
From raw file to captioned export in three steps.
- 1
Upload your video
Drop in an MP4, MOV, AVI, MKV or WEBM file straight from your camera, phone or editor. No conversion or re-encode needed beforehand.
- 2
Generate captions with AI
The video caption generator pulls the audio track, transcribes it and times each caption line to the frame, keeping line lengths short enough to read at speed.
- 3
Style, then export
Pick a caption style and position, then download the video with captions burned in, or export an .srt or .vtt file to upload alongside it.
Burned-in captions or a subtitle file: which do you need?
This is the one decision worth getting right before you export, and it depends entirely on where the video is going.
Burned-in captions are painted into the video frames themselves. They cannot be turned off, they look identical everywhere, and they survive being re-uploaded, downloaded and reposted. That is exactly what you want for Instagram Reels, TikTok and YouTube Shorts, where video autoplays silently in a feed and there is no captions button to press.
A subtitle file — .srt or .vtt — sits next to the video as plain text with timecodes. The player draws it on top, the viewer can switch it off, and crucially the platform can read it. YouTube indexes an uploaded SRT as a transcript, which is worth more for search than burned-in text a crawler cannot see. Vimeo, Wistia, HTML5 players and most learning platforms all work the same way.
If a video is going to more than one place, export both. The transcript is generated once and both outputs come from it, so there is no extra pass.
Captioning video for each platform
The transcription is the same everywhere. What changes is the shape of the captions and the file you hand over.
Instagram Reels and TikTok
Burn them in, keep lines to three or four words, and place them in the middle third of the frame so the platform UI does not sit on top of them.
YouTube
Upload an .srt alongside the video. It gives YouTube a clean transcript to index instead of its own auto-captions, and viewers keep the option to toggle captions off.
LinkedIn and X
Both autoplay muted in the feed and neither handles subtitle files reliably. Burn the captions in and keep the font large enough to read on a phone.
Courses, webinars and internal video
Export .vtt. It is what HTML5 players and most learning platforms expect, and it supports the positioning and styling cues that longer-form content tends to need.
Other ways in
Start from a different angle depending on what you are trying to produce.
Frequently Asked Questions
Formats, exports and the things that trip people up on their first video.
How do I add captions to a video?
Upload the video file, let the AI transcribe and time the captions, then export. You can download an MP4 with the captions burned into the picture, or a separate .srt or .vtt file to attach to the video on whichever platform you are publishing to.
Which video formats does the video caption generator support?
MP4, MOV, AVI, MKV, WEBM and M4V cover almost everything cameras, phones and editors produce. Audio-only files such as MP3, WAV and M4A also work if you only need a transcript or a subtitle file.
What is the difference between burned-in captions and an SRT file?
Burned-in captions are drawn permanently into the video frames, so they show on any player and cannot be switched off. An SRT is a separate text file the player overlays, so viewers can toggle it and search engines can read it. Use burned-in for Reels, TikTok and Shorts; use an SRT for YouTube, Vimeo and anywhere with a captions button.
Can I change how the captions look?
Yes. Font, size, colour, outline, background box and vertical position are all adjustable before export, so captions sit clear of a platform UI and match the rest of your branding.
How long can the video be?
Long-form uploads such as podcasts, webinars and lecture recordings are supported. Processing time scales roughly with duration; a five-minute video is under a minute, and you can leave the tab open for longer files.
Is there a watermark on the exported video?
No. The exported file is your video at its original resolution with captions added, and nothing else. No logo, no overlay, no export credits to buy.
Can I edit my captions before exporting?
Yes. Correct the transcript, adjust timings, choose a caption style and then export the finished video or a clean SRT or VTT file.
When does Caption Maker launch?
Caption Maker launches on 10 September 2026. Join the waitlist to be notified when editing and exports open.
Caption your first video the day we launch
Caption Maker opens on 10 September 2026. Join the waitlist and we will send you the link the moment it is live.
- ✓No Credit Card Required
- ✓GDPR Compliant
- ✓Secure Upload