A transcript to start from
English speech is transcribed automatically, so you begin with every word already written instead of an empty subtitle track.
Subtitle generator
A subtitle generator that writes subtitles people can actually read.
AutoCap transcribes the speech in your video, times every word, and hands you the tools to turn that transcript into subtitles that are easy to follow.
No credit card · 2 free minutes every month · MP4, SRT and VTT export
Why it matters
Getting the words down is the easy half of subtitling. The harder half is making them readable: lines short enough to take in at a glance, breaks that fall between phrases, and every subtitle on screen long enough to finish before the next one replaces it.
A generator that pours the transcript into evenly sized blocks gets the first half right and the second half wrong. AutoCap gives you the transcript with a start and end time on every word, so reshaping a subtitle means moving a line break, not retyping text or guessing at timestamps.
What you get
Subtitles shaped for reading, not just transcribing.
Breaks where the sentence pauses
Split a long subtitle at a comma or before a new clause, and merge fragments that would flash past too quickly to read.
Timing you can see and adjust
Every word carries its own start and end time. If one subtitle arrives early, pull back that single word and leave the rest alone.
Two outputs, one transcript
Render the subtitles into an MP4 inside your browser, or download them as SRT and VTT files on a paid plan.
Styles from plain to animated
Choose a quiet look for longer videos or an animated one for social clips, then set the font, colors and position yourself.
How it works
Generate subtitles from a video in four steps.
- 01
Add your video
Choose an MP4 or MOV file. AutoCap extracts the soundtrack and uploads only that for transcription.
- 02
Read it through once
Play the video and follow the subtitles, fixing any word that was misheard as you go.
- 03
Tidy the lines
Split subtitles that run too long, merge ones that are too short, and nudge any timing that feels late.
- 04
Choose your output
Export a subtitled MP4 to post, or an SRT or VTT file for a player that shows subtitles on request.
Subtitles or captions: is there a difference?
Strictly speaking, yes. Subtitles are written for viewers who can hear the audio but need the words, often because the language is unfamiliar, while captions are meant for viewers who can't hear it and also describe sound effects and music.
That's the split the HTML standard makes. In everyday use, though, the two words are swapped freely, and a search for either usually means the same thing: the spoken words, on screen, in time. AutoCap produces exactly that from English speech, whichever name you prefer.
What makes a subtitle easy to read?
Time, mostly. A subtitle holding more words than anyone can read before it disappears is worse than none, because the eye keeps chasing text instead of watching the video.
Professional style guides put numbers on it. Netflix's English timed text guide, for example, allows 42 characters per line, two lines at most, and a reading speed of up to 20 characters per second for adult programs. Captions on narrow vertical clips tend to run shorter still.
Where a line breaks matters as much as its length. The same guide breaks after punctuation and before conjunctions or prepositions, and never between an article and its noun or a first name and a last name.
- One idea per subtitle wherever the speech allows
- No more than two lines on screen at once
- Breaks between phrases, never inside a name
- Each subtitle up long enough to read to the end
A subtitle file or subtitles in the picture?
A file such as SRT or VTT travels beside the video. The player draws the text in its own style, and viewers can usually switch it on and off, which is why video platforms and web players accept one.
Burned-in subtitles are rendered into the frames themselves, so they appear wherever the video goes and look exactly as you styled them, including in apps with no way to load a subtitle file. The cost is that nobody can turn them off or resize them.
You don't have to choose just once. The MP4 and the files are both written from the same corrected transcript, so one clip can go out with burned-in subtitles on social media and a matching file on YouTube.
Questions
Good to know.
Can I generate subtitles for free?
Yes. The free plan transcribes 2 minutes of video a month, in clips up to 60 seconds, and exports subtitled MP4s with a watermark. SRT and VTT files, clips up to 5 minutes and watermark-free exports come with paid plans from $9 / €9 a month.
Which languages can the subtitle generator handle?
It generates subtitles from English speech today. Further languages are in progress, and the languages page lists each one as it becomes available.
How do I stop subtitles covering faces or on-screen text?
Move them. Subtitle position is adjustable, so you can lift them above a lower-third graphic or drop them below a speaker's face before exporting.
Can I change a subtitle's timing without retyping it?
Yes. Every word has its own start and end time, and you can retime a single word without touching the text or shifting the words around it.
What files can I upload?
MP4 and MOV. Only the audio is extracted and sent for transcription, and the subtitled video is rendered in your browser.
Try it on the next video you post.
The free plan needs no card. Upload a clip, check the captions yourself, and only upgrade when you want the watermark gone.