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Subtitles are an essential part of making great content. They have loads of benefits, from making your video more accessible to highlighting key messages. Plenty of successful content creators use subtitles to increase engagement, and you should too.
But it doesn’t have to be a tedious process. Using a subtitle app can save you valuable time and energy. These apps allow you to add subtitles to your videos or edit them. You can access these apps straight from your phone for maximum convenience and create eye-catching content in no time.
Creating video subtitles quickly is a breeze when you’ve got the right tools. We’ve listed the very best subtitle apps available in this article. You can read all about the pros and cons of each app to choose the best platform for your needs.
Is there an app for adding subtitles to videos?
There are a lot of apps you can use to add subtitles to videos. Whether you have an iPhone or an Android, there’s a selection of free and paid apps. You can add subtitles to a pre-recorded video from any mobile device. Some apps even have recording capabilities to create your content and add subtitles all in one place.
7 Best Subtitle Apps for iPhone & Android Devices
We've got you covered if you’re looking for a great app to help you subtitle your next gripping video. The following apps contain handy tools and features to enhance your content. Capture dialogue and easily add text to your videos with these apps. The process is fast and straightforward, so anyone can achieve effective results.
Riverside
Price: Free; paid plans from $15/mo
Compatibility: iPhone, Android
Riverside is an easy-to-use app that combines high-quality recording capabilities with tools like transcription. You can use Riverside to create and edit your videos, as well as download SRT files perfect for subtitling your content.
The highly-rated app allows you to record content with multiple participants. With local recording, your video quality is preserved even with flaky internet.You can capture up to 4K video on any device. All recordings progressively upload to the cloud live, so as soon as you finish your session you can find your files on your desktop.
On the desktop app, you can access highly accurate transcriptions of your recordings straight away. You can then use your Riverside-generated transcripts for text-based editing. With our editor, deleting sections of your transcript will automatically remove those portions from your video. There's also a search function so you can use the transcripts to find a specific phrase or section in your recording. While you can download SRT or TXT transcripts, you can also use the editor burn subtitles directly into your video.
Even non-Riverside users can create transcripts with us, using our browser-based transcription tool. While we recommend our in-house transcripts, which include speaker detection, this is a fast and simple option.
Pros:
- Free to use app supporting multiple participants across Apple and Android
- AI transcriptions with unmatched accuracy
- Quickly generate transcriptions in over 100 languages
- Access instant transcriptions as soon as you finish recording
- Speaker detection software creates transcripts that differentiate between each person
- Text-based video editing to make quick changes to your video by altering your transcripts
- Timestamped SRT files ideal for subtitling and captions; TXT files to repurpose audio into written content
- Capture high-quality 48kHz audio and use the background noise removal tool for crisp audio, improving transcription accuracy
- Captioning tool so you can directly add subtitles to your videos
Cons:
- Riverside editor needs to be accessed via PC rather than the mobile app
- Subtitle styles, e.g. color and font, are unavailable
Learn more, or sign up to start trancribing effortlessy with Riverside.
Kaptioned
Price: Free; paid plans from $9.99/mo
Compatibility: iOS, Android
Captioned is an auto subtitle generator that can create transcripts and add subtitles to your video. Using AI, you can create subtitles quickly and in multiple languages. Kaptioned also allows you to add text or captions to any part of your video. This versatile app is ideal for subtitling short-form videos for social media.
Pros:
- Add subtitles, text, captions and headlines to a video
- Different options for subtitle styles and colors
- Edit, change and save a video as many times as you want.
- Supports subtitles in multiple languages, and can show subtitles in 2 different languages at once
- Option to export an SRT file
Cons:
- The free version leaves a watermark on videos
- Editing subtitles on the app can be fiddly and take a while
MixCaptions
Price: Free; paid options from $0.99
Compatibility: iOS, Android
MixCaptions is a quick and useful app for generating transcriptions, subtitles, and captions. This app can transcribe in 23 languages, and provides SRT files for you to export. You can make your subtitles stand out by choosing their font and color. You’ll need to opt for the paid plan to access some of these features, as well as remove the MixCaptions watermark.
Pros:
- Import and export SRT files (you’ll need a paid subscription to export the files, though)
- Display captions in different places on your video
- Customize your text with fonts, colors, and text backgrounds
- Supports vertical and 16:9 ratios, useful for social media posts
- Automatic transcriptions in 23 languages
Cons:
- First video of up to 3 minutes is free, but after that you’ll have to pay to use the app
- MixCaptions watermark on free videos
AutoCap
Price: Free; monthly subscription $4.99
Compatibility: iOS, Android
AutoCap is a no-frills-attached automated caption generator that quickly creates subtitles for your video. You can record a video via the app, or upload a pre-recorded one. Voice recognition technology analyzes what the speakers say and transcribes the words into text. This process can take some time.
Pros:
- Range of video ratios supported, including: square, story, 4:5
- You can add branding logos and progress bars to videos
- Transcriptions can be edited for accuracy within the app
- Range of eye-catching fonts and text colors, as well as animated text options
Cons:
- Bugs frequently reported with app updates
- Transcriptions are unreliable when it comes to accuracy
Voicella
Price: Free; in-app purchases
Compatibility: Android
Voicella is a popular app for adding subtitles to videos. It can translate speech from more than 90 languages, transcribe text and add subtitles to your video. The app is useful for adding subtitles on the go, ready for sharing videos on YouTube and social media.
Pros:
- Automatic voice recognition and speech translation tools
- Editing tools for text, color and position of subtitles
- Over 90 available languages
- Share videos directly to social media
Cons:
- Users have had issues with saving files from the app
- Limited text layout options, and font options are not aesthetically pleasing
Veme.ly
Price: iOS, Android
Compatibility: Free; paid plans from $9.99
Veme.ly comes in handy for adding eye-catching subtitles to your videos. The app has a lot to offer in terms of text tools, so you can make words standout. Most users will need the paid plan with Veme.ly, as the free option only allows you to manually create subtitles or import an SRT file. With the paid plan, you can generate up to 15 minutes of captions.
Pros:
- Video tutorials available to help you generate subtitles
- Import videos from your library or the Cloud, or record videos directly on the app
- Over 110 fonts available
- Extra features including adding logos, gifs and progress bars
Cons:
- Fewer features available with the Android version compared to iOS.
- Subtitle accuracy varies
VidCap
Price: Free; in-app purchases
Compatibility: iOS
The VidCap app automatically adds subtitles to your videos, saving you valuable time. VidCap offers some impressive features, including a high accuracy rating compared to similar apps, and plenty of tools to customize your text. You can preview your video before exporting and even add a brand logo. While you can’t record on the app, you can save captioned videos on your device in up to 4k.
Pros:
- Subtitles with a competitive accuracy level
- Unlimited video length supported
- Customizing options: font, style, animations, colors
- Supports translations to multiple languages
- Export transcriptions in SRT and VTT formats
Cons:
- Only available on iOS
- Free trial limited to 3 days
- Can’t record directly in app
How to choose a subtitle app
Choosing the right subtitle app can positively impact your workflow, time management, and the final outcome of your video. While you might try out a few different apps before landing on your favorite, you’ll save yourself time and energy by narrowing down your options beforehand.
Think about the factors below when looking at subtitle apps. Some factors may be less important to you than others. By prioritizing your needs, you’ll have an easier time choosing an effective app.
Price
The price of subtitle apps can vary a bit, which it’s why it’s good to be aware of your budget from the start. Luckily there are some free apps out there, so anyone can find tools to subtitle their videos. However, certain paid apps offer better accuracy, more features, or an improved user experience.
Available languages
If you need to generate subtitles for a video in a language other than English, be aware that not all apps will work for you. You’ll need to find apps that recognize speech in different languages.
Some content creators like to provide subtitles where their video is translated into different languages. This helps with outreach by increasing the number of people who can understand your video. However, not all subtitle apps have translating capabilities.
Additional Tools
You may have one specific use in mind for a subtitle app, such as generating captions or adding subtitles to your video. However, some extra tools could help you too.
Some apps have recording capabilities. This can be handy for creating and subtitling videos on the same platform. With the Riverside app, you can easily record from an iPhone or Android and capture videos in full HD.
For anyone working on a group project, keep your eye out for collaborative editing tools. Though uncommon, some apps allow multiple people to work on a project.
How to generate subtitles with Riverside: 5 Easy steps
Creating subtitles with Riverside is quick and simple. In just a few steps, you can create highly accurate subtitle files. All you need to do is the following:
Step 1: Record your video on the Riverside app. High-quality WAV audio helps make your transcriptions more accurate.
Step 2: Login to your account on desktop and go to your Studio Recordings dashboard. Choose the recording you want to add subtitles to.
Step 3: Wait for your subtitles to generate. Then, under the Recording Files, click on Download next to Transcript.
Step 4: You can choose to download your transcript as an SRT or TXT file. Choose the SRT option, which will provide you with a plain-text subtitle file.
Step 5: Proofread your transcript, then upload it to your chosen platform.
If you'd like to add subtitles directly to your video, follow these steps:
Step 1: In the Studio recordings dashboard, select Go to Editor from the top right of the screen.
Step 2: You'll find a toolbar at the top of the editor. Click on the Caption button here and select a style for your subtitles.
Step 3: Drag and position your subtitles on your video.
Step 4: Finish off editing, then export your video.
FAQs on Subtitle Apps
What is the best app for adding subtitles?
There are several great apps for adding subtitles to your videos. The best way to find the right app is to consider your needs. Consider your budget, video length, and what app aligns best with your needs.
That said, we’ve got plenty of suggestions.You can use Riverside to generate highly accurate AI transcriptions in SRT format, which is ideal for subtitles for your videos. Other apps like Kaptioned are great for generating and customizing subtitles. Check out our full list of recommendations above.
Is there an app that automatically generates subtitles?
There are plenty of apps available that automatically generate subtitles. They vary in price and accuracy, and not all apps are compatible with every phone.
Popular subtitle apps for a mobile device include Kaptioned and Kapwing, but you can also try an online platform like Riverside It’s worth considering the best options before committing to an app. For that, we’ve got you covered. Check out the list above for our top subtitle app recommendations.
Is there a subtitle app for iPhone?
There are some great subtitle apps that have been created for iPhones, such as Kaptioned. Subtitle apps offer tools like translation, subtitle, and caption services. You can discover subtitle apps for iPhones by searching in the App Store. Or, you can save yourself the trouble of filtering through apps and read through our top choices.
How can I add subtitles to a video without any software?
You can add subtitles to a video without downloading any subtitle software by using an online platform. Online editors and subtitle generators are accessible from a browser. You can upload your video and generate subtitles from a webpage.
Riverside allows you to record high quality video and audio, as well as generate transcriptions in over 100 languages. You don’t even need a Riverside account to download a subtitle (SRT) file. Upload your video here to create a transcription in just a few clicks.