Subtitle generator for SRT and VTT files
An SRT file creator for any recording: upload a video or audio file, or paste a link to one, and get its speech back as a subtitle file with every caption timed. It writes the file and leaves your video as it is, with nothing burned into the picture. Add the SRT on YouTube, in your video editor or in your player.
Generate subtitles
Free: 30 min a month, no card. Your file stays in this browser until you sign up. Compare plans
- About an hour of audio or video in about two minutes
- Subtitle files on Free as well, nothing held back
What the generator writes
A subtitle file made from a real recording, NASA's Apollo 11 landing, exactly as the SRT download writes it: a running number, a start and end time to the millisecond, then the caption, with each speaker's name where their paragraph begins. The VTT tab and the Word tab come from the very same transcript.
Apollo 11 landing.srt
- 100:00:00,500 to 00:00:05,980Neil Armstrong: Houston, uh, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.
- 200:00:06,640 to 00:00:08,478CAPCOM, Charlie Duke: Roger, Twang...
- 300:00:08,478 to 00:00:12,494Tranquility. We copy you on the ground. You got a bunch of guys about to turn blue.
- 400:00:12,494 to 00:00:14,720We're breathing again. Thanks a lot. [beeping]
Apollo 11 landing.vtt
WEBVTT
- 100:00:00.500 to 00:00:05.980Neil Armstrong: Houston, uh, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.
- 200:00:06.640 to 00:00:11.301CAPCOM, Charlie Duke: Roger, Twang... Tranquility. We copy you on the ground. You got a bunch of guys
- 300:00:11.301 to 00:00:14.720CAPCOM, Charlie Duke: about to turn blue. We're breathing again. Thanks a lot. [beeping]
Apollo 11 landing
Neil Armstrong
[0:00] Houston, uh, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.
CAPCOM, Charlie Duke
[0:06] Roger, Twang... Tranquility. We copy you on the ground. You got a bunch of guys about to turn blue. We're breathing again. Thanks a lot. [beeping]
Shape the captions before you download
The export window decides how the subtitle file is cut. Here is the Apollo transcript generated twice: once at the standard settings with names, once with longer captions and no names.
- Caption length. Anything from 40 to 200 characters on a single line; 84 if you leave it alone. Short captions suit a phone, longer ones a wide screen.
- Caption time. 3 to 15 seconds, 7 as standard. A paragraph that lasts longer is split by its characters; a brief paragraph spoken slowly isn't split.
- Who is talking. With names on, the SRT opens a speaker's paragraph with [Neil Armstrong], and the VTT tags each of their captions <v Neil Armstrong>. Turn names off for clean captions.
- Set on the web. These controls are in the web app. Subtitles exported from the iPhone app use the standard 84 characters and 7 seconds.
Standard, with names
- Characters per caption
- 84
- Seconds per caption
- 7
- Speaker names
- On
Apollo 11 landing.srt
- 100:00:00,500 to 00:00:05,980Neil Armstrong: Houston, uh, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.
- 200:00:06,640 to 00:00:08,478CAPCOM, Charlie Duke: Roger, Twang...
- 300:00:08,478 to 00:00:12,494Tranquility. We copy you on the ground. You got a bunch of guys about to turn blue.
- 400:00:12,494 to 00:00:14,720We're breathing again. Thanks a lot. [beeping]
Longer, without names
- Characters per caption
- 120
- Seconds per caption
- 10
- Speaker names
- Off
Apollo 11 landing.srt
- 100:00:00,500 to 00:00:05,980Houston, uh, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.
- 200:00:06,640 to 00:00:13,048Roger, Twang... Tranquility. We copy you on the ground. You got a bunch of guys about to turn blue. We're breathing
- 300:00:13,048 to 00:00:14,720again. Thanks a lot. [beeping]
A subtitle file, ready for wherever the video lives
The video subtitle generator hands you the SRT or VTT. The platform, editor or player that shows the video puts it on screen.
- Your YouTube channel. In YouTube Studio, add the file under the video's subtitles. YouTube takes SRT and VTT, and so does Vimeo.
- An edit in progress. Bring the SRT into Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve or Final Cut Pro as a caption track, then style it there.
- A file on your computer. Name the SRT like the video and keep both in one folder; VLC and many players pick it up on their own.
- Your website or course. Use the VTT: it's the format a web page's video player reads, and many course platforms take it too.
- Videos in other languages. Translate the transcript and download a second SRT, so viewers can switch languages on the same video.
- One kind of file in mind. Turning podcasts or MP3 recordings into captions? See MP3 to SRT. Starting from a camera or phone video? See MP4 to SRT.
How to generate a subtitle file
The automatic subtitle generator works the same way for any recording. For the details of one kind, see MP3 to SRT for audio and MP4 to SRT for video.
1 Bring in the recording
Upload the video or audio, several files at once if you have them, or paste the link of a public video. Set its language or let it be detected, and give the number of speakers if you know it.
2 Read it through
Play any line by clicking a word, and correct what was misheard. Put real names on Speaker 1 and Speaker 2, and the captions use them.
3 Export SRT or VTT
Pick the subtitle format, the caption length and time and whether names appear, then download. The file carries every correction you made.
30 min of free transcription a month, no card.
A second subtitle file in another language
Translate
Once the transcript is right, translate it into any of 99+ languages and export the translation as its own SRT or VTT, with each translated line on the times of the line it came from.
- A translation exports as TXT, SRT or VTT.
- One caption per translated line, on that line's own times; names and caption settings stay with the original.
More
Copy all
Export
- TXT
- SRT, selected
- VTT
Apollo 11 landing_es.srt
- 100:00:00,500 to 00:00:05,980Houston, eh, aquí Base Tranquilidad. El Águila ha aterrizado.
- 200:00:06,640 to 00:00:14,720Recibido, Tranq... Tranquilidad. Los copiamos en tierra. Tenían a un montón de tipos a punto de ponerse azules. Volvemos a respirar. Muchas gracias. [pitidos]
Any recording in, SRT or VTT out
What the generator reads, and how its two subtitle files differ.
What you can bring
Video or audio, from a phone, a camera, a recorder or an editor's export. Only the sound is transcribed, so a video and an audio track of the same talk give the same captions. Size matters more for video: at about 60 MB a minute, an HD phone video passes Free's 500 MB before it reaches 15 min. A podcast or MP3: MP3 to SRT. A camera or phone video: MP4 to SRT.
- Video
- MP4, MOV, AVI, MKV, WEBM, WMV, FLV, 3GP and MPEG
- Audio
- MP3, M4A, WAV, AAC, FLAC, OGG, OPUS and WMA
- By link
- Public videos on YouTube, Vimeo, TikTok, Loom and other sites we import from
- Per file
- 15 min and 500 MB on Free, 5 hr and 2 GB on Starter and Premium, 8 hr 20 min and 5 GB on Pro
The two lists are the web uploader's own; the iPhone app's file picker takes fewer.
SRT and VTT, the files you get
Both are plain text: a list of captions, each with a start time, an end time and its words. SRT (SubRip) is the format almost everything accepts. VTT (WebVTT) begins with a WEBVTT line, writes times with a dot instead of a comma and marks voices with a tag, which is why a web page's player reads it.
- An SRT time
- 00:00:06,640, to the millisecond
- A VTT time
- 00:00:06.640, after a WEBVTT header
- Each caption
- A single line of 40 to 200 characters
- Writing systems
- Any of 99+ languages, each in its own script
YouTube's and Vimeo's help centres name SubRip (.srt) and WebVTT (.vtt) among the caption formats they take.
What the generator leaves out
It's a video captions generator that makes subtitle files, and only that.
- No burned-in captions. It doesn't produce a video with words on the picture. You get the file; YouTube, an editor or a player draws it.
- No styling. Font, size, colour and position belong to wherever the video plays.
- No editing of an SRT you already have. Existing subtitle files can't be uploaded or converted. The generator writes new ones from the sound.
- Two formats. SRT and VTT. Not SBV, SCC, TTML, DFXP or ASS.
- Single-line captions. A caption never wraps onto a second line; it holds up to 200 characters.
- No text read from the picture. Titles, slides and words already burned into a video aren't transcribed. Only speech is.
Good to know
- Custom vocabulary (names, brands, jargon) and background noise removal are on a paid plan. Custom vocabulary counts 1.25× the minutes, noise removal 2×.
- On Free: 30 min a month and at most 15 min a day, one recording at a time.
- A recording uploaded on Free that runs past 15 min gets its first 15 min transcribed; a link needs a start and end time no more than 15 min apart.
- Top-up hours raise Free's daily and per-file minutes. They don't raise the 500 MB file size.
Plans
Monthly and yearly prices for every plan. The full comparison is on the pricing page.
30 min a month, files up to 15 min
- Monthly
- $0
- Yearly
- $0
5 hr a month, files up to 5 hr
- Monthly
- $7 a month
- Yearly
- $52 a year, Save 38%$4.33 a month, billed once a year
20 hr a month, files up to 5 hr
- Monthly
- $20 a month
- Yearly
- $150 a year, Save 38%$12.50 a month, billed once a year
40 hr a month, files up to 8 hr 20 min
- Monthly
- $40 a month
- Yearly
- $300 a year, Save 38%$25 a month, billed once a year
Private by default
- Encrypted on the way in and while stored; only you and anyone you share with can open it.
- Your recordings and subtitles never train AI models.
- Kept for as long as you want, gone when you delete them.
Subtitle generator FAQ
Something else on your mind? Email hello@prismascribe.ai.
How do I create an SRT file from a video or a recording?
Open a free account and upload the file, or paste the link of a public video. Leave the language on detect or choose it, then start. When the transcript is done, correct anything you want, open the export window, choose SRT, set the caption length and time, and download. The work carries on if you close the tab: the transcript stays in your dashboard and you get an email when it's finished.
Does the automatic captions generator burn the words into my video?
No. It's an SRT file generator: you get a subtitle file, not a new video, and nothing is burned into the picture or styled. Add the SRT or VTT to the video on YouTube or Vimeo, import it in your editor, or keep it beside the video for your player.
Is it a free subtitle generator?
You can use it free on the Free plan, without a card: 30 min a month, up to 15 min a day, files up to 15 min and 500 MB, one at a time. SRT, VTT and the caption settings are all included on Free; no download waits behind a payment. For longer recordings, compare the plans or add top-up hours, which don't expire.
What can I make subtitles from?
Any video or audio file the web uploader reads, 16+ formats including MP4, MOV, MKV, WEBM, MP3, WAV and M4A, or a link to a public video on YouTube, Vimeo, TikTok, X, Instagram, Facebook, Twitch, Reddit, Loom, Dailymotion or a track on SoundCloud. Private and members-only videos can't be fetched by link; upload the file instead.
Should I download SRT or VTT?
SRT if you're not sure: YouTube, Vimeo, editors and desktop players all read it. VTT for a video embedded in a web page or a course, since it's the browser's own caption format, and when you'd like a speaker's name on each of their captions. Both come from one transcript, so download both if you like.
Can I make the captions shorter or longer?
Yes, in the web app's export window. Set characters per caption anywhere from 40 to 200 (standard 84) and seconds per caption from 3 to 15 (standard 7). Every caption is one line. Long paragraphs are cut into several captions by their characters; a short paragraph spoken slowly stays whole. The iPhone app always uses the standard settings.
Can the subtitles say who is speaking?
Yes, on every plan, for up to 32 speakers. Rename Speaker 1 and Speaker 2 in the transcript once; with names switched on, an SRT shows the name in square brackets at the start of each speaker's paragraph and a VTT tags every caption with it. Switch names off and the captions carry only the words. How speaker identification works.
Can I generate subtitles in another language?
Yes. Transcribe in the language spoken, then translate the transcript into any of 99+ languages and download the translation as SRT, VTT or TXT. The translated file has one caption for each translated line, on that line's own times, with no speaker names or caption settings. Free includes 20,000 characters of translation each month. Translate video.
Can I fix the subtitles or upload an SRT I already have?
You fix them in the transcript before you export: click a word to hear it, retype it, rename speakers, and every subtitle file you download includes the changes. An existing SRT or VTT can't be uploaded, edited or converted here; the generator only writes new files from a recording's sound.
Which languages can the subtitles be in?
Any of 99+ languages, and people may switch language partway through a recording. Each language is written in its own script in both SRT and VTT. Leave the language on detect, or choose it before you start when the recording opens with music or silence.
The subtitle pages, and every format
Subtitles from one kind of file, and the tools for any recording.
SRT from one kind of file
Every format
Give your next video a subtitle file.
30 min of free transcription a month, no card.
One recording in.
Everything you need out.