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Auto captions,
free and animated
for any video.
Drop in a video and this auto captions generator writes every word, then lets you style it: 20 caption styles, one word at a time or in pairs, and five animations. Free auto captions with no sign-up and no watermark, made on your own device.
Auto captions
Drop a video here
or click to choose a video from your device
MP4, MOV, WebM, MKV
Already have an SRT file? Use it instead
Skip the AI step and style your own subtitles. Upload an SRT file made for this video; the captions follow its timing exactly. Format example:
1 00:00:01,000 --> 00:00:03,500 Hello everyone, welcome to the video. 2 00:00:03,500 --> 00:00:06,000 Today we add captions.
The first run downloads the AI model once (it is then cached on your device).
Your video is processed on this device and never uploaded.
How it works
Auto captions in four steps
Create the captions
Choose the spoken language and press the button. The AI writes every word with its timing.
Style them
Pick one of 20 caption styles, then set the words per line, size, position and animation.
Export or download
Export the video with the captions burned in, or download the SRT file for YouTube.
Features
Everything for eye-catching auto captions
20 caption styles
From clean and minimal to bold, neon and karaoke. One click changes the whole look.
Word-by-word captions
Show one word at a time, or group two, three or more words per line, like short-form creators do.
Five animations
Pop, slide up, fade, bounce and typewriter, or no animation at all.
Your style, your way
Change the font, size, position, colors, outline, shadow and background box.
Export with captions
Download the video with captions burned in, ready for TikTok, Reels, Shorts or YouTube.
Private and free
No sign-up, no watermark and no upload. The auto captions are created on your device.
Who uses it
Auto captions for every kind of video
Anything with speech gets better with captions. These are the most common ways people use free auto captions.
TikTok, Reels and Shorts
Big, animated words that change every second keep people watching. Use one or two words per line with the pop or bounce animation.
YouTube videos
Add auto captions for YouTube to a long video, or download the SRT and let YouTube show the subtitles as a normal track.
Courses and lessons
Students follow along faster when they can read what the teacher says. Calm styles with three or four words per line work best.
Interviews and podcasts
Turn a recorded conversation into a clip people can watch with the sound off, and fix any name the AI spelled wrong in the editor.
Business and social posts
Product demos, announcements and customer stories get more views with captions, and the export carries no watermark.
Accessibility
Captions help viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing, and anyone watching in a noisy place or without headphones.
Auto captions guide
Free auto captions for every video
What are auto captions?
Auto captions are words that appear on your video at the moment they are spoken, created automatically from the audio. Instead of typing every line and timing it by hand, an auto subtitles generator listens to the speech, writes the text and works out when each word starts and ends. That timing is what makes modern styles possible, such as showing one word at a time or highlighting the word being said.
People search for this in different ways: auto captions, auto subtitles, an auto subtitles generator or auto captions for YouTube. They all mean the same thing: captions you do not have to type. If you are looking for auto captions free of charge, this tool does exactly that.
Why free auto captions help your videos
Most people watch videos on a phone, often with the sound off. Captions keep them watching, help viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing, and make fast speech and accents easier to follow. Animated captions also make short videos look professional, which is why creators add them to TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts.
With free auto captions you skip the slow part and spend your time on the look: the style, the size and the animation.
How to add auto captions to a video, free
Drop your video into the tool, choose the spoken language and create the captions. When they appear, pick a style, decide how many words to show at once, choose an animation and move the captions where you want them. You can fix any word in the editor before you export.
When you are happy, export the video with the captions burned in, or download an SRT file. The same tool works as an auto subtitles generator when all you need is a subtitle file.
Auto captions for YouTube, TikTok and Reels
For short vertical videos, one or two words at a time with a pop or bounce animation keeps the eye moving. For longer YouTube videos, three or four words per line in a calm style such as Classic or Minimal are easier to read. If you want YouTube to carry the captions instead of burning them in, download the SRT and upload it in YouTube Studio.
Read our guide on adding subtitles to a YouTube video for the upload steps.
Private auto captions with no watermark
Your video is processed on your own device and never uploaded, so interviews, lessons and client work stay private. There is no trial, no account and no watermark on the exported video. If you need the plain text instead, use our subtitle generator, which writes SRT, VTT and TXT files.
Tips
Get better-looking auto captions
A few small choices make captions look professional instead of default.
Match words per line to the pace
One word at a time suits fast, energetic clips. Two to four words per line read better for calm talking and longer videos.
Keep captions out of the way
Place them where nothing important happens. Bottom is safe for landscape video; a little above the bottom keeps vertical videos clear of app buttons.
Size for the smallest screen
Check the preview at phone size. If you have to squint, raise the size slider a step.
Highlight only when it helps
Colouring the spoken word works well in lively styles. In a calm style, leave it off so the text does not flicker.
Fix names before exporting
Open the word list and correct brand names, places and unusual words. Timing stays attached to the speech.
Use clear audio
Less background noise and music gives more accurate words. Pick the spoken language instead of auto-detect when you know it.
In depth
How to choose caption styles, positions and animations
Picking a caption style
The 20 styles fall into a few families. Clean styles use white text with a thin outline or a soft shadow and suit tutorials, interviews and anything serious. Bold styles use heavy letters in yellow, green or red and are made for short videos where the caption is part of the look. Box styles put the words on a solid or dark background, which keeps them readable over busy footage. Glow styles add a neon edge and look best on dark video.
If you are unsure, start with a clean style and change only one thing at a time. Every tile shows the style in its own colours, and the one you pick keeps any tweaks you make to colour, outline, box and font.
Words per line and reading speed
Showing one word at a time makes each word impossible to miss and gives a fast, punchy rhythm, but it can feel tiring in a long video. Pairs of words give a similar energy with more context. Three or four words per line is closer to normal subtitles and is easier to read for ten minutes or more.
The groups break at the end of a sentence and at long pauses, so a line never carries a full stop into the next sentence. If a line feels too short or too long, move the slider and the preview updates at once.
Position, size and safe areas
Short vertical platforms cover the bottom of the screen with a description and buttons, so captions placed slightly above the lower edge stay visible. For landscape video, the bottom third is the usual place. The middle works well for one-word captions because the eye already rests there.
Size is calculated from the video itself, so the same setting looks right on a phone clip and a widescreen recording. Raise it for small screens and lower it when you want a more cinematic look.
Choosing an animation
Pop makes each caption bounce in with a small zoom and is the most popular choice for short videos. Slide up moves the words in from below. Fade is gentle and suits calm material. Bounce drops the words in with a spring. Typewriter reveals letters across the time the words are spoken, which fits storytelling and tutorials. You can also choose no animation at all.
Pick one animation and keep it for the whole video. Mixing several tends to distract from what is being said.
Exporting and file formats
The export plays your video once while recording it with the captions drawn on top, so the file has the sound and the words together, with no watermark. Depending on your browser the result is an MP4 or a WebM file; both play on phones, computers and upload sites.
Need only the text? Download the SRT file and upload it to YouTube Studio or your editor. For a plain subtitle file without styling you can also use the main subtitle generator, and our guide on what an SRT file is explains the format.
Guides
Related guides
YouTube Subtitle Generator: Add Subtitles to Any Video
Use a free YouTube subtitle generator: create an SRT file in your browser and upload it in YouTube Studio for accurate captions on videos and Shorts.
Read guide →Subtitles for TikTok, Reels and Shorts: Quick Guide
Create accurate text and timing for short vertical videos for free, then add it in your editor so viewers can follow with the sound off.
Read guide →How to Make Subtitles Easy to Read: Length and Timing
Simple rules for line length, reading speed and contrast that make subtitles comfortable to read on any screen.
Read guide →Auto captions questions
What are auto captions?
Auto captions are captions created automatically from the speech in your video, with each word timed to appear when it is spoken.
Are these auto captions really free?
Yes. These are free auto captions with no trial, no credits, no account and no watermark on the exported video.
Can I use auto captions for YouTube?
Yes. Export the video with the captions burned in, or download the SRT file and upload it in YouTube Studio. Both work for long videos and Shorts.
What is the difference between auto captions and auto subtitles?
Auto subtitles usually means a subtitle file (SRT or VTT) that players show. Auto captions here are styled text drawn on the video itself. This tool gives you both.
How many words can I show at once?
You choose. One word at a time is popular for short videos, and two to four words per line work well for longer ones.
Which animations are available?
Pop, slide up, fade, bounce and typewriter, or no animation. Each one plays as a caption appears.
Is my video uploaded anywhere?
No. The captions are created and the video is exported on your device, so your file never leaves it.
Which languages work?
English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Russian, Polish, Turkish, Japanese, Korean and Chinese. Leave the language on Auto-detect or pick it yourself.
How do I generate auto subtitles for a video?
Drop the video into the tool, pick the spoken language and press the button. The auto subtitles appear in a few minutes with nothing to install, then you choose the style and animation.
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