Add Subtitles to Video — in Seconds or in Style
Two honest ways to put subtitles on a video, both running entirely in your browser: embed the subtitle track in seconds without re-encoding, or burn styled text into the frames so it shows on every platform. Bring your own SRT or let local Whisper transcribe. No upload, no watermark. Free to try — no subscription.
Add Subtitles Free →Two ways to add subtitles — and when to use each
| Soft embed | Hard burn-in | |
|---|---|---|
| What happens | Subtitle track packed into the file; video stream copied untouched | Text drawn into every frame; video re-encoded once to H.264 |
| Speed | Seconds — even for large files | Minutes — it re-encodes the video |
| Quality | Bit-identical, zero loss | One re-encode; practically invisible at default settings |
| Viewer can turn it off | Yes — player subtitle toggle | No — it's part of the picture |
| Plays on social platforms | No — most strip or ignore soft tracks | Yes — everywhere, guaranteed |
| Styling | Player decides | Full control: presets, size, position |
Rule of thumb: archiving and personal playback → soft embed. Anything headed to Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Shorts or a client → burn it in.
Already have an SRT? Skip the AI entirely
Most "add subtitles" tools quietly force you through auto-transcription. Here, importing an existing SRT or VTT is a first-class path: drop the file, fix the text if you like, and press embed or burn.
- Subtitles drift by half a second? Shift the whole timeline at once instead of nudging 200 cues.
- Full undo/redo while you polish the wording.
- Export back out as SRT, VTT, ASS or a plain-text transcript after editing.
No subtitle file yet? Transcribe locally
Starting from raw speech, the same tool generates subtitles with Whisper — OpenAI\'s speech recognition — running on your machine via WebGPU (with an automatic fallback for browsers without it). Language is detected automatically, and results land in a timing editor where you calibrate before committing.
Because the model runs locally, your interview footage, internal recordings and unreleased cuts are never uploaded to anyone\'s queue. Want the subtitles in English but the speech isn\'t? Whisper\'s built-in translation task does that in the same pass.
Burn-in styles that survive compression
- Classic — White text with a black outline — the Netflix look, readable on any background.
- Karaoke yellow — High-visibility yellow — the standard for shorts, reels and viral clips.
- Boxed — White text on a translucent black box — bulletproof against busy or bright footage.
- Shadowed — White text with a soft drop shadow — subtle, for clean cinematic frames.
Font size, position and margins are adjustable, so captions sit correctly whether your video is 16:9 landscape or vertical phone footage.
How to add subtitles to a video online
- Drop your video (MP4, MOV, MKV and more) — it is read locally, nothing uploads.
- Bring subtitles: import an SRT/VTT you already have, or let local Whisper transcribe the audio.
- Fix timings and wording in the editor — timeline shift, undo/redo.
- Choose soft embed (seconds, no re-encode) or burn-in (pick a style) — and download.
Frequently asked questions
Should I burn in subtitles or embed them as a soft track?
Depends on where the video goes. Soft subtitles live as a separate track inside the file: players can toggle them, they add nothing to the picture, and embedding takes seconds because the video stream is copied untouched. But most social platforms (Instagram, TikTok, X, most in-feed players) ignore or strip soft tracks — for anything you publish, burn the subtitles into the picture.
Does adding subtitles reduce video quality?
Soft embedding never touches the video stream — bit-identical quality, done in seconds. Burning in re-encodes the video once to H.264 to paint the text into every frame; at default quality settings the difference is practically invisible for sharing and social use.
I already have an SRT file. Do I need to transcribe?
No — import your SRT or VTT directly. You can shift all timings at once if they drift, edit text with undo/redo, and then either burn or embed. Transcription is only needed when you're starting from speech and no subtitle file.
What subtitle formats can I import and export?
Import SRT and VTT. Export SRT, VTT, ASS or a plain-text transcript. For embedding into MP4 the subtitle rides along as a standard subtitle track with the correct language tag.
Can I control how the burned subtitles look?
Yes — four one-click presets (classic white with outline, karaoke yellow, translucent black box, drop shadow), plus font size, position and margins so the text sits right on any aspect ratio.
Is this subtitle tool free?
It runs locally in your browser and is free to use after a quick sign-in — a free daily quota, and no watermark burned into your video. No subscription.
Related guide
Guide ·
Soft vs Hard Subtitles: Which One Your Video Actually Needs
Soft subtitles toggle off; hard subtitles are painted into the picture. The real trade-offs, what each social platform actually supports, and how to choose.