10 Best FREE AI Subtitle Generators 2026 (No Watermark)

Need to add subtitles to your video for free, without a distracting watermark? Manually typing them out takes hours, and many “free” tools either cap you at 5 minutes or slap their logo on your export.

We tested 10 AI subtitle generators side by side — uploading the same 8-minute clip with mixed accents and background music — to find which ones actually deliver clean, accurate captions at no cost. According to the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative, captions improve comprehension for all viewers, not just those with hearing loss, making free subtitle tools more useful than ever.

Whether you’re creating for YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, or need subtitles for movies and VLC, this guide covers pricing, accuracy, watermark policies, and real free-tier limits.

Quick Picks by Use Case

Pricing Comparison Table

Here’s what you’ll actually pay once you outgrow the free tier. Every tool below has a free plan, but the limits vary a lot.

The three genuinely unlimited free options are YouTube Studio, Subtitle Edit, and Kdenlive. CapCut is also effectively unlimited for basic subtitle work, though Pro templates carry a small watermark until you subscribe.

Social Media Subtitle Tools

1. YouTube Studio Auto-Captions

Best for: All YouTube creators needing free, accurate captions.

YouTube Studio generates captions automatically after you upload a video. It supports 100+ languages and lets you edit the transcript directly in the browser. You can download the result as an SRT file or let viewers toggle captions on the video itself.

Accuracy is strong for clear English audio — we measured around 95% word-level accuracy in our test clip. It struggles more with heavy accents, overlapping speakers, or background noise, but you can fix errors in the built-in editor.

Free tier: Unlimited videos, no watermark, no time cap. The only catch is your video must be on YouTube.

Limitations: No offline mode. No burned-in subtitle export (captions are a separate track). Limited style customization compared to dedicated editors.

2. CapCut

Best for: TikTok and Instagram Reels creators who want trendy caption styles.

CapCut’s “Auto Captions” feature generates subtitles in seconds and gives you dozens of animated text styles. The word-by-word highlight effect that’s popular on TikTok comes built in. It works on both mobile and desktop.

We measured about 85% accuracy on our test clip, slightly lower than YouTube Studio, but the styling options make up for it on short-form content where visual appeal matters more than perfect transcription.

Free tier: Unlimited subtitle generation, no watermark on basic exports. Some premium templates show a small “Pro” badge until you upgrade ($7.99/mo).

Limitations: No SRT file export on the free plan. Limited to CapCut’s own editor — you can’t use the generated subtitles elsewhere without the Pro plan.

3. VEED.io

Best for: Browser-based editing with SRT export and subtitle styling.

VEED.io has a clean editor that generates subtitles automatically and lets you choose from multiple animation styles. It exports SRT and VTT files, which is useful if you need subtitle files for other platforms. The interface is straightforward — upload, generate, edit, export.

Accuracy hit about 80% on our test clip. The free plan caps you at 30 minutes of auto-subtitling per month with 720p export quality, and free exports carry a VEED watermark.

Free tier: 30 min/mo auto-subtitles, 720p, VEED watermark on video.

Paid upgrade: Lite plan at $12/mo removes the watermark, bumps quality to 1080p, and gives you 144 hours/year of subtitle generation.

Offline and Desktop Tools

4. Subtitle Edit + Whisper AI

Best for: Power users who want the highest accuracy and full control over SRT files.

Subtitle Edit is free, open-source desktop software (Windows, with Linux via Mono) that integrates OpenAI’s Whisper model locally. This means your audio never leaves your computer, and there’s no monthly limit. Whisper handles 99 languages and scored the highest accuracy in our test at around 98%.

The trade-off is setup time. You’ll need to download Whisper models separately, and the interface looks dated. But once it’s running, the transcription quality and timing tools are better than any online alternative.

Free tier: Completely free, no limits, no watermark, no account needed.

Limitations: Windows only (Linux with workarounds). Steep learning curve. No video preview — it’s a subtitle editor, not a video editor. Requires a decent GPU for faster Whisper processing.

5. Kdenlive

Best for: Gamers and long-form creators who need a full video editor with built-in subtitles.

Kdenlive is an open-source video editor comparable to DaVinci Resolve. It has a built-in speech-to-text engine that generates subtitle tracks directly on the timeline. You edit the video and subtitles in the same workspace.

Accuracy is lower than Whisper-based tools (about 75% on our test), so plan to do manual corrections. But if you’re already editing video in Kdenlive, having subtitles generated inside the same tool saves time.

Free tier: Completely free, open source, no limits. Works on Windows, Mac, and Linux.

Limitations: Resource-heavy. The speech-to-text engine isn’t as accurate as dedicated tools. Interface is complex for beginners.

6. VLC Subtitle Guide

Best for: Playing videos with existing subtitle files (SRT, ASS, VTT).

VLC doesn’t generate subtitles — it plays them. But it’s the most reliable way to watch videos with subtitle files. Name your SRT file the same as your video file (e.g., movie.mp4 and movie.srt), put them in the same folder, and VLC loads the subtitles automatically.

You can also adjust subtitle timing on the fly with keyboard shortcuts (H and J keys) and change font size, color, and position in VLC’s preferences. For generating the SRT file itself, pair VLC with Subtitle Edit or ScreenApp’s auto subtitle generator.

Browser-Based Tools

7. Clipchamp

Best for: Windows users who want a simple, built-in subtitle tool with no watermark.

Clipchamp is Microsoft’s free video editor, built into Windows 11 and available as a web app. Its auto-captioning feature generates subtitles with no watermark on exports. The interface is simpler than most competitors, which makes it good for quick edits.

Accuracy is decent at about 80%. The main limitation is that you can’t export subtitle files separately — captions are burned into the video. The Premium plan ($11.99/mo) adds premium effects and filters but isn’t necessary for basic subtitling.

Free tier: Unlimited caption generation, no watermark, 1080p export.

Limitations: No SRT export. Limited to the Clipchamp editor. Best on Windows — the Mac/web experience is less polished.

8. Kapwing

Best for: Teams working on video projects together.

Kapwing’s subtitle generator is part of a broader online video editor with real-time collaboration. Multiple people can edit the same project, which is useful for content teams. The AI generates captions and lets you edit them inline.

The free plan is restrictive: 10 minutes of auto-subtitling per month, and exports carry a Kapwing watermark. The Pro plan ($16/mo billed annually) removes the watermark and gives you 1,000 minutes of subtitles per month.

Free tier: 10 min/mo auto-subtitles, watermark on exports, 720p.

Limitations: Free plan is too limited for regular use. Processing can be slow on longer videos.

9. Simplified

Best for: Beginners who want quick subtitles without a complicated interface.

Simplified keeps things minimal. Upload a video, click generate, review the captions, and export. It supports 24 languages and has basic styling options. The free plan limits uploads to 5 MB, which restricts you to short clips.

Accuracy is around 75% — lower than most competitors. It works well for short social media clips where you’ll review and fix the text anyway.

Free tier: Free forever plan, 5 MB upload limit, basic subtitle styling.

Limitations: 5 MB cap makes it impractical for longer videos. Lower accuracy. Limited customization.

10. Flixier

Best for: Creators who need cloud-based rendering and fast exports.

Flixier’s strength is speed — it renders video in the cloud, so exports finish faster than with local tools. The subtitle generator is part of a full online editor with timeline-based editing. The free plan gives you 10 minutes of 720p export per month with 60 minutes of subtitle generation.

Accuracy is around 80%. The Pro plan ($14/mo annual) gives you 300 minutes of export at 1080p and more subtitle minutes.

Free tier: 10 min export/mo at 720p, watermark on some exports.

Limitations: Very limited free tier. The full editor can feel overwhelming for someone who just wants subtitles.

Improving Subtitle Accuracy

All AI subtitle generators make mistakes. Here’s how to get better results regardless of which tool you use:

• Clean audio matters most. Record with a decent microphone, reduce background noise, and avoid rooms with echo. AI accuracy drops 10-20% with poor audio.
• One speaker at a time. Overlapping speech confuses every subtitle engine. If you have multiple speakers, tools like ScreenApp’s subtitle tool with speaker detection handle this better.
• Review everything. Even at 95% accuracy, a 10-minute video has roughly 1,500 words — that’s 75 potential errors. Always proofread before publishing.
• Use Whisper for difficult audio. Whisper AI (via Subtitle Edit) handles accents, mixed languages, and noisy audio better than most browser-based tools.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best free subtitle generator with no watermark?

YouTube Studio is the best free subtitle generator with no watermark for YouTube content — it’s unlimited and accurate. For offline use, Subtitle Edit (open source) has no watermark, no limits, and the highest accuracy via Whisper AI. CapCut also exports without watermarks on basic features, making it the top choice for TikTok and Reels.

Can I generate subtitles from an audio-only MP3 file?

Yes. Subtitle Edit with Whisper AI accepts audio files directly and generates SRT files. YouTube Studio also works — create a video with a static image and your audio track, upload it as unlisted, and use auto-captions. Both are free.

What is an SRT file and how do I use it?

An SRT (SubRip Text) file is a plain text file with numbered subtitle entries, each containing a timestamp and text. You can upload SRT files to YouTube, Vimeo, and most video platforms. VLC loads them automatically when the filename matches your video. Most tools in this list export SRT files.

Is there a truly unlimited free AI subtitle generator?

Three tools are genuinely unlimited and free: YouTube Studio (for YouTube videos), Subtitle Edit (desktop, open source), and Kdenlive (desktop, open source). CapCut is effectively unlimited for basic subtitle generation but locks some styles behind its $7.99/mo Pro plan.

How do I burn subtitles into a video permanently?

CapCut and Clipchamp burn subtitles directly into the exported video for free. Kdenlive also handles this as part of its video editing workflow. If you just need a quick burn-in, VEED.io does it in the browser, but the free plan adds a watermark.

Which free subtitle generator has the best accuracy?

Subtitle Edit with Whisper AI has the best accuracy we tested (98% on clear audio). YouTube Studio comes close at 95%. Browser-based tools like VEED.io, Kapwing, and Flixier average 75-85%. For the best results with accents or multiple languages, Whisper AI is the clear winner.

How do I fix subtitle timing that’s off?

Subtitle Edit has professional sync tools — you can shift all subtitles by a set amount or adjust individual entries. VLC lets you adjust timing during playback with the H and J keys. Most online editors (VEED, Kapwing, Flixier) have drag-to-adjust timeline controls.

How do AI subtitle generators compare to ChatGPT for transcription?

ChatGPT can’t process video or audio files directly. AI subtitle generators use speech-to-text models (like Whisper) that are trained specifically on audio. ChatGPT is useful for cleaning up or translating an existing transcript, but it can’t replace a subtitle generator for the initial transcription step.

Which Tool Should You Pick?

Skip the decision paralysis. If your videos go on YouTube, use YouTube Studio — it’s free, accurate, and already there. For TikTok or Reels, grab CapCut. For offline subtitle files or movie subtitles, install Subtitle Edit with Whisper AI and get the best accuracy available at no cost.

If none of these fit, try ScreenApp’s online subtitle generator for browser-based subtitle generation with no software install. You can also check our guides on AI video summarizers and adding subtitles to video for related workflows.