Captions vs. subtitles: How to choose the best option
Learn key differences between captions and subtitles, and when you should use them.
People sometimes use "captions" and "subtitles" interchangeably, but they serve different audiences and work differently on most platforms. This guide covers what captions actually are and how they differ from subtitles. Plus, you'll learn how to add both kinds of content to your videos without having to do it manually.
What are captions?
Captions are a text version of the audio in a video. That includes speech, as well as sound effects, music cues, and other non-verbal audio ("door slams," "[tense music]," "[applause]").
Captions were originally designed for viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing to provide a text representation of everything happening in the audio track. These days, captions also serve other important roles. The majority of people watch videos on social media with their sound off. So captions can make the difference between a video people watch to the end and one that's scrolled past fast.
Open vs. closed captions
This is where most people get confused. The terms "open" and "closed" refer to formatting and how captions get delivered within a video.
Closed captions can be turned on or off by the viewer. They are a separate file from the video itself, usually in a .SRT or .VTT format. Because they are a separate layer, they can be turned on or off. When you post a video, the platform reads the captions as a video overlay. Think about formats like YouTube's closed captions button or Netflix's subtitle toggle.
Open captions (also called "burned-in" captions) are baked directly into the video file. The viewer cannot turn them off. A lot of social media content uses open captions because there's no universal "turn on captions" button across platforms, and creators want to guarantee visibility.
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Why captions matter for online videos
Here are some of the most popular reasons people add captions to their videos:
To improve accessibility: On-screen captions are really helpful for viewers with a hearing impairment or people who prefer to watch videos on mute. They can enjoy and understand what’s happening or being said in a video without needing the sound.
To compensate for poor audio: Captions add another layer of information so viewers find it easier to follow the content, especially when there’s a lot of background noise or the audio quality isn’t good, such as content filmed in a public place. With captions, viewers can follow what’s happening in the video despite the extra sounds.
To aid SEO and discoverability: On social media platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram, using captions can improve your video’s discoverability. These platforms’ algorithms can read the text in the captions to extract keywords and better understand what your video is about. Then, the algorithms can accurately sort your videos and recommend them to the viewers interested in related content.
How to add captions to a video
Most social media platforms offer to add closed captions for you. However, those services are prone to mistakes. Some platforms let you edit your transcriptions, but that might require significant editing time.
If you prefer more accuracy and personalization, tools like Captions are a better option. Captions uses AI to automatically add captions for more than 100 languages. You can then tweak spelling, change colors or fonts or customize with emojis.
Here’s how to add captions to videos in the Captions app:
Upload a video or record new footage
Select “Add captions” and pick your audio’s language
Click to generate captions
Customize fonts and colors, or use AI to style for you
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What are subtitles?
Subtitles are a text translation or transcription of a video's spoken dialogue. They're focused purely on the words, so they don't include sound effects, music descriptions, or non-verbal audio cues.
You can also use subtitles if your video is in multiple languages, and you don't want to dub it. For example, a travel blogger might record most of their video in English, but talk to a local shopkeeper in French. They'd subtitle the part in French so the conversation can stay in its original language, but viewers can still follow along.
When to use subtitles
If you’re looking to expand your reach, subtitling is crucial to make content accessible and understandable. Like captions, subtitles also improve your content’s SEO and discoverability in the locations where those languages are spoken. Social media platforms and search engines read keywords from the subtitles in both the original and translated language. Then, it can match your content to user searches in both languages, making it appear in more search results and showing it to the viewers most likely to be interested in it.
How to add subtitles to a video
Creators and marketers often use localization services or translation workflows to add subtitles. This can be expensive and time consuming, and it’s a lot quicker to add subtitles with AI.
Here’s how to add subtitles in the Captions app:
Upload a video or record new footage
Select your target language for translation and click “Add captions”
Click to generate subtitles in the new language
Customize fonts and colors, or use AI to style for you
