On this page
- 01Is there a free auto caption generator?
- 02What does free mean?
- 03The comparison tables
- 04Burned-in or a caption file?
- 05What is the best free generator?
- 06Does Canva or CapCut caption for free?
- 07Can I use Captions AI for free?
- 08Can ChatGPT generate subtitles?
- 09Where does your audio go?
- 10How accurate are free captions?
- 11Where Rushilo fits
- 12What we could not verify
- 13FAQ
- 14Sources
- 15Cite this page
Is there a free auto caption generator?
Short answer
Yes, but free means four different things. From vendor pages read on October 22, 2026, Clipchamp is the only video tool we could verify with free autocaptions, no stated length limit and no watermark, and YouTube captions your own uploads at no cost. Kapwing and AutoSubtitles cap minutes and add a watermark. Subtitle Edit and whisper.cpp are free but need setup. Rushilo is not free: it is $19 to $49 once.
Searching for a free caption tool usually ends at a page that says “free” and then asks for a card, caps your minutes or stamps a logo on the export. This page sorts ten tools by what free actually gets you. Every cell comes from a vendor, store, GitHub or help page that we read on October 22, 2026. We did not run any of these tools, so there is no accuracy or speed test here. Prices and limits change, so check the source before you rely on a row.
Rushilo is on the list, and Rushilo is paid and one-time. It is not free, and we say so up front so you do not waste a click.
What does “free” actually mean for captions?
Most pages blend four different offers. Keeping them apart is the quickest way to find the tool that fits.
- Free, no cap on length. You can caption a long video without paying.
- Free with a minute cap. A short clip is covered; a long one needs a plan.
- Free with a watermark. The captions work, but the export carries the vendor's mark.
- Free in money, paid in effort. No cap and no mark, but you install and configure it yourself.
From primary pages alone, the only no-cap, no-watermark options we could verify are Clipchamp (for a video you export) and YouTube (for YouTube only). Everything else has a cap, a mark or setup.
Ten free caption tools, grouped by kind of free
Checked October 22, 2026. “Not confirmed” means we did not see it on the vendor's own page. “Burned-in” means styled words in the exported video; “SRT” is a separate file (see burned-in vs closed captions). What we did not test: all of it.
Clipchamp
- Free limit
- Autocaptions free for all users; no limit on subtitle length; free export up to 1080p
- Watermark on free
- None: watermark-free exports on the Free plan
- Output
- Burned-in video; transcript download as SRT only
- Where the audio goes
- Cloud speech recognition; Clipchamp says audio files are not stored
YouTube automatic captions
- Free limit
- Free on your own uploads; live captions are English only and rolling out to channels with 1,000 or more subscribers
- Watermark on free
- Not an export tool
- Output
- Captions on the video, editable in YouTube Studio
- Where the audio goes
- Cloud (YouTube)
| Tool | Free limit | Watermark on free | Output | Where the audio goes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clipchamp | Autocaptions free for all users; no limit on subtitle length; free export up to 1080p | None: watermark-free exports on the Free plan | Burned-in video; transcript download as SRT only | Cloud speech recognition; Clipchamp says audio files are not stored |
| YouTube automatic captions | Free on your own uploads; live captions are English only and rolling out to channels with 1,000 or more subscribers | Not an export tool | Captions on the video, editable in YouTube Studio | Cloud (YouTube) |
Kapwing
- Free limit
- 10 credits, which cover auto-subtitling up to 10 minutes; exports up to 4 minutes at 720p
- Watermark on free
- Yes; the Pro plan removes it
- Output
- Burned-in; SRT export on free not confirmed
- Where the audio goes
- Cloud
AutoSubtitles
- Free limit
- Videos up to 10 minutes, up to 720p, no account
- Watermark on free
- Yes, a small mark; the $9 per month plan removes it
- Output
- Burned-in on free; SRT, VTT and TXT on the paid plan
- Where the audio goes
- Video stays on your device; only the audio track is sent and then deleted
| Tool | Free limit | Watermark on free | Output | Where the audio goes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kapwing | 10 credits, which cover auto-subtitling up to 10 minutes; exports up to 4 minutes at 720p | Yes; the Pro plan removes it | Burned-in; SRT export on free not confirmed | Cloud |
| AutoSubtitles | Videos up to 10 minutes, up to 720p, no account | Yes, a small mark; the $9 per month plan removes it | Burned-in on free; SRT, VTT and TXT on the paid plan | Video stays on your device; only the audio track is sent and then deleted |
whisper.cpp
- Free limit
- Free, MIT licence, no usage cap
- Watermark on free
- None
- Output
- SRT and VTT through command line flags
- Setup
- Command line; Mac, Linux, Windows
Subtitle Edit
- Free limit
- Free, MIT licence, no cap
- Watermark on free
- None
- Output
- SRT and many other formats; can burn subtitles into video
- Setup
- Desktop editor on Windows, macOS 12 or later, Linux; Whisper speech to text built in
DaVinci Resolve (free edition)
- Free limit
- Free edition exists; whether it can make subtitles from audio is not stated on Blackmagic's Studio page
- Watermark on free
- None found
- Output
- Guides say the free edition imports SRT and burns it in; they say automatic transcription needs Studio
- Setup
- Full editor with a learning curve
| Tool | Free limit | Watermark on free | Output | Setup |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| whisper.cpp | Free, MIT licence, no usage cap | None | SRT and VTT through command line flags | Command line; Mac, Linux, Windows |
| Subtitle Edit | Free, MIT licence, no cap | None | SRT and many other formats; can burn subtitles into video | Desktop editor on Windows, macOS 12 or later, Linux; Whisper speech to text built in |
| DaVinci Resolve (free edition) | Free edition exists; whether it can make subtitles from audio is not stated on Blackmagic's Studio page | None found | Guides say the free edition imports SRT and burns it in; they say automatic transcription needs Studio | Full editor with a learning curve |
CapCut
- What the pages say
- Tool page: free of charge. A CapCut article dated September 23, 2026: Pro only
- Output
- Burned-in styled captions
- Where the audio goes
- Not stated in pages we read
Canva
- What the pages say
- Headline says free; plan limits not confirmed on Canva's own pages
- Output
- Editable text on the design; a secondary guide says no SRT or VTT
- Where the audio goes
- Cloud
Captions (captions.ai)
- What the pages say
- Free version with one caption template and no AI credits; paid from $24.99 per month; iOS plans only
- Output
- Burned-in styled captions
- Where the audio goes
- Not stated
| Tool | What the pages say | Output | Where the audio goes |
|---|---|---|---|
| CapCut | Tool page: free of charge. A CapCut article dated September 23, 2026: Pro only | Burned-in styled captions | Not stated in pages we read |
| Canva | Headline says free; plan limits not confirmed on Canva's own pages | Editable text on the design; a secondary guide says no SRT or VTT | Cloud |
| Captions (captions.ai) | Free version with one caption template and no AI credits; paid from $24.99 per month; iOS plans only | Burned-in styled captions | Not stated |
Rushilo
- Price
- One time: $19 (1 computer), $29 (3 computers), $49 (5 computers). No subscription
- Output
- Burned-in captions in several styles
- Where the audio goes
- Whisper base on your computer, or your own OpenAI, Groq or Gemini key
| Tool | Price | Output | Where the audio goes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rushilo | One time: $19 (1 computer), $29 (3 computers), $49 (5 computers). No subscription | Burned-in captions in several styles | Whisper base on your computer, or your own OpenAI, Groq or Gemini key |
For the SRT and VTT file formats themselves, see SRT vs VTT. For running Whisper without any web tool, see Whisper subtitles on your computer.
Do you need burned-in captions or a caption file?
Free tools often differ more in output than in price. Burned-in captions are part of the picture: they look the same everywhere, but you cannot turn them off or fix a typo without exporting again. A caption file such as SRT is a separate text file that platforms read, so viewers can switch it on and you can edit the words later. Clipchamp gives you both a video and an SRT transcript, and AutoSubtitles holds its SRT, VTT and TXT files back for the paid plan. whisper.cpp and Subtitle Edit are built around files.
If you post to a platform that accepts caption files, a file is usually the better free result, because the platform keeps the text searchable and lets viewers choose. If you post short vertical clips where the words are part of the look, burned-in styled captions are the point. The burned-in vs closed captions guide goes through that choice, and SRT vs VTT covers the file formats.
What is the best free auto caption generator?
It depends on where the video ends up. These are our reading of the tables above, not a test.
- A video you will download and post: Clipchamp, because its free plan is the least restricted we could verify. It detects one language at a time, per its own FAQ.
- A YouTube upload: YouTube's own automatic captions. YouTube lists reasons it may not caption a video, such as poor sound or overlapping speakers.
- A short clip with styled captions: Kapwing or AutoSubtitles, accepting the minute cap and the watermark.
- No upload and no cap: Subtitle Edit if you want an editor, whisper.cpp if you are comfortable with a terminal.
- An editor you already have: check the Timeline menu in DaVinci Resolve, since Blackmagic does not say which edition has automatic transcription.
If none of these fits, the honest fallback is a short paid month or a one-time licence for the one project that needs it, not a tool that is free on paper and capped in practice. A caption tool is only free if it still works on the clip you actually have, at the length you actually shoot, with the export you actually need.
Does Canva or CapCut auto caption for free?
Both are unsettled on their own pages. Canva's headline calls its caption generator free, but its help pages did not load for us, so we cannot state a plan limit. A secondary guide that cites Canva's help centre reports a 30 minute export cap on the free plan and no SRT or VTT export; treat that as unconfirmed.
CapCut's tool page says captions are converted free of charge, while a CapCut article dated September 23, 2026 says the auto caption generator is exclusive to Pro users. We cannot tell which one is current for your account. Our dated CapCut paywall log tracks the changes, and if you are leaving CapCut for good, see CapCut captions alternatives. For a single comparison page against CapCut, see Rushilo vs CapCut.
Can I use Captions AI for free?
Two different apps get called “Captions AI”. The Captions app at captions.ai lists a free version with one caption template and no AI credits, and its paid plans start at higher monthly prices, shown for iOS. The Google Play listing titled “Captions AI, Auto Captions” is published by APPBYTE PTE. LTD. and calls itself Captune. It contains ads and in-app purchases. They are separate products from separate companies, so check which one you installed before reading any pricing. We saw no competitor page that separates the two, which is likely why people searching for the free version mix them up. The Play Store listing also shows a Captune user review from August 2026 describing watching an ad to caption a short video. That is one user report, not a vendor term, so treat it as colour, not policy.
Can ChatGPT generate subtitles?
OpenAI's speech-to-text guide documents audio transcription through its API, with files up to 25 MB. That is a developer route, and a video file usually has to be turned into audio first. We did not test the ChatGPT app with a video upload, and we found no OpenAI page that promises an SRT file from chat. If your goal is subtitles on a video, a caption tool or editor is the more predictable path.
Where does your audio go?
“Free” often means your speech goes to someone else's server. The vendors differ in how plainly they say it.
- Clipchamp uses cloud speech recognition and says audio files are not stored.
- AutoSubtitles says your video stays on your device, but its own FAQ adds that the audio track is sent for AI transcription and deleted afterwards. That is not the same as running in the browser.
- Subtitle Edit is an offline app; its documentation says optional online services send the minimal data required.
- whisper.cpp runs on your computer.
If the footage is private, client work or unreleased, prefer a tool that runs on your computer or read the vendor's data wording first.
How accurate are free captions?
Several vendors claim accuracy up to 99 percent. None of the pages we read shows a test, so we do not repeat the number. YouTube's own help page is blunter: automatic captions can misrepresent speech because of mispronunciations, accents, dialects or background noise, and it tells you to always review them.
Review every caption before you publish. Check names, numbers and negations (“can” versus “can't”) first, because those errors change the meaning. If the words are right but the timing drifts, see how to fix subtitles that are out of sync.
Where does Rushilo fit?
We make Rushilo, so weigh this section accordingly. Rushilo is a desktop video editor for Mac and Windows, and it is paid and one-time: $19 (1 computer), $29 (3 computers), $49 (5 computers), with no subscription. There is no free tier on the pages we read, and this page does not state what an unlicensed copy does.
It suits you if you already edit video on a computer and would rather pay $19 once than rent a caption tool. If you caption one clip a month, Clipchamp or the free local tools above cost less. A licence covers 1, 3 or 5 computers. Buy Rushilo.
What could we not verify?
- Canva's free-plan caption limits, watermark and SRT export (its help pages did not load).
- Whether DaVinci Resolve's free edition can create subtitles from audio.
- CapCut's current free limit, since its own pages disagree.
- Which rows are included in Captions' free plan, and its free watermark rule.
- Kapwing's SRT export on the free plan.
- Clipchamp's Mac availability outside the browser, and long files: “no limits” is its wording, not our test.
- Every vendor's accuracy claim, and the ChatGPT app's behaviour with video.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free automatic captions generator?
Yes, with conditions. Clipchamp says its autocaptions are free for all users, with no limit on subtitle length and watermark-free 1080p export. YouTube adds free automatic captions to your uploads. Most other tools cap minutes or add a watermark on the free tier. We read each vendor's page on October 22, 2026.
What is the best free auto caption generator?
For a video you will download, Clipchamp is the least restricted free option we could verify: free autocaptions, no stated length limit and no watermark. For YouTube uploads, YouTube's own captions cost nothing. Rushilo is not free: it costs $19 once for one computer, and suits people who want to own their caption tool.
Can I use Captions AI for free?
There are two apps with that name in search. The Captions app lists a free version with one caption template and no AI credits, while paid plans start at $24.99 per month. The Google Play app called Captions AI, Auto Captions is a different product, Captune from APPBYTE, with ads and in-app purchases.
Does Canva auto caption for free?
Canva's page calls its auto caption generator free, but we could not read Canva's help pages to confirm plan limits. A secondary guide citing Canva's help centre reports a 30 minute export cap on free and no SRT or VTT file. Check Canva's current help page before relying on either.
Are auto captions no longer free on CapCut?
CapCut's own pages disagree. Its auto caption tool page says captions are converted free of charge, while a CapCut article dated September 23, 2026 says the auto caption generator is exclusive to Pro users. Check your plan in the app. Our dated log tracks the changes.
Can ChatGPT generate subtitles?
OpenAI documents audio transcription through its API, with files up to 25 MB. We did not test the ChatGPT app with a video upload and found no OpenAI page promising SRT files from chat. If you need subtitles from a video, a caption tool or an editor is the more reliable route.
What is the best free software for closed captioning files?
For SRT files you control, whisper.cpp (MIT licence, command line) and Subtitle Edit (MIT licence, desktop editor with Whisper speech to text) are free with no minute caps. Both need more setup than a web tool. They run on your computer, so your video is not uploaded to a caption service.
Sources
- Clipchamp: subtitle generatorAutocaptions free for all users, no limit on subtitle length, SRT-only transcript, one language at a time, audio not stored. Checked October 22, 2026.
- Clipchamp: pricingFree plan: watermark-free exports, up to 1080p. Checked October 22, 2026.
- YouTube Help: automatic captionsFree automatic captions on uploads, accuracy caveats, review advice. Checked October 22, 2026.
- Kapwing: pricingFree plan: 10 credits, auto-subtitling up to 10 minutes, exports with a watermark, up to 4 minutes and 720p. Checked October 22, 2026.
- AutoSubtitlesFree: up to 10 minutes, 720p, small watermark; SRT, VTT and TXT on Pro; video stays on device, audio track sent and deleted. Checked October 22, 2026.
- Canva: auto caption generatorHeadline calls the tool free. Plan limits not readable on Canva's own pages. Checked October 22, 2026.
- CleanSubtitle: Canva auto captions and SRT exportSecondary guide citing Canva's help centre: 30 minute free export cap, no SRT or VTT. Not a Canva page. Checked October 22, 2026.
- CapCut: auto caption generatorSays captions are converted free of charge. Checked October 22, 2026.
- CapCut: Standard vs ProArticle dated September 23, 2026 says the auto caption generator is exclusive to Pro users. Read October 20, 2026.
- Captions: pricingFree version with one caption template and no AI credits; Max $24.99 per month; iOS plans only. Checked October 22, 2026.
- Google Play: Captions AI, Auto CaptionsPublished by APPBYTE PTE. LTD., contains ads and in-app purchases. Checked October 22, 2026.
- Blackmagic Design: DaVinci Resolve StudioPage has no caption or transcription text; Studio shown at $236 against $295. Checked October 22, 2026.
- whisper.cpp on GitHubMIT licence, local, SRT and VTT output flags in the CLI README. Checked October 22, 2026.
- Subtitle Edit on GitHubMIT licence, v5.3.0 released October 14, 2026, Whisper speech to text, burn-in. Checked October 22, 2026.
- Subtitle Edit documentationLocal app; optional online services send minimal data. Checked October 22, 2026.
- OpenAI: speech to text guideTranscriptions API accepts files up to 25 MB. Checked October 22, 2026.
- Rushilo releasesWhisper or own-key transcripts, caption styles. Checked October 22, 2026.
Cite this page
Last verified: Oct 22, 2026
Patel, O. (2026, October 22). Is there a free auto caption generator? Ten tools compared, with limits and dates. Rushilo. https://rushilo.com/blog/free-auto-caption-generator
About the author
Founder, Rushilo
Om Patel is the founder of Rushilo, a desktop video editor driven by the user's own AI, and of BigIdeasDB, a research platform that reads real complaints and reviews to help founders validate products. He writes Rushilo's research articles with the same method: primary sources, dated numbers and the words real users write.
