Free Subtitle Generator
Add word-by-word subtitles to your video, or get the words as text. Free, and it all happens on your phonecomputer.
How it works
- Pick a video. Any video or audio file up to 3 minutes: a Reel, a Short, a WhatsApp Status, a voice note. It stays on your phone; nothing is uploaded.
- Choose the language. English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, German or Hindi. The first time, the tool prepares its subtitle engine: a one-time download (about 80 MB, or 107 MB for Hindi) that starts in the background as soon as you pick your video, and is kept for next time.
- Check the words. The tool listens and writes every word with the moment it is spoken. Tap a line to fix a word, join or split lines, or move the timing. Find and replace fixes a name it misheard every time.
- Choose a style. Eight ready-made styles, from bold outlined words to a karaoke fill or one word at a time. Change the position, font, size, colours and how the spoken word stands out. Or skip this and download just the words.
- Save the video. Your phone makes the video with the subtitles on it, in the same shape as the original. Share it on WhatsApp or post it as a Reel or Short.
Hindi with English words, the way people speak
Most Hindi videos mix in English words. The tool writes Hindi in Devanagari and common English words in English letters, so a line reads “मैं gym जाता हूँ” instead of “मैं जिम जाता हूँ”. Any word it gets wrong can be fixed on the Check words step.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Free Subtitle Generator really free?
Yes. Without an account you can make 1 video a day, and it carries a small moving id8 mark. With a free account you can make 5 videos a day with no mark. If you need more than 5 a day, write to us.
Is my video uploaded anywhere?
No. The speech recognition and the video making both run in your browser, on your phone or computer. The only thing our server sees is a count of how many videos you made today, with no video, sound or words.
Which languages does it understand?
English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, German and Hindi. You choose the language before it listens; it does not guess. Hindi is written in Devanagari, and common English words such as video, gym or office are written in English letters.
How accurate are the subtitles?
Clear speech comes out well, but the speech recognition makes mistakes, more so with loud music, several people talking or unusual names. That is why every line can be edited before the video is made. Find and replace fixes a word that was misheard every time.
Why is there a download the first time?
The tool needs a subtitle engine (a speech file) to understand the language: about 80 MB for English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and German together, and about 107 MB for Hindi. It starts downloading in the background as soon as you pick your video, so it is usually ready by the time you have chosen the language, and it is kept in your browser, so the next video starts straight away, even offline. Wi-Fi is recommended for the first time.
How long does it take?
Writing the words takes about a third of the video's length on a recent phone, so a 45-second video takes around 15 to 20 seconds. Making the video with the subtitles on it takes longer, usually one to a few minutes, because your phone makes the whole video again. Keep the page open while it works.
What can I download?
The video as an MP4 with the subtitles on it, in the same shape as your video. Or just the words: an SRT file for YouTube and video editors, a VTT file for web players, or plain text with or without times.
Does it work on a phone?
Yes, on a recent phone in Chrome or Safari. It works best on a computer, though: a laptop or desktop writes the words and makes the video much faster, and longer videos are far less likely to run out of memory. On a phone, keep the page open and the screen on while it works.
How long can my video be?
Up to 3 minutes. Very large video files can also be too heavy for a phone to work on; trim the video in your gallery app first if the tool says so.
More free video tools
Make the video first with the Free Short Video Maker: photos and clips, music and Hindi or English text for Reels, Shorts and WhatsApp Status. See all id8 tools.