Animated captions for short-form video.
Upload a clip, pick from 32+ animated styles, get a burned-in MP4 back. Built for TikTok, Reels, and YouTube Shorts.
How it works
How to add animated captions
to short-form video.
Upload, pick a style, export. No editing software required.
01
1. Upload your video
Drop an .mp4 or .mov file into the browser. We transcribe the audio with Deepgram Nova-3 — one of the most accurate speech-to-text engines available.
02
2. Pick an animated style
Choose from 32+ caption presets — Mr Beast palette, Hormozi green, Submagic-style oversize highlights, plus colour, font, and shadow customisation.
03
3. Export a burned-in MP4
Click Export. We render captions directly into the video on our servers. You download a finished MP4, ready for TikTok, Reels, or YouTube Shorts.
Editor walkthrough
Word-by-word caption editor
in your browser.
Live caption preview, click-to-correct transcript, per-line drag positioning, and 32+ animated styles to pick from.
Features
Auto-caption features for
TikTok, Reels, and Shorts.
32+ animated caption styles
Beast, Hormozi, Pulse, Crafty, Lyric, Verse, Nova and more — every style is animated word-by-word the way creators actually publish.
Full customisation
Override font, base colour, highlight colour, stroke, shadow, background, and per-line position. Save your tweaks as a reusable theme.
In-browser transcript editor
Correct words, merge lines, hide segments, and reposition captions before export. The editor previews exactly what the burn will produce.
Server-side rendering
All rendering happens on our infrastructure with ffmpeg and Remotion. You don't need a beefy machine, video software, or any local install.
36+ language transcripts
Deepgram supports 36+ languages with auto-detect. Caption styles are written in your source language; no manual translation required.
Free to start
No credit card. Daily upload allowance, 2-minute clip limit, .mp4 / .mov support up to 500 MB per file.
Testimonials
What creators say about
our caption generator.
Real users, real workflows. No paid endorsements.
“Captions used to take longer than the shoot. Now it's under a minute.”
Marcus Hayes
Content creator
“Beast preset got my 3-second retention up 18%. No hassle.”
Mei Lin
Social media marketer
“Editor is smooth. I batch five shorts a day from one episode.”
Diego Morales
Podcast clipper
“Dropped Submagic for this. Same quality, no per-seat fees.”
Zoe Bennett
Short-form editor
Who it's for
Who AnimateCaptions is
built for.
Built for anyone turning long-form into short, or short into shorter.
TikTok creators
Word-level animated captions keep retention high in the first three seconds — exactly when the algorithm decides to push your clip.
YouTube Shorts editors
Batch-caption daily uploads from one upload page. No need to swap fonts in your editor between every clip.
Reels makers
Build a recognisable style for your niche — same preset on every post creates instant brand consistency.
Podcast clippers
Pull shorts from long-form podcast episodes and caption them at viral-clip quality without manual sync.
Course creators
Add accessibility-quality captions to lessons. Transcript editor lets you correct technical terms before export.
Agencies & freelancers
Crank captioned clips for clients without licensing fees. Same workflow whether you're producing 5 or 50 a week.
Comparison
How AnimateCaptions compares
to other caption tools.
We do one thing — animated captions — and we don't upcharge for it. A simpler, smoother editor, full-resolution exports powered by Remotion, and the lowest starting price of any dedicated caption tool.
| Feature | AnimateCaptions | Submagic | Captions.ai | CapCut |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caption-only — no bloated editor | Mostly | |||
| All caption features included — no add-ons or AI credits | ||||
| Full-resolution export, no quality loss | Varies | Varies | Varies | |
| Fast renders — parallel export in minutes | Varies | Varies | Varies | |
| Highlight word-by-word | ||||
| B-roll, auto-zoom & effects library | ||||
| Free tier to try | ||||
| Starting price (paid) | $7.99/mo | $19/mo | $24.99/mo | $9.99/mo |
Competitor details reflect each tool's public free plan as of June 2026 and may change — check their sites for current terms.
FAQ
Frequently asked
questions.
What is AnimateCaptions?+
AnimateCaptions is a web-based tool that transcribes short videos and burns animated, word-by-word captions into them. You upload an MP4 or MOV, pick a caption style, and download a fully captioned video. It runs entirely in the browser; no software install required.
What video formats and sizes are supported?+
We accept .mp4 and .mov files up to 500 MB and 2 minutes per upload. Most phone-recorded clips fall well inside those limits.
Are the captions auto-generated?+
Yes. We transcribe the audio using Deepgram's Nova-3 speech-to-text model. The editor lets you correct any word before export — useful for proper nouns and technical jargon.
Can I customise the caption style?+
Yes. Every preset is a starting point. You can change font family, base colour, highlight colour, stroke width and colour, shadow, background, and per-line position. Customisations can be saved as a reusable theme.
Do I need to download software?+
No. Everything happens in the browser. The caption rendering itself runs on our servers; you get back a fully burned-in MP4.
How long does export take?+
Most 1-minute videos render in 30–60 seconds. Up to 2-minute videos can take up to 2 minutes. We notify you in-app the moment your video is ready.
What caption styles are available?+
Currently 32+ animated presets including Beast (Mr Beast palette), Hormozi (green active word), Pulse (rotating colour wheel), Crafty (oversize highlight), Lyric (mixed-typography poster), Nova, Verse, Stamp, Spot, Card, Strip, and more. Each has live previews on the dashboard.
What languages are supported?+
Deepgram Nova-3 supports 36+ languages with automatic language detection. The transcript and caption render in the source language of your video.
Is it free?+
Yes, the core captioning workflow is free with no credit card required. There is a daily upload allowance to keep capacity available for everyone. Paid tiers for longer videos and team features may come later; the free tier will remain.
Who owns my videos?+
You do. We process and store your video only to provide the captioning service. We don't use your content to train AI models or share it with third parties beyond the processors listed in our Privacy Policy.
How is this different from Submagic, Captions.ai, or Vizard?+
AnimateCaptions does one thing — animated captions — and doesn't upcharge for extra features or AI credits. You get 32+ visually distinct presets with full per-word customisation, a simpler editor, and full-resolution exports rendered with Remotion (no quality loss). Paid plans start at $7.99/month, cheaper than Submagic or Captions.ai.
Can I edit the transcript before export?+
Yes. The in-browser editor lets you correct any word, merge or split lines, hide unwanted segments, and drag each caption to its own position before rendering.
Caption your first
video, free.
No credit card, no editing app, no learning curve. Drop a clip, pick a style, download a captioned MP4.