The short answer: get a timed transcript, turn it into subtitles, then burn them into the video or upload the subtitle file. Castmagic does the first two from a link, so the whole job is three steps.
A YouTube, Vimeo, Loom or Google Drive link, or an upload. Castmagic imports the video and transcribes it with speaker labels, timed to the word.
URL importieren
Funktioniert mit über 1.800 Plattformen — oder lade Dateien direkt hoch. Lieber eine Führung? Demo buchen.
Keep the subtitles in the language spoken or translate them into another of the 60+ languages. For clips, pick a caption style: Classic, Highlight or Pop.
Export a clip with the subtitles burned in at 9:16, 1:1, 4:5 or 16:9, or download the SRT or VTT file for the full video and add it on YouTube, Vimeo or in your player.
No watermark on exports. Speaker labels, timestamps and 60+ languages on every transcript.
Want styled, word-by-word captions for Shorts and Reels? Use the caption generator →
An SRT or VTT file is plain text: numbered cues, each with a start time, an end time and the words to show. Castmagic writes one from the transcript, timed to the speech, so YouTube, Vimeo or your player shows each line as it is said.
Download subtitles for a video
Translation is built into the transcript, so one upload gives you English subtitles plus a French or Portuguese version for the next audience, each lined up with the same speech.
Translate the subtitles While the transcript is open, Castmagic drafts what goes around the video: the YouTube description with chapters, a blog post, and the post that announces it.
Draft the description Castmagic is one route. These are the others people use, and where each one fits.
Open Subtitles in YouTube Studio, choose the video and add a language. Upload an SRT or VTT file, paste a transcript and let YouTube time it with auto-sync, or type the captions in. YouTube also creates automatic captions for many videos, which you can review and edit there.
CapCut’s auto captions transcribe the video inside the editor. You pick a caption template, fix any words it misheard, and the captions are burned into the video when you export.
Premiere Pro transcribes a sequence from the Text panel and turns the transcript into a captions track. Style the captions, then burn them in on export or save them as a sidecar SRT.
For a file on your own computer, give the SRT the same name as the video and keep both in one folder. VLC and most desktop players load it automatically, or add it from the Subtitle menu.
Paste a YouTube, Vimeo, Loom or Drive link, or upload the file. Castmagic imports it, transcribes it and has the subtitles ready to burn in or download.
URL importieren
Funktioniert mit über 1.800 Plattformen — oder lade Dateien direkt hoch. Lieber eine Führung? Demo buchen.
Prices and limits taken from each vendor's pricing page on 30 September 2026. Vendors whose pricing we could not verify are not listed.
| Castmagic | Submagic | VEED | Kapwing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry paid plan | $29 / month, or $239 / year (Hobby) | $19 / month, $12 billed yearly (Starter, per member) | $20 / month, $10 billed yearly (Creator, per user) | $24 / month, $16 billed yearly (Pro, per member) |
| Free plan | No free plan | None listed | $0: 10 min of auto subtitles a month, 720p, watermark, no subtitle download | $0: 10 min of auto-subtitling, 720p, 4-min exports, watermark |
| Captioning on the entry plan | 30 transcribed hours in the library | 15 videos a month, up to 2 min each | Unlimited, with a 50-hour monthly fair-use cap | Up to 1,000 min a month |
| SRT / VTT download | SRT and VTT | Not stated | Paid plans (.srt, .vtt, .txt) | Paid plans |
| Caption translation | Built into the transcript, 60+ languages | Not stated | With credits, on paid plans | 60+ languages, up to 500 min a month |
| Watermark on paid plans | None | None | None | None |
Most subtitle tools hand back the file and stop. Castmagic subtitles the video from a transcript that also writes the description, the chapters and the post that goes with it.
Get a timed transcript, turn it into subtitles, then burn them in or upload the file. With Castmagic: paste the video link, choose the language and the caption style, and export a clip with the subtitles in the picture or an SRT or VTT file for the full video.
Download the SRT or VTT from Castmagic, then in YouTube Studio open Subtitles, choose the video, add the language and upload the file. The subtitles appear as a caption track viewers can switch on.
Permanent subtitles are burned in: they are part of the picture and can’t be switched off. Clips exported from Studio carry their subtitles that way. A subtitle file, by contrast, is a track the viewer can turn on or off.
A plain text subtitle file. Each cue has a number, a start and end time written like 00:01:04,300 --> 00:01:07,100, and the words to show. Almost every player and editor reads it.
VTT (WebVTT) is the format browsers use for web video, and it starts with a WEBVTT line and uses dots in its timestamps. SRT is the older, more widely supported format for desktop players and editors. YouTube accepts both, and Castmagic exports both.
Yes. Translation is built into the transcript, so you can subtitle a video in the language spoken or in another of the 60+ languages.
No. Paste the YouTube, Vimeo, Loom or Google Drive link and Castmagic imports the video itself. Uploading a file works too.
Burned-in subtitles are for the clips you cut in Studio. For a full-length video, use the SRT or VTT file with YouTube, Vimeo, your player or your editor.
On clips, yes. Pick Classic, Highlight or Pop, adjust the colours and the position, and preview the clip before you export.
Yes. The transcript labels each speaker, so an interview or a panel keeps every line with the right person.
No. Clips exported from Castmagic carry no watermark on any plan.
Plans start at $29 a month and include the transcript, Studio clips and the written content. See the pricing page for the details of each plan.
