How do I generate an SRT file from a video?
Upload your clip in the tool above and click Download SRT free. The audio is extracted in your browser, transcribed in seconds, and returned as a time-coded subtitle file. Nothing to install, no account. Here is the full flow, start to finish.
- 1. Upload a video or audio file. Drag in or pick an MP4, MOV, WebM, WAV or MP3 up to 60 seconds. Your browser extracts a small audio track locally — the full video never leaves your device.
- 2. Auto-transcribe. The audio is sent once to the speech-to-text engine, which returns time-coded words. You will see them in a live preview.
- 3. Download the SRT. One click gives you a clean, watermark-free SRT for YouTube, Premiere, Final Cut, DaVinci Resolve, or any player — no conversion needed.
Need a full how-to for the transcription step on its own? The auto subtitle generator walks through it. If you want captions burned into the video rather than a plain file, see add captions to video.
Free, no watermark, and your file isn't stored
The SRT is free to generate and download, carries no watermark or branding, and your video is never stored. Many free SRT tools insert a credit line into the file, gate the download behind a sign-up, or keep your upload. This one does none of that.
The audio is extracted in your browser and sent once to an ephemeral endpoint that returns the transcript and deletes the temporary file. There is no account, no saved video, and no retained transcript. Because only a compact audio track is uploaded — never the full video — the slowest part of most online tools barely exists here, so the SRT comes back fast.
How accurate is the transcription?
Accuracy depends on the language and the audio. On our 2026-06-11 Dutch benchmark of 81 clips, our best configuration reached 25.3% word error rate, ahead of Whisper's 28.7% on the same set. You can open the transcript in the editor to fix any wording before downloading the SRT.
| Configuration | Word error rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| FancyCaptions (Scribe v2, Dutch) | 25.3% | Our 2026-06-11 benchmark, 81 Dutch clips |
| Whisper large-v2 (same clips) | 28.7% | Baseline on the identical set |
Lower word error rate is better. Benchmark: 81 Dutch clips, measured 2026-06-11. See the full accuracy benchmark.
We publish word error rate with its date and clip count rather than a flashy round percentage, because that is the honest, auditable measure. No tool transcribes accented, fast, or noisy speech perfectly, which is exactly why the transcript is editable — and it is why Dutch and Flemish hold up here where generic tools slip.
What is an SRT file, and where can I use it?
An SRT (SubRip Subtitle) file is a plain-text format that pairs each line of dialogue with start and end timecodes. It is the most widely supported subtitle format — almost every editor, player, and platform reads it directly, with no conversion needed.
Use it to caption a YouTube upload for accessibility and search, to import dialogue into Premiere, Final Cut, or DaVinci Resolve, to feed a translation pass, or to add soft subtitles a viewer can toggle. If instead you want the words burned into the frame with motion and emphasis, the same transcript can be styled into animated captions and exported as a video — described in the next section.
From SRT to animated captions
An SRT makes a video accessible and searchable. Animated captions make it watchable. The same engine that produced your SRT can render every line with word-by-word emphasis, motion, emoji, and a fixed off-axis position across 40+ styles — matched frame-for-frame to the leading paid caption tool, measured at zero divergence across 1,647 reference frames.
That is the upgrade path: when the wording is right, open the transcript in the editor, pick a style, and the emphasis, animation, and timing are applied for you — no keyframes, no After Effects. Export an SRT or VTT for another tool, or render a finished captioned video for TikTok, YouTube Shorts, or Instagram Reels. Browse the looks on the caption styles gallery.
Flat pricing means you always know the bill. See full pricing.
Frequently asked questions
How do I generate an SRT file from a video?
Upload your clip in the tool above. The audio is extracted in your browser, transcribed by a speech-to-text engine, and returned as time-coded words you can download as an SRT in one click. There is nothing to install and no account is needed. A typical 60-second clip is ready in well under a minute.
Is this SRT generator free?
Yes. Generating and downloading the SRT are completely free with no sign-up and no credit card. If you later want to style animated captions, caption longer videos, or export a finished captioned video, the free plan covers 3 videos a month with a watermark, and paid plans are a flat $19, $39, or $69 a month — no per-minute metering and no lock-in.
Does the SRT file have a watermark?
No. The downloaded SRT is plain text with no watermark, no branding, and no inserted lines. It is a standards-compliant subtitle file you can use anywhere. Watermarks only apply to exported video on the free plan, never to the SRT.
Is my video stored or uploaded anywhere?
No. The audio is extracted in your browser and sent once to an ephemeral endpoint that returns the transcript and deletes the temporary file. We do not create an account, save your video, or keep your transcript. Your file isn't stored.
What is an SRT file?
An SRT (SubRip Subtitle) file is a plain-text format that pairs lines of dialogue with start and end timecodes. It is the most widely supported subtitle format — YouTube, Premiere, Final Cut, DaVinci Resolve, VLC, and most players and platforms read it directly, with no conversion needed.
How accurate is the transcription?
Accuracy depends on the language and audio quality. On our 2026-06-11 Dutch benchmark of 81 clips, our best configuration reached 25.3% word error rate — better than Whisper's 28.7% on the same set. English and other high-resource languages transcribe more accurately still, and you can open the transcript in the editor to fix any wording before exporting.
What languages does the SRT generator support?
50+ languages, routed automatically to the speech-to-text engine that handles each one best. Dutch and Flemish are a deliberate focus where most tools struggle — we tune specifically for them — while English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, German and dozens of others transcribe cleanly.
What video and audio formats can I convert to SRT?
Any common video container with an audio track — MP4, MOV, WebM, MKV — or an audio file like WAV or MP3. The free tool reads up to 60 seconds per clip; sign up to generate SRTs from full-length videos.
Can I convert a video to SRT, or only audio?
Both. Drop in a video and your browser extracts the audio locally before transcribing, so the full video never leaves your device and the upload is fast. You can also upload an audio-only file directly. Either way you get the same clean, time-coded SRT.
Can I edit the SRT before downloading?
Yes. Open your transcript in the editor to correct wording, adjust line breaks and timing, and then export an SRT or VTT. The editor is also where you add word-level emphasis, emoji, and animated styles if you want captions burned into a video rather than a plain subtitle file.
Can I turn the SRT into animated captions?
Yes — that is the upgrade path. The same engine that produces your SRT can render every line with word-by-word emphasis, motion, and emoji across 40+ styles, matched frame-for-frame to the leading paid caption tool. Open the transcript in the editor, pick a style, and export a captioned video for TikTok, Shorts, or Reels.
What is the difference between SRT and VTT?
SRT and VTT (WebVTT) are both plain-text subtitle formats with timecodes; VTT adds web-styling and positioning features and is the native format for HTML5 video. SRT has the widest support across editors and platforms. This tool exports both, so you can pick whichever your workflow needs.
Keep going
Generate your SRT free
Upload a clip above and download a clean, watermark-free SRT in minutes — or style it into animated captions and export. No credit card to start.