Subtitles vs captions vs closed captions (and what to use when)

Why “subtitles vs captions” matters (more than people think)

If you’ve ever uploaded a video and wondered subtitles vs captions—what’s the real difference and which one should you ship—you’re not alone. Teams often mix these terms, then get surprised by accessibility requirements, platform defaults, or localization needs.

Choosing the right format affects:

• Accessibility for Deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers
• Comprehension in sound-off environments (feeds, open offices)
• Localization quality and workflow cost
• How your content is indexed and reused (help docs, training, onboarding)

Definitions: subtitles vs captions vs closed captions

Let’s standardize terms so your team can make consistent decisions.

Subtitles

Subtitles are primarily for translation or language support.

• They assume the viewer can hear the audio.
• They typically include spoken dialogue only.
• They usually do not include non-speech audio cues (e.g., “(door slams)”, “(music)”).

Common use cases:

• Multi-language versions of marketing videos
• Training content for global teams
• Webinars republished for different regions

Captions (often “open captions”)

Captions are text versions of the audio intended to make video understandable without sound.

• They include dialogue and relevant sound cues.
• “Open captions” are burned into the video and can’t be turned off.

Common use cases:

• Social media videos where sound-off viewing is common
• Ads where you want guaranteed on-screen text

Closed captions (CC)

Closed captions are captions that can be toggled on/off by the viewer.

• They include dialogue plus sound cues.
• Delivered as a separate caption file (e.g., SRT, VTT) or a platform-specific CC track.

Common use cases:

• YouTube and video platforms with CC controls
• Accessibility compliance for public-facing content
• Internal training libraries where viewers prefer toggling captions

Accessibility: what you should use to be inclusive

If your goal is accessibility (and for many teams, it should be), captions/closed captions are typically the right choice because they include non-speech information.

Practical guidance:

• If the video needs to be understandable with no audio, ship captions.
• If you want the viewer to control visibility, ship closed captions.
• If you’re translating to another language, ship subtitles (and consider adding caption-style cues if your audience needs them).

Team habit that helps: decide whether each video is primarily accessibility, localization, or both, then standardize outputs.

What to use when: platform expectations and defaults

Different platforms push you toward different choices.

YouTube / long-form video platforms

Best fit: closed captions (SRT/VTT) and optional subtitles for additional languages.

• Viewers expect a CC toggle.
• Multi-language subtitle tracks are common.

Social media (LinkedIn, X, Instagram, TikTok)

Best fit: open captions or highly readable captions.

• Many viewers watch muted.
• Open captions avoid “I didn’t realize captions were available” problems.

Product onboarding, training, and support videos

Best fit: closed captions plus searchable transcript.

• Learners may want to turn text on/off.
• Your team benefits from reusing the transcript in SOPs, help articles, and internal docs.

Live events / webinars (recordings)

Best fit: closed captions + edited transcript.

• Auto-generated text often needs cleanup for names, acronyms, and domain terms.

Best practices that make captions and subtitles actually usable

Whether you’re creating subtitles, captions, or closed captions, quality is mostly about readability and timing.

Timing and segmentation

• Keep lines short (aim for 32–42 characters per line when possible)
• Break lines at natural language boundaries (phrases, not random word wraps)
• Avoid flashing: captions should stay long enough to read comfortably

Speaker clarity

• Use speaker labels when multiple people talk (especially in training)
• Keep consistent formatting (e.g., “ALEX:”)

Sound cues (for captions/CC)

Include only cues that help comprehension:

• (laughter)
• (music playing)
• (notification sound)
• (door closes)

Terminology and brand language

• Standardize product terms (feature names, settings labels)
• Maintain consistent capitalization and spelling
• Build a lightweight “word list” for editors (even if it’s just a doc)

A step-by-step workflow for choosing and producing the right format

Use this workflow for any video—marketing, product, training, or support.

Step 1: Decide the primary goal

Pick one:

1. Accessibility (caption-first)
2. Localization (subtitle-first)
3. Both (caption + translated subtitle tracks)

Step 2: Identify where the video will live

• Social feed → consider open captions
• YouTube / LMS / help center embed → closed captions
• Multi-region launch → subtitles in target languages

Step 3: Create the base transcript

Start with one clean source transcript:

• Fix names, acronyms, and feature labels
• Remove filler only if it improves clarity (don’t rewrite meaning)

Step 4: Generate the first caption file (usually SRT)

• Convert transcript into timed segments
• Review timing around fast speech and UI steps

Step 5: Add accessibility cues (if captions/CC)

• Insert key non-speech cues
• Add speaker labels when necessary

Step 6: Localize (if subtitles)

• Translate from the cleaned base transcript
• Keep line length readable in the target language

Step 7: QA on the target platform

• Check the toggle works (for closed captions)
• Confirm text doesn’t cover important UI
• Watch at 1.25x–1.5x to catch timing issues

Concrete example: a 2-minute product tutorial

Scenario: You recorded a 2-minute tutorial: “How to reset an API key.”

You plan to use it in:

• A help article (embedded video)
• YouTube
• A social clip for LinkedIn
• An EU customer segment (needs Spanish)

Recommended output:

• Closed captions (EN) for YouTube and the help center embed
• Open captions (EN) for the LinkedIn clip (ensures readability sound-off)
• Subtitles (ES) as a separate language track for the EU audience

Why this works:

• You meet accessibility expectations with CC.
• You match social platform behavior with open captions.
• You keep localization clean by translating from the edited English transcript.

Template: choose the right format (copy/paste)

Use this template in your content request, Jira ticket, or SOP.

### Video captioning/subtitling request

**Video title:**

**Where will it be published?** (YouTube, help center, LMS, LinkedIn, etc.)

**Primary goal:**
- [ ] Accessibility (captions/closed captions)
- [ ] Localization (subtitles)
- [ ] Both

**Output needed:**
- [ ] Closed captions (SRT)
- [ ] Open captions (burned in)
- [ ] Subtitles in: __________

**Style rules:**
- Speaker labels: (Yes/No)
- Include sound cues: (Yes/No)
- Terminology list / product names to match:

**QA checklist:**
- [ ] Timing readable
- [ ] No important UI covered
- [ ] Correct feature names
- [ ] Works on target platform

Checklist: caption/subtitle QA before you publish

• Captions/subtitles appear within the first few seconds
• Lines break naturally (no awkward mid-phrase wraps)
• On-screen text doesn’t overlap critical UI
• Names, acronyms, and product terms are correct
• Speaker changes are clear (if relevant)
• Non-speech cues included only when helpful (for captions/CC)
• Exported file opens correctly (SRT/VTT) and stays in sync
• Tested on the actual platform (not just in an editor)

Multilingual subtitles: what changes (and what doesn’t)

When you add multi-language subtitles, the biggest risk is translating too early from a messy transcript.

Recommended approach:

1. Edit the source transcript first (English or your base language)
2. Translate from the cleaned version
3. QA timing and line length per language (some languages expand)

If you’re producing multiple language versions regularly, it helps to maintain:

• A glossary of product UI labels
• A preferred tone/voice guide for translators
• A consistent format for numbers, dates, and keyboard shortcuts

For teams that do this often, a workflow tool like Vidocu can reduce the manual overhead by generating accurate subtitles and supporting multi-language localization from a single video source.

Exporting SRT (and what to watch out for)

SRT is the most common caption/subtitle file format across platforms.

What an SRT contains

• Sequential caption numbers
• Start/end timestamps
• Caption text (one or two lines typically)

Common SRT pitfalls

• Timing drift if you edit the video after creating the SRT
• Inconsistent line breaks that reduce readability
• Encoding issues (especially for non-Latin languages) if tools export incorrectly

Practical tip

Lock the video cut before finalizing SRTs. If the edit changes, regenerate or re-time the file rather than trying to patch timestamps manually.

Tools: options for creating captions and subtitles (high-level)

You can produce subtitles/captions with a range of tools. The best choice depends on volume, quality requirements, and whether you need additional outputs like help articles.

Manual editors (highest control)

• Best when you need frame-level timing and strict style rules
• Cost is time and coordination

Platform auto-captions (fastest starting point)

• Useful for quick drafts
• Usually requires cleanup for terminology, names, and accuracy

Video-to-content workflows (reduce downstream work)

If your team’s bottleneck isn’t just captions—but also turning videos into repeatable SOPs, localized versions, and publish-ready documentation—Vidocu is designed for that “everything after is slow” part of the process.

Vidocu can generate accurate subtitles, support localization, and help turn one recording into structured written content your team can edit and ship.

Related Vidocu workflows

• Start from the homepage to see the full workflow: Vidocu
• Create timed subtitles efficiently: AI subtitles generator
• Localize content for global audiences: Video translation workflow

FAQ

Are captions and subtitles the same?

No. Subtitles are mainly for language translation/support, while captions are designed for sound-off comprehension and include relevant non-speech cues.

Should I use open captions or closed captions?

Use open captions for social clips where you want guaranteed readability. Use closed captions when viewers expect a toggle (YouTube, training libraries, help center embeds).

Is SRT for subtitles or captions?

SRT can be used for both. The difference is the content: captions include sound cues and accessibility details; subtitles usually don’t.

How do I handle multiple speakers in captions?

Add speaker labels when it improves clarity, especially in interviews, webinars, and training videos. Keep formatting consistent.

When should I translate—before or after caption timing?

Usually after you’ve cleaned the source transcript and created a reliable base. Then translate and QA timing/line length in the target language.

Turn one video into an SOP in minutes

If you’re already producing subtitles or captions, the next step is turning that same recording into documentation your team can maintain. Vidocu helps you go from one video to clean subtitles, localization, and structured written outputs—without rebuilding the process every time. See the workflow starting point on the Vidocu homepage.