Free auto-subtitle tools (Descript and Kapwing alternatives)
Home › Guides · Last checked 2026-10-19 · Facts verified from each project's docs unless marked tested
To make subtitles for free, use Whisper (MIT), which runs locally and outputs SRT files, or Buzz, a desktop GUI for Whisper (MIT). To edit and translate the result, use Subtitle Edit (MIT), which has Whisper speech-to-text and auto-translate built in. If you already edit in Kdenlive or Shotcut, both can turn speech into subtitles inside the editor. The catch: it all runs on your own machine, and large Whisper models are slow on CPU.
| Descript / Kapwing | Whisper | Buzz | Subtitle Edit | Kdenlive / Shotcut | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free and paid plans (Descript pricing) | Free | Free | Free | Free |
| Runs where | Cloud | Your computer | Your computer | Your computer (Windows-first) | Your computer |
| Best at | All-in-one editing | SRT from the command line | Whisper with a GUI | Editing and auto-translating subtitles | Captions inside a video editor |
| License | Commercial service | MIT | MIT | MIT | GPL-3.0 |
A free captions workflow
- Transcribe with Buzz or Whisper and export SRT.
- Fix names and timing in Subtitle Edit.
- Import the SRT into Kdenlive or Shotcut, or upload it to YouTube.
See all free video tools or read Whisper vs Otter.ai.
FAQ
What's the easiest free way to caption a video?
For a no-code app, Buzz. For captions inside your editor, Kdenlive (Whisper or VOSK) or Shotcut's speech-to-subtitles.
Do these upload my video anywhere?
Whisper runs locally. Buzz is offline-capable, though it can also use the OpenAI Whisper API if you choose that.
Does Subtitle Edit work on Mac or Linux?
It's Windows-first. On Linux it runs via Mono or Wine, per the project.
Is Whisper free for commercial use?
Whisper's code is MIT-licensed, which allows commercial use.