5 Best Apps to Add Caption and Subtitle on iPhone

For creators or video editors, adding captions and subtitles to videos has become essential. Thankfully, with a range of captioning apps available on the iPhone today, you can now add text to your videos quickly and easily, even on the go.

You don't always need to transfer files to a computer or use complex editing software — these apps make it simple to generate accurate captions, customize their appearance, and sync them perfectly with your video content.

Now, let us help you find the best subtitle app for iPhone according to your needs. But before that, we'll elaborate on why adding captions from your iPhone is a smart move for any creator.

Part 1. Why You Need a Caption and Subtitle App

People used to think of captions and subtitles primarily for films or television, but they're now important for all kinds of videos—be it for social media posts, vlogs, educational tutorials, or promotional content. And since people today make videos on their phones, apps that add subtitles and captions on iPhones help make your videos accessible without extensive setup or expertise.

But why should you bother adding captions anyway? There are actually several key benefits when you do this:

1. Increase Accessibility: Approximately, 20% of the world's population have some degree of hearing loss, which equates to around 1.5 billion people who may struggle to access your content without captions. By including captions, you make your content more inclusive and can be enjoyed by a wider audience.
2. Easier Viewing Anytime, Anywhere: People often watch videos in places where playing audio isn't practical. Captions let viewers follow along even if they can't turn on the sound—whether in a quiet library, on a noisy bus, or simply prefer to read along. This flexibility makes it easier for your audience to stay engaged.
3. Boost Engagement and Watch Time: Captions help capture and keep the viewer's attention. Research shows that videos with captions tend to have higher watch times, as they make it easier for people to follow the content. The longer your viewers stay engaged, the better your video performs on social media and search engines.

Part 2. Best Apps to Add Subtitles to Video on iPhone

Now that you know the many advantages of adding captions to your videos, we'll showcase the best apps for adding subtitles on your iPhone to help you enhance your content quickly and easily.

1. Wondershare Filmora - Best Overall Caption App for iPhone

First on our list of caption apps for iPhone is Filmora. This versatile app helps you add captions to your videos either manually or automatically. When adding captions manually, you'll find various font styles, including special options for languages like Chinese, Japanese, Korean (Hangeul), and Arabic.

Meanwhile, if you prefer a dynamic captioning option that syncs automatically with your video, Filmora also offers the AI Caption feature. It uses advanced speech recognition to generate accurate subtitles that follow the dialogue seamlessly, saving you the time and effort of manual typing. This feature also supports multi-language, so you don't need to worry about adding subtitles in different languages manually.

Key features

• Dynamic Caption Templates: Choose from various caption templates to make your text stand out, with options for line-by-line display, full-screen captions, or word-by-word animation.
• Batch Editing for Auto Captions: Edit multiple captions at once, streamlining the process of refining your subtitles.
• Multi-Language Support: Create captions in various languages, including Spanish, German, Russian, Indonesian, Hindi, and many more.
• High Accuracy and Customizability: Enjoy precise captioning with extensive customization options, such as font colors and styles, to match your video's style and tone.

2. Clips - Best Free App to Add Captions

Developed by Apple, Clips is a free caption app for iPhone. On iPads, Clips usually comes pre-installed in the device. But for iPhone users, this app can be downloaded on the App Store. To add captions using Clips, you'll need to record your video within the app. After that, you can choose from the available Live Titles templates. However, note that Live Titles can't be applied to pre-existing videos.

Key features

• Editable Captions: Easily customize and edit your captions to refine your video's message.
• Wide Range of Caption Templates: Choose from a variety of caption styles and templates.
• Direct Integration with Memoji: Add fun and expressive Memoji characters directly to your videos for a personalized touch.

3. Zeemo - Best App for Multilingual Subtitles

Zeemo is one of the best subtitle apps for iPhone, especially if you are working on multi-language content. It supports over 100 languages, including Persian, Urdu, Japanese, Italian, and more. There's also an option to automatically translate the captions. To use this app, you can get started for free. But the free plan is limited to 3 videos per month with a maximum duration of 1 minute per video.

Key features

• AI-Generated Captions: Quickly create captions for your videos using advanced AI transcription.
• Extensive Language Support: Offers recognition for subtitles in over 100 languages, including Persian, Urdu, and many more.
• AI Translation: Automatically translate captions into 110+ languages to connect with a global audience.
• Caption Templates: Use trendy subtitle styles inspired by well-known creators like MrBeast and Alex Hormozi to boost engagement.
• Align Scripts: Simply paste your script, and the app will automatically align and sync the captions for accurate timing.

4. MixCaptions - Best for Quick Captioning and Subtitling

MixCaptions is a pretty good free app to add subtitles to video iPhone, as long as you don't mind a watermark on the exported video. The free version allows you to generate captions for videos up to 3 minutes long.

For longer videos and additional features, you can upgrade to a paid plan. While the interface may seem plain compared to other apps, it's simple to use. You can use it for quick and basic captioning needs, as it's designed to handle essential tasks without unnecessary complexity.

Key features

• Manual and Automatic Captioning: Choose to add captions manually or use automatic transcription in 23 languages, including English, Croatian, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, and German.
• Flexible Caption Positioning: Place captions anywhere on your video for optimal visibility.
• Custom Fonts and Effects: Use your own fonts (Pro users only) and personalize the captions with various effects, colors, and text backgrounds.
• Supports Multiple Video Ratios: Compatible with common aspect ratios, including vertical and 16:9, perfect for Instagram posts, Reels, Stories, Facebook, or X (Twitter).

5. Captions - Best for Social Media Videos

Captions is another caption app for iPhone that simplifies the entire video creation process with the help of AI. It handles everything from scripting and recording to editing and sharing–perfect for social media videos. The app features a seamless way to add dynamic, word-by-word captions using OpenAI's Whisper speech-to-text technology, one of the most advanced transcription engines available.

Key features

• Captioning Options: Add captions to existing videos or record live with the in-app camera.
• Customizable Captions: Adjust captions by adding line breaks, enlarging text, adding emphasis, including emojis, and underlining for emphasis.
• Caption Templates: Choose from various caption templates with customizable colors to match your video style.
• Censor Tool: Easily censor specific parts of your video captions for privacy or content moderation.

Part 3. Comparing the Best Subtitle Apps for iPhone

While each of these five apps has its strengths, the best choice ultimately depends on your specific needs. To help you decide which captions and subtitle app for iPhone best suits your needs, here's a quick comparison of the top features across the options above.

Author's Verdict

If you're looking for an all-in-one solution that offers a balance of ease of use, high accuracy, and extensive features, Filmora stands out as the best option. This is why we've nominated the app as the best overall captions app for iPhones.

Unlike other apps that focus mainly on basic captioning, Filmora offers AI-powered features such as automatic captioning, voice cloning, and batch editing, saving you time while delivering high-quality subtitles. Additionally, Filmora's desktop version provides even more robust tools for adding subtitles to videos, offering greater flexibility and functionality for more advanced editing needs.

Conclusion

Choosing the right captioning app for your iPhone is crucial to making your videos more accessible. Filmora stands out by offering a comprehensive set of tools, from manual and AI-generated captions to customizable templates, multi-language support, and voice cloning. For subtitle translation, Filmora also offers this functionality on the desktop version, giving you even more flexibility for global captioning.

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