OpenSubs · Compare
A free VEED alternative for subtitles, and for Kapwing too
OpenSubs (opensubs.app) is a free, open source VEED alternative for one job: adding subtitles to a video. It also stands in for Kapwing on that job. Unlike VEED and Kapwing, which work on a video you upload, it transcribes, translates, styles and burns the subtitles in your browser, so the video is not uploaded.
Free, no account, no watermark. Facts about VEED and Kapwing checked on 21 October 2026.
When VEED or Kapwing is the better choice
A VEED alternative is not always the right pick. Stay with VEED or Kapwing if:
- You want a full video editor. Kapwing lists a video editor, dubbing, text to speech and more beside its subtitler [4], and VEED calls itself an AI video creation platform with subtitles built into the same workflow [2]. OpenSubs does subtitles and nothing else.
- You need to fix timings. Kapwing has start and end time columns for each line and a Sync Subtitles tool [5]. In OpenSubs the timings are fixed: you can rewrite the words, not move them.
- You are starting from an audio file. VEED and Kapwing take MP3 and other audio files [2][5]. The OpenSubs web app takes a video.
- You need more languages. VEED's Pro plan lists translation into 50+ languages [1] and Kapwing says 100+ [5]. OpenSubs translates into 20.
- You work as a team. Kapwing lists commenting, shared workspaces and real-time collaboration [4]. OpenSubs has none of that.
- Your computer is slow. VEED and Kapwing work on the video after it is uploaded. OpenSubs runs on your own machine, so a long video on a laptop takes longer.
When this VEED alternative fits better
- You would rather not upload the video. OpenSubs has no upload endpoint. Whisper, the speech model, runs in the tab, and only the model is downloaded, once [6][7].
- You want it free, with no watermark. In this VEED alternative every local feature is free, with no watermark and no file-size limit [6][7]. On Kapwing's free plan every export carries a watermark [5]; VEED lists “No watermark” as a feature of its paid Creator plan [1].
- You want the subtitle file without paying. Export .srt, .vtt, .ass or .txt signed out [7]. VEED says to upgrade to a paid plan to subtitle longer videos and download subtitle files [2].
- You want to read the code. OpenSubs is open source under the AGPL-3.0-or-later [8].
VEED, Kapwing and this VEED alternative, compared
OpenSubs as a VEED alternative, row by row. Each row was checked on 21 October 2026. Numbers in brackets point to the sources below the table.
| VEED | Kapwing | OpenSubs | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free to start; Creator $10 and Pro $20 per user a month, billed annually [1] | Free plan with 10 credits; Pro $24 a month, or $16 a month billed annually [4] | Free; optional cloud translation at $5 for 1,000 credits [7] |
| Free auto subtitles | “Free to use on short clips with monthly limits” [3] | Up to 10 minutes; exports up to 4 minutes, at 720p [4] | No file-size limit and no queue; speed depends on your machine [7] |
| Watermark | “No watermark” is listed on the paid Creator plan [1] | On every export from a free account [5] | None [6] |
| Is the video uploaded? | Yes: “Upload your video to VEED” [2] | Yes: “Upload any video or audio file” [5] | No; it is read in your browser [6] |
| Subtitle files | SRT, VTT, TXT; downloading them needs a paid plan [2] | SRT, VTT, TXT [5] | SRT, VTT, ASS, TXT, free [7] |
| Translation | 50+ languages on Pro [1] | 100+ languages [5]; up to 5 minutes free [4] | 20 languages, free on your device in Chrome [6] |
| Open source | No source code linked from the pages checked [1][2] | No source code linked from the pages checked [4][5] | Yes, AGPL-3.0-or-later [8] |
Sources for the VEED alternative comparison, checked 21 October 2026
- veed.io/pricing: Creator $10 and Pro $20 per user a month, billed annually; “No watermark” and “Subtitles 120 hr/yr” on Creator; “Translate to 50+ Languages” and “Unlimited Auto Subtitles” on Pro.
- VEED Auto Subtitle Generator: “Upload your video to VEED”; SRT, VTT and TXT; MP3 and WAV accepted; “Upgrade to a paid plan to subtitle longer videos and download subtitle files.”
- VEED Add Subtitles to Video: “free to use on short clips with monthly limits.”
- kapwing.com/pricing: Free plan with 10 credits, auto-subtitling up to 10 minutes, exports up to 4 minutes at 720p with a watermark, auto-translating up to 5 minutes; Pro $24 a month or $16 billed annually; commenting and real-time collaboration.
- Kapwing Auto-Subtitle Generator: “Upload any video or audio file”; SRT, VTT and TXT; 100+ languages; timing columns and Sync Subtitles; free exports carry a watermark.
- OpenSubs home page: no upload endpoint, no watermark, 20 translation languages, Chrome's built-in translation, timings fixed.
- opensubs.app/llms.txt: no file-size limit, no account for local work, export formats, credits price.
- OpenSubs on GitHub: source and licence.
What this VEED alternative does not do
Where OpenSubs, as a VEED alternative, falls short:
- Accuracy is Whisper's, at the size your machine can run. Pick a model between 40 MB and 250 MB. The first time, it downloads, and that is a real wait.
- No retiming. Cues cannot be moved, added, deleted or merged. A file out of sync with its video needs a different tool.
- No audio-only files and no video editing. The web app takes a video and adds subtitles; it does not cut, mix or dub.
- Not on older iPhones. iOS 17 Safari cannot run the recogniser; iOS 26 works.
Try this VEED alternative
This VEED alternative is the same tool as the subtitle generator on the home page. Drop in a video, generate the subtitles, correct a line, pick a style, then burn them into the video or save an SRT file. OpenSubs is not affiliated with VEED or Kapwing. Questions: hello@opensubs.app.
Questions
Is there a free VEED alternative for adding subtitles?
OpenSubs is free and open source. It writes subtitles from a video's speech in your browser, with no account and no watermark, and exports .srt, .vtt, .ass or an MP4 with the subtitles burned in.
Is OpenSubs a free Kapwing alternative too?
For subtitles, yes. Kapwing's free plan puts a watermark on every export; OpenSubs adds none. Kapwing is the better pick if you also need a video editor or want to retime lines.
Do I have to upload my video?
No. This VEED alternative has no upload endpoint. Only the speech model is downloaded, once, and then cached by your browser.
Is this VEED alternative as accurate as VEED?
We have not compared them, so we make no claim. OpenSubs runs Whisper on your own machine. On our English and Chinese test clips the Small model made about half the errors of Base, and took about twice as long.