Best AI caption tools for video editors

Last checked 26 Oct 2026 · 7 tools

Ranked for editors who want captions done fast, either in a web app or by an AI agent like Claude Code. We looked at what each tool does beyond captions, the plan you need, how the agent connects, and whether you can run it for free on your own machine

Quick picks

#	Tool	Pick it if	Price	Setup
1	Submagic MCP (official)	you want styled captions in 123 languages with the least effort. Use the web app, or let your agent do it through the official MCP on a paid plan. Starter is $19 a month	Paid	Easy setup
2	OpusClip MCP (official)	you start from long videos and want clips picked, reframed and captioned for you. The free plan has 60 credits a month, and agent use needs Pro or higher	Paid	Easy setup
3	Descript MCP (official)	you edit by transcript and want captions next to filler word removal and Studio Sound. Free to start, and Hobbyist is $16 a month billed yearly	Free plan + paid	Easy setup
4	Reap MCP (official)	you want 50+ animated caption styles and an MCP that works on the Free plan, which includes one connection	Free plan + paid	Easy setup
5	Riverside MCP (official)	you already record in Riverside and want the agent to caption those recordings. Its MCP needs the Grow, Webinar or Business plan	Paid	Easy setup
6	ffmpeg-skill	you want free captions with karaoke style animation made on your own machine, with nothing uploaded	Free	Easy setup
7	podcli	you turn podcast episodes into vertical clips with face tracking and burned in captions, free and local	Free	Easy setup

Submagic subtitle generator page — Submagic's subtitle generator: upload a video, captions in 123 languagesScreenshot of submagic.co taken by AgentCut on 2026-10-26

Reap pricing page — Reap's plans, including AI captions hours per monthScreenshot of reap.video taken by AgentCut on 2026-10-26

How we checked

Prices and plan limits come from each maker's own pricing page and MCP docs, read between 21 and 26 Oct 2026. We haven't tested caption accuracy side by side, so the order reflects ease of use, price and how much of the job each tool covers, not how many words each one gets right

Captions without an agent

Submagic's subtitle generator and Descript both work in the browser with no setup. The agent route makes sense when captions are one step in a bigger job, like cutting clips and posting them. More options are on the official MCP servers page

Submagic captionsUpload a video and get styled captions in 123 languages, editable as text. A paid web app if you'd rather not set up an agentPartner link OpusClipPaste a YouTube link and it picks highlights, reframes to vertical and adds captions. Free plan with 60 credits a monthPartner link

Partner links: if you sign up through one we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what we list or how we rank it. How we handle money

Questions

What is the best free AI caption tool?

For free and local, ffmpeg-skill and podcli run on your own machine. For a web app, OpusClip's free plan includes 60 credits a month with a watermark, and Reap has a free plan too

Can Claude Code add captions to my video?

Yes. Submagic, OpusClip, Descript, Reap and Riverside all run official MCP servers, so Claude Code can send a video and get captions back. Local tools like ffmpeg-skill burn captions in with FFmpeg

How many languages does Submagic caption?

Submagic's subtitle generator page says 123 languages

Sources: Submagic subtitle generator, Submagic pricing, OpusClip pricing, Descript pricing, Reap pricing, Reap MCP docs, Riverside MCP help, kajisho5/ffmpeg-skill, nmbrthirteen/podcli