Instagram adds plain auto-captions, but they are not the animated word-by-word style that holds attention in the feed. Burncaps burns those into the video itself, free and unlimited, with your footage never leaving your device.
Caption a Reel freeLive preview, rendered on this page by the same engine that burns your video.
Reels can show auto-generated captions, but they are Instagram's styling, they can be switched off by the viewer, and they do not animate word by word or match your look.
The words are drawn into the pixels before you upload, so every viewer sees them, they survive a repost or a download, and you choose the style and position.
Instagram covers the lower part of the frame with its own interface. The position slider lets you lift the captions clear of it, which is the difference between readable and hidden.
If you only need accessibility and do not care about styling, Instagram's built-in captions are free and take one tap. Burned-in captions are worth the extra minute when the caption is part of the edit: retention, brand look, and surviving reposts to TikTok or Shorts.
| What matters | Burncaps | Typical caption app |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free. Pro is £29 once | £15 to £20 per month |
| Watermark | Never | Usually on the free tier |
| Videos per month | Unlimited | Often capped on free |
| Your footage | Stays on your device | Uploaded to their servers |
| Same file works on TikTok and Shorts | Yes, standard vertical MP4 | Usually yes |
Not if you position them with the slider before exporting. Instagram overlays the bottom of the frame with buttons and the caption text, so most creators lift the words to around two thirds of the way down.
Yes. It is a standard vertical MP4 with the captions burned in, so one file posts everywhere without redoing the work.
No. Unlimited videos, any length, no watermark, no account required.
For MP4 export use Chrome or Edge on a computer. Transcription and subtitle files work in most browsers including phones.
It uses OpenAI's open-source Whisper with word-level timing, and every word is click-to-edit before export, so names and slang take seconds to correct.