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, 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 to use: no mark on your first two videos, then a small mark, or $49 once for none | $10 to $25 a month |
| Watermark | None on your first two videos; a small burncaps.app mark after, which Pro removes | Usually on every free video |
| Videos | Free for as many as you like: no mark on the first two, a small mark after, or none for $49 once | 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.
Not on your first two: they come with every feature, no watermark, no account. After that, keep going free with a small burncaps.app mark in the top corner, or pay $49 once for unlimited videos with no mark.
MP4 export is fastest in Chrome or Edge on a computer, and many phones export too. Transcription and subtitle files work in most browsers, phones included.
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.
What it is: a browser tool that burns animated word-by-word captions into a talking video, or cuts it to its best 30 or 60 seconds.
Price: free with every feature, for as many videos as you like. The first two carry no mark; after that each carries a small burncaps.app credit, which Pro removes for $49 once. No subscription.
Privacy: the video never leaves your browser. The sound leaves only if you choose our speech service.
Files: MP4 or MOV up to ten minutes in; an MP4 with the captions burned in out. SRT, VTT, ASS and text files are free without limit.
Languages and styles: captions in the language spoken, twelve Indian languages heard on your device, translation into 37 languages, 20 caption styles.
Made by: Jordan Labs Ltd, UK company no. 17358646.
Against other tools: twelve caption tools compared, from the vendors' own pages.