SRT vs VTT vs Burned-In Captions: Which Should You Use?

When you export captions you'll usually see three options: an MP4 with captions burned in, an SRT file, or a VTT file. They all show text on screen, but they work very differently.

Burned-in (open) captions

Burned-in captions are drawn directly onto the video frames, so they're part of the picture. They show up everywhere the video plays, look exactly the way you designed them, and can't be turned off.

• Best for: TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, ads, and anywhere videos autoplay on mute.
• Pros: full control over font, colour, animation and position; works on every app and device.
• Cons: one language per file; viewers can't hide them; editing means re-rendering.

SRT files (closed captions)

SRT (SubRip Text) is the most widely supported subtitle format. It's a simple text file with numbered lines, start and end times, and the caption text. The video player draws the text using its own style, and viewers can switch it on or off.

• Best for: YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, Vimeo, and editing apps like Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve and Final Cut.
• Pros: tiny file size; upload one per language; easy to edit in any text editor.
• Cons: no custom styling — the platform decides how it looks.

VTT files (WebVTT)

WebVTT is the web's native subtitle format and looks almost identical to SRT, with a "WEBVTT" header and dots instead of commas in timestamps. It's what HTML5 video players use.

• Best for: videos on your own website, online courses and web video players.
• Pros: native browser support; supports some positioning and styling.
• Cons: slightly less supported than SRT in desktop editing software.

A simple rule of thumb

If the platform autoplays videos silently in a feed, burn the captions in. If the platform has a subtitle menu, upload an SRT or VTT file — and add one for each language you support. Many creators do both: a burned-in version for short-form and a subtitle file for the long-form YouTube upload.