SRT vs VTT: Which Subtitle Format Should You Use?

SRT (SubRip)

SRT is the oldest and most widely supported subtitle format. It's plain text, made of numbered blocks:

1
00:00:01,200 --> 00:00:03,800
Welcome back to the channel.

2
00:00:04,100 --> 00:00:06,500
Today we're talking about captions.

• a sequence number;
• a timing line: start --> end, in hours:minutes:seconds,milliseconds (note the comma);
• one or two lines of text;
• a blank line before the next block.

SRT has no official styling. Some players support basic tags like <i>, but support is inconsistent.

VTT (WebVTT)

WebVTT was designed for web video (the HTML <track> element). It looks similar, with a few differences:

WEBVTT

intro
00:00:01.200 --> 00:00:03.800 line:85%
Welcome back to the channel.

• The file must start with WEBVTT.
• Milliseconds use a full stop, not a comma.
• Cue numbers are optional, and can be any text identifier.
• Cues can include positioning settings, and web players can style captions with CSS.

Which one should you use?

When in doubt, use SRT. It's the format almost every tool understands. Platform requirements change, so check the upload help page of the platform you use.

Converting between SRT and VTT

Because the formats are so similar, converting is mostly mechanical: add or remove the WEBVTT header, and swap the comma or full stop in the timestamps. Many editors and online tools do this for you.

CapMagic Studio can import both SRT and VTT files (Import SRT button) and exports standard SRT. Import a subtitle file, restyle it, and burn it into your video, or fix the text and export a clean SRT.

Common subtitle file problems (and fixes)

• Wrong character encoding: accented letters or non-Latin scripts show up as garbage. Save subtitle files as UTF-8.
• Comma vs full stop: an SRT file with 00:00:01.200 (full stop) or a VTT file with a comma may be rejected by strict tools.
• Missing blank lines: each SRT block must be separated by an empty line, or players merge blocks together.
• Overlapping times: if one cue ends after the next starts, some players show both at once. Make sure end times come before the next start time.
• Missing WEBVTT header: a VTT file without it is invalid in most web players.

Subtitle files exported from CapMagic Studio use UTF-8, correct SRT timestamps and proper spacing between blocks.

Frequently asked questions