Subtitle Edit

by Nikse

Free open-source subtitle editor with broad format support.

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Drop your audio. Transcript in seconds. First transcript free, then $4 = 300 min

TL;DR

Best for fansubbers and professionals who need precise subtitle timing across many file formats. Pricing: free.

Category
Desktop apps
License
—
Stars
—
Last push
—
Pricing
free
Platforms
Windows, macOS, Linux

What it is

Subtitle Edit is the free Swiss-army knife of subtitle editing — supports 200+ subtitle formats, OCR, waveform-driven timing, and many translation engines.

Best for: Fansubbers and professionals who need precise subtitle timing across many file formats.
Watch out for: Windows-first; macOS / Linux builds rely on Mono / Wine in some configurations.

Install / use

nikse.dk/subtitleedit

Features

Speaker diarizationNo
Word-level timestampsNo
Streaming / real-timeNo
Languages supported35
HIPAA eligibleNo

Subtitle Edit vs Whipscribe

FeatureSubtitle EditWhipscribe
CategoryDesktop appsTranscription APIs
Pricingfree$4–$24 one-time packs (credits never expire) · $2 single unlock · 60 min free on signup
Speaker diarization—Yes
Word timestamps—Yes
Streaming—No
Languages3599
PlatformsWindows, macOS, LinuxWeb, API, MCP

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Whipscribe is a managed faster-whisper + whisperX service. If you want transcripts without running infrastructure, paste a URL or drop a file in the form below — you'll have a transcript in seconds.