AutoCaption vs HappyScribe
Two captions and subtitles tools side by side: pricing, free plans, features and who each one suits.
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#3 of 81 in Captions and subtitles
An AI caption generator for TikTok, Reels and Shorts that adds animated, styled captions and emojis to your own videos, with an AI Video tier for stories and POV ads
Best for: TikTok, Reels and Shorts creators who film their own short videos and want animated captions on them in a couple of minutes.
#10 of 81 in Captions and subtitles
European transcription and subtitle platform with AI subtitles in 150+ languages, a collaborative editor, burned-in MP4 export and optional human proofreading
Best for: Creators, educators and small teams who subtitle long-form or multilingual video and want accurate, editable subtitle files with an option to pay for human review.
The short answer
More creators choose AutoCaption than HappyScribe, and it ranks higher in our captions and subtitles list. Pick AutoCaption if you want tiktok, reels and shorts creators who film their own short videos and want animated captions on them in a couple of minutes. Pick HappyScribe if you want creators, educators and small teams who subtitle long-form or multilingual video and want accurate, editable subtitle files with an option to pay for human review.
AutoCaption: A focused caption tool with sensible caption-plan prices and limits stated in plain videos per month. The free tier is vague, the annual discount does not match its own label, and the big logo wall and review counts are unverified.
HappyScribe: A mature, privacy-focused subtitle and transcription platform with broad language coverage, proper subtitle file formats and human proofreading when accuracy matters. It is not a flashy short-form caption styler, the free plan is only a 10-minute trial, and the product's focus has shifted toward meeting notes.
Specs side by side
| AutoCaption | HappyScribe | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | From $18/mo | From $8.5/mo |
| Free tier | ||
| Pricing | Free tier per the FAQ, no card needed. Caption plans from $18/mo (about $14/mo billed yearly); AI Video plans from $39/mo. | Free plan with a 10-minute AI trial and watermarked MP4 exports. Basic $8.50/mo, Pro $19/mo, Business $59/mo billed annually. Extra AI minutes $0.20 each. |
| Platforms | Web | Web, iOS, Android, API |
| Best for | TikTok, Reels and Shorts creators who film their own short videos and want animated captions on them in a couple of minutes. | Creators, educators and small teams who subtitle long-form or multilingual video and want accurate, editable subtitle files with an option to pay for human review. |
| Last checked | 2026-10-21 | 2026-10-21 |
Pricing
AutoCaption
Free tier per the FAQ, no card needed. Caption plans from $18/mo (about $14/mo billed yearly); AI Video plans from $39/mo.
- FreeFree
- Starter$18/mo
- Expert$25/mo
- Pro$39/mo
- AI Video Creator$39/mo
- AI Video Power$89/mo
- AI Video Business$199/mo
HappyScribe
Free plan with a 10-minute AI trial and watermarked MP4 exports. Basic $8.50/mo, Pro $19/mo, Business $59/mo billed annually. Extra AI minutes $0.20 each.
- FreeFree
- Basic$8.50/mo billed annually
- Pro$19/mo billed annually
- Business$59/mo billed annually
- Human servicesFrom $2.00/min
- EnterpriseContact sales
Key features
AutoCaption
- Automatic transcription and animated captions, with word emphasis and emojis
- Transcription and translation in 100+ languages, per AutoCaption
- Fonts, colors, animation, size, position and emphasis controls
- Saved caption templates with your brand fonts and colors
- Timeline editor for fixing words and timing
- One-click resize to 9:16 for TikTok, Reels and Shorts, and 1:1 or 16:9 for LinkedIn
- Direct publishing to TikTok, Reels and Shorts
- B-roll and AI tools on Expert and Pro
- AI Video plans that add AI stories and POV ads on a shared credit balance
- API access and team collaboration on the AI Video Business plan
HappyScribe
- AI transcription and subtitles in 150+ languages and dialects, with automatic language detection
- AI translation of subtitles into 80+ languages
- Online subtitle editor for timing, text, speaker names, font size and position
- Burn subtitles into MP4, or export SRT, VTT, STL, XML, FCPXML, EDL and more on Pro
- Imports from your computer, YouTube, Vimeo, Google Drive, Box and Dropbox, in 45+ video formats
- Automatic speaker detection and an AI glossary for names and jargon
- Style guides and glossaries to keep terms consistent across files
- Human proofreading, subtitling and translation from $2.00 a minute
- AI meeting notetaker for Zoom, Google Meet and Teams, plus iOS and Android recording apps
- API, Zapier and an MCP server for AI assistants
Strengths and weaknesses
AutoCaption
- Plan limits are stated in videos per month, not opaque credits
- No watermark on any paid caption plan
- Starter at $18 a month undercuts several caption rivals
- Accepts MP4, MOV, AVI, MKV and WebM, up to 4K, per the FAQ
- Saved templates keep a consistent caption look across videos
- Open affiliate program at 40% recurring, so creators can refer it freely
- Short limits on cheaper plans: 2 minutes per video on Starter, 3 on Expert
- 4K export only on the $39 Pro plan
- The free tier is promised in the FAQ but not shown on the pricing page, and the terms call it a free trial
- Annual toggle says save 30%, but the cards show about 22% savings
- No refunds, including partial months, under the terms
- Logo wall of Adobe, Stripe, Linear and others is not explained or backed by case studies
- Its API docs link returned a not-found page when we checked
HappyScribe
- Language coverage is among the broadest of any subtitle tool
- Professional subtitle formats like STL, FCPXML and EDL fit broadcast and editing workflows
- Human proofreading is available in the same app when AI is not enough
- SOC 2 Type II, GDPR compliance and EU data residency, per HappyScribe
- Recordings are not used to train AI unless you opt in, per HappyScribe
- Annual plans start low for a full transcription and subtitle suite
- Free plan is a 10-minute trial, not an ongoing allowance
- Free MP4 subtitle exports are watermarked
- Basic exports only TXT, SRT, PDF and DOCX; VTT and pro formats need Pro
- No animated, word-by-word caption styles of the kind short-form tools offer
- The homepage now leads with meeting notes, so video features get less attention
- Monthly prices were not visible in our check, only annual
- It translates subtitles but does not generate dubbed voice tracks
Try AutoCaption
Free tier per the FAQ, no card needed. Caption plans from $18/mo (about $14/mo billed yearly); AI Video plans from $39/mo.
Try HappyScribe
Free plan with a 10-minute AI trial and watermarked MP4 exports. Basic $8.50/mo, Pro $19/mo, Business $59/mo billed annually. Extra AI minutes $0.20 each.