VTT vs SRT, Which Subtitle Format Is Better❓

You would be surprised to know that there are over 25 subtitle formats. 25 formats for subtitles and captions are overwhelming, right? Fortunately, only two are the most popular, SRT and webVTT. While they are similar, it doesn't matter what you choose if your platform supports both. That said, it is vital to know their differences to improve your subtitling and captioning.

In this post, we will see the differences between SRT and VTT files and what's better in VTT vs SRT to choose for your subtitles and captions.

What Is the SRT Format

SubRip Text, or SRT, is a standard file format for subtitles with .srt extension. The SRT file format is the most basic of all formats and contains subtitles in plain text separated by a blank line. They start sequentially from 1, with the timecode format hours:minutes:seconds,milliseconds (00:00:00,000), followed by the subtitle text. A comma separates the timestamps between seconds and milliseconds.

SRT file format is initially developed as free software to extract subtitles and video timings into text files. SRT replaces the traditional XML-based format, which used to be clunky. Also, it is described on the Matroska website that SRT is open-source and developed by Zuggy Brain.

SRT files were simple back then, with only time stamps and subtitles. But, with time, the SRT format also included basic formatting fonts like italic, bold, and underline.

Due to this simple formatting of subtitles, it was easy and attractive for people to add it to their videos. After the video localization of online video, YouTube adopted it in 2008, and later all major streaming platforms like Netflix, Vimeo, Wrista, Twitter, and many more. One can consider SRT as a universal subtitle format.

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What Is the VTT Format

The webVTT, generally known as just VTT, stands for Web Video Text Tracks format. It was introduced in 2010, and the base idea is based on the SRT format. The significant difference between VTT from SRT is it contains metadata along with the timed text. It is a World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) standard text format to display timed text connected to the HTML5 element.

The VTT files start with the WebVTT title; you can give an optional header. Then, insert the timeframes in the format hours:minutes:seconds.milliseconds --> hours:minutes:seconds.milliseconds, followed by the styling details. In the row below, you can find the subtitles.

Since the VTT is introduced to work with HTML5 elements, the format may seem slightly more complex than others, making it unique. The VTT files go with the .vtt extensions and are widely used for e-learning localizations and multimedia applications.

The metadata makes VTT a robust subtitle format. You can change the fonts, color, formatting, and placement too. This gives us an edge over SRT to edit and customize the subtitles as we wish.

How to Choose a Better Subtitle Format

Many significant platforms support both formats, yet SRT and webVTT are slightly different in how they are coded. The issue of how and what to choose becomes critical when you are in a situation with a platform that exclusively supports one format. Let us know the differences between them to understand better.

📊1. Timecode Format

You can see how seconds & milliseconds are separated in both formats. In VTT files, we use "." (DOT), and in SRT files, we use a "," (COMMA).

Another common difference is VTT offers the flexibility of using two timecode formats, hh:mm:ss.ms or hh:mm:ss.ms.

🎛️2. Caption Numbers

For SRT files, caption numbering is mandatory, whereas it is optional in the VTT or WebVtt files.

👉3. Metadata

SRT files do not support or contain the metadata. While the VTT files have metadata, at least some are required, like the webVTT at the top, and some include the file type and language.

🤖4. Formatting Options

VTT is robust, with a broader range of formatting features. You can vary font, color, text, and placement. At first, the SRT had no formatting, but now, you can do basic text formats like bold, italic, underline, and placement.

Once you know the differences, it burns down to how to choose the better subtitle format. Here's what you need to consider to choose VTT vs SRT. If your video player supports only one, the choice is already made. If you want o go with features and text customization, VTT is the one for you. But if you wish for simple text captions and a universally accepted format, SRT is your best choice.

How to Generate an SRT File

Previously, people used to write the SRT files manually, but it is highly laborious and time-consuming. But what if you upload your video and have your SRT file ready in no time? You can do this using EaseUS VideoKit, an excellent AI subtitle generator. This is a complete video editing tool, capable of being the best auto subtitle generator to produce accurate SRT files and video and audio editing.

With an AI-powered speech-to-text analysis, the software algorithm precisely identifies the vocals and generates the captions and subtitles for the video. This free automatic subtitle generator is an excellent way of producing the subs and captions instead of manually putting in a lot of hours. You can export the subtitles in SRT or TXT formats and add text to TikTok videos, YouTube, and other social media platforms to share with others.

Therefore, you can download this application to have a try!

Free DownloadSupport Windows&macOS Free DownloadSupport macOS&Windows

Key Features of EaseUS VideoKit:

• AI-powered Speech-to-text subtitle generator.
• You can add subtitles to Vimeo Videos.
• Extract captions and subtitles in SRT or TXT formats.
• This is an advanced video and audio editing tool.
• Generate SRT files and add subtitles with Avidemux.

You can follow the steps below.

Step 1. Open EaseUS VideoKit and find the "Subtitle Generator" panel.

Step 2. Click "Choose File" or drag the YouTube video file to the interface.

Step 3. Wait for the AI analyzing.

Step 4. Click the "Text" button to change the text, or customize font, background, and position under "Style" menu.

Step 5. Click "Export Subtitle" to select exported subtitle format, "Save to" to change location, and press "Export" to export the video with subtitles.

Share this passage with others to let more people know how to make subtitles with EaseUS VideoKit.

Conclusion

Captions and subtitles are a must-have due to the demand and also to increase the accessibility of videos. The most popular subtitle and captioning formats used in mainstream media are VTT and SRT. This calls for the video producers to know what's better in VTT vs SRT to choose the better subtitle for video captioning.

This post shows the key differences in SRT vs VTT, when to use them, and an excellent tool like EaseUS VideoKit to generate subtitles. EaseUS VideoKit is an all-in-one video and audio editor capable of generating accurate subtitles with AI-powered speech-to-text analysis and exporting in various formats like SRT and TXT.

Free DownloadSupport Windows&macOS Free DownloadSupport macOS&Windows

VTT vs. SRT FAQs

Here are some of the most frequent FAQs asked on VTT vs SRT. If you have similar queries hope this will help you.

1. Can VTT be converted to SRT?

Yes, you can easily convert VTT to SRT with converter software. You don't have to download any apps; the conversion can happen online. Just search for VTT to SRT converter on Google, find a reliable VTT to SRT, and that will do the job.

2. Does YouTube use VTT?

Yes, YouTube supports multiple subtitle formats for the platform, including the VTT, SRT, TTML, webVTT, and its own format, YouTube Caption File (YCF). YouTube also allows users to customize texts with various fonts and colors.

3. What is the best software to open VTT files?

Almost all text editor supports viewing and editing VTT files. You can use Microsoft's Notepad, Apple's TextEdit, and cross-platform options like Atom or Sublime. Another way is by just dragging the file contents into the web browser.