SRT vs VTT — which format should I use?
SRT for almost everything: video editors, YouTube, Vimeo, every major platform. VTT only when you're embedding video on a website with HTML5 <track>.
Detail
SRT is the universally-accepted plain-text subtitle format. Every major video editor (Premiere, Final Cut, DaVinci, CapCut), every media player (VLC, MPV, QuickTime), and every consumer platform (YouTube, Vimeo, Facebook, LinkedIn) reads SRT natively. VTT (WebVTT) is the W3C standard built specifically for HTML5 <track> elements — browsers only render captions in <track> from a VTT file, not an SRT. Practically: pick SRT for delivery to platforms and editors, pick VTT for self-hosted web embeds. The two formats are nearly identical text-wise, and converting either way is a one-second job.
| Use case | Format |
|---|---|
| YouTube / Vimeo upload | SRT |
| Premiere / DaVinci / Final Cut | SRT |
| HTML5 <video> embed on your site | VTT |
| LinkedIn / Facebook / X | SRT |
| Streaming (HLS / DASH) | VTT |
SRT (SubRip Subtitle) is a plain-text subtitle format with numbered cues and HH:MM:SS,mmm timestamps. It's the most universal subtitle format.
Subtitles transcribe spoken dialogue. Closed captions also describe non-speech audio (music, sound effects, speaker IDs) and are the accessibility standard.