Alternatives · ReelWords
A ReelWords alternative that keeps your video in the browser
Pick ReelWords if you automate captions through an API or an AI agent, or start from a public TikTok, Instagram or YouTube link. Pick ReelCaption if you caption your own clips by hand and want the video to stay on your device. The names are close, but ReelWords and ReelCaption are separate products from different teams. Your first 2 clips of up to 60 seconds need no account. After that, a free Google sign-in gives you 5 minutes a month.
ReelCaption vs ReelWords
| ReelCaption | ReelWords | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | 5 min a month free, then $5/mo for 100 min | $9/mo or $100/yr for 18 renders and 100 transcripts a month, as of October 2026 |
| What it does | Captions | Transcripts, captions and cloud rendering, plus an API and an MCP server for AI agents |
| Your footage | Stays on your device; only the audio is sent | Uploaded or fetched from a public link, then rendered on its servers |
| Free plan | 5 min a month, no card. 2 clips with no account first | 5 renders and 10 transcripts a month |
| Longest clip | 60s with no account, 5 min on Free, then as long as your minutes allow. Files up to 1 GB | 20s on Free and 2 min on Pro. Files up to 25 MB on Free and 200 MB on Pro |
| Captions | Word-by-word highlight, 16 fonts, glass and metallic finishes. Every word editable | Editable captions with presets, brand styles, highlighted hook words and suggested emojis |
| Export | MP4 with burned-in captions at the original size, plus .srt and .vtt | Rendered MP4, plus .srt, .vtt and text transcripts |
| Watermark | None, on any plan | Not stated on its site as of October 2026 |
| Your own subtitle file | Add an .srt or .vtt file up to 2 MB and skip transcription. Uses no minutes and needs no account | Transcribes the video itself. No subtitle-file import is listed |
| Best for | Creators who caption their own clips by hand | Teams that automate caption jobs or transcribe public social videos |
Why creators switch
- Your video stays on your device. Only the audio is sent for transcription.
- Pro is $5/mo for 100 minutes, split across as many clips as fit.
- A free clip can run 5 minutes. ReelWords Free stops at 20 seconds.
- Already have an .srt or .vtt file? Add it with the video and ReelCaption skips transcription, so it uses none of your minutes.
- No watermark on your MP4, including on the free plan.
- You can caption 2 clips before you sign up for anything.
When ReelWords is the better pick
- You want a script, n8n, Zapier or an AI agent to run caption jobs through its API or MCP server. ReelCaption has neither.
- You want a transcript from a public TikTok, Instagram or YouTube link without downloading the video first.
- You want hook words highlighted and emojis placed for you.
- You need many more transcripts than finished videos. ReelWords counts them separately, 100 a month on Pro.
FAQ
- Is ReelWords the same as ReelCaption?
- No. They are separate products from different teams, with similar names. ReelWords renders captions in the cloud and has an API. ReelCaption captions your clip in your browser.
- Is ReelWords free?
- Yes, up to a limit. As of October 2026, its free plan gives 5 renders and 10 transcripts a month, for clips up to 20 seconds. Pro is $9/mo.
- How much does ReelCaption cost compared with ReelWords?
- ReelCaption is free for 5 minutes a month, then $5/mo for 100 minutes. ReelWords Pro is $9/mo for 18 renders of up to 2 minutes each.
- Does ReelCaption have an API like ReelWords?
- No. You caption each clip yourself in the studio. For automated caption jobs through an API or an MCP server, ReelWords is the better tool.
- Is my video uploaded?
- No. The video stays in your browser. ReelCaption sends only the audio track, about 1 MB a minute, to Groq, which runs OpenAI’s Whisper model to transcribe it. ReelCaption does not store the audio.
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