SRT vs VTT: which subtitle format do you actually need?
Both files hold the same cues with the same timing. The only real question is what's going to open the file.
If you've ever downloaded subtitles and wondered whether to pick SRT or VTT, here's the short answer: SRT for players and editors, VTT for anything in a browser. The rest of this article explains why, and what to do if you picked wrong.
What's actually inside
An SRT file is a numbered list of cues. Each cue has an index, a time range with a comma before the milliseconds, and the text:
1
00:00:01,200 --> 00:00:03,360
All right, so here we are
A VTT file starts with the word WEBVTT, drops the index numbers, and uses a dot before the milliseconds:
WEBVTT
00:00:01.200 --> 00:00:03.360
All right, so here we are
That's the whole difference for ordinary subtitles. VTT can also carry styling and positioning, which browsers understand and most desktop players ignore.
Who opens which
- VLC, mpv, Plex, Kodi and most TVs want SRT. Drop it next to the video with the same file name and it loads automatically.
- Premiere, DaVinci Resolve, Final Cut and CapCut import SRT into a caption track.
- HTML5 video, Vimeo, YouTube uploads and learning platforms want VTT. A
<track>element in a web page only accepts VTT. - Subtitle editors like Subtitle Edit and Aegisub open both.
Converting between them
You rarely need to. GetTheText gives you both files for every video, so download the one your target expects. If you're stuck with the wrong one, the conversion is mechanical: add or remove the WEBVTT header, swap comma and dot in the timestamps, and add or drop the index lines. Subtitle Edit does it in one menu, and so does a ten-line script.
What about plain text?
If nobody is going to play the file, skip both and download the .txt. Timed text is for machines that need to know when to show each line. People who just want to read want paragraphs.
