Summary
- Both tools compared here watermark burned-in video on their entry tier and remove the watermark on a paid plan.
- On VideoText, a free account burns videos up to 30 minutes at 720p with a small watermark. Pro exports at the source resolution with no watermark, for videos up to 2 hours.
- On Happy Scribe, burned-in MP4 is watermarked on the Free plan and watermark-free from Basic ($17 a month, or $8.50 billed annually).
- Fix the subtitle file before you burn it. Burned captions can't be edited afterwards.
Burned-in (hardcoded or "open") captions are rendered into the picture, so they show on every player and platform, including social feeds that ignore subtitle files. They are a common client deliverable. The two questions buyers ask are: will there be a watermark, and what resolution do I get?
Watermark, resolution and length by plan
|
Watermark |
Resolution |
Max video length |
| VideoText, free account |
Small watermark |
720p |
30 minutes |
| VideoText Pro ($14.99/month or $120/year) |
None |
Source resolution |
2 hours |
| Happy Scribe Free |
Watermarked MP4 |
Not stated |
Not stated for uploads |
| Happy Scribe Basic and above (from $17/month) |
None |
Not stated |
Not stated for uploads |
Sources: VideoText Burn Subtitles and Pricing pages; Happy Scribe pricing page. All checked October 25, 2026. Happy Scribe's page lists per-recording durations only for its meeting notetaker, so confirm upload limits with Happy Scribe.
How to burn subtitles with VideoText
Burn Subtitles hardcodes an SRT or VTT into your video and returns one MP4.
- Add both files. A video (MP4, MOV, AVI, WebM and other formats) and subtitles as SRT or VTT. You can drop both at once.
- Choose the look. Set text size, position and background. For brand work, the Subtitle Style Studio offers 12 tested presets, approved fonts and colours, and a rendered frame to approve before export.
- Burn. A pre-flight check warns you if any cue runs past the end of the video.
- Download the MP4.
No subtitle file yet? Create one from the video with Video to SRT first.
Fix the subtitle file before you burn
Once captions are in the picture, a typo or a cue that overlaps the next one is there for good. Re-burning costs another render. Check the file first:
- Check the SRT or VTT in the validator. It needs no account, runs in your browser and handles files up to 20 MB. It flags overlaps, lines over 42 characters, cues over 20 characters per second and garbled characters, by cue number.
- Repair what it finds with Fix Subtitles. It ends overlapping cues before the next one starts, re-wraps lines onto at most two lines of 42 characters, and gives fast cues more time where the next cue allows. Checking needs no account; fixing and downloading need a free account.
One detail matters here. Free SRT and VTT downloads from Fix Subtitles carry two short VideoText watermark cues, one at the start and one after the last cue. If you burn that file, those cues will appear in the video. For watermark-free client delivery, use Pro for both steps, or delete those two cues before burning.
Burned-in vs a separate subtitle file
|
Burned-in (open captions) |
Separate SRT/VTT (closed captions) |
| Shows on every player and feed |
Yes |
Only where the player supports it |
| Viewer can turn off |
No |
Yes |
| Editable after delivery |
No, re-render needed |
Yes |
| One file per language |
Yes, one MP4 each |
One video, many subtitle files |
| Best for |
Social video, screeners, client deliverables that can't lose captions |
Streaming, YouTube, accessibility with viewer control |
Our guide to making burned-in captions easier to read covers size, position and contrast.
Burning several languages
Each burned-in language is its own MP4, so plan the order of work:
- Finish and check the source-language subtitle file.
- Translate it. VideoText subtitle translation covers 104 languages and keeps cue timing, so each translated file lines up with the same video.
- Check every translated file again. A translation can be longer than its source, so lines that passed in one language can exceed 42 characters or 20 characters per second in another.
- Burn one MP4 per language, using the same approved style.
Keep the separate SRT or VTT files as well. If a client later asks for closed captions, you won't need to start over.
Pre-delivery checklist
- The subtitle file passes the validator with no errors.
- No watermark cues remain in the SRT or VTT.
- The style (size, position, background) has been approved on a rendered frame.
- The burn resolution matches the delivery spec.
- You have watched the first and last minute of the output.
- The file name and format match what the client asked for.
FAQ
Can I burn subtitles without a watermark on a free account?
Not on VideoText. A free account burns up to 30 minutes at 720p with a small watermark. Pro removes it and keeps the source resolution, for videos up to 2 hours.
Why does my burned video show "VideoText" captions at the start and end?
The SRT or VTT probably came from a free Fix Subtitles download, which adds two short watermark cues. Remove them, or use a Pro download, before burning.
Does burning subtitles reduce video quality?
On VideoText Pro the export keeps the source resolution. A free account exports at 720p. Our guide on burning subtitles without losing quality covers this in detail.
Which subtitle formats can I burn?
SRT and VTT.
Next step
Check the subtitle file first, then burn once. Upload your video and subtitles to Burn Subtitles, or compare plans on the pricing page.
Sources: VideoText Burn Subtitles, https://videotext.io/burn-subtitles; Fix Subtitles, https://videotext.io/fix-subtitles; Pricing, https://videotext.io/pricing (all checked October 25, 2026). Happy Scribe pricing, https://www.happyscribe.com/pricing (checked October 25, 2026).