CapCut auto captions aren’t free any more. Here’s the free way

For a lot of CapCut users, clicking Auto captions now brings up the Pro prompt. CapCut hasn't announced anything, but the reporting lines up. Newsweek reported in early 2026 that CapCut Pro had gone to $19.99 a month or $179.99 a year, about double, with annual plans renewing at the new price from February 20, 2026. Descript's blog says CapCut moved auto captions into Pro in its 2025 pricing changes. The free way around it is to make the captions somewhere else and bring them into CapCut. Captions does that part on your computer, free for the SRT and for a captioned MP4 up to 3 minutes.

Speech recognition makes mistakes. Check names and spellings before you post.

What changed

• The price. Newsweek's report, App used by millions to double its subscription price overnight, puts CapCut Pro at $19.99 a month or $179.99 a year, with annual plans renewing at that price from February 20, 2026. Newsweek says CapCut didn't announce it, and people found out from in-app notices and the new prices on the upgrade screen.
• Auto captions. Descript's article CapCut captions aren't free anymore says auto captions went behind Pro in CapCut's 2025 pricing changes. Descript sells a competing editor, so read it with that in mind, but it matches what CapCut users report.
• Your account may differ. Other 2026 guides still describe a limited free allowance for auto captions that depends on the device, the region and the app version. If Auto captions works for you without the Pro prompt, keep using it.

What CapCut still does without Pro

• Typed captions. Add a text layer for each line and time it by hand. Fine for a ten-second clip, slow for anything longer.
• Imported caption files. On CapCut desktop and CapCut on the web, Captions > Add captions > Import file takes an SRT. It's a separate feature from Auto captions, and CapCut's help page on importing subtitles shows it. The phone app can't import caption files.

The free way, step by step

1. Open Captions on a computer and drop your video. The speech is turned into words in your browser, so the video isn't uploaded.
2. Read the list of captions and fix names, brands and anything misheard.
3. Download the SRT. It's free, with no sign-in.
4. In CapCut desktop, open your project, choose Captions > Add captions > Import file and pick the SRT.
5. Style the captions in CapCut's Text panel.

If you're done editing and only want the captioned video, skip CapCut: download the MP4 with the captions burned in. It's free up to 3 minutes, with a small cutconvert.com mark in a corner.

When paying makes sense

CapCut Pro unlocks plenty besides captions, and if you post every day and live in CapCut, it may still be worth it. If you caption a handful of videos a month, paying per video costs less: up to 3 captioned videos here cost less than one month of CapCut Pro at the reported price.

A captioned video is $5. That's any length, no mark, and the captions as a CapCut project with your video inside, so CapCut opens it without Link media. The same captions come as Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve and Final Cut Pro projects too. The guide to captions in CapCut without Pro shows what that project looks like when it opens.

FAQ

Are CapCut auto captions free? Not for everyone any more. Descript's blog says CapCut moved auto captions into Pro, and some guides still describe a limited free allowance that depends on the device and region. If CapCut asks for Pro, make the captions elsewhere and import the SRT.

How much is CapCut Pro now? Newsweek reported $19.99 a month or $179.99 a year in early 2026, about double the earlier price, with annual plans renewing at the new price from February 20, 2026. CapCut didn't announce the change, so check the price your account shows.

How do I get free captions into CapCut? Make an SRT for free on CutConvert's Captions page, then in CapCut desktop choose Captions > Add captions > Import file. The phone app can't import caption files, so use the desktop app or CapCut on the web.

Is the free captioned video watermarked? It has a small cutconvert.com mark in a corner, and it's free up to 3 minutes. A paid video has no mark and no length limit.

Is my video uploaded? No. The speech is turned into words in your browser, and the MP4 and caption files are made there too. The file's name, size and length go to our server at two times only. One is when you ask for something that needs the unlock: the MP4 without the mark, an MP4 over 3 minutes, or a project file. The other is as you add a video, if you're signed in or this browser has unlocked that video before, to check for an earlier unlock. They're kept only for a video you unlock, so the unlock covers that one video. Nothing else about the video leaves your computer.

How much does it cost? Free: the captioned MP4 up to 3 minutes with a small cutconvert.com mark in the corner, plus the SRT and VTT. One captioned video costs $5: any length, no mark, and the captions as editable text in CapCut, Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve and Final Cut Pro. Pro includes 10 captioned videos a month and Studio 40.