The Captions Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Captions in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Captions
The Insider’s Guide
AI video editor and generator for short talking-head videos
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among screen recording and video tools, read from Captions’s own pages.
Made by Mirage (NOCAP, Inc.) · checked Oct 6, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Captions’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Captions’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 6, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.4
GPA, above 11 of the 52 other screen recording and video tools we grade
Captions is an AI video app from Mirage that edits footage automatically or generates new video from a prompt. AI Edit applies a chosen style to cut scenes and add B-roll, music and captions, and a chat-based editor makes further changes from typed instructions. It also creates AI avatars and digital twins, and adds or translates subtitles in more than 100 languages.
To get you started, here are 9 things to know about Captions, taken from its own pages and our grades.
You pick an editing style and it does the cutting, or you type the change you want, so there's no timeline to learn first.
- 1
Best for short talking-head videos that edit themselves
There's no Mac or Windows app, projects don't sync between devices, and free credits never refresh.
- 2
Paid plans start at $4.99 a month
As its pricing page puts it: $4.99 per month for Lite (Android only); Basic is $9.99 per month.
- 3
There is a free plan
Captions in one template, camera, trim, zoom, sounds, transitions and resize, exported without a watermark, plus 60 to 200 one-time AI credits that do not refresh.
- 4
It runs on 3 platforms
Web, iOS and Android.
- 5
AI Edit
Pick an editing style and the app cuts scenes and adds B-roll, zooms, transitions, music and captions. It handles clips of up to 2 minutes on iOS and 1 minute on the web.
- 6
Chat-based editor
Type the change you want and the editor applies it. Each message uses 2 credits and each action taken 1 credit, with more for generated media.
- 7
Captions, translation and dubbing
Generates captions in 100+ styles, translates subtitles into 100+ languages and dubs video into 30+ languages with a clone of the speaker's voice.
- 8
A 2.4 GPA, above 11 of 52
That is against the other screen recording and video tools we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 9
Keep it
To replace Captions you would be making a video editor. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
Captions at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan, from $4.99 per month for Lite (Android only); Basic is $9.99 per month
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web, iOS, Android
- Made by
- Mirage (NOCAP, Inc.)
- Category
- Screen Recording & Video
- Our grade
- 2.4 GPA, fair
- Store rating
- 4.7 on the App Store, 38,305 ratings
The report card
Best for short talking-head videos that edit themselves
Captions edits talking-head videos shot on your phone: pick a style and AI Edit cuts the scenes and adds B-roll, music and captions, and it translates subtitles into 100+ languages. But AI Edit, the chat editor and Clips all start on Max at $24.99 a month, not Basic at $9.99. There's no Mac or Windows app, projects don't sync between devices, and free credits never refresh.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | D | Basic is $9.99 a month, but it doesn't include the things people come here for. AI Edit, the chat editor, Clips and AI Twins all start on Max at $24.99, two and a half times this category's middle, and the credits still run out at 500 a month. |
| Free plan and trial | C | Manual editing with one caption template, and exports carry no watermark. But the AI credits are 60 to 200, once, and they never refresh. |
| Features | C | AI Edit, a chat editor you type instructions into, captions in 100+ styles, dubbing into 30+ languages in a clone of your voice, AI avatars and Clips. The gaps the listing names are real: AI Edit stops at 2 minutes on iOS and 1 on the web, and projects don't sync between devices. |
| Ease of use | A | 4.7 from about 38,000 App Store ratings. You pick an editing style and it does the cutting, or you type the change you want, so there's no timeline to learn first. |
| Platforms and integrations | B | iPhone, Android and the web, with a public API. But there's no Mac or Windows app, so on a computer it's the browser only, and the Android app is Captions Lite, a different, manual editor. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Captions is for
- Fits if you post talking-head videos to TikTok, Instagram or YouTube Shorts
- Works for marketers who want many ad versions with AI actors and no filming, on Max
Who it is not for
- Pricey if you came for AI Edit or Clips, as both start on Max at $24.99 a month
- Skip it if you want one subscription on every device, since the $4.99 Lite plan works only on Android
- Not for you if you start on your phone and finish on your laptop, because projects stay on the device and don't sync
- Tight if you rely on AI Edit for longer clips, as it stops at 2 minutes on iOS and 1 on the web
- Watch out: free AI credits are 60 to 200 once and never refresh, and Prompt to Video uses 16 credits per 6 seconds
Good to know
Good for
- Creators posting short talking-head videos to TikTok, Instagram and YouTube Shorts
- Marketers producing ad variations with AI actors instead of filming
- People who want captions and translated subtitles added automatically
Worth knowing
- There is no Mac or Windows app: on a computer it runs in the browser, and projects are stored on the device and do not sync between devices.
- The Android app is Captions Lite, a manual editor. Its $4.99 Lite plan works only on Android; iOS and web need a separate subscription.
- AI Edit, the chat-based editor, Clips and AI Twins start on Max at $24.99 a month, and Prompt to Video uses 16 credits for every 6 seconds.
- The pricing page says its prices reflect iOS plans and lists no yearly prices; Basic and Lite appear only in the help center.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
$4.99
A month to start. There is a free plan too
Captions has a free plan. Paid plans start at $4.99 per month for Lite (Android only); Basic is $9.99 per month.
Manual editing with one caption template, and exports carry no watermark.
Free
$0
Basic manual editing with one caption template and watermark-free exports. 60 to 200 lifetime credits that do not refresh.
Lite
$4.99
per month, Android only
Manual editing on Android with dubbing, caption styles, teleprompter, eye contact and denoise. Cannot be used on iOS or the web.
Basic
$9.99
per month, or $64.99 per year on the US App Store
200 credits a month, with captions and dubbing, script generator, teleprompter, eye contact, denoise and Reddit to Video.
Max
$24.99
per month, billed monthly
500 credits a month, AI Edit, the chat-based editor, Clips, up to 30 AI Twins and generated B-roll, music and images.
Frontier
$69.99
per month, billed monthly
1,400 credits a month and faster generation. Frontier 2x is $139.99 with 2,800 credits and Frontier 4x is $279.99 with 5,600.
Enterprise
Custom
Bulk credit discounts, custom seat options, account management, onboarding and training-data exclusion.
The free plan
Captions in one template, camera, trim, zoom, sounds, transitions and resize, exported without a watermark, plus 60 to 200 one-time AI credits that do not refresh.
Read from captions.ai on Oct 6, 2026.
Ways to pay less
Annual discount
Discount on yearly subscriptions
The help center says yearly subscriptions are discounted against 12 months of monthly billing. The US App Store lists Basic at $64.99 a year against $9.99 a month.
Stated on captions.ai
How its prices have moved
- Aug 14, 2026Basic: Pro, $9.99 per month → Basic, $9.99 per monthThe archived copy of 14 August 2026 calls the $9.99 plan "Basic (formerly Pro)" in its own words; the copy before it, of 7 June 2026, still called it Pro. The price did not move.
What the app costs elsewhere
Each country’s App Store price for “Captions Basic - monthly”, against $9.99 in the United States, in dollars at the day’s rate. The four cheapest and the four dearest of 11.
| Country | Price there | In dollars | Against the US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turkey | ₺234,99 | $4.78 | 52% less |
| Philippines | ₱ 579.00 | $9.22 | 8% less |
| Indonesia | Rp 169ribu | $9.45 | 5% less |
| Canada | $13.49 | $9.48 | 5% less |
| South Africa | R199.99 | $12.10 | 21% more |
| Mexico | $229.00 | $12.58 | 26% more |
| Germany | 11,99 € | $13.44 | 34% more |
| United Kingdom | £10.49 | $13.87 | 39% more |
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
3
Places it runs: Web, iOS and Android
AI video editor and generator for short talking-head videos. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: public API, AI features, transcription, noise cancellation, video editing.
iPhone, Android and the web, with a public API.
- AI Edit
- Pick an editing style and the app cuts scenes and adds B-roll, zooms, transitions, music and captions. It handles clips of up to 2 minutes on iOS and 1 minute on the web.
- Chat-based editor
- Type the change you want and the editor applies it. Each message uses 2 credits and each action taken 1 credit, with more for generated media.
- Captions, translation and dubbing
- Generates captions in 100+ styles, translates subtitles into 100+ languages and dubs video into 30+ languages with a clone of the speaker's voice.
- AI avatars and AI Twin
- Generates a talking-head video from a script using a built-in AI actor or a digital twin of yourself. The Max plan allows up to 30 AI Twins.
- Clips
- Turns one long video into a batch of short clips that are ready to post. Clips is included from the Max plan.
- Eye contact, denoise and trimming
- Corrects eye contact, removes background noise and cuts pauses and filler words. On Android, eye contact and denoise need the Lite plan.
Where it runs
- Web
- iOS
- Android
What it works with
Its own pages name no integrations.
Captions is made by Mirage (NOCAP, Inc.).
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
11/52
Other screen recording and video tools it is graded above
Captions's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 11 of the 52 other screen recording and video tools we grade, and level with 16.
It stands best on ease of use (A, above 49 of 52) and worst on value for money (D, above 0).
Its paid plans start at $4.99 a month, against a middle price of $10 for the category: 9 of the 41 others that charge start lower.
On features, ease of use and platforms it scores 3.0 out of 4. 1 tool scores higher and costs less.
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 53 screen recording and video tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. Captions’s own letter is outlined.
- DValue for moneyAbove 0 of 52
- CFree plan and trialAbove 4 of 52
- CFeaturesAbove 0 of 52
- AEase of useAbove 49 of 52
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 15 of 52
Price against what you get
Each dot is one of 46 screen recording and video tools. Further left costs less; higher up scores better on features, ease of use and platforms. Captions is the marked dot.
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
To replace Captions you would be making a video editor. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
That makes this kind of software worth paying for, not this one in particular: 25 of the 52 other screen recording and video tools grade higher. It costs $59.88 a year.
What you could not
- A video editor.
- Audio cleaned up live as you speak.
- Speech turned into text you can trust.
- A real app for iOS and Android. Something home-made would be a web page.
- An API that other software can build on.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
What this rests on. Captions’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
CapCut, VEED, Descript, OpusClip and HeyGen
The 5 tools Captions is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 2.8GPA
CapCut
Free plan · from $9.99/mo
Video and photo editor with effects, auto captions and AI tools.
- Only Captions lists a web app.
- Only CapCut lists macOS and Windows apps.
- Captions also covers transcription and noise cancellation.
- 2.4GPA
VEED
Free plan · from $25/mo
Browser-based AI video generator and editor for social video.
- VEED also covers templates and screen recording.
- 2.4GPA
Descript
Free plan · from $16/mo
Audio and video editor that works by editing the transcript.
- Only Captions lists iOS and Android apps.
- Only Descript lists macOS and Windows apps.
- Descript also covers screen recording.
- 2.2GPA
OpusClip
Free plan · from $14.50/mo
AI tool that cuts long videos into captioned short clips.
- Only Captions lists an Android app.
- Captions also covers noise cancellation.
- 2.6GPA
HeyGen
Free plan · from $24/mo
AI video generator with realistic avatars and video translation.
- Captions also covers transcription, noise cancellation and video editing.
- HeyGen also covers templates.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
14
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Captions free?
Captions has a free plan. Captions in one template, camera, trim, zoom, sounds, transitions and resize, exported without a watermark, plus 60 to 200 one-time AI credits that do not refresh.
How much does Captions cost?
Captions lists 6 plans. Free: $0.
What platforms does Captions work on?
Captions is available on Web, iOS and Android.
Does Captions offer any discounts?
Captions publicly lists the following: Discount on yearly subscriptions.
How is Captions rated?
Captions's iPhone and iPad app averages 4.7 out of 5 from 38,305 ratings on the App Store in the United States, as read on Oct 6, 2026.
Does Captions have a Windows app?
No Windows app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 6, 2026. Captions is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Does Captions have a macOS app?
No macOS app was listed when its pages were read on Oct 6, 2026. Captions is listed for Web, iOS and Android.
Is Captions open source?
Captions is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Oct 6, 2026.
Does Captions have an API?
Yes. Captions offers a public API, according to its own site.
Who makes Captions?
Captions is made by Mirage (NOCAP, Inc.).
What are the alternatives to Captions?
The closest alternatives to Captions in our directory are CapCut, VEED, Descript, OpusClip and HeyGen.
How does Captions compare with other screen recording and video tools?
Captions's GPA of 2.4 is higher than 11 of the 52 other screen recording and video tools we grade, and level with 16.
Is Captions good value for money?
ToolGPA grades Captions D for value for money. Its paid plans start at $4.99 a month, against a middle price of $10 for the category: 9 of the 41 others that charge start lower.
Could I make my own version of Captions?
To replace Captions you would be making a video editor. That is not a weekend's work, with an AI app builder or without one.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Captions’s own pages on Oct 6, 2026, and the grades were given on Oct 10, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Captions' own pages on 6 October 2026, and its App Store rating. Also tested with a demo account on 2026-08-31.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Mirage (NOCAP, Inc.). Prices change, so check captions.ai before you buy.
- captions.ai
- captions.ai/pricing
- captions.ai/help/
- captions.ai/help/docs/subscriptions
- captions.ai/help/docs/ai-usage
- captions.ai/help/docs/feature-availability
- captions.ai/help/docs/app/ios
- captions.ai/help/docs/app/web
- captions.ai/help/docs/app/android
- captions.ai/help/docs/publish-export
- captions.ai/help/api-reference
- apps.apple.com/us/app/captions-ai-edits-your-video/id1541407007
- mirage.app/about-us
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
3,189
Tools graded, in 94 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
3,189
tools graded
94
categories
426
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Captions, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/captions
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Captions: The Insider's Guide", checked Oct 6, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/captions
Know someone choosing between screen recording and video tools?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/captions/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded screen recording and video tools after Captions, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Screen Recording & Video Insider's GuideEvery one of the 53 screen recording and video tools we grade, compared
- DaVinci Resolve Insider's GuideVideo editing, color, effects and audio post-production in one app3.4 GPA
- Zencastr Insider's GuideFree podcast recording, chat-based editing and hosting in one app3.4 GPA
- Cap Insider's GuideOpen-source screen recorder with instant share links and an editor3.2 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Captions’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Captions is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Mirage (NOCAP, Inc.). Prices and plans change: check captions.ai before you buy.