Subtitle Edit
A free, offline editor for subtitle files, with video playback and format conversion.
- Stars
- 14.8k
- Forks
- 1.4k
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- C#
- Last update
- 4 days ago
- Type
- App
What it is
Subtitle Edit is a desktop application for creating, editing, and converting subtitle files. The README says it runs offline and includes video playback, so you can time and adjust subtitles while watching the video. It is aimed at people who work with captions or translations.
- Shift or retime subtitles that are out of sync with a video
- Convert a subtitle file from one format to another
- Edit subtitle text and check it while the video plays
- Use optional online services such as translation or speech-to-text, if you choose to enable them
Great for
- People who need to fix timing or text in existing subtitle files
- Anyone converting subtitles between formats
- Users who want to edit subtitles offline without uploading files
- Windows, macOS, or Linux users looking for a desktop subtitle tool
Not ideal for
- People who want a browser-only tool with nothing to install, since the README lists downloadable desktop builds and a Flatpak package
- Users on very old Windows 10 builds, which the README says are end-of-life and may fail to start
- Anyone expecting cloud collaboration, since the README describes only local operation with optional third-party services
How to get it
- 1
Download the app
Linux Flatpak install
flatpak install SubtitleEdit-linux-x64.flatpak - 2
Run it
- Download the build for your system from the Releases page
- On Windows, run the Setup .exe or extract the .zip
- On macOS, open the .dmg and drag Subtitle Edit.app into Applications
- On Linux, install the Flatpak and run it with flatpak run dk.nikse.subtitleedit
- Open a subtitle file or a video to start editing
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Read the documentation and FAQ at the project's help site for feature details
- Keep local auto-backup enabled, which the README lists as a core feature
- On Linux native builds, install mpv and ffmpeg to enable video functionality
- Use the optional online services only when needed, since they send data to the provider you choose
Downloads
Strengths
- Open source under the MIT license, with a large following on GitHub
- The README says core features, including local auto-backup, run on your device without sending your files anywhere
- Pre-built packages are provided for Windows, macOS, and Linux, including self-contained builds
Trade-offs
- Video features on Linux native builds depend on mpv and ffmpeg being installed separately
- The README's description is very brief, so many features are not documented in the text provided
- Older operating system versions are either unsupported or only lightly tested, as noted in the system requirements
Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.