SRT vs VTT: which subtitle format should you use?
SRT is universal. VTT is web-native and richer. Here's when each one wins, and what LinguaSub picks by default.
The 30-second answer
If you're uploading to YouTube, Vimeo, or any social platform: use SRT. If you're embedding video in a custom website with HTML5 <video> and want more styling control: use VTT. LinguaSub gives you both files for every job so you never have to choose.
What SRT actually is
SubRip (.srt) is the oldest widely-used subtitle format, invented in 2001 for the SubRip software. It's a plain text file with numbered blocks: sequence number, timestamp range (HH:MM:SS,ms --> HH:MM:SS,ms), one or more lines of text, and a blank line.
Because it's so simple, virtually every video editor and hosting platform accepts SRT — Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, Final Cut, YouTube Studio, Vimeo, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram Studio, TikTok, HandBrake, VLC, MPC-HC. Universal support is SRT's superpower.
Downside: SRT has no styling. No colours, no bold, no italics, no positioning. You get plain white text in the position the player chooses.
What VTT actually is
WebVTT (.vtt) is the web-native successor, standardised by the W3C for HTML5 video. It starts with the header 'WEBVTT' and uses dot separators in timestamps (00:00:03.150) instead of SRT's commas.
VTT adds features SRT can't touch: cue styling with CSS, positioning on-screen, chapter markers, notes, karaoke-style timing, and support for right-to-left languages. If you control the player, VTT is strictly more powerful.
Downside: outside the web, VTT support is patchy. Some editors accept it, some don't. Some platforms convert it to SRT internally and drop the styling anyway.
When each one wins
SRT wins when: you're uploading to YouTube/social platforms, sending a subtitle file to a client for their editor, or archiving captions in a format that will still open in 2050.
VTT wins when: you're building a custom video player on your own site, need to style captions (colour-coded speakers, e.g.), need positioning control (captions at top instead of bottom), or need chapter markers embedded in the file.
What LinguaSub does
Every subtitle job generates both files. The 'Download .srt' and 'Download .vtt' buttons live side by side. Pick whichever fits — or grab both and keep them archived. The underlying segment data is identical between the two files; only the format differs.