A Captions app alternative that charges per video, not per credit
Captions is a big app with a lot of AI inside: avatars, AI actors, generated videos and a chat editor. If all you need is your own talking clip turned into a clean Reel, Raw2Reel does that one job, and you pay for the videos you keep instead of a monthly plan of credits.
How Raw2Reel works
Upload the raw clip
From your phone or computer, as you filmed it.
Press Edit this video
Pauses and repeats are cut, captions go on word by word, music and b-roll are added.
Change it in plain words
Type "shorter intro" or tap a word to remove it, then save. Full HD 1080p on a plan or pack, 720p on free videos.
| Captions | Raw2Reel | |
|---|---|---|
| How you pay | Monthly plan: Max $24.99 (500 credits), Frontier $69.99 (1,400 credits), larger Frontier plans up to $279.99 | 3 free videos a month, then a monthly plan (15 videos for $15, or $120 a year) or packs with no subscription: 10 for $29, 30 for $69 |
| What a video costs | Credits, used up at different rates by different AI features | One video from your free videos, plan or pack, counted only when you save it |
| Unused balance | Credits come with each month of the plan | Videos stay in your pack until you use them |
| Main job | Many AI tools: AI edit styles, AI actors and digital twins, generated videos, clips from long videos | Talking videos: a short clip in, a finished Reel, TikTok or Short out; a long recording in, 5 to 10 ranked short clips out |
| Captions | Many caption styles | Word by word, 5 styles in your own colour, 90+ languages, translation into 7 |
| Where it runs | Mobile app and web | In the browser on iPhone, Android and computer, nothing to install |
| Free start | Free tier with trim, zoom, 1 caption template and captions in 100+ languages; no AI credits, so no AI Edit, Clips or chat editor | 3 videos free every month (up to 10 minutes in total), no card, 720p with a small Raw2Reel mark (none on paid videos) |
Captions prices from captions.ai/pricing (iOS plans, US dollars, before tax), checked 21 October 2026 and again 13 November 2026, unchanged. Prices and features can change.
What a video costs on each (checked 13 Nov 2026)
We read captions.ai/pricing again on 13 November 2026. The plans have not changed since 21 October: Max is $24.99 a month for 500 credits and 2 seats, Frontier $69.99 for 1,400 credits and 3 seats, Frontier 2x $139.99 for 2,800 credits and Frontier 4x $279.99 for 5,600 credits. The free tier has no AI credits, so the AI Edit styles, Clips from long videos, the chat editor and AI Denoise all need a paid plan. The pricing page does not say how many credits one edit uses, so the cost of one video on Captions cannot be worked out from it. On Raw2Reel one saved video is one video: about $1 each on the monthly plan (15 for $15), $2.90 in a pack of 10 and $2.30 in a pack of 30. Edits, changes and drafts are free; a video only counts when you save it.
How fast Raw2Reel edits, measured this week
From our own job log, 6 to 13 November 2026: 164 finished edits. Clips up to 3 minutes (153 of them, median 37 seconds long) reached a preview in a median 33 seconds, and 9 in 10 within 75 seconds. Long recordings over 3 minutes (11, median 6 minutes long) took a median 43 seconds. The most edited languages were Arabic (68), English (27), Spanish (19), Russian (16) and Hindi (16).
When Captions is the better choice
If you want AI actors, a digital twin of yourself or fully generated videos, Captions does things Raw2Reel does not. If you make many videos every month and use those tools, a plan can be worth it. Stay with it.
When Raw2Reel is the better choice
If you film yourself talking and want each clip posted without editing it by hand, you don't need a plan full of credits. You get 3 free videos a month, and for more you take the monthly plan (15 videos for $15) or a pack of 10 or 30. One saved video is always one video, so you never have to work out how many credits an edit will take.
What you get back
The pauses, ums and repeated takes are gone. Captions appear word by word and right to left for Arabic. Music sits under your voice, b-roll and gentle zooms keep the picture moving, and your own photos and clips are used first when you add them. Vertical 9:16, 4:5 or square, 1080p, no mark on paid videos.
Change it without a timeline
Every cut is visible in your transcript. Tap a word to bring it back or take it out, or type what you want in plain words, like "calmer music" or "no b-roll". The video updates by itself a moment later.
Try it on your next clip
There is nothing to move over. Upload your next raw clip to Raw2Reel, compare it with what you get today, and decide. You get 3 free videos every month (captions, cuts and music in 720p, up to 10 min a month), so the test costs nothing.
More you can do with Raw2Reel
Questions
Is there a Captions app alternative without a subscription?
Yes. Raw2Reel sells videos in packs, 10 for $29 or 30 for $69, with no subscription and no credits. There is also an optional monthly plan (15 videos for $15) you can cancel any time. A video only counts when you save it.
Is there a free alternative to the Captions app?
Raw2Reel gives you 3 videos free every month (up to 10 minutes in total) with no card. Free videos are 720p with a small Raw2Reel mark in the corner. For more, there is a monthly plan or packs, in Full HD 1080p with no mark.
How many credits does one Captions edit use?
Captions does not say on its pricing page (checked 13 November 2026). It lists the credits per plan, 500 on Max for $24.99 a month and 1,400 on Frontier for $69.99, and different AI features use them at different rates. On Raw2Reel there are no credits: one saved video is one video.
Does Raw2Reel have AI avatars like Captions?
No. Raw2Reel edits videos you film yourself. It does not make AI actors or generated videos.
Can Raw2Reel add captions in Arabic or other languages?
Yes. Over 90 languages are recognised automatically, Arabic is written right to left, and captions can be translated into 7 languages.
Do I need to install an app?
No. Raw2Reel works in the browser on your phone and computer. You can close the page while it edits; we email you when the video is ready.