Closed Captioning vs Subtitles: Differences & When to Use To Use Them

Perbedaan Teks Tertutup vs. Subtitel & Kapan Menggunakannya

In the course of uploading videos, creating online courses, or running social media content, we often come across the options “Subtitles” and “Closed Captions”. Many people think that they are just called differently, but their functions are more or less the same. In fact, however, there are significant differences between the two types of captions in terms of usage, audience, and legal compliance requirements.

With global content distribution, accessibility compliance, and multilingual subtitle output becoming increasingly important, understanding the real differences and choosing the right subtitle format for your content needs has become a must-have skill for professional creators and content teams.

This article will bring you an in-depth analysis of the definitions, differences, and application scenarios of Subtitles and Closed Captioning. Combined with our practical experience on the Easysub platform, this article will help you master how to choose the right, professional and platform-compliant captioning solution for your content in the shortest possible time.

What is Subtitles?

With the increasing globalization of video distribution, Subtitles have become an important tool to help viewers cross language barriers and enhance their viewing experience. So what exactly is subtitling? And what is its clearly defined function and scope?

Definition of Subtitles

Subtitles are the verbal content of the speaker in a video presented in text form on the screen. It is mainly used to help viewers understand the spoken content in the video. Subtitles usually do not contain auxiliary information such as background sound effects and non-verbal cues. Its target users are mainly:

Users who understand the language but need visual aids (e.g., viewing in a quiet or noisy environment)
Non-native speakers (e.g., a Chinese-speaking audience watching an English-language movie)

Example: If you select “English Subtitles” when watching a Korean or Japanese drama on Netflix, you will see Subtitles.

Formats and Technical Realizations of Subtitles

Common subtitle formats include:

.srt: the most mainstream format, high compatibility, easy to edit
.vtt: commonly used format in HTML5 video player.
.ass: supports advanced styles, suitable for post-production subtitle production.

Professional subtitle tools (e.g. Easysub) usually automatically convert audio to text through AI speech recognition (ASR) + natural language processing (NLP). And generate standard subtitle files through timecode alignment, support multi-language output and format export.

Why are subtitles so important? Captioning helps the hearing impaired better understand what the video is telling them. Even if they are not hearing impaired, viewers may need to read subtitles for a variety of reasons (commuting, meetings, quiet environments).

In addition, for self-publishers, subtitles can enhance the SEO of a video. Subtitled text content can be indexed by search engines, increasing the chances of the video being found.

What is Closed Captioning?

Although we often refer to “captioning,” Closed Captioning (CC) is not strictly the same as traditional subtitles, which originated in the television broadcasting industry to meet the information access needs of the hearing impaired. Closed Captioning originated in the television broadcasting industry as a response to the need of the hearing impaired to have access to information. It is more than just a “text version of a conversation”; it is a captioning standard that emphasizes accessibility.

In many countries (especially the United States), CC is also legally mandatory. Understanding what Closed Captioning is, how it differs from subtitling, and the scenarios in which it can be used is a must for any content creator, educational institution, or business.

Definition of Closed Captioning

Closed Captioning (CC) refers to a system of video-assisted text designed for people with hearing impairments. Unlike regular captioning, CC includes not only the dialog in the video, but also any non-verbal information that may interfere with comprehension. For example:

Background sound effects (e.g. [explosion], [cell phone vibration])
Tone cues (e.g. [laugh sarcastically], [whisper])
Music cues (e.g. [soft music playing])

Its core mission is not to translate language, but to deliver all the auditory information in the video in its entirety. Ensuring that the hearing impaired can “hear” the entire video without sound.

How does Easysub support Closed Captioning generation?

As a professional closed captioning AI tool, Easysub not only supports traditional captioning output, but is also fully compatible with CC requirements:

Automatically recognize dialogue + sound effects in audio.
Support for annotating voice attributes (e.g. “said angrily”, “whispered”).
Export to standard .srt, .vtt formats, including sound cues.
Supports multi-language CC generation in English and Chinese to meet global platform accessibility requirements.

Easysub provides a controlled, compliant, and easy-to-use closed captioning solution for creators and organizations that need to comply with regulatory requirements, increase content inclusion, and serve special populations.

Closed Captioning vs Subtitles: Differences

Although many people regard ‘captioning’ and ‘closed captioning’ as the same concept. However, they are in fact fundamentally different from each other, from technical definitions, applicable populations to compliance requirements.

Comparison Item	Subtitle	Closed Captioning (CC)
Function	Translates speech for non-native audiences	Transcribes all audio content for hearing-impaired users
Content Scope	Shows spoken dialogue only (original or translated)	Includes dialogue + sound effects + background noise + tone descriptions
Pengguna Target	Global audiences, non-native speakers	Deaf or hard-of-hearing viewers
Toggle On/Off	Usually fixed or hard-coded (especially Open Captions)	Can be toggled on/off (Closed Captions)
Legal Requirement	Optional, depending on platform/user	Often legally required (FCC, ADA, educational/governmental content)
Dukungan Format	Common: `.srt`, `.vtt`, `.pantat`	Also supports `.srt`, `.vtt`, but includes non-speech elements
Kasus Penggunaan Terbaik	Great for multilingual video publishing	Ideal for compliance, accessibility, education, corporate content

Recommendation:

Jika tujuan Anda adalah “enhance global communications”, you need Subtitles more than anything else.
Jika tujuan Anda adalah “ensure accessibility for people with disabilities / meet regulatory compliance”, you need Closed Captioning.
Ideally, you want both. Especially in the education, enterprise, and overseas content sectors, it’s recommended to have both multilingual captioning + CC versions.

Which subtitle format to choose when?

After understanding the difference between Subtitles and Closed Captioning, many users ask: So which one should I use? In fact, which subtitle format to choose depends not only on who the viewers are, but is also closely related to your content type, distribution platform, laws and regulations, language requirements, and other factors.

1️⃣ YouTube creator / self-published videos

Goal: Improve viewing experience, support multilingual distribution
Rekomendasi: Prioritize Subtitles.
Can come with CC version to improve SEO and platform referrals

2️⃣ Corporate Video / Training Recordings / Employee Onboarding Content

Goal: Compliance + Internal Cross-Border Collaboration
Rekomendasi: Provide Closed Captioning (with audio cues) with English subtitles.

3️⃣ Online Courses / Educational Platforms (MOOCs)

Goal: Adaptation to different linguistic backgrounds, guaranteeing the right to learn for people with disabilities.
Rekomendasi: Subtitles + Closed Captioning at the same time.

4️⃣ Film & TV Content / International Film Festivals / OTT Video Platforms

Goal: Artistic Distribution + Compliant Distribution
Rekomendasi: must provide multilingual subtitles and legally enforce CC if necessary (e.g. North American TV networks)

5️⃣ Short-form video platforms (TikTok / Instagram)

Goal: Attention-grabbing + Increased completion rates
Rekomendasi: use visually appealing Open Captions, which can be generated from Subtitles or CC conversions

How does Easysub simplify the selection process?

In the actual production, you don’t need to judge the complexity of formatting, tools, language compatibility, etc. individually. With Easysub, you can:

Upload videos with one click, and the system automatically generates original subtitles (supports CC and translated Subtitles)
Intelligently recognize whether to add audio description (for CC)
Output multiple subtitle formats (SRT, VTT, ASS) to meet the needs of various platforms.
Simultaneously export CC and Subtitles versions to satisfy a variety of audiences.

CC and Subtitles Support on Mainstream Platforms

With the wide distribution of video content on different platforms, understanding the ability of each platform to support subtitle formats (Closed Captioning and Subtitles) has become one of the basic knowledge for video creators and content managers.

Different platforms differ in terms of subtitle uploading, automatic recognition, format compatibility and language support. When it comes to international distribution, advertising compliance, and educational content distribution, if the subtitle format doesn’t meet the platform’s requirements, it will directly affect the efficiency of content uploading, viewing experience, and even trigger policy violations.

Platform	CC Support	Subtitle Support	Subtitel yang Dihasilkan Secara Otomatis	Dukungan Multibahasa	Upload Subtitle Files	Best Format from Easysub
Youtube	✅ Ya	✅ Ya	✅ Ya	✅ Ya	✅ `.srt`, `.vtt`	✅ Fully compatible
Vimeo	✅ Ya	✅ Ya	❌ No	✅ Ya	✅ `.vtt`	✅ Use `.vtt` format
TikTok	⚠️ Terbatas	✅ Ya	✅ Simple auto-captions	❌ No multilingual	❌ Tidak didukung	✅ Use Open Captions
Facebook	✅ Ya	✅ Ya	✅ Basic auto-captioning	⚠️ Terbatas	✅ `.srt`	✅ Use `.srt` format
Netflix	✅ Required	✅ Ya	❌ No	✅ Full support	✅ Delivery-compliant	✅ Supports pro export
Coursera / edX	✅ Required	✅ Ya	❌ Manual only	✅ Ya	✅ `.srt`, `.vtt`	✅ Strongly recommended

Youtube is the most widely supported platform. It is recommended to use .srt or .vtt with multi-language subtitle function, Easysub can be perfectly adapted.
Vimeo is more suitable for commercial or B2B educational content. Vimeo is more suitable for commercial content or B2B educational content. It supports but does not generate subtitles, so users are recommended to use Easysub to create them before uploading.
TikTok currently does not support importing subtitle files. We recommend using Easysub to generate embedded Open Caption videos.
Platforms like Coursera / edX / Netflix require a high level of subtitle compliance and must use correctly formatted, clearly structured CCs and Subtitles, and Easysub specializes in this type of output.
Facebook is easy to upload subtitles, suitable for marketing videos using .srt files for direct import.

Why Easysub, the One-Stop AI Captioning Solution?

After understanding the difference between Subtitles and Closed Captioning, application scenarios and platform support. Many content creators, educational institutions and enterprise users are faced with a practical question: what tools can be used to produce subtitles efficiently, accurately and cost-effectively?

Easysub, as an alat pembuat subtitle otomatis driven by professional AI technology, is designed to solve these pain points. Compared with other subtitle tools, it not only has regular features such as multi-language recognition and multi-format output, but also has significant advantages in terms of accuracy, speed, editability, translation capability, accessibility compliance, and so on.

Based on my and my team’s experience in video production, content exporting, education course delivery and other projects, Easysub’s performance is far better than other tools. The following three points are especially outstanding:

Higher accuracy

Compared to YouTube auto-titling, Easysub’s recognition rate is significantly higher. Easysub’s performance is stable in complex contexts such as mixed Chinese and English, dialect pronunciation, and technical terms.

True CC-compliant subtitles

Most subtitle tools cannot automatically generate CC files with sound cues. Easysub does this without sacrificing process efficiency.

One-stop-shop, saving you tons of time

The entire subtitle workflow from upload → recognition → translation → editing → exporting takes just a few minutes, dramatically increasing productivity.

Choose the right subtitles to give your video a professional and global reach

Choosing a professional pembuat subtitel, seperti Easysub, allows you to save time and costs while dramatically improving the quality and productivity of your subtitles. It not only supports multilingual subtitle generation, but also meets accessibility requirements, exports multiple formats, and facilitates editing and distribution, making it a true AI subtitle solution for content creators worldwide.

Try it for free at easyssub.com – generate subtitles for your videos in minutes. Easily publish to YouTube, TikTok, Vimeo, Coursera and other global platforms.

Mulailah Menggunakan EasySub untuk Meningkatkan Video Anda Hari Ini

Di era globalisasi konten dan ledakan video berdurasi pendek, subtitel otomatis telah menjadi alat utama untuk meningkatkan visibilitas, aksesibilitas, dan profesionalisme video.

Dengan platform pembuatan subtitle AI seperti Easysub, pembuat konten dan bisnis dapat menghasilkan subtitle video berkualitas tinggi, multibahasa, dan tersinkronisasi secara akurat dalam waktu yang lebih singkat, sehingga secara dramatis meningkatkan pengalaman menonton dan efisiensi distribusi.

Di era globalisasi konten dan ledakan video berdurasi pendek, subtitel otomatis telah menjadi alat kunci untuk meningkatkan visibilitas, aksesibilitas, dan profesionalisme video. Dengan platform pembuat subtitel AI seperti Easysub, kreator konten dan bisnis dapat menghasilkan subtitel video berkualitas tinggi, multibahasa, dan tersinkronisasi secara akurat dalam waktu yang lebih singkat, yang secara dramatis meningkatkan pengalaman menonton dan efisiensi distribusi.

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