Comparison

Handcut vs Subtext

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Handcut

This video editor automatically transcribes and times captions to your speech, word-by-word, directly on your iPhone. It offers a full editing suite with multi-clip timelines, effects, and picture-in-picture, all processed on-device for speed and privacy.

Highlights
  • Word-by-word auto-captioning
  • On-device transcription and processing
  • Picture-in-picture recording
  • Multi-clip timeline editing
  • 18 film looks and 14 transitions
  • Manual keyframe animation
  • No watermark on any tier
Features
Read full description

Captions that land on the word — not near it. Handcut transcribes your video on your iPhone and times every caption to the word, so a pause reads as a pause and an emphasis lands where you put it. No upload. No render queue. No account. Nothing to sign up for. Built for people who talk to camera: coaches, course creators, realtors, podcasters, sellers cutting product video. If your video is you, saying something, this is the editor for it. WORD-BY-WORD CAPTIONS, DONE ON YOUR PHONE • Real per-word timing read from the audio, not guessed by dividing a sentence • Karaoke highlighting that follows the actual speech — the default look • On-device transcription — the app has no networking code to send audio with • Edit any word, restyle the whole set, move them anywhere on the frame PICTURE-IN-PICTURE, INCLUDED Screen recording plus a facecam bubble plus captions is the format this audience actually ships. It works on the free tier. Drag the bubble, pinch to size it, put it where it belongs. A REAL EDITOR UNDERNEATH • Multi-clip timeline with pinch-zoom, trim handles and drag-to-reorder • 18 film looks (11 free, 7 Pro) and 14 GPU transitions (4 free, 10 Pro) • 8 caption and text styles (3 free, 5 Pro) and Pro text animations (3) • Speed from 0.25× to 4×, with the trim preserved • Text, emoji and your own images — placed, scaled and rotated on the video • Mirror, crop and reframe for any aspect: vertical, square, widescreen • Frame rate follows your footage, up to 60fps • Music and voiceover tracks with a proper mixer • Manual keyframe animation — free on every plan WHAT COSTS NOTHING Unlimited projects. Unlimited exports. Unlimited length. 4K export, manual keyframes, picture-in-picture, auto-captions, most looks and transitions, text and stickers — and no watermark, on any tier, ever. We do not brand your video. Resolution is not the paywall here. WHAT PRO ADDS Intelligence and automation — not resolution: transcript editing (delete words to cut video), motion tracking, Smart Cutout, Auto-Reframe, emphasis motion, basic denoise, Auto Match Look, version history, adjustment layers, plus the premium looks / transitions / caption styles / text animations. Green screen and 3+ video tracks stay free forever. WHY IT FEELS FAST The app makes no network requests, so there is no service to be down and no queue to wait in behind other people's videos. Your footage, your captions and your export all happen on the silicon in your hand. That is also why it is private — but the point is that it is quick. Handcut asks for no account, collects no analytics, and shows no ads.

About

Subtext

Features
Read full description

Captions sell the video. Subtext gives you word-perfect, animated captions burned into your short-form clips — transcribed entirely on your iPhone, in seconds. No upload. No queue. No monthly bill. Free forever with unlimited exports — pay once to remove the watermark. WHY SUBTEXT • On-device transcription with word-level timing — your footage never leaves your phone • Choose the language spoken in your clip, and Subtext remembers it next time • Caption in a different language from the speech — translated on your device, not in the cloud • Bring your own .srt or .vtt subtitle file when you'd rather supply the text yourself • Import to styled export in under a minute, even on airplane mode • Three current caption looks: bold karaoke highlight, word-pop, and a clean line fade • A transcript-first editor built for the 90-second workflow: tap a word to fix it, hold to emphasize • Confidence review jumps you straight to the words worth checking • One-tap filler-word sweep removes every "um" from your captions • Platform safe-zone guides so captions never sit under the like button • Save your brand style once, apply it on every future clip in a tap • Burned-in export up to 4K, plus .srt / .vtt sidecar files PRIVATE BY DESIGN Everything happens on your device. No account, no upload, no analytics on your content. PAY ONCE The full pipeline is free with unlimited exports — each carries a small Subtext watermark. Choosing your spoken language and importing a subtitle file are free too. A single one-time purchase removes the watermark and unlocks translated captions, style presets, filler sweep, and sidecar captions. No subscription, ever.

Screenshots

Handcut4 screens
Subtext4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Handcut at none against Subtext's 1. Handcut also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs monthly) and iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Subtext sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Handcut asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Handcut ships an update every 2 days, Subtext monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 13, 2026 and September 20, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
Handcut versus Subtext: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHandcutSubtext
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS17.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size10 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDaler SolievSahil Jain

In-app purchases

None

Handcut

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Subtext

One-time1
  • Subtext Unlimited$1.99

Questions

Is Handcut free?
Handcut is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Subtext free?
Subtext is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Handcut or Subtext have ads?
Neither Handcut nor Subtext shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Handcut or Subtext?
Handcut ships an update every 2 days, and Subtext monthly. Most recently, Handcut was updated on September 13, 2026 and Subtext on September 20, 2026.

Other comparisons