Comparison

Handcut vs Captionry

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

Head to head
About

Handcut

Create professional captions and edit videos directly on your iPhone. Features word-by-word timing, picture-in-picture, and a multi-clip timeline. Offers a free tier with essential tools and a Pro version for advanced editing capabilities.

Highlights
  • Word-by-word caption timing
  • On-device transcription
  • Picture-in-picture video
  • Multi-clip timeline editing
  • Manual keyframe animation
  • 18 film looks and 14 transitions
Features
Read full description

NEW: HandCut Pro Lifetime for just $9.99 — pay once, own it forever. No subscription required. 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 1-Day Free Pass: unlimited captioned exports for 24 hours from your first one. Unlimited uncaptioned exports. Unlimited projects and length. 4K export, manual keyframes, picture-in-picture, on-device captions, most looks and transitions, text and stickers — and no watermark, on any tier. We do not brand your video. Resolution is not the paywall here. WHAT PRO ADDS Unlimited captioned exports, plus 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 extra video tracks stay free. Cutout, Reframe, Track, Denoise, Auto Match and Version History are Pro. 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. Handcut Pro subscriptions auto-renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. The lifetime option is a one-time purchase, not a subscription. Manage or cancel anytime in your Apple Account settings. Terms of Use: https://shuhratjon1010.github.io/handcut/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://shuhratjon1010.github.io/handcut/privacy.html

About

Captionry

Easily add subtitles and translations to your videos directly on your iPhone. This app automatically generates captions from speech, allows for detailed editing, and exports without watermarks. Your video and audio data remain on your device for enhanced privacy.

Highlights
  • Automatic on-device caption generation
  • Editable caption lines in multiple languages
  • Timeline editor with styling options
  • Video import, trimming, and reordering
  • Customizable names and caption rules
  • SRT/WebVTT import/export
  • Optional AI for speech-to-text and translation
Features
Read full description

Add captions to your videos, right on your iPhone. Captionry turns speech into captions on your device, lets you edit every line, and exports without a watermark. No account. Your video and audio stay on your phone unless you create a share link. • Automatic captions, made on your device • Two caption lines in any languages, shown in the preview and burned into the export • A timeline editor: split, move and restyle captions; 20 templates, 15 fonts, outline, background and karaoke highlight • Import up to 10 clips, reorder and trim them, and caption the combined video • Names & terms and caption rules, so names are written the way you want • Edit captions in another app with SRT or WebVTT files, then import them with a preview of every change • My Videos: your exported videos, listed and ready to share Optional AI fixes speech-to-text mistakes and translates your caption lines. Captionry asks once before you start; only caption text is sent, never video or audio, and you can switch it off in Settings. It includes 15 free video minutes each month; an optional subscription gives more. Without AI, translation runs on your iPhone. Everything else stays free. Terms of Use (Apple Standard EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Handcut4 screens
Captionry4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Captionry at 5.0 against Handcut's 3.7. Handcut's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs every 2 weeks). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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. Handcut sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month and Captionry sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Captionry holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 3 and 2 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Handcut ships an update every 2 days, Captionry every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Handcut versus Captionry: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHandcutCaptionry
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.7 (3 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings3 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFreemium
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS17.016.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size10 MB14 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDaler SolievYOTEZIC LTD

Customer experience

Handcut

All ratings3 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

Captionry

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Handcut

Subscriptions3
  • Handcut Pro Monthly$4.991 Month
  • Handcut Pro Annual Offer1 Year trial$29.991 Year
  • Handcut Pro Annual7 Days trial$29.991 Year
One-time1
  • Handcut Pro Lifetime$4.99
2 purchases

Captionry

Subscriptions2
  • Captionry AI Monthly$3.991 Month
  • Captionry AI Yearly$24.991 Year

Questions

Is Handcut free?
Handcut is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Captionry free?
Captionry is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Handcut or Captionry?
Captionry is rated higher. Handcut averages 3.7 out of 5 from 3 ratings, while Captionry averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Handcut or Captionry have ads?
Neither Handcut nor Captionry shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Handcut or Captionry?
Handcut ships an update every 2 days, and Captionry every 2 weeks. Most recently, Handcut was updated on November 5, 2026 and Captionry on November 6, 2026.

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