Comparison

subMatik vs Subtext

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

Head to head
About

subMatik

This app transforms your iPhone into a subtitle creation studio. It automatically generates accurate, timed captions for any video or audio file directly on your device, supporting over 70 languages. You can also translate existing captions or burn them directly into your video for easy sharing.

Highlights
  • On-device AI transcription
  • 70+ language support
  • Context-aware translation
  • Vertical-friendly subtitle placement
  • Burn-in subtitles to video
  • SRT and MP4 export
Features
Read full description

subMatik turns your iPhone into a complete subtitle studio. Drop in any video — vertical Reels, horizontal interviews, podcast audio — and get clean, timed captions in seconds. Transcription, burn-in, and export run on-device; translation is on-device with Apple Translation, or via Google/DeepL if you choose. WHAT MAKES SUBMATIK DIFFERENT • 100% on-device transcription via the Whisper speech model (WhisperKit). Your audio never touches a server. • 70+ languages supported, including Turkish, Chinese (Simplified + Traditional), Japanese, Korean, Thai, Khmer, Lao, Burmese, and more. • Context-aware translation. Each segment is translated alongside its neighbors so idioms and homonyms come out right. • Vertical-friendly subtitle placement. The Position Picker has a 3×3 anchor grid + drag-to-tune fine adjustment over a real frame from your video — no guessing. • Reels mode. Chops cues into 1–5 word bursts that read fast on phone screens. • Burn subtitles into the video pixels. Export an MP4 with captions baked in, ready for Instagram / TikTok / YouTube Shorts. Save directly to Photos. • Re-translate any existing SRT into a new language without re-running Whisper. • Files-app integration. Right-click any video → "Open in subMatik" → ready to caption. • No account, no ads, no analytics dragnets. Optional anonymous crash telemetry via Apple MetricKit only. WHY ON-DEVICE MATTERS Modern Whisper models run entirely on your iPhone. There's no reason to upload your private conversations, family videos, work recordings, or proprietary content to someone else's server just to get subtitles. subMatik proves that the highest-quality transcription can be the most private one too. OUTPUT FORMATS • SRT (universal, supported everywhere) • Burned-in MP4 (subtitles in pixels, no separate file needed) PRO TIPS • "Upper third" position preset keeps subtitles clear of TikTok / Reels bottom UI. • Long-press any file in the queue to set a custom subtitle anchor just for that clip. • DeepL users: paste your API key in Settings for higher-quality translations on European languages. • On first launch you choose a Whisper model — from a fast ~150 MB option up to the highest-accuracy one. It downloads once (use Wi-Fi). After that, transcription is fully offline. REQUIRES iOS 26.0 OR LATER. Works on iPhone 11 and newer. Best experience on iPhone 14 Pro and newer. PRIVACY POLICY: https://catheadai.com/submatik/privacy

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

subMatik4 screens
Subtext4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: subMatik at none against Subtext's 1. On price, update cadence, 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. subMatik asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

subMatik ships an update every 3 weeks, Subtext monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 8 level
subMatik versus Subtext: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParametersubMatikSubtext
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS26.026.0
Further details — not scored
Size7 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSevki Bugra OzbekSahil Jain

In-app purchases

None

subMatik

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Subtext

One-time1
  • Subtext Unlimited$1.99

Questions

Is subMatik free?
subMatik is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Subtext free?
Subtext is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do subMatik or Subtext have ads?
Neither subMatik nor Subtext shows ads.
Which is updated more often, subMatik or Subtext?
subMatik ships an update every 3 weeks, and Subtext monthly. Most recently, subMatik was updated on October 24, 2026 and Subtext on October 25, 2026.

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