# subtitle.im Review A Chrome extension that automatically manages YouTube captions and detects burned-in subtitles to prevent duplicate caption clutter. ## Editor's Score: 58/100 Capability scores 13 because the tool does exactly one thing (YouTube caption layer management) and explicitly cannot generate, translate, or edit subtitles; every named subtitle tool in the same broad category does far more. Ease of use scores 20 because the extension requires no sign-up, works immediately after installation, and the rule hierarchy is clearly explained on the site. Value scores 12 because the free tier's lifetime cap of 10 videos with no monthly reset is unusually tight for a viewer-facing tool, and the Pro price is not publicly listed, making it impossible for a buyer to evaluate the upgrade cost before installing. Delivery scores 13 because there are no third-party reviews, app store ratings, or independent coverage to corroborate the feature claims, and the detection system's own site acknowledges it requires 'sufficient evidence' and only works with 'supported languages,' leaving meaningful uncertainty about real-world reliability. ## Pros - Local OCR runs entirely in the browser with no video frames or subtitle text sent to any server, a concrete privacy advantage over cloud-based caption tools. - Granular rule hierarchy (global, channel, video) lets power users set a default behavior once and handle exceptions without touching settings again. - No sign-up or account required to use the free tier; the extension works immediately after installation for the first 10 handled videos. ## Cons - The free tier's 10-video lifetime cap with no monthly reset is unusually restrictive; a daily YouTube viewer could exhaust it in under two weeks, making the 'free' label misleading for regular use. - The extension only works in desktop Chrome; there is no Firefox, Safari, Edge, or mobile support, which cuts out a large share of YouTube viewers. - Detection only works with supported languages and requires 'sufficient evidence' per the site's own language, meaning it can silently fail on videos with short, sparse, or stylized burned-in text without alerting the user. ## Pricing Freemium. A free tier is available. - Free: $0 - Pro: Not publicly listed in extracted page content Pricing reflects what we saw at the time of review (2026-10). Confirm current pricing on the official site. Category: AI Productivity Tools (https://aitoolseekers.com/category/ai-productivity-tools) Official site: https://subtitle.im/ Last verified by a human: 2026-10-26 Reviewed by a human at AI Tool Seekers, a hand-reviewed AI tools directory. Every listed tool is verified by a person before publishing. Scores are editorial opinions from a fixed rubric (capability, ease of use, value, delivery on promise) and cannot be bought; there is no pay-to-rank. Directory: https://aitoolseekers.com This review: https://aitoolseekers.com/tools/subtitleim Methodology: https://aitoolseekers.com/how-verification-works ## Verdict subtitle.im is the right pick for viewers who watch YouTube with captions and are tired of manually toggling them off when a video already has burned-in subtitles. Its local OCR detection is a genuine differentiator, but the free tier caps out at 10 handled videos total with no reset, which pushes regular users toward Pro faster than it might seem. Anyone who needs to generate, translate, or edit subtitles should look elsewhere entirely. Best for: Frequent YouTube viewers who watch with captions and want automatic duplicate-caption handling Not for: Content creators, subtitle editors, or anyone needing subtitle generation or translation ## Overview subtitle.im is a Chrome browser extension, not a subtitle creation or editing tool. Its entire job is managing whether YouTube's soft captions are on or off, based on rules you set and on whether the video already has burned-in subtitles. That is a narrow scope, and the tool is honest about it: the site explicitly states it does not generate, translate, download, or remove burned-in subtitles. The core feature is local OCR. The extension samples video frames in your browser, runs text recognition locally without sending anything to a server, and uses the result to decide whether YouTube's caption layer would create a duplicate. If burned-in subtitles are detected, the extension can close YouTube's captions automatically, ask you first, or leave them alone, depending on your settings. All frame sampling and OCR stays on-device, which is a real privacy advantage over cloud-based approaches. Beyond duplicate detection, the extension lets you set a global caption preference (auto-open, auto-close, or follow YouTube), then override it at the channel level and again at the individual video level. Manual CC/C button presses always win for the current viewing session, and rules restore on reload or when a new video starts. The Pro tier adds channel and video rules, memory of confirmed caption closes, and finer handling when burned-in and YouTube captions are in different languages. The free allowance is 10 successfully handled videos in total, with no monthly reset. That is a hard ceiling, not a trial period, and it will run out quickly for anyone who watches YouTube daily. ## Who should use it This extension suits viewers who rely on captions for accessibility or language learning and watch a mix of YouTube content, some with burned-in subtitles and some without. If you have ever sat through a video with two overlapping caption tracks because YouTube kept its captions on over a video that already had hardcoded text, subtitle.im solves exactly that problem. The local processing model also makes it a reasonable choice for anyone cautious about sending viewing data to third-party servers. Anyone who needs to produce, edit, or translate subtitle files should skip this entirely. Content creators looking to add captions to their own videos, teams captioning video libraries, or users who want to download SRT files have no use for this extension. For subtitle generation and editing, EveryTool4U offers a browser-based toolkit of file utilities that runs locally with no uploads, covering a broader range of productivity tasks without a per-video cap. ## FAQ Q: Does subtitle.im work on Firefox, Edge, or Safari? A: No. The extension is built for desktop Chrome only. There is no stated support for other browsers or for mobile YouTube. Q: What happens after I use all 10 free handled videos? A: The free allowance is a lifetime cap of 10 successfully handled videos with no monthly reset. Once exhausted, continued handling requires a Pro purchase. Q: Does the extension upload my video or subtitle text to a server? A: No. Frame sampling and OCR run locally in the browser. The site states that video frames and subtitle text are recognized locally without being sent to a server. Q: Can subtitle.im generate or translate subtitles? A: No. The tool only manages whether YouTube's existing soft caption layer is on or off. It does not create, translate, download, or alter burned-in subtitle text. Q: What is the Pro plan's price? A: The Pro tier price was not present in the publicly extracted pricing page content at review time. The pricing page must be checked directly for the current figure. Q: Will the extension turn off captions on every video automatically? A: Only if you configure it to do so. The global setting can be set to auto-close, auto-open, or follow YouTube. Any manual CC/C button press overrides the rule for the current viewing session only.