Closed Captions vs. Subtitles: The Difference & Why You Need Both

These terms are often thrown around when talking about video, but what is the difference? In the battle of closed captions vs. subtitles, who wins? Should there even be a winner? Let’s take a look.

Closed Captions vs. Subtitles: What’s What?

Closed captions are the text display of a video’s dialogue. They are native-language to the medium rather than a translation to another language. Closed captions can be turned on and off, compared to open captions, which are always there.

They were developed as a service to allow hard of hearing audiences to consume media. Various federal laws require closed captions on videos and audio to protect the rights of individuals with disabilities.

Today, captions are not only crucial for accessibility but also for enhancing videos. Research from the UK found that 80% of people who use closed captions are not hard of hearing. Rather, captions solve problems such as poor audio quality, low volume, noisy environments, and social media default settings. Furthermore, time-stamped captions allow for search engines to index video content, boosting video SEO.

Subtitles are the text display of a video’s dialogue translated into another language. For example, with subtitles, English audiences can watch foreign language films.

In today’s globalized economy, being able to reach audiences from around the world is crucial for success. Whether you are a filmmaker, media company, or business, expanding your audience reach is key to improving video ROI.

So which one should you use?

Both! If you are spending the time, effort, and money it takes to create videos, you want to make sure you are getting the highest return on your investment possible.

Videos can run from $100 to $1000 per minute to make — ensuring the success and optimization of those videos should make it onto your to-do list. Enlisting a high-quality captioning and video data provider can generate a 4x-10x boost in video ROI.

You can stay ahead of the game with cielo24. Our captions, transcripts, and video intelligence drive discovery, reach, engagement, and accessibility compliance. You can even try it for free by clicking here.