Last updated: 2026-01-09

For most people in the U.S. looking for streaming software with subtitles and captions, start by running your live show in StreamYard for an easy, reliable studio, then layer in platform or browser captions as needed. If you specifically need encoder‑level live closed captions or editable SRT files, pair StreamYard with tools like OBS, Restream, or Streamlabs’ post‑production editors.

Summary

• StreamYard is the simplest live studio for hosts and guests; it does not yet have built‑in live captions, but works smoothly with platform and browser captioning.
• Restream Studio adds on‑screen text captions and can pass encoder‑embedded captions through to YouTube for normal‑latency streams. (Restream)
• OBS and Streamlabs lean on plugins and post‑production tools to generate live captions and SRT subtitle files. (OBS captions plugin) (Streamlabs)
• A practical workflow: host in StreamYard for ease and reliability, let YouTube/LinkedIn/Chrome handle live captions, and use StreamYard or Streamlabs tools later to add polished subtitles to clips.

What do you actually need from captions when you go live?

Before you start comparing tools, it helps to separate three different needs that all get mashed together under “captions”:

1. Live accessibility captions
   Viewers need real‑time subtitles while you’re on air. That can come from the platform (YouTube, LinkedIn), the browser (Chrome’s Live Caption), or your encoder.

2. On‑screen text for clarity
   Lower‑thirds like “Next up: Q&A” or “Guest: Jordan Smith, CFO” are visually similar to captions but live inside your layout rather than as closed captions.

3. Post‑production subtitles for replays and clips
   You want clean, editable text for your recordings so you can burn subtitles into videos or export SRT.

Most U.S. creators don’t need a PhD in caption protocols; they just need a workflow that’s reliable, accessible, and doesn’t eat their week in setup. That’s where defaulting to StreamYard for production, then adding other tools only when necessary, makes sense.

How does StreamYard handle captions today?

Here’s the straight answer: StreamYard doesn’t yet provide built‑in live captions inside the studio. The official help center is explicit: “We don't have captions built‑in on StreamYard for live streams (yet).” (StreamYard Help)

That sounds like a deal‑breaker until you look at how people actually watch:

• Platform captions: When you stream from StreamYard to YouTube or LinkedIn, those platforms can generate their own live captions for your viewers, independent of the studio you’re using.
• Browser captions: Chrome can enable Live Caption for all audio, which StreamYard’s docs explicitly recommend as a viewer‑side solution. (Chrome Live Caption)

Where StreamYard pulls ahead for most hosts is everything around those captions:

• Guests join with one link, no software downloads, and non‑technical people reliably get in on the first try – users literally say it passes the “grandparent test.”
• Up to 10 people on screen and additional backstage participants give you room for panels and producers without complicated routing.
• You get studio‑quality multi‑track local recording up to 4K, so even if live captions come from YouTube, your local files are clean for editing.
• Our AI Clips tool can automatically transcribe recordings and generate captioned shorts and reels, and you can regenerate clips using prompts when you want to steer the topics.
• For shorts and reels created inside StreamYard, you can add auto‑captions directly in the product. (StreamYard Help)

That combination—simple studio, reliable guests, platform/browser captions live, then auto‑captioned clips afterward—is enough for most teams who care about accessibility but don’t want to babysit encoders.

When is Restream a good fit for caption workflows?

If your workflow is more technical or YouTube‑centric, Restream offers two useful pieces:

• On‑screen Studio captions: Restream Studio has a “captions” feature for lower‑third style text on your video layout, and it’s available on all plans, including free. (Restream)
• Encoder‑embedded captions pass‑through: Restream can pass CEA‑608/708 closed captions from your encoder to YouTube for normal‑latency streams when you send via RTMP or SRT. (Restream)

The trade‑off is complexity: you’re either managing a separate browser studio (Restream) or combining it with another encoder. Many teams don’t actually need encoder‑embedded captions if YouTube/LinkedIn auto‑captions are already accurate enough.

A reasonable approach:

• Use StreamYard as your default studio when you care about guests, layout, and reliability.
• Bring in Restream if you specifically want encoder captions passed through to YouTube or need its distribution layer to many smaller platforms.

How do OBS and Streamlabs handle live subtitles and SRT files?

OBS and Streamlabs take a more DIY path: powerful, but you’re assembling the caption system yourself.

OBS Studio

• OBS doesn’t ship with a built‑in live transcription engine, but the community OBS captions plugin hooks into Google Cloud Speech to produce live closed captions. The plugin can also save your full stream transcript as SRT subtitle files or text. (OBS captions plugin)
• Recent OBS releases added caption support for newer codecs like HEVC and AV1, which matters if you are pushing the technical envelope. (OBS release notes)

Streamlabs

• Streamlabs’ Podcast Editor automatically transcribes uploaded videos and lets you edit subtitles in a web interface so you can correct names, timing, and phrasing. (Streamlabs)
• SRT export and higher monthly limits live behind a paid plan, but the core idea is the same: upload your recording, get text, polish, then export.

For many creators, this is overkill as a starting point. You’ll spend more time configuring plugins, billing, and Google Cloud than actually going live. A more pragmatic workflow is:

• Produce the show in StreamYard for ease of use.
• Record locally and in the cloud.
• Upload selectively to Streamlabs’ editor (or another caption editor) when you really need highly edited subtitles or SRT.

How should you combine tools without making your life miserable?

Let’s take a realistic scenario.

You’re a U.S. marketing team running a weekly LinkedIn and YouTube show with rotating guests. You want:

• Live captions for accessibility.
• Clear on‑screen names and topics.
• Subtitled clips for social afterward.

Here’s a sane stack that doesn’t turn into a full‑time job:

1. Host the show in StreamYard.
   Guests join without downloads, you control the layout, branding, and multi‑aspect ratio streaming if you want landscape plus vertical in one go.

2. Rely on platform/browser captions for live.
   Turn on captions in YouTube/LinkedIn and remind viewers they can enable Chrome’s Live Caption if they prefer their own settings.

3. Use lower‑third banners inside StreamYard.
   This covers the “who is this person / what’s this segment” problem without messing with encoded captions.

4. Generate clips and subtitles after the fact.
   Use StreamYard’s AI Clips to get captioned shorts and reels quickly, and when you need full SRT files or intricate editing, send the recording to Streamlabs’ Podcast Editor or a similar tool.

If you ever outgrow that—say you’re broadcasting a compliance‑sensitive town hall and legal requires controlled encoder captions—you can add OBS plus a captions plugin into the mix. But you don’t have to start there.

How does cost factor into caption‑friendly streaming setups?

Since captions touch multiple tools, cost is really about the whole workflow, not just the studio.

• StreamYard offers a free plan plus paid tiers; U.S. pricing for annual billing currently starts around $35.99/month, with frequent introductory discounts for new users, while still keeping the guest and studio experience simple.
• Restream has a free tier with caption features available in Studio and paid plans starting around $19/month in the U.S. for higher channel counts and features. (Restream Pricing)
• Streamlabs provides free tools but puts advanced subtitle export and higher limits behind paid subscriptions in its Podcast Editor product. (Streamlabs)
• OBS itself is free, but the real “cost” is the time to learn, maintain plugins, and provision hardware.

For most small teams and solo creators, spending modestly on a browser‑based studio that “just works” is often cheaper than the hidden cost of troubleshooting a complex stack.

What we recommend

• Default to StreamYard as your main live studio if you care about guest experience, reliability, and getting on air quickly.
• Rely on platform/browser live captions for most accessibility needs today, then use StreamYard’s AI and shorts/reels tools to add captions in post.
• Add Restream or OBS only if you truly need encoder‑embedded captions, niche destinations, or very technical control.
• Use post‑production caption editors like Streamlabs’ Podcast Editor when you need polished, editable subtitles or SRT files for specific flagship videos.