Open captions are part of the image
The font, color, animation, and position are rendered into every frame. They work in any player and cannot be turned off or edited without exporting the video again.
Closed captions remain a separate track
A player reads a caption track such as SRT or VTT and lets the viewer display it. The track can be replaced, translated, searched, and customized by supported players.
Use open captions for guaranteed social visibility
Burned-in captions are useful when styling matters or viewers may never enable a caption control. They preserve the same appearance across reposts and devices.
Use closed captions for control and accessibility
Closed caption tracks let users hide or customize text and can include speaker labels and meaningful sound cues. Follow the requirements of the platform and jurisdiction rather than treating decorative open captions as automatic compliance.
Using both is often the strongest workflow
A social cut can use concise styled open captions while the hosting platform also receives a complete, reviewed closed-caption track. Each format solves a different problem.