Freedom251 › AI Video Caption Generators
Telestream CaptionMaker
What Telestream CaptionMaker is
Telestream CaptionMaker is Windows software for creating, editing, encoding, and repurposing captions and subtitles for television, web, and mobile delivery. It supports caption styling, burn-in subtitles, and formats such as CEA-608, CEA-708, WebVTT, IMSC 1.0, SMPTE TT 2052, EBU-TT, and iTunes iTT. Timed Text Speech can transcribe and time captions in more than 100 languages. Workflows include Vantage, Adobe Premiere Pro, Avid systems, capture cards, and playout servers. CaptionMaker can process batches, adjust frame rates and timing, and support live captioning with hardware encoders or live streams. Enterprise adds command-line scripting. Desktop, Pro, and Enterprise are listed as purchases at 2043.00 USD, 7403.00 USD, and $16,520 a month respectively, each including first-year Silver Support. There is no free plan, but a Windows trial is available.
Who it suits
It suits caption professionals producing broadcast, web, mobile, or live content on Windows. Enterprise features are aimed at teams needing batch processing and command-line control.
What it does well
- Supports numerous caption and subtitle formats
- Transcribes and times over 100 languages
- Live captioning workflows
- Batch processing in Enterprise
- First-year Silver Support included
What to know first
- Windows-only platform
- No free plan
- Trial exports replace characters with DEMO
- Windows 11 version is not QA qualified
Plans
| Plan | Billed and limits | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Enterprise Edition | $16,520*; includes CaptionMaker ($14,495) and Silver Support ($2,025/yr) · Windows only · Adds batch conversion and command-line scripting/control | $16,520, paid once |
| Desktop Edition | $2,043*; includes CaptionMaker ($1,795) and Silver Support ($248/yr) · Windows only · Silver Support included | $2,043, paid once |
| Pro Edition | $7,403*; includes CaptionMaker ($6,495) and Silver Support ($908/yr) · Windows only · Adds broadcast format embedding and extraction, professional interchange formats, subtitle overlays, DVD/Blu-ray formats, and live captioning | $7,403, paid once |
As telestream.net lists them, read 11 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.
Verdict
CaptionMaker covers authoring, conversion, styling, burn-in, and live caption workflows across several editions. Its listed purchase prices are substantial, and the trial has export and project-saving restrictions.
Facts from Telestream CaptionMaker's own pages
- ATS limitation
- Auto Time Stamp requires an accurate English transcript and high-quality audio, and the page says it works less well with music, sound effects, background noise, or low-fidelity audio. · telestream.net, 11 Oct 2026
- Automation
- CaptionMaker supports batch caption processing, frame-rate and timing adjustments, and command-line scripting in Enterprise Edition. · telestream.net, 11 Oct 2026
- Burn-in captions
- Yes · primary.telestream.net, 22 Sept 2026
- Caption formats
- It supports formats including CEA-608, CEA-708, WebVTT, IMSC 1.0, SMPTE TT 2052, EBU-TT, and iTunes iTT. · telestream.net, 11 Oct 2026
- Caption styling
- Yes · primary.telestream.net, 22 Sept 2026
- Founded
- 1998 · telestream.net, 19 Oct 2026
- Free plan
- No · primary.telestream.net, 22 Sept 2026
- Headquarters
- Nevada City, California, United States · telestream.net, 19 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- The product page describes workflows with Vantage, Adobe Premiere Pro, Avid Media Composer and Symphony, NLE systems, capture cards, and playout servers. · telestream.net, 11 Oct 2026
- Live workflows
- CaptionMaker can be used with a hardware encoder for live broadcasts, to stream live text to a website, and to caption live YouTube streams. · telestream.net, 11 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- CaptionMaker authors, edits, encodes, and repurposes video captions and subtitles for television, web, and mobile delivery. · telestream.net, 11 Oct 2026
- Security and compliance
- Telestream describes CaptionMaker as supporting accessibility workflows for FCC requirements, Section 508, and the ADA. · telestream.net, 11 Oct 2026
- Speech-to-text
- Timed Text Speech can automatically transcribe and time captions in over 100 languages, with text and timing returned to CaptionMaker. · telestream.net, 11 Oct 2026
- Subtitle export
- other formats · primary.telestream.net, 22 Sept 2026
- Support
- Each listed store purchase includes Silver Support, and the trial download includes a Getting Started video with links to tutorials and FAQs. · telestream.net, 11 Oct 2026
- System requirements
- The listed requirements include Windows 10, 2 GB RAM, 5 GB free disk space, and internet access for Timed Text Speech and some online features. · telestream.net, 11 Oct 2026
- Trial limits
- The free Windows trial replaces characters in exported captions with “DEMO,” cannot save project files, and disables the command-line interface. · telestream.net, 11 Oct 2026
- Windows 11 status
- Telestream says CaptionMaker 8.6 has not been QA qualified for Windows 11, though it has received no reports of issues running there. · telestream.net, 11 Oct 2026
Where Telestream CaptionMaker stands on Freedom251
- AI Video Caption Generators#91 of 99