Can I convert MP4 to SRT for free?

Yes. Every account includes 10 minutes of transcription each calendar month. Longer videos use a prepaid minute pack.

How long does it take?

A few minutes for a typical video. The upload is usually the slowest part, so uploading only the audio track is faster when you do not need burned-in captions.

Is the SRT file editable?

SRT is plain text. Open it in any text editor to fix a word, or in a subtitle editor to adjust timing.

Do I also get a VTT file?

Yes. Every transcription produces both an SRT and a VTT file from the same timing, so you can use either without converting.

Convert MP4 to SRT: generate a subtitle file from a video

"MP4 to SRT" is a slightly odd phrase, because an MP4 holds video and an SRT holds text. What people mean is: listen to the speech in this video and write it down with timecodes. That is transcription, and it is exactly what ToneLark does.

What an SRT file is

An SRT file is a plain text list of subtitle cues. Each cue has a number, a start and end time, and the text spoken in that window:

12
00:00:41,220 --> 00:00:44,900
And that is why the second take was better.

Because it is plain text, it works with almost everything: video editors, media players, YouTube, Vimeo, LinkedIn, translation tools. If you want the differences between SRT and the other common format, read SRT vs VTT.

How to convert an MP4 to SRT

Sign up for a free ToneLark account.
Upload the MP4 (up to 2 GB). Audio-only files work too, and upload faster.
Wait for the email. The language is detected automatically and the speech is transcribed with timecodes.
Download the SRT. A VTT file is there as well if you need one.

There are no settings to choose. The only decision is what to do with the file afterwards.

What to do with the SRT

YouTube. Upload it as a subtitle track so viewers can switch captions on, and so YouTube can index the words. Steps in how to add an SRT file to YouTube.
Video editors. Import it into Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, Final Cut Pro or CapCut as a caption track and style it there.
Media players. Put the SRT next to the MP4 with the same file name. VLC and most TVs pick it up.
Translation. Send the SRT to a translator or a translation tool. The timing is kept and only the text changes.
A transcript. Strip the timecodes and you have the text of the video for show notes or a blog post.

Accuracy

Automatic transcription is very good on clear speech and less good on crosstalk, loud music and rare names. Most videos need a quick read-through and a handful of fixes, which take a minute in a text editor. The audio tips for accurate automatic subtitles explain what makes the biggest difference at recording time.

Free minutes, then packs

Each calendar month includes 10 free transcription minutes. A video must fit in the minutes you have left; nothing is transcribed halfway. Prepaid minute packs cover longer videos and stay valid for 12 months. If transcription fails on our side, the minutes come back.

Beyond MP4

The same conversion works for MOV, MKV, WebM, AVI and audio formats such as MP3, M4A and WAV. If you only need the subtitle file and the video is large, export just the audio and upload that: the SRT is identical and the upload is much faster.