8 Sites to Download Subtitles for Movies and TV Shows

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When the Korean movie Parasite won Best Picture at the Oscars in 2020, it was a big moment that paved the way for foreign-language films to get more exposure in English-speaking countries. Knowing how to download subtitles for movies and TV shows helps you expand your cinema options.

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Tip:
Need subtitles for anime instead? Check out these websites.

1. Best for Making Requests: Addic7ed

While the interface is rather boring, Addic7ed offers an easy way to search for TV show and movie subtitles. The homepage is filled with some of the latest and most popular options. There’s even a quick-search drop-down menu, though the search box seems to work even faster.

Subtitles are available in multiple languages for most titles. The best part is that you can filter content based on release date to make it easier to find the latest TV episodes.

If there’s something specific you’re looking for that isn’t there, check out the forums. You can make requests. Or, you can even join the team to create subtitles for others.

2. Best for Online Videos: Downsub

Most of the entries in this list show how to download subtitles for pretty much any movie or TV show you can think of, but this site does things a little differently. Downsub generates and downloads subtitle files for videos from YouTube, Vlive, Viki, Hotstar, and many others.

Enter the URL of the video into the box, then hit Download. While this is more about getting subtitles from videos than entire movies or TV shows, if that movie or show happens to be on YouTube, this could be the best way to get subs for it.

One of the supported sites is Google Drive. If you’ve legally downloaded a movie or show, consider uploading it to Google Drive. Downsub may be able to help you download subtitles for it. Try these options for downloading streaming video to store on Google Drive.

3. Best for Current Shows: English Subtitles

English Subtitles has a repository of subtitles for thousands of movies from around the world and from all eras. Find everything from recent blockbusters to obscure French films from the 60s.

You’ll find a wide variety of TV shows, too, such as American Gods and Cobra Kai. It doesn’t take long for the latest shows to appear. In fact, at the time of writing, a show release earlier in the week was already on the list.

It’s easy to use and navigate, and unlike many of the less reputable subtitle sites, is HTTPS secured. Not that you should be entering any personal info there, but it’s still a welcome mark of site quality.

4. Best Advanced Search: Podnapisi

Podnapisi is one of the best sites to download subtitles online. New subtitles for new movies are uploaded every day, along with ratings from users to give you an idea of the quality of what you’ll be downloading.

The advanced search is where Podnapisi shines. Search for subtitles by keywords, years, movie types, and several other categories using the advanced search engine. There are subtitles for TV series, as well as movies, ranging from the latest ones to those from several decades ago, so you’re pretty much certain to find what you need.

If you register by contacting the admin (instructions in the forum), you can join the Podnapisi community. It’s a closed community that’s carefully moderated to keep trolls out.

5. Best for TV Subtitles: TVSubtitles.net

TVSubtitles.Net is another great site you can rely on for downloading subtitles. The site has a clean, user-friendly interface. Subtitles are categorized into TV shows, new, and top.

This makes it easier to find the subtitles you’re looking for. Also, if you have a subtitle file you’d love to share with others, the site makes it easy to do so. While there is a movie section, this takes you to a different site.

I also like that you can filter your searches by language. Simply click one of the available languages on the right side of the screen. Or, if you need to view the site in a different language, click the corresponding flag at the top right of the screen.

6. Best for Generating AI Subtitles: OpenSubtitles

OpenSubtitles has one of the biggest databases for subtitles on the Internet. The website is available in multiple languages, and you’re likely to find subtitles in any language.

It also has a great search tool that lets you filter your searches by year, country, type/genre, season, or episode. It’s similar to Podnapisi.

In keeping up with all the AI tools, such as AI image upscaling tools, OpenSubtitles features their own AI tool. You pay per minute or character by buying credits, starting at 1000 credits for $10. This is ideal for home movies or movies/shows with hard-to-find subtitles.

OpenSubtitles offers a premium ad-free version. It’s a good way to support the site. Or, if you’re using Edge, try these free ad-blockers.

7. Best for Multiple Languages: My Subs

My Subs is an incredibly well laid out site to download subtitles. The latest uploads and versions are front and center on the homepage. Plus, you can easily sort by just TV shows or just movies. Or, just use the search bar to find what you need.

On the TV and movie pages, everything’s in alphabetical order to help you find things easier. If you select a TV show, the site even lets you choose individual seasons and episodes, versus just having to scroll.

When you do select something to download, you have multiple versions and languages available. Obviously, the number of languages available depends on the translators currently working.

8. Best Overall Design: YIFY Subtitles

The best thing about YIFY Subtitles is the clean and dark user interface that it provides. YIFY Subtitles is a very popular website that offers a huge database of subtitles for movies and TV shows. With just a few clicks, you can download the subtitles.

Easily select movies based on their genres. It also shows the movies’ full run-times, release dates, ratings, etc. Download subtitles in multiple languages as well.

Overall, it feels more like it’s part IMDB and part place to find subtitles. It’s one of the more professional looking subtitle sites.

Bonus: VLC

Not technically a website, but given that VLC is the most widely-used video player on PCs and isn’t filled with oft-annoying ads like many websites tend to be, it’s worth mentioning.

By using the VLC media player, you can download subtitles straight into whatever movie you’re watching at that moment. With the movie open, simply click View at the top of the VLC player window, then click VLsub, and search for that movie’s subtitles.

Once you have your subtitles ready, check out these apps to watch videos online with friends.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I use subtitles?

After you download subtitles, which should be .SRT files, open the app you’ll be using to watch the show or movie. Within the menu, there is an option for subtitles. Navigate to your SRT file to upload it to sync it automatically.

Please note that some media players don’t support subtitles unless they’re already inserted into the video. For instance, DVDs that have subtitles would be fine. Always check that your media player supports SRT files.

Why are my subtitles out of sync?

Subtitle files aren’t always perfect. If they’re off by even a few milliseconds, it’s incredibly annoying to deal with. However, you can manually adjust the timing to get your files back in sync. Some media players have this option built in. For example, VLC and Elmedia both offer subtitle editing to adjust the timing to where you need it.

In VLC, open your video and SRT file, then go to Tools -> Track Synchronization to make changes. In Elmedia, open the menu, and go to Settings -> Subtitles -> Subtitles Delay.

You can also use the free online tool SubShifter. You may need to play around with the file to get the timing just right, but it is a useful free option.

What are the different subtitle formats?

In most cases, if you download subtitles, you’ll mainly encounter SRT, SUB, and IDX files. For single languages, SRT files are best. If you want multiple languages in a single file, you’ll need SUB and IDX files. However, it’s important to note that SRT is the more widely accepted format.

Naturally, this excludes subtitle formats that are already hard encoded into a file.

A few other formats you may find include SSA, TXT, VTT, SBV, TTML, and DFXP. Some of these are specific to certain sites and apps. For instance, SBV is what YouTube supports if you’re uploading subtitles. A plain text file, or TXT, will serve you well when an SRT isn’t available.

How can I get my subtitles to load automatically?

Many media players that support external subtitles load them automatically. You only have to do one thing: name the subtitle file the same as your video. For example, if I was loading subtitles for XYZ Movie, my video might be called “xyz_movie.” I’d need to also name the subtitle file “xyz_movie.” There’s no need to change any file extensions. Keep everything in the same folder to make it easier to stay organized.

Image credit: Unsplash. All screenshots by Crystal Crowder.

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Crystal Crowder –
Staff Writer

Crystal Crowder has spent over 15 years working in the tech industry, first as an IT technician and then as a writer. She works to help teach others how to get the most from their devices, systems, and apps. She stays on top of the latest trends and is always finding solutions to common tech problems.

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