When the Korean movie Parasite won Best Picture at the Oscars, it was a big moment and 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 may soon be a vital skill. Luckily, it’s not a hard thing to do, and the following list of sites should provide you with subtitles for just about any movie you want to watch. Here are some of the best sites to download subtitles.
Note: Many of these sites are ad-supported, and some of the ads can be quite intrusive. We recommend using an ad-blocker when visiting them.
Tip: When you want to stay connected with friends around the globe, you can arrange a video watching session with them.
1. Addic7ed
While the interface is rather boring, Addic7ed offers an easy way to search for movie and TV show 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 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. Downsub (for Online Videos)
Most of the entries in this list show how to download subtitle files 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.
You need to simply 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, then this could be the best way to get subs for it.
One of the supported sites is Google Drive. So, 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.
3. English Subtitles
English Subtitles has a repository of subtitles for thousands of movies from around the world and from all eras. You’ll almost certainly find the subtitles you need for recent blockbusters and may have some joy in finding subtitles for obscure French films from the 60s, too.
There are many TV shows here, too – including all Game of Thrones seasons and Good Girls. 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.
Tip: Stumbled upon an interesting video but you don’t have time to watch it now? You can download it for later viewing.
4. Podnapisi
Podnapisi is one of the best sites for English subtitles on the Internet. 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.
You can 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. Subscene
Subscene is one of the most popular sites to download subtitles, with a huge database of movies and popular shows from all over the world. Subtitles are added on a daily basis by users as well as site owners and are available in many languages.
The site has a simple, user-friendly interface that allows users to filter the subtitles by language. And if you can’t find your desired subtitles, there is a “request subtitle” feature you can use to request subtitles that are not in their database.
Another nice feature is available subtitles are sorted by alphabetically by language. Most languages are available in different subtitle formats to best meet your needs.
Tip: If the apps you want are not preloaded in your TV box, try sideloading them.
6. Subtitle Seeker
Subtitle Seeker takes a different approach to subtitle downloads. Rather than having its own collection of contributed subtitles (by site users), this site pulls in and combines results from over 20 subtitle download sites. It’s very comprehensive, and this makes it the best place to go if you can’t find your desired subtitles elsewhere.
The good thing about Subtitle Seeker is it’s a simple, user-friendly interface, which has been extolled by many users. On the main page, you’ll find a search bar and sections for recent subtitles for both movies and TV shows.
You won’t find as much variety in terms of subtitle variations, but each download page features instructions of how to use the file. That’s something many other sites don’t provide.
7. TVSubtitles.net
TVSubtitles.Net is another great site you can rely on for downloading subtitles. This website has a clean interface that is easy to use. Subtitles are categorized into two categories: movies and TV shows.
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 for you to do so. However, movie subtitles haven’t been updated since 2020 and the movie filter tab sends you to another site that doesn’t utilize HTTPS.
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.
Tip: Planning to use a projector as a TV? Here’s what you need to know.
8. 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 is one of the trusted sites for downloading subtitles.
It also has a great search tool that lets you filter your searches by year, country, type/genre, season, or episode. Its advanced search tool is among the best you’ll find online.
In keeping up with all the AI tools available, 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.
9. Subdl
Subdl is another site you can trust to get your movie or TV show subtitles. It has a clean user interface, along with a search bar at the top to search for specific subtitles. This website organizes subtitles for each movie and TV show based on the type of video release.
You can download subtitles for your favorite movie or TV show in multiple languages, including English, Dutch, Italian, French, etc. It also provides an option to filter subtitles with up to four languages at one time.
The site’s recently added a Telegram group. While it has just over 30 subscribers at the time of writing, it may still be worth joining if you have Telegram to chat with other users or make requests.
10. 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.
11. 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 subtitle.
You will have the option to select movies based on their genres. It also shows the movies’ full run-times, release dates, ratings, etc. You can download subtitles in multiple languages as well.
Overall, it feels more like it’s part IMDB and part place to download subtitles. It’s one of the more professional looking subtitle sites available.
Tip: Amazon sells a variety of TV sticks, which one should you get?
12. Subtitle Cat
Subtitle Cat isn’t as easy to use as most of the other sites on this list. Instead of clear titles, you just see a massive list of latest subtitles, the number of downloads, and the number of languages each subtitle is available in. So, you’re much better off just using the search bar.
Even when you do search, you still just see file names, but at least it filters what’s available a bit. When you find what you’re looking for, you’ll see all possible languages, but only the ones with “Download” are currently available.
If you happen to know one of the other languages on the list, consider uploading subtitles for that language. Subtitle Cat encourages users to support the site by uploading their own subtitles any time.
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 VLC, 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 window, then click “VLsub” and search for that movie’s subtitles.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I use subtitles?
After you’ve downloaded the subtitles, which should be an .SRT file, open the app you’ll be using to watch the show or movie. Within the menu, you should see an option for subtitles. Navigate to your SRT file to upload it. If all goes well, it should sync 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 exactly 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. Another downloadable option is SubSync.
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, serves well when an SRT isn’t available.
How can I get my subtitles to load automatically?
Many media players that support external subtitles will 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 then need to also name the subtitle file “xyz_movie.” Don’t change any file extensions. You can keep everything in the same folder to make it easier to stay organized.
Image credit: Unsplash
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