SRT vs VTT: which one do you need?

SRT and VTT store the same thing - numbered blocks of text with start and end times - and differ in small details that only matter when a platform rejects your file. Here's the short version.

1. SRT: the editor standard

SubRip (.srt) is the oldest and most widely accepted subtitle format. DaVinci Resolve, Premiere Pro, YouTube, Vimeo, LinkedIn and virtually every course platform take it. It's plain text: a number, a timing line, the text, a blank line. Timestamps use a comma before the milliseconds (00:00:03,880).

2. VTT: the web standard

WebVTT (.vtt) is the W3C format built for the browser's native <track> element. It starts with a WEBVTT header, uses a dot before the milliseconds (00:00:03.880), and supports web-oriented extras like cue positioning and basic styling.

3. The actual differences

In practice, three things: the header line (VTT requires one, SRT forbids it), the millisecond separator (comma vs dot), and styling support (VTT has some, SRT has none). Converting between them is trivial - the reason to care is simply that platforms validate strictly and reject the wrong one.

4. Which one to pick

Uploading to a platform or importing into an editor: SRT. Embedding a player on your own website: VTT. Not sure: SRT - it's accepted almost everywhere. Both downloads come from the same job here, so this decision costs you nothing.