Captions (mobile app pricing) pricing
Currency: USD · Last verified May 20, 2026
Plans
Pricing tiers
Free (App Store / Google Play / Web)
$0
$0 annual
Solo creators testing the product before committing
- Basic AI captioning on mobile and web
- Limited generation credits per month
- Standard export quality (720p)
- Single device
- Same on iOS, Android, and web
- Watermark on all exports
- Limited template access
- No commercial usage rights
Pro (App Store)
$29.99
$249/year ($20.75/mo) annual
iOS-first creators preferring Apple ID billing over web subscription
- Unlimited AI captioning
- 100 AI generations per month
- HD export (1080p)
- All templates
- No watermark
- Commercial usage rights
- Apple ID billing
- App Store pricing slightly higher than web ($29.99 vs $25 web)
- Apple takes 15-30% commission
- Family Sharing not supported for Pro features
Pro (Google Play / Web)
$25
$20/mo billed annually ($240/year) annual
Android creators or buyers comparison-shopping the cheapest billing surface
- Same Pro features as App Store version
- Google Play or web billing
- Mobile + desktop sync
- Web is cheaper than App Store version by $5/mo
- Google Play roughly matches web on Android
- Cross-platform sync requires single account regardless of purchase surface
Studio (App Store / Web)
$59.99 App Store, $55 web
$528 web ($44/mo), App Store equivalent ~$575 annual
Professional content creators - buy via web to get API access and cheaper price
- Everything in Pro
- Unlimited AI generations
- 4K export
- Custom AI avatars (1 included)
- Brand kit
- Priority generation
- API access (web only - App Store can't expose API billing)
- App Store Studio carries 8-10% premium vs web due to Apple commission
- API access only available via web billing - App Store subscribers can't access
- Additional custom avatars cost extra ($200-500 each one-time)
Shuttergen
Mobile-first is great. Strategy-first is better.
Captions wins on mobile workflow. Shuttergen handles the layer Captions doesn't - competitive intel and intel-informed creative generation, web-first, no App Store tax.
Watch out
Hidden costs
App Store pricing carries Apple commission markup
Captions Pro is $29.99 on App Store vs $25 on web - a 20% premium driven by Apple's 30% commission on in-app subscriptions. The same product, same features, with App Store buyers paying more. Captions absorbs some commission cost; passes some through to buyers.
Google Play pricing roughly matches web
Google Play takes 15% commission on subscriptions (15% on year 2+ for retained subscribers). Captions Pro on Android is roughly the same price as web. Android users don't pay the App Store premium.
API access is web-only
Apple's App Store policies don't allow exposing API subscription tiers cleanly. Studio tier API access is only available when purchased via web. App Store Studio subscribers who need API access need to cancel and re-subscribe via web - or pay both.
Family Sharing limits
App Store Family Sharing works for purchases but not for subscriptions like Captions Pro. Each family member needs their own subscription. Confusing for families expecting Apple Family Sharing to extend to Captions; meaningful cost addition for shared usage.
Cross-surface refund handling differs
App Store refunds go through Apple (often easier, automatic for certain cases). Web refunds go through Captions directly (case-by-case). Google Play refunds through Google. Refund experience varies meaningfully by purchase surface.
Why Captions app pricing differs from web pricing
Captions is one of the few AI tools with meaningfully different pricing on App Store vs web. The core driver is Apple's 30% commission on in-app subscriptions (15% after year 1 for retained subscribers). Captions partially absorbs this commission and partially passes it through to App Store buyers as higher prices.
The price gap is consistent across tiers: App Store buyers pay roughly 15-20% more than web buyers for equivalent functionality. Pro: $29.99 App Store vs $25 web. Studio: $59.99 App Store vs $55 web. Annual subscriptions show similar gaps.
Google Play pricing roughly matches web pricing. Google's lower commission structure (15% standard) plus Captions' pricing strategy means Android users typically don't pay the App Store premium. Android-first creators get the same price they'd pay on web.
This pricing dynamic is increasingly common across mobile-first apps. YouTube Premium, Spotify, Netflix, and many SaaS apps now charge App Store users more or steer signups to web. Captions follows this pattern but does so quietly - the price gap isn't visible until you compare surfaces.
Buy via App Store vs web vs Google Play - which is best
Web is cheapest and most flexible. Lower listed prices, full feature access (including API on Studio tier), easier subscription management. The default recommendation for cost-conscious buyers and anyone needing API access.
App Store is most convenient for iOS-heavy users. Apple ID billing means no separate payment setup, Family Sharing-style purchase visibility (though not feature sharing), unified subscription management in Apple's Settings. The 15-20% premium is real but the friction reduction is real too.
Google Play is the Android equivalent of web pricing. Roughly matches web pricing, integrates with Google billing, easier subscription management on Android. Recommended for Android-first users.
Cross-platform users should buy via web. A single Captions account works across iOS, Android, and desktop regardless of purchase surface. Buying via web gets the best price and unlocks API access on Studio - access carries forward to all platforms.
Mobile-first is great. Strategy-first is better. Captions wins on mobile workflow. Shuttergen handles the layer Captions doesn't - competitive intel and intel-informed creative generation, web-first, no App Store tax.
Mobile-specific features and pricing
Some Captions features are mobile-only. Real-time captioning during recording is mobile-native. Mobile-first templates optimized for vertical video creation. Phone-native sharing flows. These features exist on web but mobile is where they shine.
Some features are desktop-only. Larger-format editing workflows, multi-clip timeline editing, more sophisticated export controls. The Studio tier desktop experience is meaningfully more powerful than the mobile equivalent.
Pricing doesn't differentiate mobile-only vs desktop-only features. You pay the same tier price regardless of where you use the product. This pricing simplicity is convenient but means heavy mobile-only users overpay slightly for desktop features they don't use (and vice versa).
Mobile-first product positioning matters for buyer evaluation. Captions' core differentiator vs HeyGen or Creatify is mobile-native workflow. If you're not using Captions on mobile, alternatives may fit better at similar price. Captions' value math depends on actual mobile usage.
When app pricing decisions actually matter
For solo creators paying out of pocket, the App Store premium is significant. $5-10/mo on Pro tier or Studio tier is $60-120/year. Buying via web saves real money over time. Worth the slight inconvenience of web subscription management.
For agency teams provisioning Captions for client work, web pricing wins clearly. Centralized web billing, API access on Studio for workflow integration, better invoice handling for business expense tracking. App Store subscriptions don't fit agency workflows well.
For casual mobile creators producing occasional content, App Store convenience may justify the premium. $5/mo extra is not the deciding factor; ease of getting started and unified Apple subscription management is. App Store is the natural fit for casual mobile-first usage.
For enterprise buyers, custom contracts bypass the App Store / web pricing question entirely. Enterprise tier billing goes through direct invoicing regardless of which platform users access Captions from. No App Store premium on enterprise contracts.
Internal: captions-ai-pricing, creatify-pricing, ai-talking-head-video-generator.
FAQ
Frequently asked
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Why is Captions cheaper on the web than the App Store?
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Can I get API access on the App Store version?
Does Captions work across iOS, Android, and desktop with one subscription?
Are Captions mobile and desktop features the same?
Related
Keep reading
Mobile-first is great. Strategy-first is better.
Captions wins on mobile workflow. Shuttergen handles the layer Captions doesn't - competitive intel and intel-informed creative generation, web-first, no App Store tax.