Best Of

Best OBS Subtitle
Plugins in 2026

Add subtitles to OBS without complex plugins. The best options for real-time captions and translated subtitles in 2026.

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OBS Subtitle Options Overview

OBS doesn't have built-in subtitle support, so streamers rely on plugins, browser sources, or third-party integrations. We've ranked the top options for 2026.

#1 — StreamTranslate Browser Source (Best Overall)

Not technically a plugin — StreamTranslate works as a browser source overlay in OBS. No plugin installation, no code, no configuration. Just paste a URL.

  • Zero installation required — browser source is built into OBS
  • Real-time translated subtitles in 65 languages
  • Less than 500ms latency — subtitles stay in sync
  • Custom styling without touching code
  • Add to OBS →

#2 — obs-localvocal (Best Free Plugin)

obs-localvocal is an open-source OBS plugin that runs Whisper speech recognition locally on your computer. Free, but requires a powerful GPU and only outputs same-language captions (no translation).

#3 — Closed Captions via Browser Source

Several tools offer simple same-language caption browser sources. Good for English-only accessibility captions, but lack translation functionality.

#4 — OBS real-time connection + Custom Scripts

Advanced users can build subtitle systems using OBS real-time connection and custom Python/Node.js scripts. Powerful but requires coding knowledge and significant setup time.

Verdict

StreamTranslate is the #1 choice for streamers who want translated subtitles. For English-only same-language captions, obs-localvocal is a solid free alternative.

Related Resources

Pricing

  • Free Plan: 3 hours every month. Card required; no payment unless you choose to upgrade.
  • Stream Pass — $9.99: One full stream session, all languages
  • Starter — $14.99/mo: 25 hours/month, single language
  • Pro — $34.99/mo: 50 hours/month, dual language
  • Unlimited — $149/mo: Unlimited hours, dual language

See full pricing →

Also stream IRL

Also supports IRL with Moblin and the OBS audio plugin, including home and cloud OBS setups such as IRL Toolkit.

Use an OBS receiver for IRL Pro, Larix Broadcaster, PRISM Live Mobile or TVU Go. Cloud providers may need to install the plugin on your server.

Moblin · Moblin Browser Source · Cloud OBS · IRL Toolkit · OBS Studio · IRL Pro · Larix Broadcaster · PRISM Live Mobile · TVU Go · MediaMTX

IRL setup guide · Desktop setup guide