MotionCaption vs Captioneer
Two caption plugins for After Effects and Premiere, both with local transcription and a one-time licence. They match on the basics, so this page is about the places they differ.
Reviewed October 2026. Every Captioneer fact was read on its own site.
The short answer
Captioneer and MotionCaption both run in After Effects and Premiere, both transcribe on your own machine, and both sell a one-time licence. Captioneer is a captions-only tool built around MoGRT templates, including your own, with no credit system. MotionCaption ships a larger ready-made library (330+ in After Effects, 80+ in Premiere), times every word, and also cleans up the edit around the captions. Choose Captioneer to build your own template system. Choose MotionCaption for a ready library and a wider kit.
Captioneer and MotionCaption
The rows where they match matter as much as the rows where they differ.
| What matters | Captioneer | MotionCaption |
|---|---|---|
| Runs in | After Effects and Premiere, 2022+ | After Effects 2023+ and Premiere 2023+ |
| What lands in After Effects | Text layers or Essential Graphics precomps | Native text layers, down to one layer per word |
| What lands in Premiere | MoGRT clips | One MoGRT clip for the whole track, split per caption when you want |
| Ready-made animated looks | 15+ caption styles | 330+ in After Effects, 80+ in Premiere |
| Your own .mogrt templates | Your own composition, in After Effects | |
| Transcription | Local models, unlimited captions, 99+ supported languages | Local Whisper with no credits, or cloud AI at 1 credit per started minute. 99 languages. |
| Emoji, highlighted and supersized words | Its site does not list them | |
| Beyond captions | Captions only | Removes silences, filler words and repeated takes, retimes captions, and adds zooms |
| Price | $150 one-time, or $15 a month | $99 one-time (founding price until November 30, then $149). Optional Pro at $15 a month. |
| Updates with the one-time licence | All future updates | 1 year of updates, then an optional renewal |
| Free trial | Two weeks | 7 days, up to 14 with panel tasks |
When Captioneer is the better pick
Better to read these now than after buying.
- You want to build or bring your own .mogrt caption templates. Captioneer is built around that.
- You want a product with no credits anywhere. Captioneer transcribes locally and has no cloud tier to think about.
- You want every future update included in the one-time price.
- You want a flat two-week trial.
When MotionCaption is the better pick
Text layers in After Effects and local transcription are common to both. These are the differences.
A library ready to apply
330+ animated presets in After Effects and 80+ in Premiere. Pick one, apply it, and restyle it from the panel. The Style Generator makes new looks from any preset.
Every word has its own timing
Transcription returns a start and end time for each word, so word highlights, type-on looks and supersized words land on the word being spoken. A Retime timeline lets you drag any word's edges.
The Premiere template installs itself
The caption MoGRT ships with the plugin and imports itself into your project. All 80+ Premiere looks run on that one template, on one clip.
The edit around the captions
The same panel removes silences, filler words and repeated takes, adds zooms, and places emojis and highlighted words. Captioneer describes itself as a caption tool.
MotionCaption or Captioneer
The questions editors ask before they choose between the two.
Is MotionCaption or Captioneer better for animated captions?
They are close on the basics. Both run in After Effects and Premiere, both transcribe locally, and both sell a one-time licence. Captioneer is captions-only and built for your own MoGRT templates. MotionCaption ships 330+ in After Effects, 80+ in Premiere ready-made presets, times every word, and adds cleanup tools. Choose by whether you want a template system or a ready library.
Do both create text layers in After Effects?
Yes. Captioneer's documentation says its After Effects plugin inserts text layers or Essential Graphics precomps. MotionCaption builds native text layers, with a choice of one layer per caption, per line or per word.
Do both transcribe offline?
Yes. Captioneer saves its transcription models on your machine and lists unlimited captions. MotionCaption runs local Whisper with no credits and no minute limit on every plan. MotionCaption also has an optional cloud mode that uses 1 credit per started minute.
How do the prices compare?
Captioneer is $150 one-time with all future updates, or $15 a month. MotionCaption is $99 one-time (founding price until November 30, then $149), with 1 year of updates and an optional Pro subscription at $15 a month for a monthly AI credit allowance and stock media. Prices were read in October 2026.
Comparing something else? See every caption plugin for After Effects and Premiere, MotionCaption vs SubMachine, MotionCaption vs FireCut, MotionCaption vs AutoCut.
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