Add Text to Video Online Free

EchoWave gives you normal video-editor control without making you install a desktop app. Add a text layer, type your copy, drag it on the canvas, and set the exact start and end time on the timeline. A hook can appear for the first three seconds, captions can follow speech, a lower third can identify a speaker, and a CTA can appear only at the end.

That keeps the page simple for beginners while still giving creators, marketers, educators, and teams enough control to make polished text overlays for real projects.

Add text to video for every kind of clip

Most feeds autoplay on mute, so the first thing a viewer reads is your on-screen text, not your voiceover. The goal is not to cover the video with words. The goal is to make the important moment easier to understand before someone scrolls away.

Social media videos

Add a bold hook in the first two seconds for TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, Facebook, LinkedIn, and paid social ads. Keep each line short, use a large font size, and place the words in the middle third of the frame so platform captions, usernames, and like/share buttons do not cover them.

YouTube videos

Add intro titles, chapter labels, speaker names, sponsor notes, source citations, and end-screen prompts before you upload. For widescreen YouTube, keep titles inside the safe area so nothing is clipped on a TV. Want a dedicated walkthrough? See our add text to YouTube video guide.

Tutorials and screen recordings

Label buttons, show step numbers, call out settings, and add short notes when an action on screen needs extra context. Time each label to appear only while it is relevant, then have it leave before it covers the next step.

Product demos and ads

Call out features, prices, product names, discount codes, benefits, and a clear next step. Add a background box behind text when the footage is busy or the colors shift, so the offer stays readable from the first frame to the last.

Talking head videos and interviews

Use lower thirds for names and roles, quote pullouts for important lines, and dynamic captions for the moments that viewers should not miss. These text overlays make interviews, testimonials, webinars, and podcast clips easier to scan.

Podcast and music clips

Turn an audio clip into a shareable video with quote text, speaker names, waveform visuals, progress bars, and captions. EchoWave also has dedicated tools for podcast videos, audio waveform videos, and lyric videos.

Memes and reaction clips

Add top text, bottom text, a quick reaction, or a short punchline to a video meme. The classic meme look uses a heavy white font with a black outline, which you can set with the stroke control so the words read on any background. For GIF-specific editing, use our add text to GIF tool.

What you can change on each text layer

Every text box is its own layer with its own settings, which is what makes a real edit possible rather than one fixed caption. On each layer you can set:

• Font and font style: pick from 1,000+ Google Fonts, adjust weight, and use custom fonts on business plans for brand-controlled text overlays.
• Font size and spacing: scale text for vertical, square, or widescreen video, then tune line height and spacing so long words still fit.
• Font color and stroke: set fill color, outline, shadow, and contrast so the words read on bright, dark, or changing footage.
• Text background and opacity: add a solid, rounded, or transparent backing box when the video is busy, or keep the overlay clean with no box.
• Text alignment and position: align left, center, or right, then drag the text box anywhere on the editing canvas.
• Text animations: apply fade, pop, slide, swipe, lift, bounce, or typewriter-style animation presets for static text, moving text, titles, and CTAs.
• Timeline duration: set a start and end time so each line appears at the right moment and leaves before it gets in the way.

Because layers stack, you can run an intro title, a topic label, a dynamic caption, a quote highlight, and a closing call to action across one clip, each appearing on its own schedule.

Plan the text before you export

The best text overlays are deliberate. Before you export, scan the timeline and make sure every text layer earns its place:

• Hook: one short title near the start that tells viewers why the clip is worth watching.
• Explain: captions, subtitles, or tutorial labels that make speech and actions easier to follow.
• Identify: a lower third, source label, place name, or product name when the viewer needs context.
• Emphasize: a quote highlight, price, number, benefit, or warning that should stand out from the rest of the video.
• Direct: a call to action at the end, such as subscribe, buy now, book a demo, visit a link, or watch the next clip.

If a line does not do one of those jobs, remove it or make it shorter. Cleaner text usually performs better than more text.

Auto captions, subtitles, and translation

Manual text overlays and automatic captions solve different problems. Use manual text for titles, labels, lower thirds, meme text, and calls to action. Use captions when viewers need to follow spoken words.

With EchoWave, a single project can combine both:

• Auto captions: turn speech into timed caption text, then edit the words before export.
• Dynamic captions: use animated caption styles and word highlighting for talking head clips, Reels, TikToks, Shorts, interviews, and podcasts.
• Subtitle translation: translate captions into another language for multilingual audiences.
• Manual overlays: add separate headings, speaker names, product labels, and CTAs above the caption track.

If captions are the main job, start with the add subtitles workflow. If you need titles, labels, and design control around the captions, stay in the full text editor on this page.

Pre-made text styles and templates

Templates should speed up the edit, not lock you into a generic look. Start with a text style when you need a fast layout, then customize it until it fits the clip. Useful starting points include:

• Animated title styles for intros, hooks, announcements, and section breaks.
• Caption styles for talking head clips, interviews, podcasts, Reels, TikToks, and Shorts.
• Lower thirds for names, roles, locations, guest labels, and source credits.
• Meme layouts with top text, bottom text, heavy fonts, outlines, and high contrast.
• Tutorial labels for screen recordings, product walkthroughs, explainers, and course videos.
• CTA overlays for sales, signups, discount codes, subscribe prompts, and end screens.

After choosing a style, change the font, color, size, opacity, animation, position, background, and timing on every text box.

Troubleshooting text overlays

If the text does not look right, the fix is usually practical rather than technical:

• Text is hard to read: add a background box, stroke, or shadow; increase font size; or move the text away from busy footage.
• Text appears for the whole video: shorten the text layer on the timeline so it starts and ends around the relevant moment.
• Text is covered on social media: move it away from the bottom third and right edge, where captions, usernames, and buttons often appear.
• Text will not move: select the text box on the canvas or the text layer in the timeline, then drag from inside the box.
• A long word does not fit: reduce font size, split the line, widen the text box, or choose a narrower font style.
• Multiple clips need the same text: place the text layer above the clips it should cover, then adjust the start and end handles.
• The upload has compatibility issues: convert unusual footage to MP4 first or try the standard EchoWave editor import; HEVC and camera formats can vary by device.

For the cleanest result, preview the video at phone size before export. If you can read the text quickly on mobile, it will usually work everywhere else.

Supported video formats and compatibility

Most people arrive with whatever file their phone, camera, meeting app, or screen recorder created. EchoWave is designed for common imports such as MP4, MOV, WebM, AVI, MKV, M4V, MPEG, WMV, FLV, HEVC, and typical iPhone, Android, webcam, and camera clips. If a codec cannot preview directly in the browser, upload and processing may still run through EchoWave's video engine, so format issues are less likely to block the edit. The final export is a standard MP4 video file.

You can add text to one clip or multiple video files in the same project. Text layers sit above the timeline, so a title can cover the whole edit, a lower third can appear over one interview clip, and a caption can match one spoken sentence.

Choose the right size and safe zone for each platform

Text sits inside the frame, so the aspect ratio you choose decides where it can go. The ratios that matter:

• 9:16 vertical (1080 by 1920) for TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts. Keep words in the center band and clear of the bottom third, where captions and buttons sit.
• 1:1 square (1080 by 1080) for in-feed Instagram and Facebook posts, which crop well on both phones and desktops.
• 4:5 portrait (1080 by 1350) for Instagram and Facebook feed posts where you want more vertical room than square.
• 16:9 widescreen (1920 by 1080) for YouTube, websites, webinars, and LinkedIn, where titles and lower thirds have more room across the frame.

Match your text size to the ratio rather than a fixed point size. A title that looks balanced on widescreen can feel tiny on a 9:16 phone clip, so scale it up until it reads at a glance.

Export your video with the text baked in

The text you add is rendered into the final video, not stored as a separate caption track, so it stays exactly where you placed it after you upload to YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn, or anywhere else. Adding text does not force a lower-resolution export; the overlay is composited on top and the video keeps the resolution you choose.

Adding text is free. Exports from the full editor include a small EchoWave watermark on the free plan, which you can remove anytime by upgrading. If you only need a quick edit with no watermark, EchoWave's dedicated tools for cropping, trimming, compressing, and converting export with no watermark.

Add text to a video on iPhone, iPad, Android, or desktop

You do not need a separate app to add text to a video. EchoWave runs in your browser, so you can open the editor on an iPhone, iPad, Android device, Chromebook, Mac, or Windows computer, upload a clip from your camera roll or files, and start typing. There is nothing to install and no account required to begin.

The full editor works the same on a small screen: tap to place text anywhere, pick from 1,000+ fonts, set color and background, animate the layer, and choose when it appears. When you are done, export the finished video straight from your phone and post it to TikTok, Reels, Shorts, YouTube, or LinkedIn.

Your video stays private while you edit

Editing happens in your project workspace, so you are not uploading clips to a public gallery or handing them to a shared social editor first. Your footage is used to build your edit and export your video, nothing more. That makes EchoWave a comfortable fit for client work, internal training videos, product demos, school projects, and anything you would rather not post publicly before it is finished.