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Cinema Subtitle Apps Compared: Languages, Devices and Setup

You want to follow a film in a language you don’t speak, and a handful of apps offer to help. They don’t do the same job: one may play audio in your headphones, another gives you prepared subtitles from its catalog, and another shows subtitle files you choose. This page lines up four of them so you can pick by language, device and where the track comes from.

By · Published · App sources checked September 18, 2026 · Updated 5 min read

The short answer

  • If a provider lists your exact film in a language you need, start there. GRETA and MovieReading provide tracks for films in their catalogs, and TheaterEars provides Spanish audio for listed U.S. screenings.
  • If none of them does, CinemaCC lets you choose the subtitle files yourself and show two languages together. You need to match the files to the film’s cut.
  • Whichever you pick, check the exact film, the language and your country first. Catalogs and coverage change.

Four questions to ask before you compare features

Two apps can both promise subtitles and still not cover your film. Compare the exact content you need before you compare features:

  • What you need: readable subtitles, dubbed audio or audio description?
  • Which film and language: does the provider list the exact film and language you need?
  • Which country: is the service available where you will watch the film?
  • Whose track: will you download a provider track, or bring your own subtitle file?

The words come from three places

The main difference between these tools is who makes the words, and when. A provider prepares tracks for the films in its catalog. With CinemaCC, you choose the files yourself. Live captions use no file at all.

A provider’s catalogGRETA · MovieReading · TheaterEars Files you chooseCinemaCC Live captionsApple · Android A provider’s catalogGRETA · MovieReading · TheaterEars Files you chooseCinemaCC Live captionsApple · Android
The first two are prepared before the screening. A live caption is written while the film plays.

The four apps side by side

Film catalogs and language coverage can change. Treat the table as a starting point and check each provider’s own list.

Scroll horizontally to view all columns.

ServiceLanguages and contentPhone supportTrack source and preparationSync and limitsOfficial source
CinemaCCOne or two subtitle tracks in your chosen languages; bilingual displayiPhone, iPad and Android; Apple Watch and compatible glasses (separate setup); session-only Web (cannot reload offline)Find tracks in the native apps or import SRT files; match the film’s cut and save tracks before going offlineManual timing; Find My Place supports English or French dialogue on supported iPhones and Android 13+Support, Glasses setup, App Store, Google Play
GRETAAvailable multilingual subtitles, dubbing, audio description and accessibility captionsiOS and AndroidDownload the film and language version from GRETA’s catalog; its multilingual offer covers German cinemasSyncs to the soundtrack; confirm the exact film, language and territory before relying on itOffer, Setup
MovieReadingAvailable descriptive subtitles, audio description and sign-language interpretationiOS and AndroidSelect a film and accessibility track in the app; confirm local catalog availability before arrivalProvider describes syncing by audio recognition; not every film or language has a trackApp Store, Google Play
TheaterEarsSpanish audio through private headphones, not phone-displayed subtitlesiOS and AndroidSelect a listed U.S. film, theater, showtime and language; download the track and bring headphonesWorks at scheduled cinema showtimes, not at home; requires microphone and location permissionsFAQ

Phone live captions are a different category

Apple and Google both offer live captions on the phone itself. They write down what they hear instead of playing a track prepared for your film.

Apple Live Captions

Apple says Live Captions can transcribe nearby conversations and supported iPhone audio. Model, language, country and region support vary, and Apple says accuracy can vary.

Android Live Transcribe and Live Caption

Live Transcribe uses the microphone to show nearby speech and sounds as text. Live Caption captions supported audio playing on the Android device. Neither is a prepared subtitle track for the theatrical cut or a guaranteed translation.

What you read and what the film speaks are separate

Subtitle language and automatic-sync language are different. A Chinese subtitle translation, for example, does not mean an app can recognize Chinese dialogue. Find My Place can match English or French dialogue on supported iPhones and Android 13+. Android 12, the Web player and other dialogue languages sync by hand.

Film in Englishor FrenchFilm in anotherlanguage Find My Place canmatch it, if supportedSync by hand Subtitles inlanguagesyou choose Film in Englishor FrenchFilm in anotherlanguage Find My Place canmatch it, if supportedSync by hand Subtitles in languages you choose
What you read is your choice. The film’s dialogue language and your device decide whether Find My Place can help.
  • Two languages at once: CinemaCC can show a translation beside the original-language subtitles, or two translations. Match both files to the film; two tracks may divide dialogue into different cues.
  • A language no catalog lists: CinemaCC offers optional paid AI subtitle translation during online preparation. Review the result before the screening.
  • SDH or audio description: check the actual track. A dialogue translation alone does not supply sound descriptions or describe the visual action.

Reading on a watch or glasses

Every app in the table has an iOS and Android app. CinemaCC can also show subtitles on an Apple Watch or on compatible glasses.

On your wrist

CinemaCC has an Apple Watch companion. Prepare and transfer the tracks on your iPhone before the screening, and the watch can show the subtitles while the iPhone stays in your pocket.

In your line of sight

CinemaCC supports compatible wired display glasses through iPhone. A USB-C port alone does not prove compatibility. Even G2 uses a separate Even Hub companion with manual timing, and the Rokid Glasses integration is experimental. Check the glasses route before relying on it.

Match the app to what you need

Find the line that matches your situation. For a provider’s tracks, check its own list for your exact film and language first.

  • An accessibility or language version in Germany: check GRETA’s current film list.
  • Spanish audio at a listed U.S. screening: check TheaterEars.
  • A subtitle or audio-description track: check MovieReading’s in-app catalog.
  • One or two SRT files you choose yourself: prepare them in CinemaCC and test the theatrical cut before you go.
  • Captions already on the cinema screen or a theater device: compare the cinema subtitle options.

See CinemaCC before you prepare a screening

In CinemaCC you find a track or import your own SRT file, prepare the screening with one or two languages, then follow along in the theater view.

Search in CinemaCC: find subtitles by film title or use your own SRT file

1 · Find or import subtitles

Now Showing in CinemaCC: a screening prepared with two subtitle languages

2 · The screening is ready

The CinemaCC theater: the current line lit between its neighbours

3 · Follow along in the dark

Related guides

Cinema Accessibility Apps: Closed Captions, SDH and Audio Description Find captions, SDH, audio description or sign language: where each one comes from and what to check before you book. Read the guide How to Watch a Movie at the Cinema in a Language You Don’t Speak Choose the right screening and compare official captions, synchronized apps and personal subtitles when a film is not in a language you understand. Read the guide I Couldn’t Follow Movies Abroad—So I Brought My Own Subtitles One developer’s story of taking personal subtitles into real cinemas: what went wrong, what worked and the routine that came out of it. Read the guide

Sources and further reading

Provider coverage, cinema listings and platform support can change. App sources were checked on September 18, 2026.