reelsdk vs Submagic

A Submagic API alternative for word-by-word captions at $0.02 a minute

Submagic is an AI caption and short-form editing app whose API minutes cost $0.10 to $0.23 each in monthly packs, bought on top of a $19 to $69 a month plan. reelsdk burns word-by-word captions into a clip for $0.02 per output minute, with srt, vtt, ass and a word-level transcript in the same job, no subscription and the first $1 free; a 30-second clip takes 30 to 43 seconds.

Get an API key See the migration

Price per captioned minute through the API

reelsdk captions$0.02
Submagic 10,000-minute pack$0.10
Submagic 1,000-minute pack$0.15
Submagic 250-minute pack$0.23
Submagic Business, 100 minutes in the plan$0.69

Submagic list prices, checked October 2026. Minute packs renew monthly and can only be added to a paid plan, which starts at $19 a month per member.

Pick reelsdk if

You caption clips at volume and want $0.02 a minute instead of a plan plus $0.10 to $0.23 a minute
You need srt, vtt, ass and a word-level transcript next to the mp4
You caption in languages beyond the 13 Submagic's API lists, or want the language detected for you

Pick Submagic if

You want AI edits on top of captions: auto zooms, b-roll, bad-take and silence removal, audio cleanup
Your team also works in a web app, with 42 caption templates like Hormozi 2 and transcript fixes before rendering
Your sources are long or heavy: MP4 or MOV up to 2 GB and 2 hours, exported in 4K on Business

Price per minute

Submagic and reelsdk, price per API minute

Submagic sells seats with a small API allowance, then monthly packs of API minutes on top. We divided each option by the minutes it includes. reelsdk bills each job by the minutes of video it outputs, with transcription included and no plan.

Submagic and reelsdk, price per API minute
Option	Price	API minutes	Per minute
Submagic Starter	$19 a month per member, $12 billed yearly	10 a month	$1.90
Submagic Pro	$39 a month per member, $23 billed yearly	10 a month	$3.90
Submagic Business	$69 a month per member, $41 billed yearly	100 a month	$0.69
Submagic 250-minute pack	$57 a month, on top of a plan	250	$0.23
Submagic 500 to 2,000-minute packs	$75 to $300 a month, on top of a plan	500 to 2,000	$0.15
Submagic 5,000 and 10,000-minute packs	$500 or $1,000 a month, on top of a plan	5,000 or 10,000	$0.10
reelsdk captions	Per job, no plan	No minimum	$0.02 per output minute

Submagic plans also include credits for its web app and AI video generation, which we left out. reelsdk has no subscription, and the first $1 is free. Prices from Submagic pricing, checked October 2026.

Head to head

reelsdk and Submagic, feature by feature

reelsdk and Submagic compared
	reelsdk	Submagic
Pricing model	Pay per job, no subscription, first $1 free	A plan per member with 10 or 100 API minutes, plus monthly minute packs
A captioned minute	$0.02, transcription included	$0.10 to $0.23 in packs, $0.69 on Business alone
How a job runs	One `POST /v1/captions`; the response can carry the finished mp4	`POST /v1/projects` transcribes, then renders; `autoRender: false` and `/export` let you fix the transcript first
Caption styles	`bold`, `karaoke` or `minimal`, or your own font, position, words per line, colours and size	42 templates like Hormozi 2, saved themes and presets, hook titles
Languages	Any language code, or detected for you	13 languages from the languages endpoint; `language` is required
Files you get	mp4, srt, vtt, ass and a word-level JSON transcript	mp4 download, an embeddable URL and a preview page
AI editing	None	`magicZooms`, `magicBrolls`, `removeSilencePace`, `removeBadTakes`, `cleanAudio`, AI edit templates
Beyond captions	Slideshows from photos, faceless shorts from a topic, raw ffmpeg 8.1	Magic Clips cuts shorts from a long video; publishing to 6 social platforms
Input files	URLs up to 500 MB, uploads up to 100 MB, media up to 15 minutes	MP4 or MOV up to 2 GB and 2 hours
Output quality	Your clip's resolution	1080p, 2K on Pro, 4K and 60 fps on Business
Webhooks	Signed with HMAC-SHA256 in `Reel-Signature`, 3 attempts	`webhookUrl` per project; no signature documented
Throughput	3 concurrent jobs, 500 jobs a day per key	500 project creations an hour
Getting a key	Self-serve sign-up, first $1 free	Self-serve, with any paid plan

Be honest

Where Submagic is the better choice

AI editing beyond captions
Submagic edits the cut, not just the text on top: the API can add magicZooms and magicBrolls, trim silences at a chosen pace, drop bad takes, clean the audio or apply a whole AI edit template. reelsdk burns captions onto the clip you send and leaves the cut alone.
Templates and an app for the whole team
Submagic has 42 caption templates, from Sara to Hormozi 1 to 5, plus saved themes, hook titles and a web app where anyone can fix a word before the video renders. reelsdk has no app: 3 presets and a style object you set in JSON.
Long, heavy sources and 4K
Submagic takes MP4 or MOV sources up to 2 GB and 2 hours and exports 4K at 60 fps on Business. reelsdk takes inputs up to 500 MB each and media up to 15 minutes, so long recordings need to be cut before they reach us.

Migration

Moving a render from Submagic

A Submagic caption job is a project: you create it with a template, it transcribes and renders on its own, and you read downloadUrl from the project or the webhook. On reelsdk you send the same video URL to POST /v1/captions with a style; with ?wait=0 you get the job id at once and a signed webhook when the mp4 and caption files are ready.

Submagic today

submagic.sh

curl -X POST https://api.submagic.co/v1/projects \
  -H "x-api-key: $SUBMAGIC_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "title": "Launch clip",
    "language": "en",
    "videoUrl": "https://example.com/talk.mp4",
    "templateName": "Hormozi 2",
    "dictionary": ["reelsdk", "Supabase"],
    "webhookUrl": "https://your.app/hooks/submagic"
  }'

# renders on its own once transcription finishes; then read downloadUrl
curl https://api.submagic.co/v1/projects/$PROJECT_ID \
  -H "x-api-key: $SUBMAGIC_KEY"

The same render on reelsdk

reelsdk.sh

curl -X POST "https://api.reelsdk.com/v1/captions?wait=0" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $REELSDK_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "video_url": "https://example.com/talk.mp4",
    "language": "en",
    "style": {
      "preset": "bold",
      "max_words": 2,
      "uppercase": true,
      "highlight_color": "#22c55e"
    },
    "prompt": "reelsdk, Supabase",
    "webhook_url": "https://your.app/hooks/reelsdk"
  }'

# 202 { "job": { "id": "...", "status": "queued", "poll_url": "..." } }
# then a signed POST to webhook_url with outputs:
# video, srt, vtt, ass and transcript

Field by field

Submagic fields and their reelsdk equivalents
Submagic	reelsdk
`videoUrl`	`video_url`
`language`, required	`language`, optional: any code, or detected
`templateName`	`style`: `bold`, `karaoke`, `minimal` or a style object
`captionPositionY`	`style.position`: `top`, `middle`, `bottom` or `center`
`dictionary`	`prompt`: up to 500 characters of names and terms
`webhookUrl`	`webhook_url`, signed with your key's `whsec_` secret
`GET /v1/projects/{id}`, `downloadUrl`	`GET /v1/jobs/{id}`, `outputs.video`
`magicZooms`, `magicBrolls`, `removeBadTakes`	No equivalent

FAQ

reelsdk vs Submagic, answered

How much does the Submagic API cost compared to reelsdk?

Submagic API access comes with a plan per member: Starter at $19 a month includes 10 API minutes, Pro at $39 also 10, and Business at $69 includes 100. More minutes come in monthly packs added to a plan, from $57 for 250 minutes ($0.23 each) down to $1,000 for 10,000 ($0.10 each). reelsdk has no plan or minimum: captions cost $0.02 per output minute with transcription included, and the first $1 is free.

Which caption languages and styles does each support?

Submagic's languages endpoint lists 13 languages, and every project needs one; styling comes from 42 templates, your saved themes and presets. reelsdk accepts any language code or detects the language itself, and styles captions with the bold, karaoke or minimal preset or a style object with font, position, 1 to 8 words per line, uppercase, text, highlight and outline colours and size.

What can Submagic do that reelsdk can't?

Submagic edits the video itself: auto zooms, automatic b-roll, silence and bad-take removal, audio cleanup and AI edit templates. It also has a web app with 42 caption templates, lets you correct the transcript before rendering, accepts MP4 or MOV sources up to 2 GB and 2 hours, exports 4K on Business and publishes to 6 social platforms. reelsdk does none of that; it burns captions, renders slideshows and faceless shorts, and runs raw ffmpeg.

How do results and webhooks work on each?

A Submagic project renders asynchronously: you poll GET /v1/projects/{id} or wait for the webhookUrl call, then read downloadUrl, and its docs mention no webhook signature. reelsdk holds the request open for up to 60 seconds by default, or 300 with ?wait=300, and answers with the finished job; with ?wait=0 it answers 202 at once and POSTs the job to your webhook_url with an HMAC-SHA256 Reel-Signature, tried 3 times.

Other comparisons

Sources, checked October 2026

Ready to build?

Ship video from your app today

Your first $1 of renders is free, and one key covers every endpoint.

Get your API key Read the docs

Moonlit lake with a lit cabin under the mountains