Video content is highly consumable. According to Statista, 92% of internet users consumed online videos in the last quarter of 2023. But did you know that most people watch videos on mute? Subtitles and captions are the secret to making your videos more accessible. We all know that high accessibility means high visibility.
However, your subtitles should be clear and readable if you want high viewership. You can do that by choosing the right subtitle font. There is one problem! With so many font styles, how do you choose the one option that instantly clicks with your audience? We are here to help you with that! Let’s look at some of the best fonts for subtitles.
Top 10 Fonts for Video Subtitles and Captions
Social platforms are filled with video content. However, most videos have low play rates and engagement due to the lack of subtitles or captions. According to Verizon Media, about 80% of video consumers are more likely to finish videos with subtitles.
You can add subtitles to increase your visibility, but only the right font style can catch your viewers’ attention. Since the primary purpose of subtitles is to convey the dialogue more clearly to the viewers, sans-serif fonts, such as Arial, Calibri, and Verdana are the most common choices for content creators.
Unlike serif typefaces, they have a clean and straightforward appearance without the extra strokes at the end of each character, making them more readable. Let’s explore the 10 best fonts for video captions and subtitles.
1. Arial
Arial is the most widely used font in video subtitles and other tasks, including video reports, presentations, digital magazines, and more. This sans-serif font is famous for its simplicity and readability. Arial’s straightforward letters with uniform strokes make it legible on screens with varying sizes and resolutions. In simple terms, users don’t have to strain their eyes while reading subtitles written in Arial.
Despite its simplicity, this font is versatile, allowing you to use it in different video styles. In short, Arial is an excellent option for subtitle font, especially when your content is viewed across different formats like web, mobile, or TV, as it remains clear and readable regardless of the text size.
2. Helvetica
You know something is popular when it has its own documentary. Helvetica is another widely used font, especially among broadcasting and advertising companies. This font, introduced in 1957, was initially known as Neue Haas Grotesk before being renamed Helvetica in 1960.
Helvetica is another universally famous and timeless sans-serif font known for its crisp lines and clean design. Its balanced proportions and various weights, like condensed black, thin, light, and more, make it a versatile subtitle font. Helvetica is our top pick for video subtitles because it is highly readable, making it an excellent option for smaller text.
3. Roboto
As the official font for Android’s interface, Roboto is usually the default subtitle font option for YouTube users. This sans-serif font was originally introduced by Google in 2011 for mobile use, making it highly readable on small screens.
Roboto is another excellent subtitling font for your videos, known for its geometric style and softer curves. In fact, it gives your subtitles a personal touch due to its subtle handwritten style, making it ideal for casual content. Roboto’s clean design, high readability, and ease of availability make it one of the top fonts on our list.
4. Verdana
Verdana is another popular subtitle font. Designed by Matthew Carter in the late 90s for Microsoft Corporation, this sans-serif font is known for its condensed style. Its high readability on smaller screens and lower resolutions make it an ideal font for video subtitles.
Verdana is recognized for its tall lower-case letters with wider proportions, giving it a modern appearance. This font brings a sense of clarity and professionalism, making it an excellent option for technology and innovation videos.
5. Open Sans
Released in 2011, Open Sans is a popular sans-serif font designed by Steve Matteson under Google’s commission. This subtitle font is known for its tall lower-case letters and wide apertures, increasing its legibility on smaller screens.
Open San is the second most widely used font on Google, appearing across numerous websites and ads. Although Open Sans’ design is based on classic fonts like Helvetica and Univers, its unique characteristics and a variety of weights give it a modern, legible, and clean appearance. In short, Open Sans is another safe option for video subtitles.
6. Lato
As the perfect combination of humanistic and geometric elements, Lato perfectly mirrors the feel of classic fonts like Arial and Helvetica. Designed by Lukasz Dziedzic, this sans-serif font was created for a Polish bank, but it quickly gained fame after it was added to Google fonts.
Lato’s semi-rounded letters with wide spacing give it a sophisticated appearance even on smaller screens. This subtitle font has multiple variations, but its bold weight is more suitable for video captioning since its default weight is quite thin and may not be visible on a low-contrast display.
7. Times
Unlike all the previous fonts, Times is a serif typeface used across most operating systems. This retro-styled font was designed in 1931 by Stanley Morison and Victor Lardent for The Times newspaper in London.
Times is recognized for its simple and clean outlook, and its narrower letterforms make it more space-efficient than other serif fonts, making it suitable as a caption font for videos. This font is pre-installed in many operating systems which makes it a default option for many. This familiar font gives a formal appearance to the video subtitles.
8. Poppins
Poppins is another popular font belonging to the sans-serif family. This aesthetically pleasant subtitle font is a top choice for many aiming for a simple and clean output. Launched by Indian Type Foundry in 2104, Poppins is available in multiple weights with matching italics. It also supports Latin characters and is highly readable on smaller screens, making it ideal for conveying your message more effectively.
Poppins has rounded letterforms with a large corpus size, allowing viewers to easily read the text on the screen. This font gives a modern appeal to your videos, making it suitable for all video types including educational and promotional videos.
9. Georgia
Designed by Matthew Carter in 1993 but released in 1996, Georgia is another popular subtitle font for videos. Although it is a serif typeface, it is readable and elegant on smaller screens and lower resolutions.
Since it is a serif font, Georgia has various traditional design elements such as a vertical axis, alternating thin and thick strokes, and ball terminals (rounded strokes). However, it has wider and bolder characters than most serif typefaces, increasing the readability of your subtitles.
10. Futura
Created in 1927, Futura is another highly flexible sans-serif font. It easily blends into every video and is suitable for all types of content, making it one of the best fonts for video captions, subtitles, and presentations.
Futura’s regular version is perfect for video subtitles, but its condensed type is ideal for fitting longer sentences into smaller screens. Its modern geometric letterforms give a contemporary and stylish appeal to video subtitles. In addition to video subtitles, this timeless font is also quite famous in digital media, print, logos, and advertisements.
Choosing the Best Subtitle Font: Things to Consider
The font is a critical component in making your video subtitles more readable. But it is not the only factor! Other design elements like font size, color, alignment, and contrast also significantly impact the readability of the subtitles. Let’s discuss them in detail!
Font Size
Your font size should be large enough for viewers to read comfortably but not too large to be the primary focus of the frame. In other words, your subtitles should not block significant parts of your video.
While there is no fixed size for subtitle fonts, 22 points is usually the standard size for subtitling.
However, you can experiment on your own and try other sizes, but make sure your font isn’t too small, large, or narrow.
Color
Avoid distractions, and this includes harsh colors. You might not believe so, but font color makes your text more readable to the viewers.
The best choice is to use contrasting colors, such as black on a light background and white on a dark background. However, this is not a law! You can go with other options. For example, lighter colors on videos with darker scenes and brighter colors with lighter scenes.
Font Style
Go for simple and clean subtitle font styles. You might already know by now that fonts are generally classified into two categories: serif and sans-serif.
Where serif fonts have small decorative lines or tails at the end of each letter, sans-serif fonts don’t, providing a clean and more modern look.
You can use sans-serif fonts like Arial, Helvetica, or Verdana to increase the readability of your subtitles on smaller screens.
Best Subtitle Fonts for Different Video Platforms
Since video content is a big trend nowadays, many online video platforms allow you to share your creative side with the internet. Every platform recommends including subtitles to make your videos more accessible. But which subtitle fonts are suitable for these platforms? The best fonts for video captions are usually readable, adaptable, and aesthetically pleasing.
For online streaming platforms like Hulu, Prime, and Disney+, sans-serif fonts like Raleway, Verdana, Arial, and more are suitable. On the other hand, Netflix uses a monospaced typeface called Consolas for its subtitles. This sans-serif font is one of the ClearType fonts that improve the appearance of text on certain types of screens, providing a better viewing experience.
Roboto Medium is the default subtitle font for YouTube users. However, you can use other fonts depending on your content. The following table highlights some of the best subtitle fonts for different video platforms. However, there is no iron-clad rule that you should only use the following fonts for your subtitles. You can use any typeface as long as it is readable and straightforward.
| Video Platforms | Subtitle Fonts |
| YouTube | Roboto Medium |
| Arial, Helvetica, Times | |
| Netflix | Consolas |
| Amazon Prime | PT Sans |
| Hulu | Nunito, Raleway |
| Disney+ | Futura, Verdana |
Add Custom Subtitle Fonts with Limegreen Media
Choosing the best font for subtitles can help you gain more views. While some of our recommended fonts are easily accessible, others include complex licensing agreements. If you create a lot of video content and don’t have the time to add subtitles, the best solution is to use our video subtitling services.
At Limegreen Media, our team of experts works with the latest technology to deliver excellent results with over 99% accuracy. We use the most readable subtitle fonts to satisfy your requirements and comply with the accessibility laws.
