Looking for a free or open-source alternative to Submagic? Captionly is the closest direct swap — MIT-licensed source on GitHub, or a $34 one-time packaged install. Since you're already auditing what you pay Submagic every month, here are four more pay-once tools from the same catalog worth a look while you're at it — different jobs, same idea: buy the software once instead of renting it forever.
1. Captionly — replaces Submagic
Local Whisper auto-captions with karaoke word-highlight styles and ffmpeg burn-in export. $34 once vs Submagic's $18–39/mo. Free on GitHub, or the packaged installer on Whop.
See Captionly → · Source on GitHub
2. UTMcraft — Self-hosted UTM builder with naming enforcement, bulk CSV generation and click-tracking dashboards.
Replaces UTM.io ($29/mo). $19 once. See UTMcraft →
3. Reflink — Self-hosted affiliate tracking with attribution, commissions, approvals and payout CSV export.
Replaces Tapfiliate ($89/mo). $39 once. See Reflink →
4. Star Stack — Self-hosted widget aggregating Google, Facebook and CSV reviews with moderation and a star badge.
Replaces Trustpilot Business ($199+/mo). $29 once. See Star Stack →
5. Clickmap — Self-hosted click heatmaps, scroll depth and session recordings, all in your own SQLite file.
Replaces Hotjar ($39/mo). $49 once. See Clickmap →
Why this list is worth bookmarking
Every app above is a one-time purchase with MIT-licensed source, no accounts with us and no telemetry. None of them are trying to be the next Submagic — they're trying to be the last subscription you pay for that specific job.
Try Captionly — $34, once
Local Whisper auto-captions with karaoke word-highlight styles and ffmpeg burn-in export.