If you ever want to watch any foreign-language movie or TV show, subtitles are an important element to consider. On the Internet, there are many websites available that provide subtitles in different languages, including OpenSubtitles and Subscene.
The question is how they differ from each other, and what exactly they can offer to users from around the world? In this article, we will discuss the difference between these two sites. They have different policies regarding subtitle submissions, so we will also compare them in this aspect and talk about which site has more advantages over the other one based on our experience as users.
Main Difference
Just like how HBO and Showtime are different, or how Coke and Pepsi are different, these sites differ in their database size and speed of site access as well as their user interface (UI). Most users will experience great speeds on both sites and may not see a noticeable difference between them in that regard.
However, users who download large subtitles packs or use mobile devices to access subtitles while they’re out and about might notice that one site loads faster than another. This is because one website has a bigger database than another.
What is OpenSubtitles.org?
This is a popular subtitles website to find subtitles in dozens of languages. It has subtitles available for over 86000 movies and TV shows, or about 5% of all known online video content. The most frequently requested languages are English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, and Italian.
What is Subscene?
The main goal of the sub-scene is to give subtitle files a fast and easy way to download subtitles for movies or series, with a friendly interface where you can search and manage them easily. With open subtitles, you can search for millions of subtitles and download them in just one click. Best of all, it’s 100% free.
Difference between OpenSubtitles.org and Subscene
OpenSubtitles and Subscene are two popular subtitle websites that provide subtitles for movies, TV series, and music videos from all over the world. If you are interested in downloading foreign content or want to improve your language skills by watching movies in your native language, then these services will be very useful for you. However, since both sites are quite similar there is a need to compare them so you can find out which one suits your needs better. Let’s start with what we know about these sites so far
Membership Plans: OpenSubtitles.org vs. Subscene
You’ll notice that both sites offer free accounts, but if you want to access all of their features, like creating lists and rating subtitles, you have to upgrade. If you only need a few translations at a time, though, it’s easy enough to get by with a basic account for free without feeling like you’re missing out on anything major.
Pricing: OpenSubtitles.org vs. Subscene
One of their main differences lies in pricing; while both sites have free accounts, they’re different in what features are available at each level. At OpenSubtitles, you can get a full account for $0 but will only be able to download 1 subtitle per day and your top lists won’t be saved, meaning you’ll have to rebuild them every time you want to use them again.
Legal Issues: OpenSubtitles.org vs. Subscene
Back in 2009, it was discovered that all subtitles on OpenSubtitles were being stolen from a large distributor called Ondesoft. Subscene has now been around for over 10 years, and as such, is still one of the most widely used subtitling sites in today’s online world. As an open-source platform, users can freely download subtitles that are not licensed for redistribution (such as English subs for foreign films). This creates many issues regarding copyright and legality surrounding subtitles hosted on sub-scene.
Read More: Wattpad vs. LINE Webtoon – What Are the Differences?
Which one to use for what purposes?
OpenSubtitles uses crowd-sourced subtitles, and Subscene uses professional translators to do them all for you (or you can use both). They both have good and bad points which we’ll be looking at in more detail below so you can decide which one is best for you. If you’re new to either website, it might be worth having a look around before deciding because they both have their strengths and weaknesses.
Conclusion
While both sites are great and have their benefits, we feel that it’s better to go with subtitles provided by OpenSubtitles since they are open-source. This means that all subtitles can be modified or improved to provide us with better experiences as well as help non-English speaking people become more comfortable with watching English movies, TV shows, etc., although some of them will still want to watch them dubbed in their languages for reasons such as comfort and familiarity.