Tinrec vs Subanana: 2 Cantonese Subtitle Apps Tested for Meeting Notes in 2026

When looking for a Cantonese subtitle app, most people get stuck not on "which one is more accurate" but on a more fundamental question: do you want a subtitle file, or data you can use directly after a meeting ends?

These two things look similar but actually lead to completely different tools.

When I organize Cantonese content myself, I first ask: is this purely for adding subtitles to a video, or do I need to capture the decisions, action items, and who agreed to what from the meeting? The former compares output formats; the latter compares organization and collaboration capabilities.

There are many tools on the market for handling Cantonese. Besides the main subjects of this article, Tinrec and Subanana, there are also Zeemo, CantoSub, youtuber.ai, and other options. Below we focus on the two most commonly compared, breaking them down across 5 dimensions.

Tinrec vs Subanana | Quick Overview

Tinrec is an AI meeting notes and collaboration tool for individuals and teams; Subanana focuses on Cantonese AI subtitles and speech-to-text.

Item	Tinrec	Subanana
Core positioning	AI meeting notes and team collaboration	Cantonese subtitles and speech-to-text
Main input	Live recording, desktop app records online meetings without a bot, audio/video files, mobile	Upload audio or video, paste YouTube/Instagram links, browser recording
Output focus	Transcript, summary, chapters, action items, mind map, reports and tables, multi-format and third-party export	Subtitle files (SRT, VTT, FCPXML), transcript, meeting notes, translation tracks
Team capabilities	Team spaces, roles, seats, shared quota, usage analytics, audit logs, recycle bin, hotwords	Source page mainly for personal use and live event subtitles
Pricing structure	Personal free version/weekly pass/Pro monthly and annual; team monthly USD 29.80 per paid seat, annual USD 199 per paid seat	Free account: 3 files per month, preview first 15 minutes per file; subtitle download is a paid feature

Next, I'll compare them one by one across 5 dimensions.

Dimension 1 | How do you record during a meeting?

Subanana's mainstream workflow is "file first, then process": upload MP4, MOV, MP3, M4A, or paste a public link, or record screen or audio directly in the browser. For live events, attendees can view real-time subtitles on their phones—very practical for event organizers.

Tinrec takes a different path. The desktop app directly captures computer system audio, handling online meetings like Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, and Webex without needing an extra bot to join the meeting. Note that this does not mean it automatically joins all meetings on your calendar—users still need to actively open Tinrec to start recording.

→ This dimension: For online meeting-centric scenarios, Tinrec saves the "upload afterward" step; for pure file organization and event subtitles, Subanana's workflow is more intuitive.

Dimension 2 | After recording, how far can you organize?

Subanana is very clear here: transcript, meeting notes, translation tracks, plus flexibility of four output combinations (spoken/written × traditional/simplified), handling "I want readable Chinese content" very completely.

Tinrec focuses on post-transcription: automatically generating summaries, chapters, key points, and action items, plus AI Q&A around meeting content, then using Agent post-processing to produce reports, tables, and documents. In other words, it sells "the things you still need to do after the meeting ends."

→ This dimension: If you want "meeting data turned into actionable content," Tinrec's post-processing chain is longer.

Dimension 3 | Team sharing and management

This item shows a more obvious gap.

Based on current public pages, Subanana's use cases still mainly involve individual creators, product teams, sales teams, schools, and nonprofits using it "individually."

Tinrec's team version is a separate team space, not multiple people sharing one account. It separates member identity from usage entitlement: roles determine who can manage the team and settings; seats determine who can record, upload, edit, and export. Members who are active but have no seat can still view, play, and read team data.

There are also shared import quotas, usage trends, member rankings, audit log query and export, audio recycle bin (currently retained for 30 days), and team hotwords. When a member leaves or is removed, team resources belong to the team and need to be handed over to other active members—they don't leave with the individual.

Note that currently it's team-level sharing with role governance, not fine-grained file-level permissions.

→ This dimension: For teams that need multiple people to share meeting assets and also want to see usage and operation records, Tinrec wins.

Dimension 4 | Cross-language and bilingual content

Subanana supports Cantonese, mixed Chinese-English, English, and 95+ languages. Paid plans allow up to 10 languages per file, and English words are kept in original form when mixed with Chinese.

Tinrec emphasizes Chinese and multilingual meeting transcription, mixed Chinese-English content organization, and real-time translation during recording—you can switch between original, translation, or bilingual view.

→ This dimension: Each has its focus, close to a tie. For pure subtitle multi-language track output, Subanana explains it in more detail; for bilingual comparison during meetings, Tinrec's real-time translation is closer to the live situation.

Dimension 5 | Cost structure and free tier

Subanana's free account allows uploading 3 files per month, previewing the first 15 minutes of results per file; downloading subtitle files is a paid feature.

Tinrec's personal version is divided into free, weekly pass, Pro monthly, and annual. The free version provides basic quota to experience recording, import, summary, and transcription; team version is USD 29.80 per paid seat per month, or USD 199 per paid seat per year (about USD 16.58/month), with each paid seat providing 2,000 minutes of team shared import quota per month. Under an active plan, live recording currently does not deduct by minutes.

The free tier design logic differs: Subanana uses "number of files + preview length" to let you decide whether to buy; Tinrec uses basic quota to let you run through a complete workflow first. Prices, currencies, and promotions are subject to the official purchase page.

→ This dimension: Close to a tie, depending on whether you "occasionally process a few videos" or "have meetings to record every day."

What unique advantages does each have?

What's worth mentioning about Tinrec:

• No need to invite a meeting bot; desktop app captures system audio to record online meetings.
• Complete post-meeting workflow: summary, chapters, action items, AI Q&A, reports, and tables all connected.
• Detailed team governance: roles, seats, shared quota, usage, audit, recycle bin managed separately.
• Usable on web, desktop, and mobile without extra hardware.

Subanana's strengths:

• Comprehensive subtitle file formats: SRT, VTT, FCPXML with style customization, directly into editing workflow.
• Four output combinations (spoken/written × traditional/simplified), plus long file support (up to 8 hours per file, max 30 GB).

Conclusion: Which should you choose?

• If you want to take notes during online meetings and directly produce minutes and action items afterward → Tinrec.
• If you need to keep asking questions about past meetings and turn data into team assets → Tinrec.
• If your team needs to allocate seats, view usage, and check operation records → Tinrec team version.
• If you just want an SRT or FCPXML subtitle file to bring into editing software for publishing → Subanana's output formats are more suitable.
• If you're handling live event real-time subtitles → Subanana has corresponding scenarios.

In one sentence: The intersection of the two is "Cantonese speech-to-text," and the difference is after transcription. For publishing, look to subtitle tools; for retaining meeting assets, Tinrec is a more complete choice. It's recommended to first run your own meeting recording through the free version to see how accurately summaries and action items are captured, then decide whether to upgrade.

FAQ

Q1: Can Tinrec directly export SRT subtitle files?

Tinrec's public description mentions multi-format export and third-party tool export (e.g., Notion, Google Docs, OneNote, Dropbox workflows). If your core need is verbatim subtitle files for editing software, it's recommended to first confirm the actual export options provided in the workspace, or simply use a dedicated subtitle tool.

Q2: Is the free version enough?

If you just want to verify "whether this tool can understand my Cantonese meetings," the free version is enough. Only if you have meetings every week long-term and also need AI Q&A and team sharing should you consider a paid plan.

Q3: Will Cantonese colloquialisms ("嘅", "咗") be preserved?

Tinrec supports Chinese, Traditional Chinese, and mixed Chinese-English meeting content organization. Actual word presentation is affected by recording quality, accent, speech rate, and overlapping speakers. It's best to test with a real recording of your own.

Q4: Can it really record online meetings without joining a meeting bot?

Yes. Tinrec's desktop app captures computer system audio, so it can handle meeting content played on the computer from Zoom, Meet, Teams, and Webex. However, you need to actively start recording; currently it's not a mode that automatically joins calendar meetings.

Q5: What's the difference between roles and seats in the team version?

Roles determine "who can manage the team, members, audit, and settings"; seats determine "who can record, upload, edit, import, and export." Active members without seats can still view and play team data, but cannot perform resource usage operations.

Q6: What should I pay attention to before recording?

Recording and transcription regulations vary by location. Before meetings or interviews, it's recommended to inform participants and obtain consent. Also, AI summaries and action items may miss details; important decisions should still be verified against transcript timestamps and recordings.

References

• AI 字幕、語音轉文字及會議記錄｜廣東話都聽得明｜Subanana
• 廣東話字幕產生器 2026 | Subanana
• 廣東話字幕產生器 - 繪影字幕
• CantoSub | 香港 | 廣東話 | AI 字幕生成
• 【免費工具】廣東話轉文字app ，網頁使用！只需上傳檔案或YouTube 連結。達 96% 準確率 - YouTuber AI | Spend time on creativity, leave the AI to do the hustle work.