Should I use LRC or SRT for song lyrics

Use LRC for song lyrics. LRC is specifically designed for music players and supports word-level timing for karaoke effects. SRT is meant for video subtitles and doesn't work well in most music applications.

Can I convert between LRC and SRT formats

Yes, you can convert between LRC and SRT. LRC to SRT requires adding sequence numbers and calculating end times. SRT to LRC means extracting start times only. Tools like EasyLRC can do this automatically.

Which format has better player support

SRT has broader video player support including VLC, YouTube, and streaming platforms. LRC has better music player support including AIMP, foobar2000, and Chinese streaming apps. Choose based on your use case.

Can SRT files do karaoke highlighting

No, SRT does not support word-level timing needed for karaoke effects. Use Enhanced LRC format for word-by-word highlighting. Standard LRC only highlights line by line.

What is the main difference between LRC and SRT

LRC has start time only [mm:ss.xx], is designed for music lyrics, and supports word-level timing. SRT has start and end times (hh:mm:ss,mmm --> hh:mm:ss,mmm), is designed for video subtitles, and uses sequence numbers.

Which format is smaller

LRC files are generally smaller because they don't include sequence numbers or end timestamps. A typical song produces 2-4 KB LRC vs 5-10 KB SRT. Both are small enough that size rarely matters.

LRC vs SRT: Complete Format Comparison Guide for 2026

Name: EasyLRC
Author: EasyLRC

Quick Comparison: LRC vs SRT

LRC (Lyric file): • Designed for synchronized song lyrics • Uses [mm:ss.xx] timestamp format • Start time only, no end time • Supports word-level timing (Enhanced LRC) • Best for: Music players, karaoke apps

SRT (SubRip Text): • Designed for video subtitles • Uses hh:mm:ss,mmm --> hh:mm:ss,mmm format • Has both start and end times • Supports multiple lines per block • Best for: Video players, streaming platforms

Timestamp Syntax Differences

LRC timestamp: [mm:ss.xx]Line of lyrics

Example: [00:12.50]When the night has come [00:15.00]And the land is dark

SRT timestamp: Sequence number hh:mm:ss,mmm --> hh:mm:ss,mmm Text line

Example: 1 00:00:12,500 --> 00:00:15,000 When the night has come

2 00:00:15,000 --> 00:00:18,000 And the land is dark

Key differences: • LRC uses period (.), SRT uses comma (,) • LRC has no end time, SRT requires both times • LRC has no sequence numbers

Word-Level Timing Comparison

Enhanced LRC (Word-level): [00:12.00]<00:12.00>Hello <00:12.50>world <00:13.00>how <00:13.30>are <00:13.60>you

• Each word gets its own timestamp • Enables karaoke-style highlighting • Supported by: Kugou, QQ Music, AIMP

SRT (Line-level only): • SRT does not support word-level timing • Each subtitle block is a single unit • No native karaoke functionality

Winner for karaoke: LRC with word-level timestamps provides smooth word-by-word highlighting that SRT cannot replicate.

Player Compatibility

LRC file support: • AIMP (Windows) - Full Enhanced LRC • foobar2000 (Windows) - With ESLyric plugin • MusicBee (Windows) - Standard LRC • Kugou/QQ Music/NetEase (China) - Full support • Poweramp (Android) - Standard LRC

SRT file support: • VLC - Full support • Windows Media Player - Basic support • YouTube - Upload support • Netflix, Amazon - Production format • All major video editors

Summary: • LRC = Music players • SRT = Video players and streaming

When to Use LRC Format

Use LRC when: • Syncing lyrics to audio files • Creating karaoke content • Building music apps with lyrics • You need word-level timing • Targeting music players like AIMP or Chinese streaming apps

LRC advantages: • Simpler format, smaller file size • Better music player compatibility • Enhanced version supports karaoke effects • Auto-detected by filename matching

LRC limitations: • Not designed for video • No styling or positioning options • Not supported by streaming services like Spotify

When to Use SRT Format

Use SRT when: • Adding subtitles to video content • Uploading to YouTube, Vimeo, etc. • Creating closed captions • Working with video editors • You need start and end times

SRT advantages: • Universal video player support • Streaming platform compatibility • Supports basic styling • Standard for film/TV industry

SRT limitations: • No word-level timing • Overkill for music lyrics • Larger file size than LRC

How to Convert LRC to SRT

Manual conversion steps:

Add sequence numbers starting from 1
Convert [mm:ss.xx] to hh:mm:ss,mmm format
Calculate end time (use next line's start time or add duration)
Change period to comma in decimals
Save with .srt extension

LRC original: [00:12.50]When the night has come [00:15.00]And the land is dark

SRT result: 1 00:00:12,500 --> 00:00:15,000 When the night has come

2 00:00:15,000 --> 00:00:18,000 And the land is dark

AI tools like EasyLRC can convert automatically with accurate timing.

How to Convert SRT to LRC

Manual conversion steps:

Extract start timestamps only (ignore end times)
Convert hh:mm:ss,mmm to [mm:ss.xx] format
Remove sequence numbers
Combine multi-line text into single lines
Save with .lrc extension

SRT original: 1 00:00:12,500 --> 00:00:15,000 When the night has come

LRC result: [00:12.50]When the night has come

Note: Converting SRT to LRC loses end time and multi-line information.

File Size Comparison

For a typical 4-minute song:

LRC file: 2-4 KB (standard) / 5-10 KB (enhanced with word timing) SRT file: 5-10 KB (same content)

LRC is generally smaller because: • No sequence numbers • No end timestamps • Simpler format structure

Both formats are plain text and compress well if needed.

Encoding and Language Support

Both formats: • Should use UTF-8 encoding • Support all Unicode languages • Handle CJK characters (Chinese, Japanese, Korean) • Support RTL languages (Arabic, Hebrew)

Best practices: • Always save as UTF-8 • Avoid UTF-8 BOM when possible • Test special characters in target player • EasyLRC supports 99+ languages for both formats

Creating Both with AI

Modern AI tools like EasyLRC can generate both formats:

Upload audio (MP3, WAV, M4A, FLAC)
AI transcribes and aligns lyrics automatically
Choose format - LRC or SRT
Export with accurate timestamps

Benefits of AI generation: • 98%+ accuracy across 99+ languages • Word-level timing for Enhanced LRC • Automatic format conversion • 3-minute processing vs hours of manual work