Descript — A text-based video and podcast editor that lets users cut footage by editing a transcript, with a free tier and paid plans from $16/month billed annually for more media hours and AI credits.
By Noahlast updated pricing verified
Descript screenshots & video
Descript in 20 seconds
Best for: podcasters, YouTubers, and marketing teams who want to edit video by editing a transcript
Pricing: Free for 60 minutes/month; paid plans from $24/month ($16/month billed annually) up to Business at $65/month ($50/month annually), plus custom Enterprise pricing.
- Descript's free plan includes 60 minutes of media per month and 720p export.
- Descript Hobbyist starts at $24/month ($16/month billed annually) with 10 media hours and 1080p watermark-free export.
- Descript Creator costs $35/month ($24/month billed annually) with 4K export and 800 monthly AI credits.
- Descript holds a 4.6/5 rating from 183 reviews on Capterra.
- Descript runs as a desktop app for Windows and macOS with cloud project sync.
Limitations: Monthly media hours and AI credits are capped even on paid tiers.; 4K export requires at least the Creator tier.; No native mobile editing app.
Top alternatives: CapCut, Adobe Premiere Pro, Riverside, Otter.ai, Veed.io — full list
What is Descript?
Descript is a video and podcast editor where the primary editing surface is a text transcript: cutting, moving, or deleting words in the transcript makes the same edit to the underlying audio and video, replacing traditional timeline scrubbing for straightforward cuts. Descript's AI assistant, Underlord, powers features like filler-word removal ("um," "uh"), Studio Sound audio cleanup, Overdub voice cloning for fixing flubbed lines without re-recording, and text-to-video scene generation. Higher tiers add Brand Studio for templated exports, translation and dubbing into 30 languages, and custom AI avatars for creators who want to publish without appearing on camera. Descript runs as a desktop app for Windows and macOS with cloud project sync, and consumption is metered by monthly media hours and AI credits rather than unlimited usage on every tier.
Descript is a video and audio editor built around editing a transcript instead of a timeline: deleting a word deletes the corresponding clip, and Descript's AI tools (Underlord) generate filler-word removal, studio-quality audio cleanup, and video-from-text scenes. The free plan includes 60 minutes of media per month, 100 one-time AI credits, and 720p exports; paid plans start at Hobbyist for $24/month ($16/month billed annually) with 10 media hours and 1080p watermark-free export, scaling to Creator at $35/month ($24/month annually) and Business at $65/month ($50/month annually) with 4K export, translation/dubbing in 30 languages, and custom AI avatars. It's built for podcasters, YouTubers, and marketing teams who want to edit video like a document rather than scrubbing a timeline.
Standout feature: Transcript-based editing where deleting a word in the text deletes the matching clip, paired with Overdub voice cloning that fixes flubbed lines without a re-record.
Biggest weakness: Usage is metered by monthly media hours and AI credits even on paid tiers, so heavy editors can burn through Creator's 30 hours or 800 credits before the month ends and need to upgrade or buy add-ons.
Pros
- Transcript-based editing makes basic cuts as fast as editing a text document.
- Overdub voice cloning fixes misspoken lines without requiring a re-record.
- Free tier is usable for short projects (60 minutes/month, 720p export).
- Translation and dubbing into 30 languages on the Business tier without third-party tools.
Cons
- Monthly media hours and AI credits are capped even on paid plans, unlike unlimited-usage competitors.
- 4K export and watermark-free output require at least the Creator tier ($24/month annual).
- No native mobile app for editing, only for reviewing/recording on the go.
- AI credit consumption for advanced features (video generation, custom avatars) can outpace the monthly allotment on active projects.
Descript pricing
Free tier · paid from $24/mo · verified from the vendor's pricing page
| Plan | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | 60 minutes of media per month, 100 one-time AI credits, 720p export, 5GB storage. |
| Hobbyist | $24/mo | $16/month billed annually (35% savings); 10 media hours/month, 400 AI credits/month, 1080p watermark-free export, 100GB storage. |
| Creator | $35/mo | $24/month billed annually (35% savings); 30 media hours/month, 800 AI credits/month, 4K watermark-free export, 1TB storage, unlimited stock media. |
| Business | $65/mo | $50/month billed annually (35% savings); 40 media hours/month, 1,500 AI credits/month, 2TB storage, Brand Studio, translation/dubbing in 30 languages, custom AI avatars. |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom pricing; advanced security, SSO/SCIM, custom terms, dedicated support. |
What reviewers say
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