DescriptPricing, features & deals

What is Descript?

Descript is a video and audio editor built around a transcript. Everything you record or upload is transcribed automatically, and you edit the media by editing the text: delete a sentence and the matching video and audio go with it. It's made by Descript, Inc. of San Francisco and runs as a desktop app for Mac and Windows or in a web browser.

Around that core sit AI tools. Underlord is an AI co-editor you chat with — ask it to add captions, cut social clips or translate a video. Studio Sound cleans up noisy recordings, Remove Filler Words strips out ums and uhs, and AI voices let you fix a line by typing it instead of re-recording. There's also a built-in recorder, remote recording through Rooms and a screen recorder.

The difference from a traditional editor like Premiere Pro is where you work. Instead of scrubbing a timeline to find a mistake, you read the script and fix it like a document. A timeline is still there for precise pacing, and you can send a timeline to Premiere, Final Cut Pro, DaVinci Resolve, Pro Tools and others when a project needs finishing elsewhere.

How it works

1. 1Drop in footageOr record your screen or a call
2. 2Edit the transcriptDelete words, the video follows
3. 3Export or shareCaptions, clips and a share link

Key features

• Edit like a doc

  Descript transcribes every file you add. Delete, cut, copy or paste words in the script and the audio and video update to match. It turns finding and removing a mistake into reading, which is far quicker than scrubbing through a waveform.

• Underlord, the AI co-editor

  Chat with Underlord to add captions, split a long video into clips, translate it or tighten a rough cut. You can pick the model behind it, including Claude, GPT and Gemini options. Every message uses AI credits, even plain chat, and the same prompt can cost different amounts.

• Studio Sound

  An AI audio effect that reduces background noise and echo and enhances spoken voice. It's useful when a guest records on a laptop mic or in an echoey room. It uses AI credits, though Descript says the tool has a cost ceiling.

• Remove filler words and retakes

  Find and cut ums, uhs and repeated takes across a whole recording in one pass. It saves the most time on long, unscripted recordings. Cost scales with the number of filler words removed, and it's available from the Hobbyist plan.

• AI voices and Regenerate

  Pick a stock AI voice or clone your own, then type new words to fix a line without re-recording. To clone a voice you must record or upload a consent statement in English, and Descript won't clone a voice without that person's recorded authorisation.

• Translate, dub and lip-sync

  Translate captions into 60+ languages, or dub the speech with an AI voice in another language. Lip-sync, from the Creator plan, adjusts mouth movements to match the new audio, and Business adds proofreading. Translate last: re-translating after edits uses more credits.

• Eye Contact and Green Screen

  Eye Contact redirects your gaze toward the camera when you were reading notes, and Green Screen removes or replaces the background without a physical screen. Both run on AI credits.

• Create Clips

  Turn a long podcast, webinar or interview into short clips for social media, either from the AI Tools panel or by asking Underlord. You can set clip lengths and reformat for vertical video.

• Recording and Rooms

  Record yourself, your screen or your webcam inside Descript, or invite guests to a remote Rooms session. Rooms only uses media minutes for the session length — a one-hour call with five people uses 60 minutes, not 300.

• Timeline export and publishing

  Export a timeline to Adobe Premiere, Audition, Final Cut Pro, DaVinci Resolve, Pro Tools, Logic or REAPER. You can also publish to YouTube and podcast hosts such as Buzzsprout and Transistor, or share a Descript web link.

What people use Descript for

• 01

  Editing podcasts and interviews

  Record remotely in Rooms, clean up audio with Studio Sound and cut filler words, then publish straight to a podcast host.

• 02

  YouTube talking-head videos

  Cut retakes by deleting them from the script, add captions, and fix a fluffed line with your voice clone.

• 03

  Webinars into social clips

  Feed in a long recording and have Create Clips or Underlord pull out short, captioned highlights.

• 04

  Tutorials and online courses

  Use the screen recorder and webcam together, then edit the narration as text.

• 05

  Reaching other-language audiences

  Translate captions or dub the voiceover, with lip-sync on Creator and above.

How to get started with Descript

1. 1

   Create a free account

   Sign up with no credit card, then use Descript at web.descript.com or install the Mac or Windows app.

2. 2

   Bring in media

   Record in Descript, drag in existing audio or video, or type a script and generate a voiceover with AI Speakers.

3. 3

   Edit the script

   Everything is transcribed automatically. Delete or move text and the media follows.

4. 4

   Add scenes, layouts and captions

   Split the project into scenes, apply a layout pack and pick a caption style from the sidebar.

5. 5

   Fine-tune on the timeline

   Drag the wordbar to adjust pacing and extend music or b-roll across scenes.

6. 6

   Export or publish

   Export a file locally or publish to a Descript web link, YouTube or a podcast host.

Why edit video as text?

Descript transcribes everything you drop in. Cut a sentence in the transcript and the matching video goes with it.

Find the mistake by reading, not scrubbing.

Descript pricing explained

Media hours = footage you upload or record. AI credits = tools like Underlord and Studio Sound.

Descript prices per person. Free costs nothing; Hobbyist is $24, Creator $35 and Business $65 a month billed monthly, or $16, $24 and $50 a month billed yearly. Every plan includes two allowances — media hours and AI credits — and on team plans each Editor seat adds to a shared pool. Free gives 1 media hour a month and 100 AI credits once, with 720p watermarked exports.

Media hours (Descript also calls them media minutes) measure how much audio and video you upload or record, whether or not you transcribe it; a still image counts as one second. AI credits pay for AI features like Underlord, Studio Sound, filler-word removal, AI voices, avatars and generated video. Both reset when your plan renews, and unused amounts don't roll over.

When you run low, Descript shows a warning. Creator and Business users can buy top-ups — from 350 AI credits for $35 to 4,000 for $200, and from 5 media hours for $25 to 50 for $150 — which last 12 months and are non-refundable. Hobbyist users have to upgrade instead. Plan refunds are available within 48 hours of the invoice date; cancelling or downgrading takes effect at the end of the billing term, with no prorated refunds. Discounts exist for students, educators and nonprofits.

Monthly-billing prices in US dollars, per person. Paying yearly saves up to 35% (e.g. Creator $24/mo).

Apps and integrations

Commercial use, ownership and privacy

Descript's terms say that, between you and Descript, you own your input and output to the extent the law protects it — while warning that the copyright status of AI-generated output may not be clear. Stock from Storyblocks (Descript's Premium Media) is licensed for commercial use under Storyblocks' own licence; Descript notes other libraries may need a separate licence. Exports on the Free plan carry a watermark; paid plans export without one.

Who it's for

• PodcastersMultitrack audio edited as text
• YouTubersCut talking-head videos fast
• Course creatorsTutorials and screen recordings
• Marketing teamsWebinars into clips and translations

The catches

• Free exports are watermarked720p with a watermark until you pay.
• AI runs on credits400 a month on Hobbyist; heavy AI use burns them.
• Priced per personEach extra editor on Creator or Business is billed separately.

Descript vs alternatives

Descript alternatives

• InVideo AITell it what to cut, and it edits the videoFrom $9/mo
• HeyGenA talking presenter on screen, no camera neededFrom $29/mo
• ElevenLabsLifelike AI voiceovers in 90+ languages, Hindi includedFrom $6/mo
• CanvaThe free design tool that's hard to outgrowFrom $18/mo

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