Descript

Edit video and podcasts by editing the transcript, with an AI co-editor

Made by
Descript
Free plan
Limited free plan
Paid from
$24/mo
Skill level
Anyone
Works on
Mac · Windows
Checked 23 Sep 2026Visit Descript →
Best for

Podcasters and talking-head creators who want to cut, clean audio and caption recordings by editing text.

Not great for

Long-form or high-volume work on cheap plans: every uploaded hour counts against a monthly media-minute cap, whether or not it is transcribed.

What it is

Descript lets you edit video and audio by editing a transcript. Delete a sentence from the text and it is cut from the recording; remove filler words and long pauses in one step. Its AI co-editor, Underlord, can also clean up audio, add captions, and suggest clips.

It is a favourite with podcasters and anyone making talking-head video, because it makes editing feel like editing a document. It runs as a desktop app on Mac and Windows. The free plan includes 60 media minutes a month; Hobbyist is $24 a month billed monthly. Every hour you upload counts against your monthly media allowance, which adds up for long recordings.

Descript says its production AI models use no user data. Sharing data for research is a separate setting you can switch off in App Settings.

Pricing

Limited free plan: 60 media minutes/month, 100 one-time AI credits, limited AI tools.

PlanPriceWhat you get
Free$060 media min/month; 100 one-time AI credits
Hobbyist$24/monthBilled monthly ($16/mo billed yearly); 10 media hours, 400 AI credits/month; 1080p no watermark
Creator$35/monthBilled monthly ($24/mo billed yearly); 30 media hours, 800 AI credits/month; 4K; full Underlord
Business$65/monthBilled monthly ($50/mo billed yearly); 40 media hours, 1,500 AI credits/month; dubbing, brand studio

Prices in US dollars, billed monthly unless the plan says otherwise. Makers change prices often; check their site before you buy.

Your data

Descript says its production AI models use no user data. Sharing data for R&D is a separate setting you can turn off under App Settings > Profile > 'Share data with Descript'.

Sources checked (4)
  1. descript.com
  2. shade.inc
  3. help.descript.com
  4. descript.com

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