Price checked Oct 10, 2026
Review · AI Video & Avatars
Descript Review (2026)
Descript review: Edit audio and video by editing the transcript, like a document, with an AI co-editor called Underlord.
- Free plan: yes, 60 media min/mo
- From: $24/mo · $16 yearly
- Hobbyist: 10 media hours/mo
- Best for: podcasts and talking-head video
Affiliate link: we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. The “Try Descript” button under Pricing is our one affiliate link. Nothing else on this page is.
Summary
Quick verdict: the most natural editor for anyone who talks for a living, but your monthly “media hours” are counted on every upload, used or not.
- Descript transcribes your recording and lets you cut the video by deleting words in the transcript.
- AI tools sit on top: Studio Sound, filler-word removal, eye contact, green screen, clip creation, AI voices and avatars, and an AI co-editor called Underlord.
- Plans: Free, Hobbyist ($24 a month or $16 billed yearly), Creator ($35 or $24), Business ($65 or $50), and Enterprise.
- Each plan has two meters: media hours (how much you upload or record) and AI credits (how much AI you use).
- Creator is labeled “Most popular” on Descript’s page. That is their label, not our rating.
- Honesty note: pricing-page review. We are in Descript’s affiliate program. The “Try Descript” button under Pricing is an affiliate link.
Watch: Descript in 60 seconds
Made by SaaS Finder Hub from Descript’s public screenshots. Voiceover is AI-generated.
Pricing
Source: descript.com/pricing, fetched October 9, 2026 at 7:40 AM ET, with the Monthly and Annual tabs checked at 7:44 AM ET. Re-checked on the same page on October 10, 2026 (8:22 PM ET, Monthly and Annual) in a full browser: no price changes. Prices in USD per person per month.
| What you get | Free | Hobbyist | Creator | Business |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pay monthly | $0 | $24 | $35 | $65 |
| Billed yearly, per month | $0 | $16 | $24 | $50 |
| Media per editor | 60 minutes/month | 10 hours/month | 30 hours/month | 40 hours/month |
| AI credits per editor | 100 (one-time) | 400/month | 800/month | 1,500/month |
| Video export | 720p | 1080p, no watermark | 4K, no watermark | 4K, no watermark |
| Seats | 1 | 1 | 1–3 | Up to 5 |
| Cloud storage | 5 GB | 100 GB | 1 TB | 2 TB |
| Remote recording | 2 hours | 5 hours/month | 15 hours/month | 25 hours/month |
On a phone, swipe the table sideways to see every plan.
Price snapshot: Price at the time of writing this review (October 10, 2026): $16 a month billed yearly, or $24 paid monthly, for Hobbyist. If you’re reading this at a later date, the price may have changed.
- Annual billing saves “up to 35%”. Our math: Hobbyist 33%, Creator 31%, Business 23%.
- Creator and Business seats are “billed separately”: the price is per person.
- Top-ups for more media hours and AI credits are listed on Creator and Business.
- Free’s 100 AI credits are one-time, not monthly.
- Transcription covers 25 languages on every plan. Dubbing into 30+ languages, with proofreading, is on Business.
- You can cancel from the subscription page, and the FAQ says you can also delete your account and data.
Affiliate link: we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Prices are as listed in the pricing section above, at the time of writing (checked October 10, 2026). Prices may have changed.
What a year costs for one editor (our math)
| Plan | Monthly × 12 | Billed yearly | Per media hour, monthly billing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hobbyist | $288 | $192 | $24 ÷ 10 = $2.40 |
| Creator | $420 | $288 | $35 ÷ 30 ≈ $1.17 |
| Business | $780 | $600 | $65 ÷ 40 = $1.63 |
Price history
| Checked | Hobbyist | Creator | Business |
|---|---|---|---|
| $24 · $16 yearly | $35 · $24 yearly | $65 · $50 yearly | |
| $24 · $16 yearly | $35 · $24 yearly | $65 · $50 yearly |
We re-check this page every month and add a row.
Features
From the official “What’s the difference?” table, October 9, 2026.
- Text-based editing: delete words in the transcript and the video cut follows. Unlimited projects on every plan.
- AI tools: Underlord, Studio Sound, green screen, eye contact, remove filler words, shorten word gaps, remove retakes, automatic multicam, clip creation. Limited on Free.
- AI speech and avatars: text-to-speech, regenerate, custom voice clones, stock AI speakers (25+ on lower plans, 60+ on Business), avatars from a photo on Business.
- Recording: remote recording rooms for up to 10 participants, screen recording.
- Export: the compare table lists timeline export to Adobe Premiere, Final Cut Pro, Pro Tools, Logic and Adobe Audition.
- Business: Brand Studio, priority support with an SLA, translation and dubbing with proofreading.
Who it’s for
- Podcasters and interviewers who cut a lot of talk: editing a transcript is faster than scrubbing a timeline.
- YouTubers making talking-head videos who want 4K export and 30 media hours: Creator.
- Small teams up to 5 that need shared brand templates and dubbing: Business.
- Not for you if you only want automatic shorts from a long video. OpusClip does that one job with less setup.
Related & alternatives
-
Our review
OpusClip review
Long video in, short captioned clips out. Free plan with 60 minutes a month.
-
Our review
VEED review
Browser editor with unlimited subtitles and translation, priced per user.
-
Our guide
AI video tools compared
Which AI video tool fits which job, with live prices.
The catch
Media hours count every upload, even footage you never use.
- Descript’s own FAQ: media hours track uploaded and recorded media “regardless of whether they’re transcribed”.
- So a one-hour interview filmed on two cameras would likely use two media hours before you cut a word. Hobbyist has 10 a month.
- Upload only the takes you plan to edit, or budget for Creator’s 30 hours.
Verdict
- Free: try the editing style with 60 minutes a month. 720p only.
- Hobbyist ($24/month or $16 billed yearly): one weekly podcast with a single camera fits comfortably.
- Creator ($35/month or $24 billed yearly): the best value per media hour, plus 4K. Right for most video creators.
- Business ($65/month or $50 billed yearly): for teams that need dubbing, avatars and brand controls.
Worth it if: your videos are mostly people talking, and you would rather edit words than waveforms.
Skip it if: you shoot lots of raw footage per finished minute, or you only need auto-clips.
Not tested hands-on. We make no claim about transcription accuracy or AI tool quality.
Descript FAQ
How much does Descript cost?
Free, then Hobbyist $24, Creator $35 and Business $65 per person a month, or $16, $24 and $50 billed yearly. Prices as of October 10, 2026.
What is the main downside of Descript?
Media hours count every upload, even footage you never use, so multi-camera recordings drain Hobbyist’s 10 hours fast.
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