Descript is an AI audio and video editor where you edit by editing the transcript, not the timeline. In September 2025, Descript overhauled pricing, replacing transcription hours with media minutes and introducing metered AI credits for features like Studio Sound and Overdub that were previously marketed as unlimited. Plans start at Free with 60 media minutes per month and run to Business at $50/user/month annually. Verified May 2026 pricing direct from descript.com/pricing.
Trying Descript before committing or one-off short edits
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Hobbyist podcasters, occasional YouTubers, and side-project creators
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Active podcasters, YouTubers, and content creators producing weekly episodes or videos
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Small video production teams, marketing teams producing internal content, and agencies with multiple editors
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Large organizations with security, compliance, or data residency requirements
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September 2025 pricing overhaul replaced transcription hours with media minutes and added metered AI credits, real costs are now harder to predict than the old unlimited-hours model
Going over your monthly media minutes requires purchasing top-up minutes at additional cost
AI credits for Studio Sound, Overdub, Eye Contact, and Green Screen are separate from media minutes and run out independently
Overdub custom voice training requires Creator or higher, the free trial is limited to a 1,000-word vocabulary
Annual billing is required for the advertised Hobbyist ($16), Creator ($24), and Business ($50) rates, monthly billing is roughly 50% higher
Team plans require minimum seat counts negotiated through sales for Business and Enterprise
For active content creators, Descript Creator at $24/user/month annual is the right tier, 30 hours of media minutes plus 800 AI credits per month is enough for weekly podcast or YouTube production, and you get full Overdub voice cloning and the AI Effects suite. Hobbyist at $16/month works for casual users producing one or two short pieces a month, but the 10-hour cap forces an upgrade as soon as production picks up. Business at $50/user/month is justified only when team workspaces, shared brand templates, and centralized billing actually move the needle, otherwise multiple Creator seats are cheaper. Watch the AI credit meter, the September 2025 shift to metered credits means heavy Studio Sound or Overdub users now hit a separate ceiling beyond media minutes.
Descript has five tiers: Free with 60 media minutes per month, Hobbyist at $16/user/month annual ($24 monthly) with about 600 media minutes, Creator at $24/user/month annual ($35 monthly) with 1,800 media minutes plus 800 AI credits, Business at $50/user/month annual ($65 monthly) with 3,000+ media minutes and team features, and Enterprise at custom pricing for SSO and compliance.
Yes, Descript has a free tier with 60 media minutes per month (about 1 hour). The free plan includes basic transcription, text-based editing, and a limited Overdub voice trial with a 1,000-word vocabulary. Free exports include a Descript watermark and are capped at 720p. It is enough to evaluate the workflow but not enough for sustained production.
Media minutes are the total length of audio or video content you process in Descript per month. The September 2025 pricing overhaul replaced the older transcription-hours model with media minutes, which count both audio and video content. A 30-minute podcast episode with separate audio tracks counts as 30 minutes of media. Going over your monthly cap requires purchasing top-up minutes.
AI credits are a separate meter from media minutes, introduced in September 2025. Credits are consumed by AI features like Studio Sound (audio enhancement), Overdub (voice cloning), Eye Contact, and Green Screen. Creator includes 800 credits per month, which covers about 40 Studio Sound uses. Heavy AI feature users can run out of credits before running out of media minutes, requiring top-up purchases.
For active content creators (weekly podcasters, regular YouTubers, course producers), yes. Creator at $24/month annual gives 1,800 media minutes (30 hours), 800 AI credits, full Overdub voice cloning, and the AI Effects suite (Eye Contact, Green Screen, Studio Sound). The text-based editing workflow alone saves hours per episode versus traditional timeline editors. Hobbyists producing one or two short pieces a month should start with Hobbyist at $16/month.
Overdub is Descript's AI voice cloning feature. You record a short Voice ID statement and upload audio of yourself speaking, and Descript generates a custom AI voice that can be used to fix mistakes by typing corrections, saving you from re-recording. Free and Hobbyist plans include a limited Overdub trial with a 1,000-word vocabulary. Creator and above include full Overdub with no vocabulary limit.
Studio Sound is Descript's one-click audio enhancement tool that reduces background noise, echoes, and hiss, and improves audio recorded on basic mics in noisy rooms. As of 2026 it is available in Early Access for all users including the Free tier. Each use consumes AI credits, on Creator the 800 monthly credits cover roughly 40 Studio Sound runs.
Descript overhauled pricing in September 2025 by replacing transcription hours (previously marketed as unlimited on most plans) with metered media minutes, and introducing AI credits as a separate meter for features like Studio Sound and Overdub. The change made power-user costs more predictable to bill but harder to predict in practice, since heavy AI feature use can now exceed monthly credits even on Creator and Business plans, triggering top-up charges.
For teams of 3 or more producing video content together, yes. Business adds team workspaces, shared brand templates, centralized billing, and roughly 1.6x the media minutes and AI credits per user versus Creator. For solo creators or 1-to-2 person teams, multiple Creator seats at $24/user/month is usually cheaper unless shared brand templates are essential. Compare total monthly cost (seats × $50 vs seats × $24) against the team workflow benefits before upgrading.
Monthly plans can be cancelled at any time, with access continuing through the end of the billing period. Annual plans are billed upfront and the discount versus monthly is the trade-off for the 12-month commitment. Cancelling an annual plan mid-term typically retains access until the year ends but does not refund unused months. Verify cancellation terms in your account settings before committing annually.
Descript handles both. The original product focused on audio podcasting, but it now supports full video editing with text-based cuts, screen recording, multi-cam editing, AI Effects (Green Screen, Eye Contact), and stock libraries. Many YouTubers use Descript as their primary video editor specifically because text-based editing is faster than timeline editing for talking-head content.
Descript is built around AI from the ground up, the workflow assumes you will use transcription, Studio Sound, and Overdub regularly. Premiere and Final Cut have added AI features (auto-transcribe, scene detection) but they are bolted onto traditional timeline editors. For dialogue-heavy content (podcasts, interviews, talking-head videos), Descript is significantly faster. For complex motion graphics, color grading, or cinematic editing, Premiere and Final Cut still have deeper toolsets.