Descript Pricing: Full Breakdown of Plans, Costs, and Limitations

Descript is one of the most innovative video and audio editing tools out there. Edit by editing text? Delete words from a transcript and they vanish from your video? It's genuinely impressive tech.

But the pricing structure? That's where things get complicated. Descript has restructured their plans several times, and the current system includes transcription hour limits, AI credit caps, and feature restrictions that can catch you off guard.

Let me break down exactly what you get at each tier so you can figure out which plan (if any) makes sense for your workflow.

Descript Pricing at a Glance

Here's the quick overview before we dive into details:

PlanMonthly PriceAnnual Price (per month)Transcription Hours
Free$0$01 hour/month
Hobbyist$19$1210 hours/month
Creator$35$2430 hours/month
Business$50$4040 hours/month
EnterpriseCustomCustomCustom

Annual billing saves you up to 35% compared to monthly. If you're committing to Descript, paying annually is a no-brainer.

Descript Free Plan: Good for Testing, Not Much Else

The Free plan lets you try Descript's core features without paying anything. You get basic editing capabilities, screen recording, templates, and access to stock media.

But here's the catch: you only get 1 hour of transcription per month. That's it. You also get just one watermark-free export per month, and video resolution is capped at 720p.

The AI features (Studio Sound, filler word removal, green screen) are limited to about 5 lifetime uses. So you can't really test them extensively.

Honestly? The free plan exists to show you what Descript can do, not to actually let you do much. One hour of transcription disappears fast when you're just clicking around and experimenting. I've seen multiple reviews mention users burning through their free hour before they even figured out how the interface works.

Bottom line: Use the free plan to verify Descript works on your machine and that you like the text-based editing approach. Don't expect to produce real content with it.

Descript Hobbyist Plan: $12-19/Month

The Hobbyist tier is where Descript becomes actually usable. Pricing is $19/month if you pay monthly, or $12/month with annual billing ($144/year).

Here's what you get:

The Hobbyist plan works for solo creators doing occasional podcasts or YouTube videos. 10 hours of transcription sounds like plenty until you realize that includes any media you import or record in Descript, whether you transcribe it or not.

The AI feature limits are the bigger issue here. If you're editing multiple videos per week and want to use filler word removal on each one, 20 uses per month can feel tight.

Who it's for: Casual creators publishing 2-4 videos or podcast episodes per month who don't need 4K or advanced AI features.

Descript Creator Plan: $24-35/Month

The Creator plan costs $35/month (or $24/month annually, so $288/year). This is where Descript starts to feel like a professional tool.

Key features:

The big upgrade here is unlimited AI feature access. No more counting how many times you've used Studio Sound or filler word removal. For content creators who lean heavily on Descript's AI cleanup tools, this removes a significant friction point.

The 4K export option matters if you're publishing to YouTube or any platform where viewers might be watching on larger screens. 1080p is fine for social clips, but 4K has become the standard for long-form content.

Who it's for: YouTubers, podcasters, and video creators who publish regularly and want access to all of Descript's AI features without limits.

Descript Business Plan: $40-50/Month

The Business plan runs $50/month (or $40/month annually). It's designed for teams and agencies.

What you get beyond Creator:

The team collaboration angle is the main selling point. If you're running a production shop where multiple people need to touch projects, the Business plan's seat structure makes sense.

For solo creators, there's not much here that justifies the price jump from Creator. The extra 10 transcription hours and 3 more hours of AI speech won't move the needle for most individual users.

Who it's for: Agencies, production teams, and businesses where multiple people collaborate on video/audio projects.

Descript Enterprise Plan: Custom Pricing

Enterprise pricing requires contacting Descript's sales team. It includes everything in Business plus:

If you're at the Enterprise level, you're not reading this article to figure out pricing. You're negotiating directly with Descript's sales team and getting custom terms.

Descript Education/Non-Profit Pricing

Descript offers a discounted plan at $5/user/month for verified non-profits and members of accredited educational institutions. This plan includes the same features as Creator but with a 4-hour monthly transcription limit.

If you qualify, it's excellent value. The application process requires verification of your non-profit status or educational affiliation.

What Sucks About Descript Pricing

Let me be direct about the downsides:

Transcription limits are confusing. "Media hours" track all uploaded or recorded media, not just transcribed content. This means importing a 2-hour video uses 2 hours of your allocation even if you never transcribe it. That's not intuitive.

AI credits don't roll over. Unused transcription minutes and AI credits reset each month. If you have a light month, you lose that capacity.

The free plan is basically useless. One hour of transcription is enough for maybe one short podcast episode. It's a demo, not a functional tier.

Pricing changes frequently. Descript has restructured their plans multiple times. The current media minutes + AI credits system is relatively new. Legacy users on older plans will eventually be migrated to new pricing.

How Descript Compares to Alternatives

Descript's text-based editing is genuinely unique. No competitor does it as well. But if that specific feature isn't critical to your workflow, there are alternatives worth considering.

For pure video editing, traditional tools like DaVinci Resolve (free) or Adobe Premiere offer more control. For screen recording, tools like our top screen recording picks might cover your needs at lower cost.

If you're creating video content for marketing, you might also want to check out our best video editing software roundup for a broader comparison.

For podcasters primarily focused on audio cleanup without the video features, specialized audio tools often cost less and do a better job at that specific task.

Is Descript Worth It?

Descript is worth the money if:

Descript isn't worth it if:

For most content creators producing regular video or podcast content, the Creator plan at $24/month (annual) hits the sweet spot. You get enough transcription hours and unlimited AI features to actually use the tool without constantly watching your usage.

Ready to Try Descript?

The free plan lets you test whether Descript's approach works for your workflow. Just know that you'll almost certainly need to upgrade to do anything meaningful.

Try Descript Free →

Start with the free tier to make sure it clicks for you, then move to Hobbyist or Creator depending on your volume. The annual pricing makes the Creator plan pretty reasonable at $24/month for what you get.

If you're also evaluating other tools for your content workflow, check out our guides to StreamYard pricing for live streaming and Canva pricing for graphics creation.