Ijharul Islam
Descript has a Free plan and three paid plans per person: Hobbyist at $24 a month ($16 billed yearly), Creator at $35 ($24 yearly) and Business at $65 ($50 yearly), plus Enterprise on request. Plans are measured in media hours (how much audio or video you can upload and transcribe each month) and AI credits (spent by Underlord, Studio Sound, Eye Contact, Green Screen and AI-generated media).
More on this topic: Video tool pricing and alternatives, every guide in one place.
Descript is a transcript-based editor: you cut video by deleting words. Its plans also include caption translation into 61 languages, dubbing into 30 and voice clones. Figures are from Descript's pricing page on 26 October 2026. For the AI tools around editing, see our AI video, avatars and dubbing guides.
The short answer
Descript Free is $0 with 1 media hour a month, 100 one-time AI credits, 720p export and a watermark. Hobbyist is $24/month or $16 billed yearly (10 hours, 400 AI credits, 1080p, no watermark). Creator is $35 or $24 (30 hours, 800 credits, 4K). Business is $65 or $50 (40 hours, 1,500 credits, 4K). Prices are per person.
Key takeaways
- Yearly billing saves up to 35%: Hobbyist drops from $24 to $16 a month.
- Free exports at 720p with a watermark and gives AI credits once, not monthly.
- Creator is the first plan with 4K export, top-ups for hours and credits, and teams of up to 3.
- Dubbing and voice clones are 'limited' on Free and included from Hobbyist.
- Business adds translation proofreading, native-sounding AI speakers in 14 languages and priority support.
Disclosure: we make QuickVeed and show how to do this in it, along with other ways. Details about other products come from their public pages, checked in October 2026 and linked at the end.
How much does Descript cost?
Per person per month, from Descript's pricing page (26 October 2026). The page shows two prices for each paid plan and says annual billing saves up to 35%, so the lower one is the yearly rate.
| Plan | Monthly | Billed yearly | Media hours | AI credits | Export | Seats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | 1 a month | 100, one time | 720p, watermark | 1 |
| Hobbyist | $24 | $16 | 10 a month | 400 a month | 1080p | 1 |
| Creator | $35 | $24 | 30 a month | 800 a month | 4K | Up to 3 |
| Business | $65 | $50 | 40 a month | 1,500 a month | 4K | Up to 5 |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | Custom | Custom | Custom | Custom |
Extra seats on Creator and Business are billed separately, per person. Web-link exports run up to 1 hour on Free and Hobbyist and 3 hours on Creator and Business.
What's the difference between the plans?
| Feature | Free | Hobbyist | Creator | Business |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Max file size | 1 GB | 10 GB | 20 GB | 50 GB |
| Cloud storage | 5 GB | 100 GB | 1 TB | 2 TB |
| Translate captions and dub audio | Limited | Included | Included | Included, plus proofreading |
| Voice clones | Limited | Included | Included | Included |
| Stock AI speakers | Limited | 25+ | 25+ | 60+ |
| Underlord and AI tools | Limited | Included | Full access, 20+ more AI tools | Included |
| Top-ups for hours and credits | No | No | Yes | Yes |
| Stock library results per search | First 5 | First 12 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
The practical line is Hobbyist versus Creator. Hobbyist suits one person editing a few videos or episodes a month at 1080p. Creator suits anyone who exports 4K, works with up to two colleagues, or might run out of hours, since only Creator and Business can top up.
What are media hours and AI credits?
Media hours are the amount of recorded or uploaded media you can transcribe per editor each month: 1 hour on Free, 10 on Hobbyist, 30 on Creator and 40 on Business. A weekly one-hour podcast with a few retakes fits Hobbyist; a daily show doesn't.
AI credits pay for the AI tools: Underlord (Descript's AI editing assistant), Studio Sound, Green Screen, Eye Contact, and AI-generated media and avatars. Descript doesn't publish a per-tool credit price on the pricing page, so watch the balance in the app during your first month. On Free the 100 credits are given once, not every month.
Is Descript free?
Yes, there's a free plan with 1 media hour a month, 100 one-time AI credits, 720p exports, 1 GB files and 5 GB of storage. Exports carry a watermark, and most AI tools are 'limited'. It's enough to learn text-based editing on a short project; anything you publish for a business will need Hobbyist or above to remove the watermark.
Descript vs other tools for the same jobs
Descript is strongest when you edit long recordings by text and want captions, clips and a dub from the same project. If you need only one of those jobs, a single-purpose tool can cost less:
| Job | Descript | Alternatives |
|---|---|---|
| Edit a talking-head video by text | Core feature, from $16 a month yearly | Few direct equivalents at this price |
| Captions and subtitle files | Included, 61 caption languages | QuickVeed auto subtitles: about 15 credits for a 10-minute video, SRT/VTT/TXT |
| Clips from a long video | Create Clips on paid plans | OpusClip: $15 a month for 150 credits |
| Dubbing | 30 languages on paid plans | ElevenLabs, or QuickVeed AI dubbing |
QuickVeed doesn't edit video by editing its transcript, so it doesn't replace Descript as an editor. It's an option when the job is captions, clips, dubbing or avatars and you'd rather pay per video than per seat. QuickVeed plans are $18 a month for 1,000 credits (Starter), $42 for 2,500 (Boost) and $114 for 6,000 (Scale), and a new account gets a 14-day trial with 250 credits, no card needed. That makes a credit worth about 1.7 to 1.9 cents.
Which Descript plan should you choose?
- Free: trying text-based editing, or a one-off edit you don't mind watermarked.
- Hobbyist ($16 yearly): one person, 1080p, up to 10 hours a month.
- Creator ($24 yearly): 4K, a small team, or months where you need top-ups.
- Business ($50 yearly): teams of up to 5, translation proofreading and priority support.
For more ways to cut a long recording, see how to repurpose video content and how to remove filler words from a video.
Frequently asked questions
How much is Descript per month?
Hobbyist is $24 a month or $16 billed yearly, Creator $35 or $24, and Business $65 or $50, per person. Free is $0.
Does Descript's free plan have a watermark?
Yes. Watermark-free export starts on Hobbyist, and Free exports are limited to 720p.
How many hours do you get with Descript?
1 media hour a month on Free, 10 on Hobbyist, 30 on Creator and 40 on Business, per editor.
Does Descript do dubbing?
Yes. It dubs audio into 30 languages and translates captions into 61; dubbing is limited on Free and included on paid plans.
Can you buy more Descript hours?
On Creator and Business, which include top-ups for media hours and AI credits. Free and Hobbyist can't top up.
Try it with your own video
Only need captions, clips or a dub, not a full editor? Upload a recording and get subtitles or clips with the trial credits. QuickVeed plans start at $18/month, and new accounts get a 14-day trial with 250 credits, no card needed. Sign up or see pricing.
Sources
Competitor details in this post were checked against these public pages in October 2026. Products and prices change, so confirm with each vendor before you decide.
