Descript Cost: Complete Pricing Breakdown
Descript is one of the most interesting video editing tools out there. It lets you edit video like you're editing a Word doc - delete text, and the video cuts. It's genuinely clever. But the pricing? It's gotten complicated.
In September 2025, Descript overhauled their pricing structure, replacing the old transcription-hours system with "media minutes" and "AI credits." If you're looking at Descript for your podcast, YouTube channel, or video production, here's exactly what you'll pay.
Descript Pricing Plans at a Glance
Descript offers five tiers: Free, Hobbyist, Creator, Business, and Enterprise. Paid plans start at $16/month with annual billing.
| Plan | Monthly (billed annually) | Monthly (billed monthly) | Media Hours | AI Credits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | 1 hour/month | 100 (one-time) |
| Hobbyist | $16 | $24 | 10 hours/month | 400/month |
| Creator | $24 | $35 | 30 hours/month | 800/month |
| Business | $55 | ~$70 | 40 hours/month | 1,200/month |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | Custom | Custom |
If you're a student, educator, or nonprofit, Descript offers a special plan at just $5/month with Creator-level features but limited to 4 hours of transcription monthly.
What the Free Plan Actually Gets You
Descript's free plan is more of a demo than a working tool. You get 1 hour of media minutes per month, 720p export resolution, 5GB of cloud storage, and only 1 watermark-free export monthly. The 100 AI credits are a one-time grant - once they're gone, they're gone.
The brutal reality: you'll burn through that 1 hour just playing around and learning the interface. If you're evaluating Descript, expect to hit the paywall within a single session.
That said, the free plan does include basic editing, transcription in 25 languages, and access to templates and stock media. It's enough to see if you like how Descript works before committing.
Hobbyist Plan ($16/month) - For Occasional Creators
The Hobbyist tier is designed for solo creators who edit occasionally - maybe one or two projects per month. Here's what you get:
- 10 media hours per month
- 400 AI credits per month
- 1080p watermark-free exports
- Access to Underlord (Descript's AI editing assistant)
- AI tools like Studio Sound, filler word removal, and clip creation
- 30 minutes of AI speech with stock voices or custom voice clones
The Hobbyist plan runs $16/month on annual billing or $24/month if you pay monthly. That's a 33% premium for monthly flexibility.
This tier works for hobbyist podcasters putting out 1-2 episodes monthly, or YouTubers doing occasional video content. If you're producing more frequently, you'll run into the 10-hour limit fast.
Creator Plan ($24/month) - The Sweet Spot for Weekly Content
The Creator plan is where most serious content creators land. It's built for people publishing about once a week. What you get:
- 30 media hours per month (1,800 media minutes)
- 800 AI credits per month
- 4K export resolution
- 100GB cloud storage
- Full access to the AI suite
- Team scaling - add up to 3 editors (billed separately)
At $24/month annual ($35/month billed monthly), this is the plan most YouTubers and podcasters should consider. The jump from 10 to 30 hours is significant, and 4K export unlocks proper quality for YouTube.
Business Plan ($55/month) - For Teams and Heavy Users
The Business plan is designed for people or teams producing content multiple times per week or as their primary job. Key features:
- 40 media hours per month
- 1,200 AI credits per month
- Team collaboration features
- Priority support
- 2TB cloud storage
At $55/month (annual), this tier makes sense for agencies, production companies, or high-volume creators. The 40 hours gives you headroom for multiple daily recordings, and the collaboration tools let teams work together on projects.
Understanding Media Minutes and AI Credits
Here's where Descript's pricing gets tricky. The new system uses two separate resource pools:
Media Minutes: These tick down whenever you upload or record audio/video in Descript. Still images count as 1 second each. Unused minutes don't roll over month-to-month.
AI Credits: These get consumed when you use AI features. Some examples of credit costs:
- Studio Sound: 10 credits per use
- Eye Contact: 10 credits per use
- Dubbing: 15 credits per minute
- Text-to-speech: ~5 credits per minute
The credit system replaces the old model where each AI feature had its own limit. Now you get a flexible pool to spend however you want. That's good. But tracking your usage across two separate pools adds mental overhead.
Neither media minutes nor AI credits roll over. Use them or lose them each month. Descript says top-up purchases are "coming soon" for when you need more mid-cycle.
The Hidden Costs Nobody Talks About
A few things to watch for:
Learning curve cost: Descript works differently than traditional editors. Expect to waste some media minutes just figuring out the interface.
Overage risk: With no rollover and credits that reset monthly, heavy users in some months eat into budgets. Currently there's no way to buy more mid-month (though this is supposedly coming).
Export reliability issues: Some users report buggy exports that require re-rendering projects. When you're paying per-minute and per-credit, having to redo work hurts more.
Is Descript Worth the Cost?
Descript excels at a specific workflow: editing talking-head videos and podcasts by manipulating the transcript. The text-based editing, automatic filler word removal, and Studio Sound enhancement genuinely save hours for the right type of content.
For video podcasters and YouTubers who record themselves talking to camera, the $24/month Creator plan offers real value. Being able to delete an "um" by deleting text is legitimately faster than scrubbing through a timeline.
But if you need advanced color grading, multi-layer compositions, or detailed motion graphics, Descript isn't trying to compete with Premiere or DaVinci Resolve. It's a different tool for a different job.
Who should use Descript:
- Podcasters who want faster editing
- YouTubers doing talking-head content
- Marketers creating quick video content
- Anyone who hates traditional timeline editing
Who should look elsewhere:
- Professional video editors needing full control
- Users on a tight budget (the free tier is too limited)
- Anyone needing consistent, bug-free exports for client work
Descript vs. Alternatives
How does Descript compare on price? Adobe Premiere Pro runs $22.99/month with Creative Cloud. DaVinci Resolve is free for most features, with the Studio version at $295 one-time. ScreenStudio (for screen recording specifically) starts lower.
Descript isn't the cheapest option, but it's solving a specific problem - making video editing accessible to people who aren't video editors. If that's you, it might be worth the premium.
For more on video editing tools, check out our guides to best video editing software and free video editing software. We've also covered free screen recording software and best screen recording software if that's part of your workflow.
You might also want to read our full Descript review and Descript pricing breakdown for more details on features and value.
The Bottom Line on Descript Cost
Descript's pricing is fair for what you get, but the new credit-based system requires you to actually track your usage. The Creator plan at $24/month hits the sweet spot for most content creators - enough hours to produce weekly content without constantly worrying about limits.
Skip the free plan unless you literally just want to click around for 20 minutes. The Hobbyist tier works for light users. And if you're running a content operation, the Business plan's team features and priority support may justify the cost.
Just go in knowing what you're signing up for: a subscription that resets monthly, no rollover, and a learning curve that'll eat some of your initial hours.