Descript Free Trial: Everything You Need to Know Before Signing Up

Here's the deal: Descript doesn't offer a traditional free trial. Instead, they have a free forever plan that lets you use the software indefinitely with significant limitations. This is good and bad—good because you're not racing against a 7-day clock, bad because the free tier is pretty restrictive if you're trying to do real work.

Let me break down exactly what you get, what you don't, and whether it's worth upgrading.

What Descript's Free Plan Actually Includes

Descript's free plan gives you access to the core editing functionality—the text-based video and audio editing that made them famous. You can import media, transcribe it, and edit by deleting or rearranging text. That part works great.

Here's what you get on the free tier:

The free plan includes everything you need to record, edit, and mix audio and video content at a basic level. Screen recording, dynamic captioning, templates, text-based editing, and speaker detection are all included across every plan.

The Real Limitations (What They Don't Advertise)

Here's where things get frustrating. That 60 media minutes per month sounds reasonable until you realize it's not just transcription—it's every minute of media you upload or record. Import a 30-minute podcast episode and boom, you've used half your monthly allowance just playing around.

The 100 AI credits are a one-time grant, not monthly. Once you burn through those testing Studio Sound or the AI green screen, they're gone. The free plan has limited access to Underlord (their AI co-editor) and restricted AI tools.

Other pain points:

I've seen users report burning through their entire free allowance just exploring the interface. If you're excited to try the free plan, running out of media minutes quickly can be really disappointing.

Is the Free Plan Enough to Actually Test Descript?

Honestly? Barely. You'll get a feel for the text-based editing workflow, which is Descript's killer feature. Editing by deleting words in a transcript instead of scrubbing through a timeline is genuinely game-changing once you try it.

But you won't be able to produce real content consistently. The watermark limitation alone makes the free tier impractical for anything client-facing or public. For anyone serious about editing audio or producing video content, moving to a paid plan is almost inevitable.

Think of it less as a "free tier" and more as an extended demo. Good for deciding if the editing paradigm clicks for you. Not good for actually getting work done.

Descript Paid Plans: What You're Upgrading To

If you like the free version, here's what the paid tiers look like:

Hobbyist - $12/month (annual) or $16/month (monthly)

Best for solo creators making occasional content—maybe one or two projects per month.

Creator - $24/month (annual)

The sweet spot for YouTubers and podcasters publishing weekly content.

Business - $55/month (annual)

For agencies and teams producing content multiple times per week.

For a deeper breakdown of all the numbers, check out our full Descript pricing guide.

How to Sign Up for Descript's Free Plan

Getting started is straightforward:

  1. Go to Descript.com
  2. Click "Get Started" or "Try for Free"
  3. Sign up with email or Google—no credit card required
  4. Download the desktop app (Descript is primarily designed for desktop use and doesn't have a mobile app)
  5. Start editing

You'll land on the free plan automatically. No sneaky auto-upgrade traps.

Pro Tips for Maximizing the Free Plan

If you want to actually evaluate Descript before committing, here's how to stretch your free allowance:

Descript Free Plan vs. Other Free Video Editors

If you're comparing options, here's how Descript's free tier stacks up:

Descript's advantage: Text-based editing is unique. No other free tool lets you edit video by editing a transcript. If that workflow appeals to you, there's no substitute.

Where others win: Pure editing capability. Free tools like DaVinci Resolve give you far more features for zero cost—they just require traditional timeline editing skills.

Check out our roundup of free video editing software if you're weighing options, or our list of best video editing software for paid alternatives.

For screen recording specifically, free screen recording software options might cover basic needs without Descript's limitations.

Student and Non-Profit Discounts

Worth noting: Descript offers special pricing for students, educators, and non-profits. Students and educators get 50% off paid plans with a valid school email. Non-profit organizations can apply for pricing at just $5/month with the same features as the Hobbyist plan. If you qualify, it's worth checking before committing to the standard free tier.

Bottom Line: Should You Try Descript's Free Plan?

Yes—but with realistic expectations.

The free plan is useful for testing whether you like text-based editing. You'll get enough runway to import a short project, play with the transcript editing, and see if the workflow fits your brain. That's genuinely valuable, because Descript's approach is polarizing: people either love it or find it frustrating.

What it's not good for: producing real content, building a portfolio, or running a business. For that, you'll need to upgrade to at least the Hobbyist tier.

Descript is SOC 2 Type II compliant and encrypts data both in transit and at rest, so security isn't a concern. Just know that you're essentially getting an extended demo, not a fully functional free tier.

Try Descript Free →