Quick Answer
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Descript pricing varies by team size and features, ranging from $0 to $0 per user/month in 2026. Your actual cost depends on the tier you choose, contract length, and negotiated discounts.

Use the interactive pricing calculator to estimate your exact cost based on team size and requirements.

  • Free tier: Yes
  • Billing: Monthly and annual (save 15-20%)
  • Hidden costs: Add ~35% for implementation, support, and training

Descript offers 5 pricing tiers: Free, Hobbyist, Creator, Business, Enterprise. Standard paid plans include Free at $0/free, Hobbyist at $24/user/month, Creator at $35/user/month. The Hobbyist plan is solo creators and hobbyists producing weekly content with basic ai needs.

Compared to other ai video generators software, Descript is positioned at the budget-friendly price point.

Last verified: February 2026 | Sources: 2 pricing pages and reviews

Descript is an AI-powered video and audio editing platform that lets creators edit media as easily as editing a text document. Founded in 2017 by Groupon co-founder Andrew Mason and headquartered in San Francisco, Descript combines transcription, screen recording, remote recording, AI voice cloning (Overdub/Regenerate), studio-quality audio enhancement, and collaborative editing into a single platform. It is used by podcasters, YouTubers, marketers, and educators who want fast, AI-assisted production without learning traditional timeline-based editors like Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve.

Descript pricing operates on a media minutes + AI credits model introduced in September 2025. The Free plan includes 60 media minutes/month and 100 one-time AI credits. Hobbyist costs $24/month ($16/month annual) with 10 hours and 400 AI credits. Creator costs $35/month ($24/month annual) with 30 hours, 800 AI credits, and 4K export. Business costs $65/month ($50/month annual) with 40 hours, 1,500 AI credits, team Brand Studio, and priority support. Enterprise offers custom pricing with unlimited storage and dedicated account management.

In this guide, we break down Descript's five pricing tiers, explain how media minutes and AI credits work under the post-September 2025 model, reveal hidden costs like multi-file media minute consumption and top-up restrictions, and compare Descript to alternatives like Runway, Synthesia, and InVideo AI. We also provide real-world cost scenarios for solo podcasters, YouTubers, and marketing teams.

All Descript Plans & Pricing

Plan Monthly Annual Best For
Free Media minutes: 60/monthAI credits: 100 one-time Free Free 0 Individual creators testing Descript or producing minimal monthly content under 1 hour
Hobbyist Media minutes: 600/month + 5 bonus hours/yearAI credits: 400/month $24 /user/month $16 /user/monthSave 33% Solo creators and hobbyists producing weekly content with basic AI needs
Creator Media minutes: 1,800/month + 5 bonus hours/yearAI credits: 800/month + 500 bonus/year $35 /user/month $24 /user/monthSave 31% Professional creators and small teams producing consistent content with advanced AI editing needs
Business Media minutes: 2,400/month + 10 bonus hours/yearAI credits: 1,500/month + 1,000 bonus/year $65 /user/month $50 /user/monthSave 23% Teams and agencies needing collaboration tools, brand templates, multi-language dubbing, and priority support
Enterprise Media minutes: Custom allocationAI credits: Custom allocation Contact Contact Large enterprises with custom requirements, high-volume production, and security/compliance demands
View all features by plan

Free

  • 60 media minutes/month
  • 100 AI credits (one-time grant)
  • 1080p export with watermark
  • 1 watermark-free export per month
  • 25-language transcription
  • 8+ speaker detection
  • Limited AI tools (Underlord, Studio Sound, Green Screen, Eye Contact, Filler Word Removal)
  • Screen recording
  • Remote recording (Rooms) - 2-5 hours/month
  • 10 simultaneous participants

Hobbyist

  • 600 media minutes/month (10 hours)
  • 5 bonus hours annually
  • 400 AI credits/month
  • 1080p watermark-free export
  • 25-language transcription
  • 8+ speaker detection
  • Basic AI suite access
  • 30 minutes/month AI speech (stock or cloned voice)
  • 5 minutes/month AI avatars
  • All Free plan features without watermark
  • Remote recording (Rooms) - 2-5 hours/month

Creator

  • 1,800 media minutes/month (30 hours)
  • 5 bonus hours annually
  • 800 AI credits/month
  • 500 bonus AI credits annually
  • 4K watermark-free export
  • Full AI tools access (20+ tools)
  • 2 hours/month AI speech
  • 30 minutes/month dubbing (20+ languages)
  • 10 minutes/month AI avatars
  • Multitrack transcription
  • Transcription glossary
  • Advanced AI video generation
  • Royalty-free stock media library
  • Up to 3 team members (billed separately)
  • 15 hours/month remote recording
  • Top-ups available

Business

  • 2,400 media minutes/month (40 hours)
  • 10 bonus hours annually
  • 1,500 AI credits/month
  • 1,000 bonus AI credits annually
  • 4K watermark-free export
  • Full Professional AI suite (30+ tools)
  • 5 hours/month AI speech
  • 2 hours/month dubbing with proofread (30+ languages)
  • 30 minutes/month AI avatars
  • Custom avatar creation
  • Team-wide Brand Studio
  • Basic seats for non-editors
  • Multitrack transcription and glossary
  • Translation proofread
  • Priority support with SLA
  • Up to 5 team members (billed separately)
  • 25 hours/month remote recording
  • Top-ups available

Enterprise

  • Custom media minutes allocation
  • Custom AI credits allocation
  • Unlimited team members
  • Unlimited cloud storage
  • All Business plan features
  • Advanced SSO/SCIM security
  • Granular brand controls
  • Custom AI controls
  • Flexible licensing and billing
  • Dedicated account manager
  • White-glove onboarding and support
  • Custom integrations
  • Custom contract terms
  • Security review and compliance
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Hidden Costs to Budget For

Watch for 6 hidden costs
  • Media minutes count every uploaded file separately: uploading host audio, guest audio, cleaned audio, and video for a 1-hour podcast consumes 4 hours of media minutes, not 1 hour, making multi-file workflows up to 4x more expensive than expected
  • AI credits meter every AI operation individually: Studio Sound uses ~10 credits per application, so Hobbyist's 400 monthly credits only cover about 40 Studio Sound uses before hitting the limit mid-month
  • Top-ups for additional media minutes and AI credits are only available on Creator ($24+/month) and Business ($50+/month) plans - Free and Hobbyist users cannot purchase more when they run out and must upgrade instead
  • Per-user pricing multiplies quickly for teams: a 5-person team on Business pays $50/month x 5 = $250/month (annual) or $65/month x 5 = $325/month (monthly), as each editor seat is billed separately
  • Annual billing locks you in with up to 35% savings but requires full upfront commitment: canceling mid-year forfeits remaining months, and monthly billing costs 33-54% more ($24 vs $16, $35 vs $24, $65 vs $50 per month)
  • Foreign transaction fees for international users: Descript is US-based, potentially triggering 1-3% foreign currency conversion fees on every billing cycle for non-US customers
Tip

Ask your Descript sales rep about these costs upfront. Getting them in writing before signing can save you from surprise charges later.

Full hidden costs breakdown →

Frequently Asked Questions

01 How much does Descript cost?

Descript pricing starts free with 60 media minutes/month and 100 one-time AI credits. Paid plans are Hobbyist at $24/month ($16/month billed annually) with 10 hours and 400 AI credits, Creator at $35/month ($24/month annual) with 30 hours, 800 AI credits, and 4K export, and Business at $65/month ($50/month annual) with 40 hours, 1,500 AI credits, and team collaboration features. Enterprise has custom pricing. Annual billing saves up to 35%.

02 Is Descript free?

Yes, Descript offers a forever-free plan with no credit card required. The Free plan includes 60 media minutes per month, 100 one-time AI credits, 1080p export with watermark, and 1 watermark-free export per month. It includes limited AI tools like Studio Sound, Green Screen, Eye Contact, and Filler Word Removal. However, the 60-minute limit and one-time AI credits mean most active creators will need a paid plan within the first month.

03 What is Descript?

Descript is an AI-powered video and audio editing platform that lets you edit media by editing text, like a word processor. Founded in 2017 by Groupon co-founder Andrew Mason, Descript combines transcription, screen recording, remote recording, AI voice cloning (Overdub), studio-quality audio enhancement, green screen, eye contact correction, and collaborative editing into one platform. It is used by podcasters, YouTubers, marketers, and educators who want fast, AI-assisted video and audio production without learning traditional timeline-based editors.

04 How do Descript media minutes work?

Media minutes track every minute of media you upload or record in Descript. Since September 2025, each file counts separately toward your limit. Uploading 3 separate 10-minute files for the same project consumes 30 media minutes, not 10. Free gets 60 minutes/month, Hobbyist gets 600 (10 hours), Creator gets 1,800 (30 hours), and Business gets 2,400 (40 hours). Multi-file workflows like multi-camera podcasts can burn through media minutes much faster than expected.

05 Descript vs Adobe Premiere Pro?

Descript ($0-50/month) offers AI-powered text-based editing ideal for creators, podcasters, and social media content. Adobe Premiere Pro ($22.99/month) is industry-standard timeline-based editing for professional filmmakers and video editors. Choose Descript if you want speed, AI features (Overdub, Studio Sound, auto-captions), and simplicity. Choose Premiere Pro if you need advanced color grading, multi-camera editing, VFX compositing, and creative suite integration. Descript has a gentler learning curve; Premiere Pro has far deeper editing capabilities.

06 What are AI credits in Descript and how fast do they run out?

AI credits meter your usage of Descript's AI features. Studio Sound uses approximately 10 credits per application, Eye Contact and Green Screen each consume credits per use, and advanced features like AI video generation and Overdub/Regenerate consume more. Hobbyist gets 400 credits/month (about 40 Studio Sound uses), Creator gets 800/month, and Business gets 1,500/month. Free plan gets only 100 one-time credits. Heavy AI users on Hobbyist can exhaust credits within the first two weeks.

07 Can I buy more media minutes or AI credits when I run out?

Top-ups are only available on Creator and Business plans. Free and Hobbyist users cannot purchase additional media minutes or AI credits and must upgrade to a higher plan instead. Top-ups are purchased at the Drive level, shared among team members, and carry over for up to 12 months. On legacy plans, additional transcription hours cost $2 per hour, but this option is being phased out for new users.

08 Does Descript offer annual billing discounts?

Yes, annual billing saves up to 35% compared to monthly pricing. Hobbyist drops from $24/month to $16/month ($192/year vs $288/year, saving $96). Creator drops from $35/month to $24/month ($288/year vs $420/year, saving $132). Business drops from $65/month to $50/month ($600/year vs $780/year, saving $180). Annual plans also include bonus hours and bonus AI credits not available on monthly billing.