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Descript pricing: Free, Hobbyist and Creator compared
Descript is free to try. For regular editing, Hobbyist costs $24 per editor per month, or $192 a year; Creator costs $35 monthly, or $288 a year. Choose Hobbyist for watermark-free 1080p within ten media hours a month, and compare Creator when you need 4K, more hours or top-ups.
All contents
Descript pricing at a glance
| Plan | Price in USD | Monthly allowance / export |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 1 hour; 100 AI credits once; 720p, watermark |
| Hobbyist | $24/month; $192/year ($16/month) | 10 hours; 400 AI credits; 1080p, no watermark |
| Creator | $35/month; $288/year ($24/month) | 30 hours; 800 AI credits; 4K, no watermark |
Per editor. Annual prices are paid yearly, not monthly instalments. Taxes, conversion and optional top-ups are additional; verify checkout. This comparison focuses on individual plans.
Find a plan for your workload
One editor, Free / Hobbyist / Creator. Use the length of imported or recorded source media, not the finished video.
Candidate: Hobbyist
- Monthly billing × 4 months
- $96.00
- Annual commitment (full year)
- $192.00
For 4 months, monthly billing costs $96.00 less than a full annual commitment.
Check AI usage in Descript before relying on an input of zero. Free has 100 one-off trial credits. Prices checked September 25, 2026; USD, before tax and extras. Team features are outside this comparison. Inputs are not saved or sent. Sources
Finish a short project before choosing a plan
Use a clip of ten minutes or less and check media minutes and AI credits separately.
Choose representative material
Use your usual language, speakers, sound quality and aspect ratio. Check language support and note the remaining media allowance before import.
Use the AI features you need
Try the recurring operations, such as sound cleanup or clip creation, and check the credits consumed in Usage.
Export the result
Compare Free’s watermarked 720p with your delivery requirements. Hobbyist offers watermark-free 1080p and Creator offers 4K.
Estimate the monthly usage
Multiply input time and AI credits per project by the number you expect to make. Compare monthly and annual billing totals.
Monthly or annual: compare the amount you will actually pay
Hobbyist costs $96 for four monthly payments, against $192 for a full year. Creator costs $140 for four monthly payments, against $288 for a year. These calculations assume one editor, unchanged list prices and no taxes or add-ons.
At the current rates, annual Hobbyist becomes cheaper than nine monthly payments; annual Creator becomes cheaper than nine too. Eight months of Hobbyist equals its annual price. This is a cost comparison, not a promise that an annual subscription can be cancelled for a proportional refund.
Start with the output you need. A short test can stay on Free. Recurring 1080p work within ten imported hours a month points to Hobbyist; 4K, more hours or top-ups points to Creator. Paying for a larger plan does not improve an unsupported source language.
Check source language before choosing a paid plan
Japanese caption translation does not mean support for transcribing Japanese recordings. These are different stages. If Japanese source audio is the requirement, select a suitable transcription workflow before comparing higher Descript tiers.
Use Free's 60 minutes to test the entire workflow
Descript Free includes 60 media minutes per month. Current plans count uploaded or recorded media time, whether or not the file is transcribed.
Choose a five-to-ten-minute representative clip and complete import, transcription, text editing, captions and export. Do not consume the trial allowance on a long archive before testing the final step.
Hobbyist adds watermark-free 1080p exports
Hobbyist includes 10 media hours, 400 AI credits and watermark-free 1080p export. Consider it if Free’s watermark or one-hour allowance prevents you from finishing the videos you need.
The pricing page shows $16 per person per month with annual billing and $24 monthly. Compare the full annual charge with the number of months you will actually publish.
Consider Creator for 4K, more media time or AI use
Creator lists 30 media hours, 800 AI credits and watermark-free 4K export. The pricing page shows $24 per person per month annually or $35 monthly.
If 4K is unnecessary, verify that material volume or AI usage justifies the difference. Measure Studio Sound, Underlord and other recurring operations in the Usage screen.
Keep media minutes and AI credits separate
Uploads and recordings draw from Media minutes. Studio Sound, Green Screen, Eye Contact, generated media and other AI operations draw from AI credits. One pool can stop work while the other still has capacity.
Unused monthly resources do not roll over. Multiply per-project media and AI usage by actual monthly output before selecting a tier.
Example: four 90-minute recordings each month
A planning example for one editor; finished-video duration does not determine imported media use.
- Imported media
- 90 × 4 = 360 minutes / 6 hours
- 1080p without watermark
- Hobbyist is a candidate; check AI use separately
- 4K delivery
- Compare Creator even when six hours fit Hobbyist
Choose by the first requirement the lower plan cannot meet. Do not buy 30 hours merely because each finished episode is long.
Things to watch for
Counting only transcription time
Uploaded or recorded source media consumes media minutes, even when the finished video is shorter.
Expecting unlimited AI use
Check Usage after the features you regularly use; credit consumption varies by operation.
Comparing only annual monthly equivalents
Check the full annual bill and the number of months you expect to produce videos.
Estimate the month from one finished project
Record input minutes, AI credits, export resolution and correction time. Multiply by expected production and compare the plans. For annual billing, consider the full charge and any months when you will not be making videos.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Descript cost?
Free is $0. Hobbyist is $24 monthly or $192 annually; Creator is $35 monthly or $288 annually, per editor before any applicable extras. The annual monthly equivalents are $16 and $24.
Is Descript free, and how much media can I use?
Descript Free includes 60 media minutes per month. Media minutes count uploaded or recorded audio and video, so test one short project from import through export before using the allowance on a long file.
Does Descript Free export without a watermark?
The current pricing table lists 720p export with a watermark on Free. Hobbyist is the first tier with watermark-free 1080p export; Creator adds watermark-free 4K.
Should I choose Descript Hobbyist or Creator?
Hobbyist may be enough if your work fits 10 monthly media hours, 400 AI credits and 1080p. Consider Creator when you need 4K, larger allowances or top-ups. Check usage from a finished project first.
Scope and key points
Who this helps
- You want to try Descript before choosing Hobbyist or Creator.
- You need to compare media time, AI use, resolution and watermarks.
Limits of this guide
- Japanese audio is not supported for automatic transcription.
- Try a complete export before committing to a plan.
Key points
- Free includes 60 media minutes a month for testing the editing workflow
- Hobbyist includes 10 media hours, 400 monthly AI credits and watermark-free 1080p
- Creator includes 30 media hours, 800 credits, 4K and access to top ups
What the sources say
The pricing table lists different media, credit and export allowances for Free, Hobbyist and Creator.
Media minutes and AI credits are separate, and unused monthly allowances do not roll over.
Japanese transcription and Japanese caption translation have different support.
References
- 1.Descript Pricing
Descript · Retrieved Sep 25, 2026
- 2.Track and understand your media minutes and AI credits
Descript · Retrieved Sep 6, 2026
- 3.Export to YouTube
Descript · Retrieved Sep 6, 2026
- 4.Supported transcription languages
Descript · Retrieved Sep 10, 2026
- 5.Translate your captions into another language
Descript · Retrieved Sep 10, 2026
About this article
On September 25, 2026, we rechecked prices, media allowances, AI credits and export limits on the official pricing page and added a plan calculator. Other references retain their retrieval dates. Calculations use published terms; they are not editing-speed or audio-quality benchmarks.
How we use AI in our research and writing ↗