ClipsPalBlog ·
Descript pricing: plans, limits and media minutes
Descript pricing runs from a free plan to Hobbyist at $16 a month on annual billing, Creator at $24 and Business at $50, per person. Monthly billing costs $24, $35 and $65. The plans differ mainly in media hours, AI credits and export resolution.
Descript plans and prices
Prices are per person per month.
| Plan | Monthly billing | Annual billing (per month) | Media hours per month | AI credits | Local export |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | 1 | 100, one time | 720p |
| Hobbyist | $24 | $16 | 10 | 400 per month | 1080p |
| Creator | $35 | $24 | 30 | 800 per month | 4k |
| Business | $65 | $50 | 40 | 1,500 per month | 4k |
Enterprise is custom-priced through Descript's sales team. Every plan transcribes in 25 languages.
What Descript costs per year
Per person, over 12 months:
| Plan | 12 months on monthly billing | 12 months on annual billing | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hobbyist | $288 | $192 | $96 less |
| Creator | $420 | $288 | $132 less |
| Business | $780 | $600 | $180 less |
The cost keeps running. Three years of Hobbyist on annual billing is $576, and three years of Creator is $864. A one-time editor such as ClipsPal costs $49 to $99 one-time and includes updates forever.
Media hours, AI credits and export limits explained
Media hours count the media you upload and the media you record in Descript, whether or not you transcribe it. Free gets 1 hour a month (60 minutes), Hobbyist 10, Creator 30 and Business 40.
AI credits count your use of AI features such as Underlord, Studio Sound, Green Screen, Eye Contact and AI-generated media and avatars. Free gets 100 credits once, not every month. Paid plans get a monthly allowance.
Export resolution depends on the plan. Free exports locally at 720p, Hobbyist at 1080p, and only Creator and Business reach 4k. Web-link exports follow the same resolutions and are capped at 1 hour on Free and Hobbyist, 3 hours on Creator and Business.
Creator and Business can buy top ups for more media hours and AI credits.
Which Descript plan fits
A solo creator editing a few talking-head videos a month should check Hobbyist first: 10 media hours a month and 1080p export are the two limits that decide it.
A weekly channel with long raw recordings should count raw hours, not finished minutes. Media hours track the footage you import, so a 40-minute recording with a 6-minute keeper uses 40 minutes of the allowance.
If you need 4k export or more than one seat, start at Creator, which includes up to 3 seats billed separately. Business covers up to 5 seats and adds priority support with an SLA.
Descript pricing vs a one-time local editor
If the monthly bill is the problem, ClipsPal is a one-time alternative. It is a desktop app for macOS 14 and later, with a Windows 11 beta, and there is no browser editor. Video, audio and transcription stay on your computer. AI editing runs through an AI account you already use or a free local model, and nothing is billed per video.
The workflow in the app:
- Import your clips, or record your voice or screen on a Mac.
- Run the auto edit. It cuts failed takes, silences and filler words.
- Review the result on the multi-track timeline and in the transcript, and fix wrong words in the subtitles.
- Open the Export dialog and choose 1080p or 1440p, with burned subtitles or an optional SRT file.
The same recording can also become vertical shorts and an article. The license is a lifetime purchase with a 14-day refund and no trial.
ClipsPal exports at 1080p or 1440p and does not generate footage from a text prompt. For a side-by-side of editors, read Descript alternatives and Descript vs Gling. For how editing from a transcript works, see transcript-based video editing.
Questions
Is Descript free?+
Yes, there is a Free plan at $0 and you do not need a credit card to start. It includes 1 media hour a month, 100 AI credits once, 25 transcription languages and 720p local export. Hobbyist, Creator and Business are the paid plans.
Is annual billing cheaper?+
Yes. Annual billing saves about 33% on Hobbyist, 31% on Creator and 23% on Business compared with paying monthly. Paid subscriptions are charged automatically to the card you provide, on the billing cycle you pick, and you can cancel from your Descript subscription page.
Can I get more media hours or AI credits?+
Creator and Business include access to top ups for both media hours and AI credits. Enterprise sizes media hours and AI credits to the team.
Are there student or non-profit rates?+
Descript offers special rates for students, educators and non-profits. You request them through a form on its pricing page.