Is Descript free? What the free plan actually includes
Quick answer
Yes, Descript has a free plan. It gives you one transcription hour a month and 720p exports with a watermark, so it works as a test rather than a workspace. Anything you publish needs a paid plan, from $16 a month.
- Free: one transcription hour a month, 720p watermarked video export, a limited trial of the AI suite, unlimited projects and captions.
- Hobbyist: $16 a month billed annually, or $24 monthly. Ten transcription hours, 1080p watermark-free export, 20 AI-suite uses, 30 minutes of AI speech, 5 minutes of avatars.
- Creator: $24 a month annually, or $35 monthly.
- Business: $50 a month annually, or $65 monthly.
- The catch: transcription hours reset monthly and do not roll over.
Descript edits audio and video by editing the transcript, which is why podcasters and video teams reach for it. The free plan is real, not a seven-day demo, but the caps are tighter than most people expect.
What the free plan gives you
- One transcription hour per month.
- 720p video export with a Descript watermark.
- A limited trial of the basic AI suite: filler-word removal, Studio Sound, clip creation.
- Unlimited projects and dynamic captions.
One hour a month is roughly two 30-minute episodes. Hit the cap and you wait for the next month, because transcription hours reset and do not carry over.
Before and after: free versus Hobbyist
| What you get | Free | Hobbyist ($16/mo billed annually) |
|---|---|---|
| Transcription time | 1 hour a month | 10 hours a month |
| Video export | 720p with watermark | 1080p, watermark-free |
| AI suite (filler words, Studio Sound, clips) | limited trial | 20 uses a month |
| AI speech | none | 30 minutes a month |
| Avatars | none | 5 minutes a month |
| Best for | testing the editor | a solo creator publishing weekly |
The full price ladder
| Plan | Annual | Monthly | Who it is for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | trying the tool |
| Hobbyist | $16 | $24 | solo creators |
| Creator | $24 | $35 | heavier use, small teams |
| Business | $50 | $65 | teams that need seats |
| Enterprise | custom | custom | large organisations |
The jump from free to Hobbyist is where the watermark disappears and the export hits 1080p. That is the line that matters if you publish anywhere.
Where these numbers come from
Figures were read from Descript's own pricing page and plan comparison in October 2026. Descript changes its packaging more often than most editors, so verify before you commit to a year.
The catch
Two things trip people up. First, transcription hours reset monthly with no rollover, so a quiet month funds nothing. Second, the free export is 720p with a watermark, which is fine for a rehearsal and useless for a launch. If you are evaluating Descript against a plain transcriber, remember you are buying an editor, not just minutes.
Quick test: run one real project on the free plan first. If you finish it inside the one-hour cap and the watermark does not matter to you, stay free. If you hit the cap mid-edit, Hobbyist is the smallest plan that fixes it.
Frequently asked questions
Is Descript free to use?
Yes. Descript has a permanent free plan, not just a trial. It includes one transcription hour a month, 720p watermarked exports, a limited run of the AI suite, and unlimited projects and captions.
What are the limitations of the Descript free plan?
The main limits are one transcription hour a month, 720p export with a watermark, and a capped trial of the AI features. There is no AI speech or avatar generation on the free tier.
How much is Descript after the free plan?
Hobbyist is $16 a month billed annually or $24 monthly. Creator is $24 annually or $35 monthly. Business is $50 annually or $65 monthly. Annual billing saves roughly a third.
Does Descript do free transcription?
Only within the one hour a month on the free plan. For regular transcription, a dedicated transcriber or a local Whisper setup is cheaper, and Descript is worth its price for the editing, not the minutes.
Can I export video for free on Descript?
Yes, but at 720p with a Descript watermark. Watermark-free 1080p export starts on the Hobbyist plan.