Descript

Starting at: $24/mo
Free trial: Yes
Founded: 2017

About

Descript is an audio and video editing app founded in 2017 in San Francisco. Its core idea is text-based editing: it transcribes your recording, and you cut, rearrange or delete footage by editing the transcript like a document.

Podcasters, YouTubers, marketers and educators use Descript to edit videos and podcasts, remove filler words, improve audio quality, create clips for social media and record screens. Its AI assistant, Underlord, automates many editing steps.

As of October 2026, Descript has a Free plan, Hobbyist at $24 a month or $16 a month billed annually, Creator at $35 a month or $24 a month billed annually, Business at $65 a month or $50 a month billed annually, and Enterprise pricing. Prices are per person.

Features and integrations

Text-Based Editing: Edit audio and video by editing the automatic transcript.
Filler Word Removal: Remove ums, uhs and repeated words in one click.
Studio Sound: Improve audio by reducing background noise and echo.
Underlord AI Assistant: Automates tasks such as creating clips, writing show notes and editing rough cuts.
Overdub and AI Voices: Fix mistakes by typing new words in a cloned voice.
Screen Recording and Clips: Record your screen and camera, then turn long videos into short social clips.

Pros and cons

Pros

Edit like a document: Text-based editing is fast and intuitive, especially for spoken content.
Strong audio cleanup: Studio Sound makes home recordings sound more professional.
All-in-one workflow: Recording, transcription, editing and publishing happen in one app.
Saves time on repetitive edits: AI handles filler words, clips and show notes.

Cons

Per-person pricing: Teams pay for every editor.
Less suited to complex video: Professional editors may prefer traditional timeline editors for detailed work.
AI credits are limited: Heavy AI use can exhaust monthly allowances.

Founder

Andrew Mason

Founder, Descript

Andrew Mason founded Descript in 2017. He is best known as the co-founder and former CEO of Groupon, and Descript grew out of his earlier audio-tour startup, Detour.