Descript
Edit video and podcasts by editing the transcript
descript.com Free tier Checked 30 August 2026
- Price
- From $16 per month
- Not priced in pounds
- Trains on your data
- Yes
- Where data is processed
- Not published
- Data processing agreement
- Not published
- Setup
- Under an hour
- Skill needed
- Comfortable with software
What is Descript?
Transcribes your recording, then lets you cut the video by deleting words from the text. Removing filler sounds is one click. For a business making content without an editor, it collapses a specialist skill into something anyone can do.
Editing video by editing text is one of those ideas that sounds like a gimmick until you use it. Delete the sentence where you lost your thread, and the video loses it too.
The voice cloning is a separate matter. Synthesising someone’s voice needs their explicit agreement, and that includes your own staff.
What does Descript cost in the UK?
From $16 per month.
What to watch on the price
Figure read from the vendor pricing page on 25 August 2026 and not re-checked. Priced in US dollars.
Does Descript train AI models on your data?
Yes
Descript's privacy policy states: "We may also use and store other training data associated with AI Speakers as part of our research datasets to analyze, maintain, and improve our technology, including our voice technology." There is one narrow carve-out: "we will not use any data obtained through our integration with Google Workspace to develop, improve, or train our AI models." Worth knowing before you edit client recordings in it. Read on 30 August 2026.
The rest of the data position
- Where data is processed: Not published
- Data processing agreement: Not published
What do people use Descript for?
- Cut a rambling recording into something watchable
- Strip out every "um" from a podcast in one action
- Produce customer-facing explainer videos in-house
What does Descript connect to?
- YouTube
- Zoom
- Squarespace
- Dropbox
- Slack
Where does Descript fall short?
- Transcription accuracy governs everything, and strong regional accents degrade it
- Voice cloning features need real thought about consent before use
- Priced in US dollars
Who is Descript for?
A good fit for
- Podcasters
- Businesses making explainer video
- Marketing teams without an editor
Not for
- Recordings with strong regional accents, where transcription accuracy governs everything downstream
- Cloning a voice — including a colleague’s — without explicit recorded consent
The Torus verdict on Descript
The most genuinely deskilling tool in this directory, in a good way. Text-based editing works, and it turns a day of video editing into an hour.
What are the alternatives to Descript?
Others in design, with what each one is for.
- Adobe Firefly See vendor pricing Image generation Adobe indemnifies for commercial use
- Canva from £100/yr Design work for people who are not designers, now with generative tools
- Figma AI from $3/mo Professional design software with AI drafting built in
- Miro AI from $8/user/mo Whiteboard that turns a wall of sticky notes into a structured summary