Automate Basics

Synthesia vs Descript

Pick up to 4 tools and see their free plans, entry prices, platforms and limits in one table. Every fact comes from each vendor's own pages, checked 23 September 2026.

Compared on
Synthesia

Free plan · from $18/mo

Descript

Free plan · from $16/person/mo

What it isAI video platform that turns scripts into presenter-led avatar videosVideo and audio editor that works by editing a text transcript
Free plan1,200 credits per month (up to 10 minutes of video, or 10 minutes of AI dubbing, or 25 AI-generated video assets); 1 editor; 9 AI avatars60 media minutes (1 hour) per month; 100 AI credits (one-time); 720p local export
Cheapest paid plan$18/mo billed annually (Starter)Synthesia pricing$16/person/mo billed annually (Hobbyist)Descript pricing
What it coversYearly plan includes 14,500 credits per year (up to 120 minutes of video per year); 1 editor and 3 guests.10 media hours and 400 AI credits per month; 1080p watermark-free export.
Free trialNone statedNone stated
PlatformsWeb, APImacOS, Windows
Integrations (vendor's figure)Not statedNot stated
Open sourceNoNo
Good for
  • Turning a training script into a presenter-style video without filming
  • Producing the same video in several languages
  • Updating internal how-to videos by editing text rather than reshooting
  • Editing podcasts and interviews by deleting words from the transcript
  • Cleaning up audio and removing filler words
  • Cutting short clips from a longer video
Watch out for
  • Basic (free) plan: up to 10 minutes of video per month and 9 AI avatars
  • Video downloads and Synthesia logo removal start on the Starter plan
  • Yearly Starter plan is capped at 120 minutes of video per year
  • Free plan: 1 media hour per month, 100 one-time AI credits and 720p export
  • Hobbyist exports up to 1080p; 4K export starts on Creator
  • Desktop app requires macOS 14 (Sonoma) or Windows 11 or newer
Made bySynthesia LtdDescript

Entry prices are the cheapest paid plan, as each vendor publishes it; “What it covers” says what that price is per (a user, a channel, a brand, a number of contacts). The sources are listed on each tool's page.

Every tool in AI video and voice tools is on its category page, with the written head-to-heads on Compare.