Descript vs CapCut
Descript or CapCut? Here is how they compare on price, free plan, platforms and the jobs each does best, from each vendor's own pages.
| Compared on | Visit | Visit |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Video and audio editor that works by editing a text transcript | Video and photo editor with AI tools, on web, desktop and mobile |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Cheapest paid plan | $16/person/mo billed annually (Hobbyist)Descript pricing | Not publishedCapCut pricing |
| What it covers | 10 media hours and 400 AI credits per month; 1080p watermark-free export. | Not stated |
| Free trial | None stated | 7-day free trial of Pro in select countries and regions, for accounts that have never subscribed to Pro |
| Platforms | macOS, Windows | Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android |
| Integrations (vendor's figure) | Not stated | Not stated |
| Open source | No | No |
| Made by | Descript | Bytedance Pte. Ltd. |
Choose Descript if…
- The job is editing podcasts and interviews by deleting words from the transcript.
- The job is cleaning up audio and removing filler words.
Choose CapCut if…
- You want a mobile app (iOS and Android).
- The job is editing short videos for TikTok, Instagram and YouTube.
- The job is adding captions and text-to-speech voiceovers.
Still weighing it up?
If neither is quite right, see how other AI video and voice tools compare: Synthesia vs HeyGen.
What Descript does
- Text-based editing: edit video by editing a document
- Underlord, an AI video co-editor
- Studio Sound, Remove Filler Words and Create Clips
- AI Speech with custom voice clones
- Translation and dubbing in 30+ languages on Business
- Screen recording and remote recording (Rooms)
Watch out for
- 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
What CapCut does
- Video editor on web, Windows, macOS, iOS and Android
- Auto captions and text to speech
- AI image and video generators
- Background removal for images and video
- Voice enhancement and noise reduction
- AI Design for automatic layouts
Watch out for
- No single public price; CapCut shows prices by region, device and promotions, and the final price at checkout
- Auto captions and other advanced AI tools are listed as Pro-only on capcut.com
- The Standard plan is mainly for the mobile app; using paid features on a PC needs Pro
Questions
Do Descript and CapCut have free plans?
Both do. Descript: 60 media minutes (1 hour) per month; 100 AI credits (one-time); 720p local export. CapCut: Core editing and free templates; limited access to premium templates, effects, fonts and music; advanced AI tools such as auto captions and motion tracking are Pro-only.