Tools · Issue #11 ·
Descript, the video editor where you cut footage by deleting words
In one line: Descript is an AI video and podcast editor for Mac and Windows that turns your recording into a transcript, so you edit the video by editing the text (delete a sentence and the clip is gone), with an AI co-editor called Underlord and a free plan to try it.
What it is
Descript treats video like a doc. You record in the app (camera, screen, or a remote session with up to 10 people) or drop in a file, and it transcribes it in any of 25 languages. From there the transcript is the timeline: highlight a rambling sentence and delete it, and that bit of video is cut. On top of that sit the AI tools. Remove Filler Words strips out the "ums," "likes" and repeated words, Studio Sound makes a laptop-mic recording sound much closer to a studio, Eye Contact nudges your gaze back to the camera when you're reading a script, and Green Screen removes the background without one. Underlord, its built-in AI co-editor, takes plain-language requests ("cut the retakes," "make three short clips from this") and does the edit for you. When you're done you can export the video, publish a shareable web page with a player, or hand the timeline to Premiere, Final Cut Pro or Pro Tools.
Who it's for
People who talk on camera or on a mic but aren't video editors: podcasters, YouTubers, course creators, founders recording product demos, and anyone who sends screen-recorded walkthroughs to customers or coworkers. If you already live in Premiere or Final Cut and do detailed color and motion work, Descript is a fast rough-cut tool, not a replacement. If you've been putting off a video because editing takes longer than recording, this is the one to try.
Try this today
Download the free desktop app at descript.com (it needs macOS 14 Sonoma or Windows 11 or newer; no credit card required). Import a recording you already have, under 60 minutes since that's the free plan's monthly allowance: a Zoom call, a screen recording or a voice memo. Wait for the transcript, then read it like a draft and delete every sentence you wouldn't keep. Play it back. Then try one AI tool, Remove Filler Words or Studio Sound; Descript caps each of those at 30 credits per use, so one run won't eat your whole free balance.
The catch
The free plan is a test drive, not a way to publish. You get 100 AI credits once (they never refill), 60 media minutes a month, and exports at 720p with a Descript watermark. Media minutes count everything you upload or record, whether or not you transcribe it. Credits go fast: Studio Sound and Remove Filler Words can cost up to 30 each per file, and even just chatting with Underlord uses a few credits per message. Underlord has no fixed price per task, and Descript itself says that makes credit spend harder to estimate; you only see what a run cost afterward in the Usage tab. On paid plans, unused credits and media minutes don't roll over to the next month, and buying extra credits (top ups) starts at the Creator plan, not Hobbyist.
Pricing
Free: $0, with 60 media minutes a month, 100 one-time AI credits, 720p export with a watermark, 5GB of cloud storage and limited use of Underlord. Hobbyist: $16 per person a month billed annually ($192 a year), or $24 month to month, for 10 media hours and 400 AI credits a month, watermark-free 1080p export and 100GB of storage. Creator: $24 a month billed annually ($288 a year), or $35 monthly, for 30 media hours, 800 AI credits, 4K export, AI video generation, the full stock media library, top ups and teams of up to 3. Business: $50 a month billed annually ($600 a year), or $65 monthly, for 40 media hours, 1,500 AI credits, Brand Studio, dubbing into 30 languages, custom avatars, priority support and teams of up to 5. Enterprise is custom. Descript says annual billing saves up to 35%, and it offers special rates for students, educators and nonprofits.
Pricing checked on descript.com/pricing and help.descript.com (media minutes and AI credits article) on Oct 25, 2026.