# Descript — Text-based video and audio editor with an AI co-editor, an API and an MCP server.

> Source: AgentsIndex — https://agentsindex.ai/descript (structured, researched, re-verified)
> Facts last verified: 2026-10-19 · 4 facts changed

Descript is a video and audio editor that transcribes your recording and lets you cut it by editing the transcript. Underlord, its AI co-editor, runs the same edits from a prompt, an API call or an AI assistant.

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Website | https://descript.com |
| Price | free, then from $24/month billed monthly, $16/month billed annually |
| Free tier | Yes |

Free plan: 60 minutes (1 hr) of media per month, 100 AI credits as a one-time grant, 5GB cloud storage, 720p export with a watermark, 2 hours of recording sessions, and AI tools marked Limited.

## What it costs to start

**Free tier** · Yes — A standing Free plan costs nothing and includes one hour of media and a one-time grant of 100 AI credits, with exports watermarked.

> Free $0 Get started on your creative journey with text-based editing and give our AI tools a spin.
> — https://www.descript.com/pricing · Free plan banner below the paid plan cards

**Self-serve signup** · Yes — Hobbyist, Creator and Business all check out online through Stripe-processed card billing; only Enterprise routes through a sales conversation.

> Descript Hobbyist, Creator, and Business plan subscriptions are processed automatically to the credit card you provide, according to your selected billing cycle.
> — https://www.descript.com/pricing · Frequently asked questions, 'How are subscription payments processed?'

**Card to start** · No — Signing up for the Free plan takes no payment details, and the vendor answers the question directly in its pricing FAQ.

> No, Descript's Free plan includes everything you need to record, edit and mix audio and video content.
> — https://www.descript.com/pricing · Frequently asked questions, 'Do I need to enter a credit card to try Descript?'

**Cancel any time** · Yes — A subscription can be canceled from the account page at any time, and the account itself can be deleted with its data.

> You can easily cancel your subscription from your Descript subscription page. You can also delete your account and permanently wipe your data from our servers.
> — https://www.descript.com/pricing · Frequently asked questions, 'How do I cancel my subscription?'

## What it works with

**Public API** · Partly — A documented REST API with tokens, jobs and an OpenAPI spec exists, is free to paying users, and is presented as early access rather than general availability.

> API access is available for all paying users at no additional cost. Usage draws from the AI credits and media minutes on your plan.
> — https://www.descript.com/api · Frequently asked questions, 'What does it cost?'

**MCP server** · Yes — Descript publishes a hosted MCP server that authenticates with your Descript login and lets an assistant import, edit, search and publish.

> The Descript MCP lets an AI assistant drive Descript for you: Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, or a custom connector.
> — https://help.descript.com/api-and-mcp/mcp · Opening paragraph of 'Descript MCP overview'

## What it does on its own

**Acts on its own** · Yes — Underlord executes a prompted edit chain end to end, and an API job can import, edit and publish with no human approval between steps.

> Set up a trigger. Tell Underlord what to do. Show up when the work is ready.
> — https://www.descript.com/api · Hero section, under the 'Descript API' heading

**Limits on what it may do** · Partly — Access is scoped rather than step-approved: an MCP connection or API token is bound to a single Drive, so the agent cannot touch other Drives.

> The MCP is scoped to a single Drive. You can only create and access projects on the Drive you choose.
> — https://help.descript.com/api-and-mcp/mcp · Section 'Connect Descript to your AI assistant'

**No code needed** · Yes — The editor itself needs no code, and the vendor states plainly that the automation layer can be wired up through Zapier or an assistant instead.

> No. If you can use Zapier or connect an app to Claude, you can set this up.
> — https://www.descript.com/api · Frequently asked questions, 'Do I need to be a developer to use this?'

## What happens to your data

**No training on your data** · Partly — Sharing transcription data for model improvement is off by default and Enterprise gets a contractual opt-out, but Custom Voice training audio is used to improve the service as a condition of the feature.

> This includes use by Descript to train, improve, and develop its models and technologies (unless you have opted out of such use)
> — https://www.descript.com/terms · Section 8.4 Generated Output, paragraph

**Retention you control** · Partly — Deleted projects and accounts are purged within 30 days, and configurable retention is sold as an Enterprise data control rather than a setting on self-serve plans.

> AI and data controls: opt-out of training, custom retention
> — https://www.descript.com/pricing · Enterprise plan card, 'AI and data controls' bullet

**Data stays in your region** · No — No region selection is offered; the terms require you to accept processing and storage in the United States and other countries.

> you agree that we may process, transfer and store information about you in the United States and other countries, where you may not have the same rights and protections as you do under local law
> — https://www.descript.com/terms · Section 18, Transfer and Processing Data

**Self-hosted** · No — Projects, transcripts and media live on Descript's own servers so collaboration and version history work; no on-premise deployment is offered.

> Descript stores your project information — which includes the files you upload to Descript, the transcripts of those files, and other metadata included inside a project — on our servers.
> — https://www.descript.com/security · FAQ, 'How does Descript store my data?'

**Open source** · No — The service is licensed, not published: the terms forbid reverse engineering or deriving the source code of the app.

> reverse engineer, disassemble, or decompile the App or any other software required for use in connection with Descript or otherwise attempt to discover the source code for, or any trade secrets related to, the App
> — https://www.descript.com/terms · Section 5.2 Restrictions and Limitations, clause

**Take your data out** · Partly — Transcripts, subtitles, audio, video and editing timelines all export, and personal data is available on request, but timeline and batch export start at the Creator tier.

> You have the right to obtain all of the personal data Descript has on you in a structured and commonly used format.
> — https://www.descript.com/security · FAQ, 'Your rights', Right to portability

## Whether a company can buy it

**Security audits** · Yes — Descript states it completed a SOC 2 Type II audit through a CPA firm and publishes a trust report for further detail.

> We have achieved SOC 2 Type II compliance by going through a Certified Public Accounting firm and auditing our internal measures and controls against the SOC 2 standards.
> — https://www.descript.com/security · FAQ, 'How does Descript protect my data?'

**Single sign-on** · Partly — Identity provider sign-in and SCIM provisioning are Enterprise features; the self-serve tiers sign in through Descript's own authentication.

> SOC 2 Type II: SSO, SCIM, and audit logs
> — https://www.descript.com/pricing · Enterprise plan card, security bullet

**Audit log** · Partly — Audit logs are listed only in the Enterprise column of the plan cards, with no equivalent named for Hobbyist, Creator or Business.

> SOC 2 Type II: SSO, SCIM, and audit logs
> — https://www.descript.com/pricing · Enterprise plan card, security bullet

**Uptime promise** · Partly — The only published SLA covers support response time on Business and above; the terms disclaim any uptime or availability commitment.

> Priority support (with SLA)Get support with guaranteed response times. Our Service Level Agreement (SLA) ensures questions addressed promptly by our dedicated customer support team.
> — https://www.descript.com/pricing · Comparison table, Support section, 'Priority support' row

## Which models it runs on

**Its own model** · Partly — Descript trains and hosts voice models itself, but the image, video and avatar generation it sells runs on third-party models from Google, OpenAI, Kling and others.

> We train and host your artificial voice using Google Cloud. Also, we use the audio that you shared as 'Training Audio' to improve our service.
> — https://www.descript.com/security · FAQ, 'What are Descript's Custom Voice policies?'

**You pick the model** · Partly — You pick the model for generated images, video and avatars in settings or per generation, but the list is fixed and availability depends on the plan.

> Model availability depends on your plan. Some premium models use more AI Credits than others. You can switch models anytime
> — https://help.descript.com/generative-media/models · Availability & usage note, above 'Where to pick a model'

## Changed since our last check

- **Acts on its own**: now Yes. It was Partly when we checked on 2026-10-18.
- **No training on your data**: now Partly. It was Yes when we checked on 2026-10-18.
- **Take your data out**: now Partly. It was Yes when we checked on 2026-10-18.
- **You pick the model**: now Partly. It was Yes when we checked on 2026-10-18.

## Editing a video by editing its transcript

Drop in footage, a Zoom call or a script and Descript transcribes it, then the transcript becomes the edit surface: delete a sentence and the video loses it. A timeline sits underneath for frame-level work. The AI tools are the reason most people arrive: [Studio Sound](https://www.descript.com/studio-sound) for noise and echo, filler-word and retake removal, Eye Contact, Green Screen, automatic multicam, captions, clip generation, and translation with dubbing in 30 languages. Transcription covers [25 languages](https://www.descript.com/pricing) and caption translation 61.

Underlord is the agent layer over all of it. You ask for a rough cut, a highlight reel or a script and it applies the same tools, and Descript's help center still titles it [Underlord (Beta)](https://help.descript.com/getting-started/underlord-beta-your-ai-co-editor-in-descript).

## Two meters run at once, and only two plans can refill them

Every plan carries two allowances per editor. Media minutes count imported or recorded material: 60 minutes on Free, 600 on Hobbyist, 1800 on Creator, 2400 on Business. AI credits count the AI work: a one-time 100 on Free, then 400, 800 and 1500 a month. Nothing on the site says what a given job costs in credits, and the model page notes that [premium models use more AI Credits than others](https://help.descript.com/generative-media/models).

Top-ups are the escape valve, and they are [not available on Free or Hobbyist](https://www.descript.com/pricing). Through the API, exhausting either meter returns [a 402 error](https://help.descript.com/api-and-mcp/api). Free exports carry a watermark and cap at 720p; watermark-free 1080p starts on Hobbyist and 4K on Creator.

## The API and MCP are free to paying users and openly unfinished

Every request goes to `descriptapi.com/v1` with a token scoped to one Drive, and import, agent-edit and publish calls return a `job_id` immediately. You poll it or pass a `callback_url` that Descript POSTs when the job finishes. There is a CLI, a Zapier integration and an [OpenAPI spec](https://help.descript.com/developers). Pricing is the plan you already pay for: [API access is available for all paying users at no additional cost](https://www.descript.com/api).

The MCP server authenticates through your Descript login instead of a token and appears in the Anthropic, ChatGPT and Cursor directories. The limits are published rather than hidden: no download of a rendered file without publishing to a web link, no YouTube URLs as import sources, job history gone after 30 days, and one Drive per connection. Claude's directory connector [omits the generative image and video tools](https://help.descript.com/api-and-mcp/mcp).

## Security is audited, residency and self-hosting are not offered

Descript says it holds [SOC 2 Type II](https://www.descript.com/security) through a CPA firm, publishes a trust report, encrypts at rest with AES-256, names a Data Protection Officer and lists every subprocessor it shares data with, including Rev and a self-hosted Whisper for transcription and Hedra for avatar lip sync.

What is absent is as clear. There is no region choice: the terms have you agree that data may be processed [in the United States and other countries](https://www.descript.com/terms). There is no on-premise option. SSO, SCIM, audit logs, custom retention and a training opt-out are all Enterprise line items, so a Business team buying 5 seats gets none of them. The only SLA on the published plans covers support response times, and Section 14 of the terms disclaims uninterrupted service.

## Who it fits, and who should look elsewhere

It fits people whose raw material is talking-head footage: podcast episodes, webinars, sales calls, internal explainers, and the social clips cut out of them. One tool records, transcribes, cleans the audio, cuts, captions and publishes, and the per-person price is low enough that a non-editor can be handed a seat.

It fits badly where volume meets a meter. Forty media hours a month across five Business seats is the ceiling for a team producing daily video, and the credit cost of generated video or avatars is not knowable in advance. Teams that need regional data storage, audit logs or an uptime commitment have to reach Enterprise and a quote. Anyone wanting a finished MP4 out the far end of an automation will still open the app, because the API publishes a web link rather than downloading a render.

## What changed

- 2026-10-24 — Categories
- 2026-10-19 — Free tier · What it does
- 2026-10-18 — Free tier · Price · What it does

## Keeping it current

These facts are re-checked against Descript's own pages and updated when they change. If you represent Descript, sign in and update the listing from your dashboard at https://agentsindex.ai/dashboard. The operations this site accepts from an agent are listed at https://agentsindex.ai/.well-known/agents.json — that catalog needs no key to read, and each entry states its own auth.