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Captions vs Descript

Features, pricing, ratings, and pros and cons, side by side.

Descript logo

Descript

Edit video and podcasts by editing their transcript, with AI audio cleanup and clips

4.0(1 review)Freemium
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Verdict

Captions and Descript are both Video AI tools. Descript scores higher in FinderAtlas's editorial review (8.5 vs 7.6 out of 10), led by ease of use and value for money. Both have a free plan or trial. Only Captions is available on iOS. Only Descript is available on Windows and macOS.

Best overall

Descript

  • Podcasters
  • YouTube creators
  • Marketing teams
  • Course creators

Choose Captions if

  • You want a tool built for fast short-form video editing, auto-captioning, and AI avatar or digital twin videos for ads and social posts.
  • Chat-based editing lets users change a video with text prompts, with hand controls still available.
  • Captions and subtitles in 100+ languages with 100+ caption styles.

Choose Descript if

  • You want a tool built for podcast editing.
  • Editing by transcript makes cutting speech content faster than a timeline alone.
  • Studio Sound, filler word removal and retake removal are built in.
Best for beginners
Captions
Best for business
Captions

Features

18 features compared.

  • AI Edit
    Captions
    Available
    Descript
    Not available
  • Chat-Based Editor
    Captions
    Available
    Descript
    Not available
  • Automatic Captions
    Captions
    Available
    Descript
    Not available
  • AI Avatars & Digital Twins
    Captions
    Available
    Descript
    Not available
  • Text-to-Video Generation
    Captions
    Available
    Descript
    Not available
  • Cleanup Tools
    Captions
    Available
    Descript
    Not available
  • Long Video to Clips
    Captions
    Available
    Descript
    Not available
  • Music & Sound Effects
    Captions
    Available
    Descript
    Not available
  • Text-based editing
    Captions
    Not available
    Descript
    Available
  • Underlord
    Captions
    Not available
    Descript
    Available
  • Studio Sound
    Captions
    Not available
    Descript
    Available
  • Filler word and retake removal
    Captions
    Not available
    Descript
    Available
  • AI speech and voice clones
    Captions
    Not available
    Descript
    Available
  • Create clips
    Captions
    Not available
    Descript
    Available
  • Recording
    Captions
    Not available
    Descript
    Available
  • Translation and dubbing
    Captions
    Not available
    Descript
    Available
  • Generation tools
    Captions
    Not available
    Descript
    Available
  • API and MCP
    Captions
    Not available
    Descript
    Available

Pricing

Plans as listed by each vendor. Check their sites for current prices.

  • Pricing model
    Captions
    Freemium
    Descript
    Freemium
  • Free plan
    Captions
    Yes
    Descript
    Yes
  • Starting price
    Captions
    $0
    Descript
    $0
  • Plans
    Captions
    6 plans
    Descript
    5 plans

Captions plans

  • Free

    $0

    Limited feature set, no AI credits

    • Core editing and captions
    • no AI usage credits

  • Max

    Most popular

    $24.99/month

    Individual creators wanting AI video generation

    • 500 credits/month
    • AI Edit styles
    • AI-produced full videos
    • digital twins
    • chat-based editor
    • long-video-to-clips

  • Frontier

    $69.99/month

    Heavier usage and the most advanced generative models

    • 1,400 credits/month
    • everything in Max
    • access to the most advanced generative models

  • Frontier 2x

    $139.99/month

    Double the Frontier usage tier

    • 2,800 credits/month
    • same features as Frontier

  • Frontier 4x

    $279.99/month

    Highest self-serve usage tier

    • 5,600 credits/month
    • same features as Frontier

  • Enterprise

    Custom/contact sales

    Teams needing volume and support

    • Bulk credit discounts
    • custom seats
    • dedicated account management
    • training data exclusion
    • onboarding

Descript plans

  • Free

    $0

    1 media hour per month and 100 one-time AI credits

    • Text-based editing
    • Limited AI tools
    • 720p export with watermark
    • 5GB storage

  • Hobbyist

    $24/user/mo

    10 media hours and 400 AI credits per month, 1 person

    • Underlord access
    • Studio Sound
    • Remove filler words
    • Create clips
    • AI speech with voice clones
    • 1080p export without watermark
    • 100GB storage

  • Creator

    Most popular

    $35/user/mo

    30 media hours and 800 AI credits per month, up to 3 seats

    • Full Underlord
    • 20+ AI tools
    • AI video generation
    • Unlimited stock library
    • Top-ups
    • 4K export
    • 1TB storage

  • Business

    $65/user/mo

    40 media hours and 1,500 AI credits per month, up to 5 seats

    • Brand Studio
    • Translation and dubbing in 30+ languages
    • Custom avatars
    • Top-ups
    • Priority support with SLA
    • 4K export
    • 2TB storage

  • Enterprise

    Custom/custom

    Contact sales; media minutes and AI credits sized to the team

    • SSO and SCIM
    • SOC 2 Type II
    • Audit logs
    • Custom data retention
    • Custom legal terms
    • Dedicated customer success manager

Our ratings

Scored out of 10 by the Finder Atlas editorial team. Last reviewed October 2026.

Captions
7.6overall
Descript
8.5overall

Captions leads in 0 categories and Descript in 2.

  • Ease of Use

    Descript leads by 0.3
    Captions
    8.5
    Descript
    8.8

  • Feature Depth

    Captions
    8.0
    Descript
    Not rated

  • Value for Money

    Descript leads by 0.3
    Captions
    7.0
    Descript
    7.3

  • Performance & Speed

    Captions
    7.5
    Descript
    Not rated

  • Documentation & Support

    Captions
    7.0
    Descript
    Not rated

  • Text-Based Media Editing

    Captions
    Not rated
    Descript
    9.4

  • Studio Sound Enhancement

    Captions
    Not rated
    Descript
    8.6

  • Feature Breadth

    Captions
    Not rated
    Descript
    8.4

Scores weigh documented features, plan value, platform coverage, integrations and user feedback. A missing score means we have not rated that area yet.

Pros and cons

Captions

Pros

  • Chat-based editing lets users change a video with text prompts, with hand controls still available.
  • Captions and subtitles in 100+ languages with 100+ caption styles.
  • Combines editing and generation: AI avatars, digital twins and text-to-video in one app.
  • Credits roll over up to 3x the monthly allowance.
  • API available for developers who want captioning or generation in their own products.

Cons

  • Published prices are iOS prices only; web pricing and the annual discount are not listed.
  • The free plan includes no AI credits, so generative features need a paid plan starting at $24.99/month.
  • No confirmed Android app or desktop app; availability is web and iOS.
  • Top self-serve tiers are expensive ($139.99 and $279.99 per month).

Descript

Pros

  • Editing by transcript makes cutting speech content faster than a timeline alone
  • Studio Sound, filler word removal and retake removal are built in
  • Includes recording, transcription, captions and clip creation in one app
  • Free plan available with no credit card required
  • API and MCP server allow automated editing
  • SOC 2 Type II and SSO or SCIM on Enterprise

Cons

  • Free plan exports 720p with a watermark and allows only 1 media hour per month
  • Paid prices are $24 to $65 per month on monthly billing, with annual billing needed for the lowest rates
  • Media hours and AI credits are capped, with top-ups only on Creator and above
  • Desktop app needs macOS 14 or Windows 11 and there is no listed mobile app

Platforms

  • Web
    Captions
    Supported
    Descript
    Supported
  • Windows
    Captions
    Not supported
    Descript
    Supported
  • macOS
    Captions
    Not supported
    Descript
    Supported
  • iOS
    Captions
    Supported
    Descript
    Not supported
  • Android
    Captions
    Not supported
    Descript
    Not supported
  • API
    Captions
    Supported
    Descript
    Supported
  • Browser Extension
    Captions
    Not supported
    Descript
    Not supported

Company

  • Company
    Captions
    Mirage (NOCAP, Inc.)
    Descript
    Descript
  • Founded
    Captions
    2021
    Descript
    2017
  • Headquarters
    Captions
    New York City, NY
    Descript
    San Francisco, CA
  • Monthly users
    Captions
    20M
    Descript
    Not listed
  • Listing
    Captions
    Claimed
    Descript
    Claimed

Frequently asked questions

Is Captions better than Descript?

It depends on your workflow. Captions is built for fast short-form video editing, auto-captioning, and AI avatar or digital twin videos for ads and social posts. Descript is built for podcast editing.

What are the key feature differences between Captions and Descript?

Captions: AI video editor that turns raw footage and prompts into finished, captioned videos. Descript: Edit video and podcasts by editing their transcript, with AI audio cleanup and clips. Descript is rated 4.0/5 from 1 user review.

Does Captions or Descript have a free plan?

Yes, both do. Captions is freemium and Descript is freemium, and each has a free plan or trial.

Which is cheaper, Captions or Descript?

Both can be used for free. Paid plans differ in limits and features, so compare the tiers in the pricing table above.