Descript vs Otter.ai

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

Verdict

Descript is listed under Video AI and Otter.ai under Audio & Speech AI. Both have a free plan or trial. Only Otter.ai is available on iOS, Android and Chrome Extension.

Best overall

Descript

  • Podcasters
  • YouTube creators
  • Marketing teams
  • Course creators

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.

Choose Otter.ai if

  • You want a tool built for meeting transcription and summaries.
  • Permanent free plan with 300 monthly transcription minutes.
  • Works through a notetaker bot or bot-free via desktop apps and Chrome extension.
Best for beginners
Otter.ai
Best for business
Descript

Features

19 features compared.

  • Text-based editing
    Descript
    Available
    Otter.ai
    Not available
  • Underlord
    Descript
    Available
    Otter.ai
    Not available
  • Studio Sound
    Descript
    Available
    Otter.ai
    Not available
  • Filler word and retake removal
    Descript
    Available
    Otter.ai
    Not available
  • AI speech and voice clones
    Descript
    Available
    Otter.ai
    Not available
  • Create clips
    Descript
    Available
    Otter.ai
    Not available
  • Recording
    Descript
    Available
    Otter.ai
    Not available
  • Translation and dubbing
    Descript
    Available
    Otter.ai
    Not available
  • Generation tools
    Descript
    Available
    Otter.ai
    Not available
  • API and MCP
    Descript
    Available
    Otter.ai
    Not available
  • Live transcription
    Descript
    Not available
    Otter.ai
    Available
  • Notetaker bot
    Descript
    Not available
    Otter.ai
    Available
  • Bot-free recording
    Descript
    Not available
    Otter.ai
    Available
  • AI summaries and action items
    Descript
    Not available
    Otter.ai
    Available
  • Otter AI Chat
    Descript
    Not available
    Otter.ai
    Available
  • Channels
    Descript
    Not available
    Otter.ai
    Available
  • File import
    Descript
    Not available
    Otter.ai
    Available
  • CRM sync
    Descript
    Not available
    Otter.ai
    Available
  • Otter MCP server
    Descript
    Not available
    Otter.ai
    Available

Pricing

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

  • Pricing model
    Descript
    Freemium
    Otter.ai
    Freemium
  • Free plan
    Descript
    Yes
    Otter.ai
    Yes
  • Starting price
    Descript
    $0
    Otter.ai
    $0
  • Plans
    Descript
    5 plans
    Otter.ai
    4 plans

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

Otter.ai plans

  • Basic

    $0

    For those who want to give it a try

    • 300 monthly transcription minutes
    • 30 minutes per conversation
    • 3 lifetime file imports
    • Live transcription
    • AI Chat
    • iOS and Android apps
  • Pro

    Most popular

    $16.99/user/mo

    For individuals and small teams

    • 1,200 monthly transcription minutes
    • 90 minutes per meeting
    • 10 monthly file imports
    • Advanced search and export
    • Custom vocabulary
    • Salesforce and HubSpot and Zapier integrations
  • Business

    $30/user/mo

    For medium-sized teams

    • Unlimited meetings and recordings
    • 4 hours per meeting
    • Unlimited file imports
    • 3 concurrent meetings
    • Custom AI workflows
    • Admin activity logs and usage analytics
    • Prioritized support
  • Enterprise

    Custom/custom

    For large teams and companies

    • Everything in Business
    • SSO and SCIM and Domain Capture
    • Otter API and Webhooks
    • Custom CRM and dialer integrations
    • HIPAA compliance add-on
    • Customer Success Program

Our ratings

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

Descript
8.5overall
Otter.ai
8.4overall

Descript leads in 0 categories and Otter.ai in 2.

  • Text-Based Media Editing

    Descript
    9.4
    Otter.ai
    Not rated
  • Studio Sound Enhancement

    Descript
    8.6
    Otter.ai
    Not rated
  • Ease of Use

    Otter.ai leads by 0.2
    Descript
    8.8
    Otter.ai
    9.0
  • Feature Breadth

    Descript
    8.4
    Otter.ai
    Not rated
  • Value for Money

    Otter.ai leads by 0.5
    Descript
    7.3
    Otter.ai
    7.8
  • Transcription Accuracy

    Descript
    Not rated
    Otter.ai
    8.4
  • Meeting Summaries & Action Items

    Descript
    Not rated
    Otter.ai
    8.5
  • Integrations

    Descript
    Not rated
    Otter.ai
    8.3

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

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

Otter.ai

Pros

  • Permanent free plan with 300 monthly transcription minutes
  • Works through a notetaker bot or bot-free via desktop apps and Chrome extension
  • Summaries, action items and AI Chat across past meetings
  • Apps for web, iOS, Android, Mac and Windows, rated 4.8 on the App Store from 86K ratings
  • Integrations with Zoom, Teams, Google Meet, Slack and CRMs such as Salesforce and HubSpot

Cons

  • Free plan caps conversations at 30 minutes and file imports at 3 lifetime
  • Pro caps monthly transcription at 1,200 minutes and meetings at 90 minutes
  • Business costs $30 per user per month on monthly billing
  • API access, SSO and HIPAA add-on require the Enterprise plan
  • Transcription is limited to six listed languages

Platforms

  • Web
    Descript
    Supported
    Otter.ai
    Supported
  • Windows
    Descript
    Supported
    Otter.ai
    Supported
  • macOS
    Descript
    Supported
    Otter.ai
    Supported
  • iOS
    Descript
    Not supported
    Otter.ai
    Supported
  • Android
    Descript
    Not supported
    Otter.ai
    Supported
  • API
    Descript
    Supported
    Otter.ai
    Supported
  • Browser Extension
    Descript
    Not supported
    Otter.ai
    Not supported
  • Chrome Extension
    Descript
    Not supported
    Otter.ai
    Supported

Integrations

Descript

No integrations listed.

Otter.ai

13 integrations
  • Zoom
  • Microsoft Teams
  • Google Meet
  • Google Calendar
  • Slack
  • Salesforce
  • HubSpot
  • Zapier
  • Dropbox
  • Google Drive
  • Asana
  • ClickUp
  • Claude

Company

  • Company
    Descript
    Descript
    Otter.ai
    Otter.ai, Inc.
  • Founded
    Descript
    2017
    Otter.ai
    2016
  • Headquarters
    Descript
    San Francisco, CA
    Otter.ai
    Mountain View, CA
  • Listing
    Descript
    Claimed
    Otter.ai
    Claimed

Frequently asked questions

Is Descript better than Otter.ai?

It depends on your workflow. Descript is built for podcast editing. Otter.ai is built for meeting transcription and summaries.

What are the key feature differences between Descript and Otter.ai?

Descript: Edit video and podcasts by editing their transcript, with AI audio cleanup and clips. Otter.ai: Record, transcribe and summarize meetings, with action items and searchable AI chat. Descript is rated 4.0/5 from 1 user review.

Does Descript or Otter.ai have a free plan?

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

Which is cheaper, Descript or Otter.ai?

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