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Descript vs Skim

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
Visit websiteView details

Verdict

Descript is listed under Video AI and Skim under Productivity. Descript scores higher in FinderAtlas's editorial review (8.5 vs 7.6 out of 10), led by ease of use. Only Descript has a free plan or trial. Only Descript is available on Windows and macOS and offers an API.

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 Skim if

  • You want a tool built for quick pre-signature review of leases, contractor quotes and terms of service, drafting a reply to push back on a clause.
  • Simple one-off $9 price covering up to 3 documents, with no subscription.
  • No account or prompt writing required.
Best value
Descript
Best for beginners
Skim
Best for business
Descript

Features

17 features compared.

  • Text-based editing
    Descript
    Available
    Skim
    Not available
  • Underlord
    Descript
    Available
    Skim
    Not available
  • Studio Sound
    Descript
    Available
    Skim
    Not available
  • Filler word and retake removal
    Descript
    Available
    Skim
    Not available
  • AI speech and voice clones
    Descript
    Available
    Skim
    Not available
  • Create clips
    Descript
    Available
    Skim
    Not available
  • Recording
    Descript
    Available
    Skim
    Not available
  • Translation and dubbing
    Descript
    Available
    Skim
    Not available
  • Generation tools
    Descript
    Available
    Skim
    Not available
  • API and MCP
    Descript
    Available
    Skim
    Not available
  • Five red flags
    Descript
    Not available
    Skim
    Available
  • Plain-English rewrite
    Descript
    Not available
    Skim
    Available
  • Paste-ready reply
    Descript
    Not available
    Skim
    Available
  • PDF upload or pasted text
    Descript
    Not available
    Skim
    Available
  • No account
    Descript
    Not available
    Skim
    Available
  • Free sample
    Descript
    Not available
    Skim
    Available
  • One-time pricing
    Descript
    Not available
    Skim
    Available

Pricing

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

  • Pricing model
    Descript
    Freemium
    Skim
    Paid
  • Free plan
    Descript
    Yes
    Skim
    No
  • Starting price
    Descript
    $0
    Skim
    $9
  • Plans
    Descript
    5 plans
    Skim
    1 plan

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

Skim plans

  • Skim Check

    Most popular

    $9/one-time

    One payment covering up to 3 documents, no account needed.

    • Five red flags per document
    • Rewrite for each flag
    • Paste-ready reply
    • Up to 3 documents
    • Stripe Checkout

Our ratings

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

Descript
8.5overall
Skim
7.6overall

Descript leads in 1 category and Skim in 0.

  • Text-Based Media Editing

    Descript
    9.4
    Skim
    Not rated

  • Studio Sound Enhancement

    Descript
    8.6
    Skim
    Not rated

  • Ease of Use

    Descript leads by 0.3
    Descript
    8.8
    Skim
    8.5

  • Feature Breadth

    Descript
    8.4
    Skim
    Not rated

  • Value for Money

    Descript
    7.3
    Skim
    Not rated

  • Clause Detection

    Descript
    Not rated
    Skim
    7.0

  • Output Usefulness

    Descript
    Not rated
    Skim
    7.5

  • Pricing Clarity

    Descript
    Not rated
    Skim
    9.0

  • Transparency

    Descript
    Not rated
    Skim
    6.0

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

Skim

Pros

  • Simple one-off $9 price covering up to 3 documents, with no subscription
  • No account or prompt writing required
  • Output includes a rewrite and a ready-to-send reply, not just a list of risks
  • Free sample report to judge quality before paying
  • Privacy page clearly states what is and is not stored

Cons

  • Only the first 20,000 characters of a document are analyzed
  • Document text goes to xAI, whose retention Skim does not control
  • Fixed five-flag output with no follow-up chat
  • Operator, company and contact details are not disclosed on the site
  • Not legal advice, and no independent reviews found

Platforms

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

Company

  • Company
    Descript
    Descript
    Skim
    Not listed
  • Founded
    Descript
    2017
    Skim
    Not listed
  • Headquarters
    Descript
    San Francisco, CA
    Skim
    Not listed
  • Listing
    Descript
    Claimed
    Skim
    Not claimed

Frequently asked questions

Is Descript better than Skim?

It depends on your workflow. Descript is built for podcast editing. Skim is built for quick pre-signature review of leases, contractor quotes and terms of service, drafting a reply to push back on a clause.

What are the key feature differences between Descript and Skim?

Descript: Edit video and podcasts by editing their transcript, with AI audio cleanup and clips. Skim: Find the five contract clauses most likely to cost you money before you sign. Descript is rated 4.0/5 from 1 user review.

Does Descript or Skim have a free plan?

Descript has a free plan or trial; Skim is paid only.

Which is cheaper, Descript or Skim?

Descript starts at $0 and Skim starts at $9. See the pricing table above for what each tier includes.