Descript
Edit video and podcasts by editing their transcript, with AI audio cleanup and clips
4.0(1 review)Freemium
Vidu
Generate consistent AI videos from text, images and reference characters in one workspace
Freemium
Verdict
Descript and Vidu are both Video AI tools. Descript scores higher in FinderAtlas's editorial review (8.5 vs 7.8 out of 10), led by ease of use. Both have a free plan or trial. Only Descript is available on Windows and macOS. Only Vidu is available on iOS, Android and CLI.
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 Vidu if
- You want a tool built for short clips that need a consistent character or product across shots, and animating still images.
- Reference to Video with a saved My References library helps keep characters and props consistent.
- Supports text, image and reference inputs, plus first and last frame control.
- Best for beginners
- Vidu
- Best for business
- Descript
Features
19 features compared.
- Text-based editingDescriptAvailableViduNot available
- UnderlordDescriptAvailableViduNot available
- Studio SoundDescriptAvailableViduNot available
- Filler word and retake removalDescriptAvailableViduNot available
- AI speech and voice clonesDescriptAvailableViduNot available
- Create clipsDescriptAvailableViduNot available
- RecordingDescriptAvailableViduNot available
- Translation and dubbingDescriptAvailableViduNot available
- Generation toolsDescriptAvailableViduNot available
- API and MCPDescriptAvailableViduNot available
- Reference to VideoDescriptNot availableViduAvailable
- My ReferencesDescriptNot availableViduAvailable
- Image to VideoDescriptNot availableViduAvailable
- Text to VideoDescriptNot availableViduAvailable
- Text and Reference to ImageDescriptNot availableViduAvailable
- Vidu S real-time modelDescriptNot availableViduAvailable
- Vidu Agent and AI TemplatesDescriptNot availableViduAvailable
- Off-Peak ModeDescriptNot availableViduAvailable
- API PlatformDescriptNot availableViduAvailable
Pricing
Plans as listed by each vendor. Check their sites for current prices.
- Pricing modelDescriptFreemiumViduFreemium
- Free planDescriptYesViduYes
- Starting priceDescript$0Vidu$0
- PlansDescript5 plansVidu5 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
Vidu plans
Free
$0
Free credits for trying the generator
- Free credits
- watermarked output
- 10 references/month
Standard
Most popular$9.99/month
Entry paid tier for regular creators
- Watermark-free downloads
- larger credit allowance
Premium
$19.99/month
Higher volume and quality for frequent creators
- More credits
- higher resolution
- faster queue
Ultimate
$59.99/month
Largest credit pool for heavy users
- Highest credit allowance
- 300 references/month
- priority queue
Enterprise
Custom/custom
Teams and organisations
- Team and enterprise plans
- API platform access
Our ratings
Scored out of 10 by the Finder Atlas editorial team. Last reviewed October 2026.
- Descript
- 8.5overall
- Vidu
- 7.8overall
Descript leads in 1 category and Vidu in 0, with 1 tied.
Text-Based Media Editing
- Descript
- 9.4
- Vidu
- Not rated
Studio Sound Enhancement
- Descript
- 8.6
- Vidu
- Not rated
Ease of Use
Descript leads by 0.6- Descript
- 8.8
- Vidu
- 8.2
Feature Breadth
- Descript
- 8.4
- Vidu
- Not rated
Value for Money
Tied- Descript
- 7.3
- Vidu
- 7.3
Feature Depth
- Descript
- Not rated
- Vidu
- 8.0
Performance & Speed
- Descript
- Not rated
- Vidu
- 8.0
Documentation & Support
- Descript
- Not rated
- Vidu
- 7.4
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
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
Vidu
Pros
- Reference to Video with a saved My References library helps keep characters and props consistent.
- Supports text, image and reference inputs, plus first and last frame control.
- Free credits let users test the product before paying.
- Public API with published per-second pricing for each model and resolution.
- Available on web, iOS, Android and a CLI.
Cons
- Plan prices are not visible without loading the pricing page, and third-party sources disagree on them.
- Credit costs vary by model and resolution, so per-video cost is hard to predict; 4K Q4 preview output costs 78 credits per second in the API.
- CostBench reports user complaints about credits being spent on failed renders in the consumer product, and a 2.2/5 Trustpilot score from 17 reviews.
- Clip generation only; scripting, sequencing and final mixing need other tools.
Platforms
- WebDescriptSupportedViduSupported
- WindowsDescriptSupportedViduNot supported
- macOSDescriptSupportedViduNot supported
- iOSDescriptNot supportedViduSupported
- AndroidDescriptNot supportedViduSupported
- APIDescriptSupportedViduSupported
- Browser ExtensionDescriptNot supportedViduNot supported
- CLIDescriptNot supportedViduSupported
Company
- CompanyDescriptDescriptViduShengShu Technology
- FoundedDescript2017Vidu2023
- HeadquartersDescriptSan Francisco, CAViduBeijing, China
- ListingDescriptClaimedViduClaimed
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Frequently asked questions
Is Descript better than Vidu?
It depends on your workflow. Descript is built for podcast editing. Vidu is built for short clips that need a consistent character or product across shots, and animating still images.
What are the key feature differences between Descript and Vidu?
Descript: Edit video and podcasts by editing their transcript, with AI audio cleanup and clips. Vidu: Generate consistent AI videos from text, images and reference characters in one workspace. Descript is rated 4.0/5 from 1 user review.
Does Descript or Vidu have a free plan?
Yes, both do. Descript is freemium and Vidu is freemium, and each has a free plan or trial.
Which is cheaper, Descript or Vidu?
Both can be used for free. Paid plans differ in limits and features, so compare the tiers in the pricing table above.