What Descript's plans include
As read on descript.com on October 28, 2026:
- Free. 720p export with a watermark.
- Hobbyist. $24 a month, or $16 a month billed yearly. 400 AI credits, 10 media hours, 1080p export.
- Creator. $35 a month, or $24 billed yearly. 800 AI credits, 4K export.
What a single AI action costs in credits is not shown up front; per-action pricing transparency is a request on its feature board. Its users on both paid plans describe the pool emptying fast: "after editing just one video all my monthly credits are gone" (feature board); "exhausted all 800 AI credits within 2 days… processing only 12 out of 1,800 available media minutes" (Trustpilot).
What actually runs out
Descript meters two things: media hours (how much footage you can have in projects) and AI credits (every AI-assisted action). The hours are generous. The credits are the constraint, because the editing work you came for, filler removal, AI edit, clean-up, generated elements, all spends them. A plan that looks like 10 hours of editing can be, in practice, one or two videos' worth of AI help, and the rest by hand.
How RealTake prices the same job
RealTake sells finished videos, not a seat. Starter is $0 with up to 5 watermarked videos a month and no credit card. Presence is $49 a month, or $29 billed yearly, with around 16 to 32 finished videos. Authority is $99, or $59 yearly, with around 38 to 76. Empire is $249, or $149 yearly, with around 107 to 213. The range depends on video length; shorter videos use less of the plan. A finished video includes the cuts, animated captions, titles, b-roll, motion graphics, sound and camera moves, and posting or scheduling to four platforms. Yearly billing saves about 40%, and the first 100 paying members lock 40% off for life.
Every RealTake feature is on every plan. You see the cost of a video before it renders, changes in the Studio before render cost nothing, and a failed render is never charged.
Annual plans renew with a reminder email first, you can cancel any time, and every finished video stays downloadable.
Upload one raw video and see it finished.
Free plan: 5 watermarked videos a month. No credit card.
Descript vs RealTake pricing, like for like
| RealTake | Descript | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry paid plan | Presence: $49 a month, $29 billed yearly | Hobbyist: $24 a month, $16 billed yearly |
| What it includes | Around 16–32 finished videos, every feature, posting | 400 AI credits, 10 media hours, an editor seat |
| What runs out | Finished videos, shown before each one renders | AI credits; users report them gone after one video |
| Free plan | 5 watermarked videos a month, no card | 720p export, watermarked |
| Renewal | Reminder email first; cancel any time | Users report cancellation is difficult |
Descript facts from descript.com, its feature board and its public review pages, read October 28, 2026.