Descript vs Opus Clip
Produce the full episode or multiply its highlights
At a glance
Descript edits complete podcasts and videos through a transcript. Opus Clip extracts short clips from finished long recordings.
Prices, limits and features
Guide updated 2026-10-01. Descript: prices and features as of September 2026; Opus Clip: prices and features as of September 2026.
| Feature | Descript | Opus Clip |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | DescriptYes 60 minutes (1 hr) / month of media, 100 AI credits (one-time), 720p export with watermark, 5GB cloud storage, uploads up to 1 GB. A real free plan, not a trial ("Do I need to enter a credit card to try Descript? No"). The 100 AI credits are one-time, not monthly. | Opus ClipYes 60 credits a month (1 credit = 1 minute of video processed); up to 1080p; watermark; no editing; clips can be exported for 3 days. |
| Paid plan pricing | DescriptHobbyist: US$24/mo, or US$16/mo billed yearly Per person/month, in USD. Usage is metered in two pools: media minutes (any upload or recording, transcribed or not) and AI credits (Underlord, Studio Sound, translation, generative media). Allowances reset each billing cycle and unused minutes/credits do not roll over. Top-ups are available on Creator and Business only (not Free or Hobbyist). | Opus ClipStarter: US$15/mo billed monthly "Starter plan only available in monthly." Credits are minutes of source video processed (partial minutes round down; videos under a minute round up). Monthly-plan credits expire after 60 days; yearly plans get the whole year of credits up front, valid 12 months. |
| Languages | Descript25 languages transcription | Opus Clip25+ languages video languages for clipping and captions |
| AI clips from long video | DescriptYes "Create clips" AI tool (1-20 clips, 10 s to 5 min each). Pricing table: "Repurpose media: Create clips, highlights" is Limited on Free, included on Hobbyist and up; uses AI credits. | Opus ClipYes Core product: AI clipping with a virality score; clip lengths from under 1 minute to 15 minutes. |
| Transcription | DescriptYes Text-based editing on every plan; transcription is metered as media minutes. | Opus ClipPartly Transcribes to caption and clip; the source transcript is available through the API. No standalone transcript editor or export is on the pricing page. |
| Subtitles / captions burned in | DescriptYes "Dynamic captions: Automatically create animated captions for your videos", unlimited on every plan. | Opus ClipYes Animated caption templates with emoji and keyword highlights; watermark on Free. |
| Translation | DescriptYes Translate captions and Dub speech: Limited on Free, included Hobbyist and up; lip-sync Creator and up; translation proofread Business and Enterprise only. Uses AI credits. | Opus ClipPartly Caption translation targets English only; voice-clone dubbing covers 25 languages (Pro). |
| Speaker labels | DescriptYes "Detect 8+ speakers" on every plan; automatic speaker detection and labelling. | Opus ClipPartly The API transcript carries a speaker label "when diarization is available"; the pricing table lists speaker-based caption colours on Business only. |
| YouTube timestamps / chapters | DescriptYes Markers/Add Chapters AI tool; "Copy chapters for YouTube" copies a formatted chapter list for the video description (YouTube ignores chapter metadata in files). Add chapters is Limited on Free. | Opus Clip— |
| Audiograms | DescriptYes Waveform layers: "Add an animated audio visualizer for audiograms or podcast clips." | Opus Clip— |
| Public API | DescriptYes "API access is available for all paying users at no additional cost." Usage draws from plan media minutes and AI credits. Page says it is in early access. | Opus ClipYes Pro (beta, limited), Max and Business plans; clipping, captions, social posting, webhooks, MCP server. |
| Mobile app | DescriptNo Help center: "Descript is not officially supported on mobile browsers or tablet devices like Chromebooks or iPads." Desktop apps are macOS and Windows, plus Descript for Web. | Opus ClipYes iOS app; Android app (Android 12+) in 8 countries, English only at launch. |
| Team workspaces | DescriptYes Shared drive with a general workspace; Creator scales to 3 editors, Business to 5. Custom workspaces are Enterprise-only. | Opus ClipYes Pro: 2 users per pack, up to 4; Business: unlimited seats. |
Descript plan allowances
- Media minutes per editor: 60 minutes / month (Free)
- Media minutes per editor: 600 minutes (10 hrs) / month (Hobbyist)
- Media minutes per editor: 1800 minutes (30 hrs) / month (Creator)
- Media minutes per editor: 2400 minutes (40 hrs) / month (Business)
- Max upload file size: 1 GB (Free)
- Max upload file size: 10 GB (Hobbyist)
- Max upload file size: 20 GB (Creator)
- Max upload file size: 50 GB (Business)
- Video export resolution: 720p (watermarked) (Free)
- Video export resolution: 1080p (Hobbyist)
- Video export resolution: 4k (Creator and Business)
- Web-link video export duration: 1 hour (Free and Hobbyist)
- Web-link video export duration: 3 hours (Creator and Business)
- Cloud storage: 5GB (Free), 100GB (Hobbyist), 1TB (Creator), 2TB (Business)
- Seats: 1 (Free, Hobbyist), 1-3 (Creator), up to 5 (Business)
Opus Clip plan allowances
- Max video length: 10 hours
- Max upload size: 10 GB per video (Free and Starter)
- Max upload size: 30 GB per video, plus public MP4 URLs (Pro and Business)
- Processing credits per month: 60 / 150 / 300 per pack (Free / Starter / Pro)
- Clip export window: 3 days (Free); 30 days (Starter)
- Team seats: 2 per pack, up to 4 (Pro)
Where Descript wins
- A full text-based video and podcast editor (edit the video by editing the transcript) with Mac and Windows desktop apps, remote recording and screen recording, well beyond a transcription or clipping tool.
- Caption translation into 61 languages and AI dubbing into 30 languages, with lip-sync from the Creator plan.
- Large uploads: files up to 10 GB on Hobbyist ($16/mo billed yearly) and up to 50 GB on Business.
Where Opus Clip wins
- A mature clipping product: virality score, AI reframing with moving-object tracking, AI B-roll, and scheduling to YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook and X.
- Native iOS and Android apps.
- Pro exports to Adobe Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve, and dubs into 25 languages with a clone of your voice.
Try it on your own material
Edit a full episode first, then find three self-contained highlights. Compare the time spent repairing the episode with the time spent producing shorts; do not score only the first automatic export.
Create more from every recording
Exemplary AI turns a recording into a transcript in 99 languages, short clips, subtitles, audiograms and written content, all in one workspace. The Free plan includes 200 one-time credits; paid plans offer additional credits and features.