Does CapCut or Descript have a free plan?

Both do. CapCut and Descript each offer a free tier, so you can try either without paying.

How long is the CapCut and Descript free trial?

CapCut offers a 7-day free trial. Descript does not offer one.

CapCut vs Descript

A side-by-side look at CapCut and Descript: what each costs to start, whether there is a free plan, how easy they are to pick up, and which features and integrations they cover.

Which should you choose?

Choose CapCut if

TikTok, Reels and Shorts creators
Small ecommerce brands making quick product clips
Beginners who want a free editor with templates

Visit CapCut

Choose Descript if

Podcasters editing interviews and repurposing clips
YouTubers and course creators producing talking-head and screencast content
Marketing teams cleaning up webinar and meeting recordings

Visit Descript

Cheapest to start

Not confirmed

Free plan

CapCut, Descript

Highest editor rating

Descript · 4.4

Comparison of CapCut and Descript
Compare	CapCut Visit site	Descript Visit site
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Free trial	Yes	No
Starting price	From $9.99/mo	From $24/mo
Editor rating	4.2	4.4
Ease of use	Easy (4/5)	Easy (4/5)
Category	Video	Video
Pricing model	Core editor is free; CapCut Pro is approximately $10/month billed monthly or less on an annual plan, with prices varying by region and app store, and some AI features use credits on top.	Free plan with about 1 hour of transcription per month; paid plans are per seat and start at $24/month billed monthly ($16/month annually) for Hobbyist, with Creator at $35 ($24 annually) and Business at $65 ($50 annually). Figures have changed several times, so confirm on the pricing page.
Plans	Free — Free CapCut Pro — $9.99/mo	Free — Free Hobbyist — $24/user/mo Creator — $35/user/mo Business — $65/user/mo
Platforms	Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android	Web, Windows, macOS
Integrations	TikTok, YouTube	YouTube, Zoom
Best for	TikTok, Reels and Shorts creators Small ecommerce brands making quick product clips Beginners who want a free editor with templates	Podcasters editing interviews and repurposing clips YouTubers and course creators producing talking-head and screencast content Marketing teams cleaning up webinar and meeting recordings
Pros	Generous free tier with a full timeline editor and no watermark on most exports Huge template, effect and music library tuned to short-form trends Works across phone, desktop and browser with cloud project sync Auto captions and text-to-speech are quick and usable	Transcript-based editing makes cutting spoken-word content very fast Studio Sound, filler-word removal and eye-contact tools fix common recording problems Combines recording, editing, transcription and publishing in one app Web version and cloud projects support collaboration and review
Cons	Many AI tools and premium assets require Pro or consume credits Terms of service on content rights have drawn criticism from professionals ByteDance ownership brings regulatory uncertainty in some markets Limited professional-grade color, audio and multicam tools	Per-seat pricing gets expensive for larger teams Transcription and AI usage are capped per month on every tier Limited precision for multi-track, color or effects-heavy editing Performance can drop on long, media-heavy projects
AI content generation	Yes	Yes
AI voiceover	Yes	Yes
Auto subtitles & captions	Yes	Yes
Background removal	Yes	No
Comments & mentions	No	Yes
Desktop app	Yes	Yes
Mobile app	Yes	No
Multi-language support	Yes	Yes
Photo editing	Yes	No
Real-time collaboration	No	Yes
Screen recording	No	Yes
Stock media library	Yes	Yes
Templates	Yes	Yes
Text to video	Yes	No
Transcript-based editing	No	Yes
Transcription	No	Yes

Common questions

Does CapCut or Descript have a free plan?: Both do. CapCut and Descript each offer a free tier, so you can try either without paying.
How long is the CapCut and Descript free trial?: CapCut offers a 7-day free trial. Descript does not offer one.

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