Descript
Descript (AI video and audio editing)
Provider: Descript, Inc. · Based in: Descript, Inc., 385 Grove St., San Francisco, CA 94102, USA · Provider website
- Plans
- 4
- Sources
- 8
- As of
- 18 Oct
As of 18 Oct 2026. Based on our research on this date and the process described in the methodology. No guarantee of accuracy, not legal advice. The provider’s current documents take precedence. Found an error? Report a correction.
Incomplete. 3 points could not be verified in any provider source (see open points). This does not mean the matter is unproblematic; it means we have not checked it.
At a glance
- Hosting
- US only: all 4 plans
- Training on inputs
- opt-out available: all 4 plans
- DPA
- not publicly documented: all 4 plans
- Provider
- Descript, Inc.
- Based in
- Descript, Inc., 385 Grove St., San Francisco, CA 94102, USA (privacy policy, section 'Contact Us'; 'based in the United States') (q2)
Values from 4 plans, each listed with the plans it applies to. Details and evidence are in the plan table.
Compare Descript
Compare with another toolCompared plan by plan with other tools in the category Image & design:
Details per plan
Short values per plan. Click a feature to open the evidence and notes for all plans; sources with retrieval dates are under “Evidence”.
| Feature | FreeCompare Descript Free with another tool | Hobbyist / CreatorCompare Descript Hobbyist / Creator with another tool | BusinessCompare Descript Business with another tool | EnterpriseCompare Descript Enterprise with another tool |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| differs by plan | 0 USD | several tiers | 50 USD/user/mo… (further prices in the details) | custom |
| Details: Price | USD 0 (pricing page; no credit card required) | Hobbyist USD 16, Creator USD 24 per person per month with annual payment; USD 24 and USD 35 respectively with monthly payment (pricing page; not stated whether VAT is included) | USD 50 per person per month with annual payment, USD 65 with monthly payment (pricing page; not stated whether VAT is included) | Custom (pricing page: 'Talk to sales') |
| yes | yes | yes | yes | |
| Details: AI features included | yes (100 AI credits one-off; 1 seat; export with watermark according to the pricing page) | yes (AI credits: Hobbyist 400/month, Creator 800/month; Underlord, Studio Sound, Green Screen, Eye Contact according to the pricing page; Creator up to 3 seats, billed separately) | yes (1,500 AI credits/month; up to 5 seats, team-wide access to Brand Studio, Priority Support with SLA according to the pricing page) | yes (custom AI credits and media minutes according to the pricing page) |
| not publicly documented | not publicly documented | not publicly documented | not publicly documented | |
| Details: DPA | not publicly documented (the Trust Center lists a 'DPA' document only with 'Request access'; whether it applies to self-service plans is not stated. The security page mentions data processing agreements with suppliers) | not publicly documented (the Trust Center lists a 'DPA' document only with 'Request access'; whether it applies to self-service plans is not stated. The security page mentions data processing agreements with suppliers) | not publicly documented (the Trust Center lists a 'DPA' document only with 'Request access'; whether it applies to self-service plans is not stated. The security page mentions data processing agreements with suppliers) | not publicly documented (the pricing page mentions 'custom legal terms'; the Trust Center lists a 'DPA' document only with 'Request access') |
| opt-out available | opt-out available | opt-out available | opt-out available | |
| Details: Training on inputs | Privacy policy (as of 2025-04-14): purposes include 'research and development purposes including training our artificial intelligence models'; projects: 'You can opt out of having your Projects used to improve the Descript Service' by disabling the 'Share Data with Descript' setting. Terms (as of 2025-02-25) section 8.4(e): use of Input and Output 'to train, improve, and develop its models and technologies' '(unless you have opted out of such use)'; third-party providers are said to be contractually prohibited from training on inputs/outputs. For AI speakers, voice data is used as training/research data. Security FAQ: sharing information to improve the algorithms is said to be 'disabled by default and can only be enabled by you'. Help Center 'Account data and privacy': the setting is requested during onboarding and can be changed at any time in the app settings ('Share data with Descript'); 'for any in-house AI training we maintain a clear data sharing opt-in'; according to the Help Center, current production models use no user data. | Privacy policy (as of 2025-04-14): purposes include 'research and development purposes including training our artificial intelligence models'; projects: 'You can opt out of having your Projects used to improve the Descript Service' by disabling the 'Share Data with Descript' setting. Terms (as of 2025-02-25) section 8.4(e): use of Input and Output 'to train, improve, and develop its models and technologies' '(unless you have opted out of such use)'; third-party providers are said to be contractually prohibited from training on inputs/outputs. For AI speakers, voice data is used as training/research data. Security FAQ: sharing information to improve the algorithms is said to be 'disabled by default and can only be enabled by you'. Help Center 'Account data and privacy': the setting is requested during onboarding and can be changed at any time in the app settings ('Share data with Descript'); 'for any in-house AI training we maintain a clear data sharing opt-in'; according to the Help Center, current production models use no user data. | Privacy policy (as of 2025-04-14): purposes include 'research and development purposes including training our artificial intelligence models'; projects: 'You can opt out of having your Projects used to improve the Descript Service' by disabling the 'Share Data with Descript' setting. Terms (as of 2025-02-25) section 8.4(e): use of Input and Output 'to train, improve, and develop its models and technologies' '(unless you have opted out of such use)'; third-party providers are said to be contractually prohibited from training on inputs/outputs. For AI speakers, voice data is used as training/research data. Security FAQ: sharing information to improve the algorithms is said to be 'disabled by default and can only be enabled by you'. Help Center 'Account data and privacy': the setting is requested during onboarding and can be changed at any time in the app settings ('Share data with Descript'); 'for any in-house AI training we maintain a clear data sharing opt-in'; according to the Help Center, current production models use no user data. | Pricing page: the Enterprise plan lists 'AI and data controls' with opt-out from training and custom retention. Trust Center: 'Enterprise customer data is excluded from improving, training, or developing Descript’s AI systems.' Help Center: for Enterprise drives, data sharing is disabled by default and cannot be toggled. |
| differs by plan | Trust Center | Trust Center | Trust Center | Pricing page: 'custom retention' in the… |
| Details: Data retention | Trust Center (Data Erasure): 'Data is retained until a customer deletes their account or projects'; project data is permanently deleted from the servers within 30 days; daily backups, additionally in a separate AWS region. Privacy policy: storage 'for as long as necessary' for the purposes; voiceprints (Descript) and facial geometry data (at service providers) until the purpose has been fulfilled, at most three years after the last account access. | Trust Center (Data Erasure): 'Data is retained until a customer deletes their account or projects'; project data is permanently deleted from the servers within 30 days; daily backups, additionally in a separate AWS region. Privacy policy: storage 'for as long as necessary' for the purposes; voiceprints (Descript) and facial geometry data (at service providers) until the purpose has been fulfilled, at most three years after the last account access. | Trust Center (Data Erasure): 'Data is retained until a customer deletes their account or projects'; project data is permanently deleted from the servers within 30 days; daily backups, additionally in a separate AWS region. Privacy policy: storage 'for as long as necessary' for the purposes; voiceprints (Descript) and facial geometry data (at service providers) until the purpose has been fulfilled, at most three years after the last account access. | Pricing page: 'custom retention' in the Enterprise plan; retention periods not documented. |
| US only | US only | US only | US only | |
| Details: Hosting | Privacy policy: 'Descript is based in the United States and we process and store information in the U.S.' Trust Center: hosting with AWS, GCP and Heroku; backups additionally in a separate AWS region (region not stated). The sub-processor list mostly shows 'US' as the data region. | Privacy policy: 'Descript is based in the United States and we process and store information in the U.S.' Trust Center: hosting with AWS, GCP and Heroku; backups additionally in a separate AWS region (region not stated). The sub-processor list mostly shows 'US' as the data region. | Privacy policy: 'Descript is based in the United States and we process and store information in the U.S.' Trust Center: hosting with AWS, GCP and Heroku; backups additionally in a separate AWS region (region not stated). The sub-processor list mostly shows 'US' as the data region. | as other plans: storage and processing in the USA according to the privacy policy; no EU option documented. |
| list available | list available | list available | list available | |
| Details: Sub-processors |
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| differs by plan | 7 sources | 7 sources | 7 sources | 5 sources |
| Details: Sources with retrieval date |
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Compare Descript Free with another tool
Price and scope
- differs by plan
- 0 USD
USD 0 (pricing page; no credit card required)
- yes
yes (100 AI credits one-off; 1 seat; export with watermark according to the pricing page)
Contract and data use
- not publicly documented
not publicly documented (the Trust Center lists a 'DPA' document only with 'Request access'; whether it applies to self-service plans is not stated. The security page mentions data processing agreements with suppliers)
- opt-out available
Privacy policy (as of 2025-04-14): purposes include 'research and development purposes including training our artificial intelligence models'; projects: 'You can opt out of having your Projects used to improve the Descript Service' by disabling the 'Share Data with Descript' setting. Terms (as of 2025-02-25) section 8.4(e): use of Input and Output 'to train, improve, and develop its models and technologies' '(unless you have opted out of such use)'; third-party providers are said to be contractually prohibited from training on inputs/outputs. For AI speakers, voice data is used as training/research data. Security FAQ: sharing information to improve the algorithms is said to be 'disabled by default and can only be enabled by you'. Help Center 'Account data and privacy': the setting is requested during onboarding and can be changed at any time in the app settings ('Share data with Descript'); 'for any in-house AI training we maintain a clear data sharing opt-in'; according to the Help Center, current production models use no user data.
- differs by plan
- Trust Center
- Trust Center (Data Erasure): 'Data is retained until a customer deletes their account or projects'; project data is permanently deleted from the servers within 30 days; daily backups, additionally in a separate AWS region. Privacy policy: storage 'for as long as necessary' for the purposes; voiceprints (Descript) and facial geometry data (at service providers) until the purpose has been fulfilled, at most three years after the last account access.
Hosting and sharing
- US only
Privacy policy: 'Descript is based in the United States and we process and store information in the U.S.' Trust Center: hosting with AWS, GCP and Heroku; backups additionally in a separate AWS region (region not stated). The sub-processor list mostly shows 'US' as the data region.
- list available
- Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud (hosting; US)
- AI/ML: Anthropic API, OpenRouter, Hugging Face, Baseten, ElevenLabs, Andromeda (US)
- Other service providers for analytics, sales and support (US); list contains no EU data region
Evidence
- differs by plan
- 7 sources
- PricingPricing page, retrieved 18 Oct 2026
- Privacy Policy (as of 2025-04-14)Privacy notice, retrieved 18 Oct 2026
- Terms of Service (as of 2025-02-25)Terms and conditions, retrieved 18 Oct 2026
- SecurityTrust Center, retrieved 18 Oct 2026
- Data SubprocessorsSub-processor list, retrieved 14 Oct 2026
- Descript Trust Center (SecurityPal, as of 2026-08-21)Trust Center, retrieved 18 Oct 2026
- Account data and privacy (Help Center)Help Center, retrieved 18 Oct 2026
not documentedmeans: not publicly documented, not verifiable in any provider source. It does not mean “no”.
Third-country transfers
Privacy policy (as of 2025-04-14): Descript is based in the USA and processes and stores information there; service providers may store or access information in other countries; Descript will 'take steps to ensure that your personal data receives an adequate level of protection', without naming a mechanism. A section for users in the EEA is included. DPF list: no entry found for Descript (search on 2026-10-18). Standard contractual clauses: not publicly documented (DPA only on access request in the Trust Center).
- Privacy Policy (as of 2025-04-14) (Privacy notice), retrieved 18 Oct 2026
- Data Subprocessors (Sub-processor list), retrieved 14 Oct 2026
- Descript Trust Center (SecurityPal, as of 2026-08-21) (Trust Center), retrieved 18 Oct 2026
- Data Privacy Framework List (search for Descript) (Documentation), retrieved 18 Oct 2026
Certifications (as stated by the provider)
Security page: SOC 2 Type II by a certified public accounting firm; alignment with GDPR, CCPA and Privacy by Design. Trust Center (descript.securitypal.com, as of 2026-08-21): under 'Certifications' SOC 2 Type 2, GDPR and CCPA; SOC 2 report, pen test, DPA, sub-processor list, DPIA, AI Questionnaire and CAIQ Lite only on access request. An ISO 27001 certification is mentioned neither on the security page nor in the Trust Center.
- Pricing (Pricing page), retrieved 18 Oct 2026
- Security (Trust Center), retrieved 18 Oct 2026
- Descript Trust Center (SecurityPal, as of 2026-08-21) (Trust Center), retrieved 18 Oct 2026
AI Act
Functions: Underlord (AI assistant), AI speakers/voice cloning, AI avatars, video/image generation, Studio Sound, Eye Contact, Green Screen, translation, Clips, API and MCP (pricing page).
Provider’s statement: Terms: generative tools may contain errors ('inaccurate, unreliable, inappropriate, infringing'); users are responsible for review. A statement on the EU AI Act is not publicly documented.
Classification (for review, not legal advice): To be reviewed: customer typically a deployer (Art. 3(4) AI Act). Synthetic voices, avatars and videos touch on labelling obligations under Art. 50; whether and how they apply depends on the use and is to be reviewed. Voice clones: consent of the person speaking according to the Terms (speaker confirmation). Not legal advice.
- Pricing (Pricing page), retrieved 18 Oct 2026
- Terms of Service (as of 2025-02-25) (Terms and conditions), retrieved 18 Oct 2026
Current notes 2026
Privacy policy last updated 2025-04-14, Terms 2025-02-25 (older than for most competitors). The sub-processor list names many AI and service providers with data region US; Anthropic is listed there as an engineering service. Trust Center at SecurityPal with control descriptions (including deletion of project data within 30 days).
Open points of the review
- Customer DPA only available in the Trust Center on access request; content and applicability to self-service plans not reviewed.
- Transfer basis not named: no DPF entry found, standard contractual clauses not publicly documented.
- No statement on the EU AI Act found in the privacy policy, Terms, security page or Trust Center.
Frequently asked questions
Where does Descript store data?
US only (plans: Free, Hobbyist / Creator, Business, Enterprise). According to the provider, as of 18 Oct 2026.
Is there a DPA for Descript?
not publicly documented in: Free, Hobbyist / Creator, Business, Enterprise. Based on our research, as of 18 Oct 2026.
Does Descript use inputs for AI training?
opt-out available in: Free, Hobbyist / Creator, Business, Enterprise. According to the provider, as of 18 Oct 2026.
Where is the provider based?
Descript, Inc., 385 Grove St., San Francisco, CA 94102, USA (privacy policy, section 'Contact Us'; 'based in the United States'). According to the provider, as of 18 Oct 2026.
All sources
- 01PricingPricing page · retrieved 18 Oct 2026
- 02Privacy Policy (as of 2025-04-14)Privacy notice · retrieved 18 Oct 2026
- 03Terms of Service (as of 2025-02-25)Terms and conditions · retrieved 18 Oct 2026
- 04SecurityTrust Center · retrieved 18 Oct 2026
- 05Data SubprocessorsSub-processor list · retrieved 14 Oct 2026
- 06Descript Trust Center (SecurityPal, as of 2026-08-21)Trust Center · retrieved 18 Oct 2026
- 07Account data and privacy (Help Center)Help Center · retrieved 18 Oct 2026
- 08Data Privacy Framework List (search for Descript)Documentation · retrieved 18 Oct 2026
More tools in Image & design with an EU hosting option (in at least one plan)
- ElevenLabs · Based in: Eleven Labs Inc., 169 Madison Ave #2484, New York, NY 10016, USA
- Figma AI · Based in: Figma, Inc., 760 Market St, Floor 10, San Francisco, CA, USA
All tools in Image & design · Tools with an EU hosting option
Further reading
All tools in the category: Image & design. Figures across all tools: Data report.