How to Cancel Descript (2026)
Cancel from Settings → Plan & Billing. The critical step is exporting your projects first — Descript projects are not a standard file format you can open elsewhere.
⚠️ Check this before you cancel
Descript projects live in Descript. Unlike a subscription you can simply stop paying for, an unexported project is effectively stranded: the timeline, transcript, and edits are not portable. Export finished videos and download transcripts before the subscription ends, not after.
Step-by-Step: Cancelling Descript
Find the route that matches where you bought the subscription. Cancelling on the wrong one leaves the charge running.
Web or desktop app
Billed by Descript, via Stripe- 1
Export every project you still care about
Do this first. Export final video or audio at full quality, and download transcripts separately as text or SRT — they are the part people forget and the part hardest to recreate.
- 2
Open Settings → Plan & Billing
Available to the workspace owner. Drive members show as seats here; remove them if they are billed.
- 3
Click Cancel Plan and confirm
Editing stays available until the end of the paid period, then the workspace becomes limited.
Apple App Store (iPhone / iPad)
Billed by Apple- 1
Open iPhone Settings, not the app
Tap your name at the top of Settings, then Subscriptions. Cancelling inside the app itself does nothing to an App Store subscription — this is the single most common reason people keep getting charged after they thought they had cancelled.
- 2
Select the subscription and tap Cancel Subscription
If you do not see it listed, you are signed into a different Apple Account than the one that bought it. Check the receipt email for the Apple Account it was billed to.
- 3
Confirm the end date shown on screen
Apple keeps access live until the end of the paid period and stops renewing after that. Screenshot the confirmation.
What Happens to Your Data and Output
- ›You revert to the free plan, which keeps a limited monthly transcription allowance and watermarked or resolution-capped exports.
- ›Existing projects remain visible but export options are restricted to free-tier limits — this is why exporting beforehand matters.
- ›Storage above the free tier's limit may become read-only rather than being deleted immediately.
- ›Overdub / voice-clone models built on a paid tier stop being usable.
Can You Get a Refund?
Descript's terms make subscription fees non-refundable, with cancellation effective at the end of the current period. Annual plans are not refunded pro rata. Accidental-renewal requests go through support at descript.com.
Cheaper Places to Go Instead of Descript
Most people cancelling still need the job done. These cover the same ground for less, or for nothing.
CapCut
Free, includes auto-captions, and covers most short-form editing that people bought Descript for.
See the full profile →DaVinci Resolve
Free and far more capable as a video editor, though without transcript-based editing.
Whisper + any editor
Run transcription locally for free and edit in whatever timeline you like — cheaper if transcription was the real draw.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens to my Descript projects when I cancel?
They stay in the workspace but you drop to free-tier export limits, which usually means watermarks or capped resolution. Because Descript projects are not portable to other editors, export final files and download transcripts before the paid period ends.
Can I download my transcripts before cancelling?
Yes, and you should. Each project can export its transcript as text or as SRT/VTT captions. This is the asset that is most painful to recreate and it takes seconds per project.
Is Descript refundable if I cancel mid-year?
No. Fees are non-refundable under the published terms and annual plans are not refunded pro rata. Cancelling prevents the next renewal only.
How do I stop being billed for a teammate?
Descript bills per seat. Remove the member under the workspace's people settings before cancelling, otherwise their seat can continue to generate charges.
What is the closest free replacement?
CapCut for short-form video with auto-captions, or DaVinci Resolve if you want a real editor. Neither does transcript-based editing — for that, running Whisper locally and editing the text against a normal timeline is the free approximation.
Learn More
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