Descript vs Runway
Descript is the buy if the footage already exists: Hobbyist is $16 per person a month on annual billing for 10 media hours a month of transcription-based editing, 400 AI credits and 1080p watermark-free export, and Creator at $24 moves to 30 hours and 4K. Runway is the buy if the footage has to be generated: Standard is $12 a month on annual billing for 625 credits, stated on the page as 52 seconds of Gen-4.5 or 104 seconds of Gen-4 Turbo, with 4K upscaling and no watermarks. They are not substitutes; the decision is which job you have, and the prices tell you what each job costs.
Side by side, from the two pricing pages
| Feature | Descript | Runway |
|---|---|---|
| What it does | Editing recorded video and audio by transcript | Generating footage and images from text and images |
| Free plan | 60 min media/mo, 100 one-time AI credits, 720p watermarked | 125 one-time credits, 5 GB storage |
| Cheapest paid plan | Hobbyist $16/person/mo annual ($24 monthly) | Standard $12/mo annual ($15 monthly) |
| Stated quota | 10 media hours/mo, 400 AI credits/mo | 625 credits/mo: 52 s Gen-4.5 or 104 s Gen-4 Turbo, or 78 Gen-4 images |
| Next plan up | Creator $24/mo annual ($35 monthly): 30 hours, 800 credits, 4K | Pro $28/mo annual ($35 monthly): 2,250 credits, 187 s Gen-4.5, unlimited 4K upscaling |
| Export resolution | 1080p Hobbyist; 4K Creator and Business | Native max not stated; 4K upscaling; HDR and ProRes on Max |
| Watermark | Free yes; paid plans watermark-free | Free not stated; Standard "No watermarks" |
| Storage | Not stated | 5 GB Free; 20 GB Standard; 100 GB Pro; 500 GB Max |
Two different jobs
Descript's quota is media hours: the hours of recorded or imported video and audio you can transcribe and edit each month. Hobbyist gives 10 of them, Creator 30, Business 40, and the plans also carry AI credits (400, 800 and 1,500 a month) for the generative features. Runway's quota is generation credits, and the page converts them for you: Standard's 625 credits a month is 52 seconds of Gen-4.5 video or 104 seconds of Gen-4 Turbo or 78 Gen-4 images at 1080p. Ten hours of editing for $16 and under two minutes of generated footage for $12 are not the same product at different prices; they are what each of these jobs costs on the two pages.
The prices
Runway Standard is the cheaper plan at $12 a month billed annually or $15 monthly, and it includes no watermarks, 4K upscaling and 20 GB of storage. Pro is $28 a month annual ($35 monthly) for 2,250 credits, 187 seconds of Gen-4.5 and unlimited 4K upscaling; Max is $76 annual ($95 monthly) for 9,500 credits, HDR and ProRes output and a one-month credit rollover. Descript Hobbyist is shown as "$16 $24 per person / month" with the annual toggle labelled "Saving up to 35% over monthly plan"; Creator is $24 or $35 per person and Business $50 or $65, with Business sized to a team of 5 billed separately. Both pages list a monthly figure that is higher than the annual one.
Free plans
Descript Free renews every month with 60 minutes of media, comes with 100 one-time AI credits, and exports at 720p with a watermark. Runway Free is 125 one-time credits with a selection of models and 5 GB of storage; the page does not say whether free generations are watermarked, and because the credits do not renew the plan is a trial. A person who wants to keep using a tool for free gets that only from Descript.
Resolution
Descript states its export ceiling per plan: 720p Free, 1080p Hobbyist, 4K on Creator and Business, all watermark-free above Free. Runway does not state a native maximum; it prices generations at 1080p and 2K, lists 4K upscaling on Standard and unlimited 4K upscaling on Pro, and lists HDR and ProRes on Max. For a 4K delivery from recorded footage the answer is Descript Creator at $24 per person a month annual; for a 4K delivery from generated footage the answer on the page is upscaling on any Runway paid plan.
Descript
✓ Pros
- 10 media hours a month for $16 per person on annual billing
- Export ceiling stated per plan: 1080p Hobbyist, 4K Creator and Business, watermark-free
- Free plan renews monthly with 60 minutes of media
- 25+ AI voices on Hobbyist and Creator, 60+ on Business
✗ Cons
- Edits existing footage; does not generate it
- Priced per person; Business is a team of 5 billed separately
- Free export is 720p with a watermark
- Commercial-use terms and storage not stated
Runway
✓ Pros
- Lowest paid price of the two at $12 a month annual
- Credits converted to seconds on the page: 52 s Gen-4.5 or 104 s Gen-4 Turbo on Standard
- No watermarks on Standard; 4K upscaling from Standard up
- Storage stated on every plan, up to 500 GB on Max
✗ Cons
- Under two minutes of generated video a month on Standard
- Free credits are one-time, not monthly
- Native maximum resolution and free-tier watermark not stated
- Commercial-use terms not stated
Verdict
Take Descript if you have recordings to cut, captions to add or filler to remove; 10 media hours a month for $16 per person is the best stated quota per dollar in this category, and Creator buys 4K. Take Runway if the shot does not exist and has to be made from a prompt or a still, and budget in seconds: Standard's 625 credits a month is stated as 52 seconds of Gen-4.5. Many people will end up with both, editing Runway's output inside Descript, and the two cheapest plans together are $28 a month on annual billing.
Descript
- Free plan Yes: "60 minutes (1 hr) / month" of media, 100 AI credits one time, 720p export with a watermark
- Hobbyist The page shows "$16 $24 per person / month"; the annual toggle is labelled "Saving up to 35% over monthly plan", and $16 is the figure that matches that saving. "10 media hours / month", "400 / month" AI credits, "1080p, watermark-free" export
- Creator $24 and $35 per person per month shown (annual and monthly): "30 media hours / month", "800 / month" AI credits, "4k, watermark-free" export
- Business $50 and $65 per person per month shown (annual and monthly): "40 media hours / month", "1500 / month" AI credits, 4K export, "Scale to a team of 5 (billed separately)"
- What the quota measures Media hours are hours of recorded or imported media transcribed and edited per month, not minutes of generated video
- AI voices Limited on Free; 25+ on Hobbyist and Creator; 60+ on Business
- Max export 720p Free, 1080p Hobbyist, 4K Creator and Business
- Commercial use Not stated on the pricing page
Facts from Descript's pricing page, checked 2026-09-05.
Runway
- Free plan Yes: "125 one-time credits to explore Runway's AI tools", "a selection of generative creative models to test concepts", 5 GB storage. Watermark on Free is not stated; "No watermarks" is listed on Standard
- Standard $12/month billed annually ($15 monthly): "625 credits/mo", "52s of Gen-4.5, 104s of Gen-4 Turbo", "78 Gen-4 Images (1080p)", 4K upscaling, 20 GB storage, "No watermarks"
- Pro $28/month billed annually ($35 monthly): "2250 credits/mo", "187s of Gen-4.5, 375s of Gen-4 Turbo", "281 Gen-4 Images (1080p)", "Unlimited 4K video upscaling", 100 GB storage
- Max $76/month billed annually ($95 monthly): "9500 credits/mo", "791s of Gen-4.5", "1900s of Gen-4 Turbo", "Studio-grade quality generations: HDR, ProRes", 500 GB storage, "Roll over unused credits for 1 month"
- Max export A maximum export resolution is not stated; the page lists credit costs at 1080p and 2K and 4K upscaling on paid plans
- Avatars Not stated on the pricing page
- Commercial use Not stated on the pricing page
Facts from Runway's pricing page, checked 2026-09-05.
Frequently Asked Questions
They do different jobs. Descript edits video and audio you already recorded: Hobbyist is $16 per person a month on annual billing for 10 media hours a month, 400 AI credits and 1080p watermark-free export. Runway generates footage from text and images: Standard is $12 a month on annual billing for 625 credits, which its page states as 52 seconds of Gen-4.5 or 104 seconds of Gen-4 Turbo, with no watermarks and 4K upscaling. Choose Descript if the footage exists; choose Runway if it does not.
Runway Standard is $12 a month billed annually ($15 monthly). Descript Hobbyist is $16 per person a month on annual billing ($24 monthly). The next tiers are Runway Pro at $28 a month annual ($35 monthly) and Descript Creator at $24 per person a month annual ($35 monthly).
Descript Free renews: 60 minutes of media a month, 100 one-time AI credits, and 720p export with a watermark. Runway Free does not renew: 125 one-time credits, a selection of generative models and 5 GB of storage, and the page does not say whether free generations carry a watermark. Descript's is the one you can keep using; Runway's is a one-time trial in all but name.
Descript states 4K watermark-free export on Creator ($24 per person a month annual) and Business ($50 annual). Runway lists 4K upscaling on Standard and unlimited 4K upscaling on Pro, and HDR and ProRes on Max, but does not state a native maximum generation resolution; the page prices generation credits at 1080p and 2K.
The page converts the 625 monthly credits to 52 seconds of Gen-4.5 or 104 seconds of Gen-4 Turbo, or 78 Gen-4 images at 1080p. Pro's 2,250 credits are stated as 187 seconds of Gen-4.5 or 375 of Gen-4 Turbo, and Max's 9,500 credits as 791 seconds of Gen-4.5 or 1,900 of Gen-4 Turbo, with unused credits rolling over for one month on Max.
Every price here was read from the two vendors' pricing pages on 2026-09-05. Descript shows its Hobbyist price as "$16 $24 per person / month" with the annual toggle labelled as saving up to 35%, so the lower figure is the annual one; the linked pages are the authority.