Castmagic vs Descript
We give Castmagic a 2.0 GPA and Descript a 2.4, out of 4.0. Castmagic grades higher on ease of use. Descript grades higher on the free plan and features. They get the same grade on value for money and platforms.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Castmagic
Turns podcasts and recordings into transcripts, posts and clips
Descript
Audio and video editor that works by editing the transcript
How we grade them
| 2.0GPACastmagicFair | 2.4GPADescriptFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CGraded against its alternatives. Hobby is $19 a month billed yearly, $29 monthly, for up to 3 seats, in line with Descript and Riverside, and Starter at $48 covers five people. But Hobby's 30 hours is a library total, not a monthly allowance, and more hours cost extra. | CHobbyist is $16 a person a month billed annually, $24 monthly, above this category's $10 middle, and that buys 10 media hours and 400 AI credits. 4K export needs Creator at $24. Every plan is metered, so a busy month can run dry whatever you pay. |
| Free plan and trial | FNo free plan and no free trial on the pricing page, and the terms say payments aren't refunded. You pay before you see a single draft. | CNo card needed, and you get 60 media minutes a month. But exports are 720p with a watermark and the 100 AI credits are a one-time grant, so it's a proper look rather than something to work on. |
| Features | CIt does the repurposing job fully: imports from files, YouTube, Spotify or Zoom, labelled transcripts in 60+ languages, drafts in your brand voice, an RSS autopilot, clips and carousels, and chat across your library. It only writes from recordings, though, a smaller job than a writing app's. | BEdit the transcript and the video follows, with Studio Sound for noise, filler-word cutting, Underlord doing editing jobs for you, screen recording, Rooms for remote guests, clips, captions and translation. The job is covered; Premiere and Camtasia now cut by transcript too. |
| Ease of use | BNo store rating on record, but there's little to set up: drop in a file or paste a link and the transcript and drafts come back. Defining your content pipeline once is the only real work, and it's optional. | CNo store rating on record. Editing words instead of a timeline really is quicker to pick up, but you sign up, learn its way of working, and keep half an eye on media hours and AI credits all month. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb, with an iPhone app for recording, and links to Zoom, Google Drive, Loom, Zapier, YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Claude, plus a REST API from Starter. No desktop or Android app is mentioned. | BWeb, Mac and Windows, with a public API and hooks into Zapier, Zoom, YouTube and podcast hosts like Buzzsprout and Transistor. No mobile apps: phones, iPads and Chromebooks aren't supported. |
| Best for | turning podcast episodes into posts | editing podcasts and videos by editing the words |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Castmagic and Descript. How we grade
Where they differ
- Castmagic starts at $19 per month, billed annually ($29 billed monthly). Descript starts at $16 per person / month, billed annually ($24 billed monthly).
- Descript has a free plan. Castmagic does not.
- Only Castmagic lists an iOS app.
- Only Descript lists macOS and Windows apps.
- Descript also covers noise cancellation and screen recording.
At a glance
| Castmagic | Descript | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Paid | Free plan |
| Starts at | $19 per month, billed annually ($29 billed monthly) | $16 per person / month, billed annually ($24 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | 60 media minutes per month, a one-time 100 AI credits and 720p export with a watermark. No credit card required. |
| Free trial | None listed | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Made by | Magic Studio LLC | Descript |
| Price read from | castmagic.io | descript.com |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Oct 4, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Castmagic
- Podcast hosts who want show notes and social posts from every episode
- Marketing teams repurposing webinars and interviews
- Creators with a large back catalog of recordings to mine
Descript
- Podcasters and video creators who prefer editing a transcript to a timeline
- Cleaning up interview and talking-head recordings with AI tools
- Turning long recordings into short captioned clips
Worth knowing
Castmagic
- The pricing page shows no free plan or free trial, and the terms say payments are non-refundable.
- Transcription hours are a running library total of 30, 100 or 400 hours, not a monthly allowance; more can be bought.
- API access needs Starter or higher, and Hobby is limited to 3 seats and 3 spaces.
- Apart from an iOS app for recording, it works in the browser; no desktop or Android app is mentioned.
Descript
- The Free plan is limited to 60 media minutes a month, a one-time 100 AI credits and watermarked 720p exports.
- Paid plans cap monthly usage too: 10 media hours and 400 AI credits on Hobbyist, 30 and 800 on Creator, 40 and 1,500 on Business.
- Hobbyist covers 1 person; Creator scales to a team of 3 and Business to 5, each person billed separately.
- There are no mobile apps: phones, iPads and Chromebooks are not officially supported, and the desktop app needs macOS 14 or Windows 11.
Key features
Castmagic
- Import and transcription
- Bring in files, YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, TikTok or Reel links, Zoom, Loom or Google Drive. Transcripts are speaker-labelled and timestamped in 60+ languages.
- Content pipeline
- Define a set of outputs once, such as show notes, a newsletter and social posts, and every new recording gets them drafted in your brand voice.
- Podcast autopilot
- Point Castmagic at an RSS feed to import the back catalog and draft content for each new episode as it is published.
- Studio clips and carousels
- Cut captioned vertical clips in 9:16, 1:1 or 16:9 on a multi-clip timeline, make audiograms, and draft image carousels from what was said.
- Content strategist and library chat
- Ask questions across any set of recordings and get answers that cite the moment, or a weekly publishing plan drawn from your library.
- Audience chatbot, API and Claude
- Put a chatbot trained on your episodes on your site to capture leads, use the REST API from Starter up, or connect Claude to your library.
Descript
- Text-based editing
- Recordings are transcribed automatically, and deleting or rearranging words in the transcript makes the same cut in the audio or video.
- Underlord AI co-editor
- An AI assistant that carries out editing tasks on a project. Its use draws on the plan's AI credits.
- Studio Sound and filler-word removal
- Studio Sound uses AI to remove background noise, and filler words can be detected and cut from a recording.
- Screen recording and Rooms
- Record your screen inside Descript, or use Rooms to record remote guests.
- Clips, captions and translation
- Turn long recordings into short clips, add captions and subtitles, and translate content into dozens of languages.
- AI voices and Eye Contact
- Create a clone of your voice or use stock AI voices, and correct gaze with Eye Contact. These AI features consume AI credits.
Plans
Castmagic
Hobby$19
per month for up to 3 seats, billed annually ($29 billed monthly)
30 transcribed hours in the library, 3 spaces and 50 GB of storage, with unlimited AI content and clips. No API access. $239 a year.
Starter$48
per month for up to 5 seats, billed annually ($69 billed monthly)
100 transcribed hours, 10 spaces, 250 GB of storage, API access and an onboarding call. $579 a year.
Team$139
per month for 5 seats, billed annually ($199 billed monthly)
400 transcribed hours, 25 spaces, 1 TB and priority support. Extra seats cost $159 a year or $19 a month each. $1,669 a year.
Business & Scale$699
per month and up, billed annually ($999 billed monthly)
Custom transcription volume, seats and storage, an SLA and dedicated support for studios and publishers, sold through a demo with sales.
Descript
Free$0
60 media minutes per month, 100 one-time AI credits and 720p export with a watermark.
Hobbyist$16
per person / month, billed annually ($24 monthly)
1 person, 10 media hours and 400 AI credits per month, and 1080p export without a watermark.
Creator$24
per person / month, billed annually ($35 monthly)
Up to 3 people, 30 media hours and 800 AI credits per month, and 4K export without a watermark.
Business$50
per person / month, billed annually ($65 monthly)
Up to 5 people, 40 media hours and 1,500 AI credits per month, and 4K export.
EnterpriseCustom
Custom pricing with single sign-on, SCIM provisioning and dedicated support.
Ways to pay less
Castmagic
- Annual discount
Save 30% with annual billing
Billed annually, Hobby is $19 a month instead of $29, Starter $48 instead of $69 and Team $139 instead of $199. The pricing page calls this a 30% saving.
Descript
- Annual discount
Save up to 35% with annual billing
Descript's pricing page says annual plans save up to 35% over monthly. Hobbyist is $16 per person per month billed annually versus $24 billed monthly.
- Education
Education plan from $8 per editor / month
Students, educators and administrators at accredited institutions can apply for Hobbyist features at $8 per editor per month paid annually, or $12 paid monthly.
- Nonprofit
Nonprofit plan from $8 per editor / month
Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) or equivalent charitable status can apply for the same rate: Hobbyist features at $8 per editor per month paid annually, or $12 paid monthly.
