Each month, your Descript plan includes a set number of transcription hours. If you need more, you can either upgrade your plan or manually increase your monthly transcription limit.
Check your available transcription hours
To see how many transcription hours are included with your plan:
- Navigate to the Drive View.
- Click your profile photo in the top right corner, then select the Settings cog icon.
- In the left panel, click the Subscription tab. Your monthly transcription limit will be displayed on the right.
Increase your transcription limit
If you upgrade to a higher plan (e.g., from Creator to Business), your monthly transcription limit will immediately update to match your new plan.
If you’re on a paid plan, you can purchase additional transcription hours in $2/hour increments:
- Go to the Drive View.
- Select your profile photo and click the Settings cog icon.
- Click the Subscription tab and select Edit current plan.
- In the new tab, adjust the Transcription Hours field to add more hours (for example, changing "40" to "50" to add 10 more hours). Press Enter.
- Review the payment summary, then click Save Changes. You'll be charged immediately, and your added transcription hours will be available right away.
Upgrading your plan or adding hours updates your transcription limit immediately. However, any transcription you've already used during your current billing cycle still applies — your usage won't reset.
Example: If you upgrade from Creator (30 hours) to Business (40 hours) after using 20 hours, you'll have 20 hours of your new 40-hour limit remaining — not a fresh 40 hours.
Billing details:
Monthly subscribers: You'll continue to be billed for the added hours each month, alongside your regular subscription fee. The cost will appear on your future invoices.
Annual subscribers: You'll pay upfront for the additional hours covering the remainder of your annual plan. Your extra hours will refresh each month along with your standard transcription limit.
Example: If you're three months into a 12-month annual plan and add 10 extra hours per month, you'll be charged upfront for the remaining 90 hours. These additional hours will be included in your monthly transcription limit as it resets each cycle.
Inviting additional editors to your drive (on paid plans) increases your total monthly transcription limit. Each new editor adds:
- 10 hours for Hobbyist plans
- 30 hours for Creator plans
Transcription hours are pooled across all editors and the drive owner. Learn more about drive members.
Do unused transcription hours roll over?
No — transcription hours reset at the start of each billing cycle and do not roll over.
For example, if you're on the Hobbyist plan with 10 hours/month and purchase 2 extra hours, you’ll start each new billing cycle with 12 transcription hours. Unused hours will not carry over.
Remove additional transcription hours
If you’ve manually added extra transcription hours and no longer need them, you can adjust or remove them from your plan at any time.
- Go to the Drive View.
- Click your profile photo and select the Settings cog icon.
- In the left panel, select the Subscription tab, then click Edit current plan.
- In the Transcription Hours field, update the number to reflect your desired monthly limit. To remove added hours, return the number to your plan’s default amount.
- Click Save Changes to update your subscription.
If you reduce your transcription hours, the change will take effect with your next billing cycle.