Descript is a video and podcast editing app that has become a popular choice for podcasters, journalists, and content teams thanks to its distinctive approach to audio and video editing. Its USP is its text-based editing feature, which allows users to edit media simply by editing the transcript itself. Delete a sentence, and that section of the video is removed automatically. Rearrange the text, and the clips move with it!

However, Descript isn’t a perfect fit for everyone. From transcription accuracy to performance issues on longer projects, Descript can fall short depending on how you work.

In this guide we’ll look at the best Descript alternatives, comparing tools for recording, transcription, text-based editing, and professional post-production to help you find the best software solution for your needs.

Jump to:

• Riverside – best all-round alternative
• Transcribe – best for transcription-first workflows
• Veed.io – best for text-based video editing
• Adobe Audition – best for podcast editing
• Adobe Premiere Pro – best for video editing
• Loom – best for screen recording

Riverside is one of the closest like-for-like alternatives to Descript when it comes to podcast and video recording and editing, particularly for teams that prioritize recording quality and reliability over in-app editing tricks. Rather than trying to do everything at once, Riverside focuses on capturing high-quality audio and video first, which often leads to better results further along in the workflow.

• Local audio and video recording
• Remote podcast and interview recording
• Separate audio and video tracks per speaker
• Simple editor for trims and clips
• Automatic transcription and captions

If transcription is your starting point rather than an add-on, Transcribe is a strong alternative to Descript. It handles audio and video content with ease, even when the audio quality isn’t perfect, and offers transcription in more than 120 languages and dialects.

It’s designed for speed, accuracy, and clarity, making it especially well-suited to journalists, researchers, and content teams who want clean transcripts before moving into editing or writing.

• High-accuracy AI transcription
• Speaker identification and automatic timestamps
• Fast turnaround times
• AI-generated summaries and key points
• Clean interface and interactive transcript editor
• Multilingual transcription in 120+ languages and dialects
• Transcript translation for global content

Veed.io is one of the only Descript alternatives on the market that offers text-based video editing. By editing captions or transcripts, users can trim and refine video content without working directly on a traditional timeline. That said, Veed.io is very much video-first. It works best for short, social-ready content rather than long-form audio or podcast production, and its text-based editing tools aren’t as central or as flexible as Descript’s.

• Transcript-based video trimming
• Automatic captions and subtitles
• Browser-based video editor
• Social-video templates and formats
• Quick export for short-form content

For podcasters who’ve outgrown Descript’s audio tools, Adobe Audition offers far more control and precision. It’s a professional audio editor built for serious post-production, making it ideal if sound quality, noise control, and fine-tuned edits are top priorities.

• Multitrack audio editing
• Advanced noise reduction and cleanup tools
• Precise EQ, compression, and effects
• Tight integration with other Adobe tools
• Industry-standard audio workflows

While Descript is useful for quick video edits, it quickly shows its limits on more complex projects. Adobe Premiere Pro is a full-scale professional video editor, giving you far greater flexibility, accuracy, and creative control, especially for longer or more polished video content.

• Professional timeline-based video editing
• Text-based editing
• Advanced trimming, transitions, and effects
• Caption and subtitle support
• Multicam editing
• Integration with Adobe After Effects and Audition

If you’re mainly using Descript for screen recordings, Loom is a simpler and more purpose-built alternative. It’s designed for quick, frictionless recording and sharing, making it ideal for async communication, internal updates, and lightweight demos.

• One-click screen, camera, and mic recording
• Instant sharing links
• Lightweight editing
• Viewer analytics and comments
• Works well for teams and remote collaboration

Whether you’re looking for a tool for recording, transcription, or professional post-production, there are plenty of Descript alternatives to choose from. One area in which Descript is unusually strong is text-based editing, with very few tools currently offering the same depth of transcript-driven editing for long-form audio and video.

That said, not every workflow starts with editing. For those who need reliable transcripts first – whether for reporting, research, or content production – Transcribe offers a more focused approach, prioritizing accuracy and clarity over in-app editing features.

Ready to try it for yourself? Open Transcribe in your browser or download the app to get started.

You can also explore our other comparison guides, including the best Happy Scribe alternatives and the best Sonix alternatives.