How to Cancel Descript

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Use leftover minutes and credits this cycle

   Canceling does not cut you off today. The paid plan stays on until the end of the billing cycle, then the Drive drops to Free. Unused monthly media minutes and AI credits do not roll over even if you stay subscribed — finish exports, transcription, and Underlord work now. Creator and Business top-ups are different: Descript keeps the leftover balance, but you cannot spend it on Free, and the original 12-month expiry keeps running.

   Heads up: Top-up packs are non-refundable. If you still have a paid top-up balance you want to burn, stay on a paid plan (or downgrade to Hobbyist) instead of going to Free.

2. 2

   Open the Plan tab

   Go to web.descript.com/subscription and sign in, or press Command/Control + , and click Plan. You can also open Settings from your profile icon or the Drive name in the top-left. Confirm the Drive in the sidebar if you own more than one — each Drive has its own bill.

   

3. 3

   Click Change plan

   On the Plan tab, click Change plan next to the plan name. That opens the Choose your plan picker. Edit current plan is a different control — it changes seats or monthly vs annual, not cancel.

4. 4

   Click Downgrade to the Free plan

   The picker leads with Hobbyist, Creator, Business, and Enterprise cards. Canceling is the small Downgrade to the Free plan link at the top — not Downgrade to Hobbyist, not Edit current plan, and not the annual toggle on Creator or Business. Click Downgrade to the Free plan.

   Heads up: Hobbyist is still a paid plan. The annual toggle is an upsell — it can show the cheaper per-month figure even when your live cycle is monthly. Free is the only path that stops the subscription charge.

   

5. 5

   Pick a reason, then click Cancel subscription

   Descript asks why you are canceling. A reason is required — the Cancel subscription button does not complete the cancel until you select one. Submit it and follow the remaining prompts. This screen was not in the screenshot set; the labels may differ from what you see.

6. 6

   Verify the Canceled badge and resume banner

   Back on Plan, the plan name should show a red Canceled badge. A banner names the date the Drive will drop to Descript Free and offers Click here to cancel this change and resume your current subscription. Billing cycle should read until that same date. If you change your mind before then, use that link — it turns auto-renewal back on.

   

7. 7

   Confirm the end-date toast

   Close Settings. The home screen should toast Your subscription will end on [date]. That date is when paid features stop and Free limits apply — not today. Projects stay on the Drive. If the toast never appears and Plan still lacks the Canceled badge, the cancel did not register; run Change plan → Downgrade to the Free plan again.

   

8. 8
   If this applies to you

   Cancel every Drive you own, not just one

   One Descript login can own several Drives, and each Drive bills on its own cycle and its own card. Canceling Personal does not stop a client Drive. Open Settings, switch Drive in the sidebar, and repeat Plan → Change plan → Downgrade to the Free plan on each one. A second email address is a second account — check that login too.

9. 9
   If this applies to you

   Standalone SquadCast is a separate cancel

   If SquadCast is linked to Descript, this cancel covers both — you are billed once. If you still have a leftover SquadCast-only plan, cancel it at app.squadcast.fm/account/subscription with Cancel Subscription. The Open SquadCast row on the Plan tab does not stop a standalone SquadCast bill.

10. 10
    If this applies to you

    Do not delete the account unless you want everything gone

    Account deletion (Settings → Profile → Delete account) is permanent: projects, Drives, transcripts, invoices, and the email are wiped, and you sign up again from scratch if you return. Help contradicts itself on whether delete also stops billing — one line says it does not cancel, another says the plan is canceled immediately and unused time is forfeited. Cancel with Downgrade to the Free plan first. If you still want the account gone, export media and download invoices, then delete.

11. 11
    If this applies to you

    Only the Drive owner can stop the bill

    Members cannot cancel the Drive subscription. Leaving the Drive does not stop the owner from being charged. If the owner has left the company, Descript support will only process a cancel from that owner's email — work with IT to recover the inbox, then contact support. Past-due or failed payments also block plan changes until the invoice is cleared.