How to Cancel Descript

A 11-step walkthrough with real screenshots from the live cancel flow.

~3 minutes Time
4 days ago Updated
Verified Working flow
Open Descript Cancel Page Read the 11 steps See Descript pricing & tiers

Quick answer

Sign in at web.descript.com/subscription, open the Plan tab, click Change plan, then Downgrade to the Free plan. Pick a reason and click Cancel subscription. You keep the paid plan until the billing cycle ends — canceling is not a refund.

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Step-by-step instructions

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.

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.

Descript Settings on the Plan tab for a Creator plan, showing Change plan, a monthly billing cycle that renews July 17, 2026 at 9:40 PM GMT+7, Edit current plan, 1 seat, 800 monthly AI credits, 30 monthly media hours, a Visa ending in 2193, Add top ups, and Open SquadCast
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

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.

Descript Choose your plan page with Downgrade to the Free plan at the top, Hobbyist at $24 per person per month with Downgrade to Hobbyist, a Current Plan Creator card at $24 per person per month with a Monthly/Annual toggle and Saving 31% over monthly plan, Business at $50, and Enterprise Custom / Talk to sales
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

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.

Descript Plan tab after cancel with a banner reading Your subscription will downgrade from Creator to Descript Free on July 17, 2026 and Click here to cancel this change and resume your current subscription, plus a red Canceled badge on Creator and Billing cycle Monthly, until July 17, 2026
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.

Descript home screen after cancel with a toast reading Your subscription will end on July 17, 2026 over the What can I help you with prompt and Recent projects
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
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
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
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.

Frequently Asked Questions

Not for a new period on that Drive. Canceling turns off auto-renewal. You keep the paid plan until the date on the Plan banner and the home toast, then the Drive moves to Free. There is no pause in the current help center. A second Drive, a second email, or a standalone SquadCast plan is a separate bill — canceling one does not cancel the others.

Canceling itself returns no money. Mid-cycle cancels and downgrades are not prorated — you keep access until the period ends. Descript's refund article says they refund a plan if you cancel and request it within 48 hours of the invoice date: submit a request at help.descript.com/hc/en-us/requests/new from the account email (or reply on an open ticket). An unwanted editor seat has a separate 7-day window, and only the Drive owner can ask. Top-ups are never refunded. Descript does not publish an EU/UK 14-day withdrawal window; local consumer law may still give you extra rights, but do not assume a longer cash-back period than the 48-hour help article.

Projects stay on the Drive. Paid features that Free does not include drop at the end date (watermark-free / 4K export, full Underlord, stock library, and the higher monthly allowances). Unused monthly media minutes and AI credits do not roll over and end with the paid period. Top-up balances are kept but cannot be spent on Free; resubscribe before the 12-month expiry if you want them back. Free is 1 hour of media per month and 100 one-time AI credits. Deleting the account is what wipes projects — cancel does not.

Those are Stripe checkout methods on the web, not an App Store or Google Play subscription. Cancel at web.descript.com/subscription the same way. iPhone Settings → Subscriptions will not list a Descript plan unless you bought a different app. Descript's help does not document an IAP cancel path, and mobile/tablet editing is not officially supported. If a receipt is from Apple for the Mac app itself, that is the desktop download — not the Hobbyist / Creator / Business plan.

Descript's help and pricing page describe Free as a real plan (no card required), not a timed trial that flips to paid. There is no separate in-flow "trial cancel." If you are already on Hobbyist, Creator, or Business, use the steps above and finish before the renewal date on Plan. Promo codes are applied in billing settings; they do not change the cancel path.

Yes. Before the end date, use Click here to cancel this change and resume your current subscription on the Plan banner. After it lapses, Change plan again from Settings and pick a paid tier — projects are still there. Top-ups that have not expired become spendable again on Creator or Business. Leaving a legacy or sunset plan is one-way; you cannot return to that old SKU. There is no documented returning-customer discount.
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