Growing an audience
Running the business
Both cover audio & podcasting. Here is what separates them on price, billing, what you can take with you, and coverage.
| Acast | Descript | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | From $14.99 | From $19 |
| Pricing model | Free plan, paid tiers | Free plan, paid tiers |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Billing | Monthly or annual | Monthly or annual |
| Free trial | None | None |
| API | Yes | Not stated |
| Data export | Not stated | Not stated |
| Their cut | Not stated | Not stated |
| Runs on | Web | Web, macOS, Windows |
| Covers | Audio & Podcasting, Ad Networks, Monetization & Payments | Video Editing, AI Content Tools, Audio & Podcasting |
| Works with | Podcast | YouTube, Podcast |
| Founded | Not listed | Not listed |
| Reader rating | No reviews yet | No reviews yet |
| Live deals | None right now | 1 |
Podcast hosting with an ad marketplace attached
Acast hosts the show and sells the ads against it, which is the combination a podcaster otherwise assembles from two companies. Putting a show into its marketplace lifts the episode cap on the free plan, so monetizing and hosting are the same decision. Ad revenue depends on being picked up by advertisers, and a small show may see nothing for a while.
Only on this side
Edit video and podcasts by editing the transcript
Descript turns a recording into a document and lets you cut it like text, which is much faster than a timeline for anything talking-head or interview based. Filler word removal and studio sound are the features people stay for. It struggles with long multi-camera projects.
Our note
Buy it if your work is people talking. The hour it saves on a weekly episode pays the subscription many times over. Try the free tier on a real episode first, because the workflow either clicks immediately or not at all.
Only on this side
Ratings are the average of reviews readers left. The facts are stated by each tool’s own listing and are not verified by CloutStack. How we make money.