Descript Media Minutes and AI Credits: What Actually Spends Each One
Media minutes pay for transcription and recording in Descript. AI credits pay for Underlord, Studio Sound and AI speech. How each pool works and resets.
By Don karlos Fru ยท Published 2026-10-29
Descript plans now run on two separate pools, and most billing surprises come from mixing them up. A creator burns through one pool doing work that belongs to the other, or assumes a balance rolled over when it did not. The two pools measure different things. Media minutes measure the audio and video you feed the app. AI credits measure the generative work the app does on that media. Once you know which activity spends which pool, your usage stops being a mystery.
QUICK ANSWERMedia minutes are spent on transcription and recording. Uploads, in-project recording and Rooms sessions spend minutes, and a Rooms session counts once per session, not once per guest. AI credits are spent on generative features such as Underlord, Studio Sound, Remove Filler Words, Green Screen, Eye Contact, AI speech, avatars and generated video. Both pools reset at renewal and unused balances do not roll over. Check both at any time under Settings, in the Usage tab.
Media minutes pay for the media itself
Media minutes track the transcription and recording side of Descript. When you upload a file, record inside a project, or hold a Rooms session, the length of that media spends minutes. Descript counts a Rooms session once per session rather than once per guest, which matters for interview shows. A panel recording with four guests costs the length of the session, not four times the length. Even still images spend minutes, at one second of media time per image, so a slideshow style project is not free of minute costs either.
The practical consequence is that your recording habits set your minute spend. A show that records two hours a week and uploads the raw session spends roughly two hours of minutes a week before any AI tool runs. Long unedited sessions are the expensive habit here. Trimming dead air before upload does nothing once the file is in, because the minute spend happens on the media you give the app.
Editorial image from this article.AI credits pay for generative work
AI credits are spent when Descript creates something new. The help center lists the features that draw on the credit pool. Underlord, the AI editing assistant, spends credits. Studio Sound, Remove Filler Words, Green Screen and Eye Contact spend credits. AI speech and AI voices spend credits, and so do avatars, generated video and generated layout packs. Editing by hand, cutting, rearranging and typing corrections into the transcript, does not spend AI credits.
Most of these costs are predictable. For the manual AI features, the cost scales with the length of the media and the model you choose, and Descript shows the price before you run the tool. A ten minute clip run through Studio Sound costs a fraction of a two hour episode run through the same tool. That predictability is what makes a credits budget workable. You can decide in advance which episodes earn the full AI treatment and which get a plain edit.
Underlord is the exception to predictable pricing
Underlord does not price like the other tools. Descript states that Underlord costs are non-deterministic. The price of a run depends on the agent brain doing the work, on which tool Underlord decides to run, and on the model involved. Two similar sounding requests can cost different amounts because the agent took different paths to finish them. The exact cost of each run is shown after the fact in the Usage tab, down to the individual run.
The working rule follows from that design. Use Underlord for the jobs where its judgment is the point, such as restructuring a messy recording or hunting for the strongest clip in a long session. Use the direct tools for repeatable jobs where you already know the setting you want. Running Underlord to do a fixed task you could have done with one click on Studio Sound is how a credit pool drains without anyone noticing.
How the pools reset, and who can spend them
Both pools reset when the plan renews, and unused minutes and credits do not roll over. A balance you did not spend in one cycle is gone at renewal. On team Drives, the totals pool per Editor seat, so the seats share the allowance the plan provides rather than each project carrying its own separate budget. Two roles cannot spend the pools at all. Viewers cannot use media minutes or AI credits, and project level Editors cannot either. If a collaborator reports that an AI feature is unavailable, check their role before you check the balance.
How to check your usage
Open Settings and go to the Usage tab. It shows the current balances and the history of what spent them, including the per run cost of Underlord work. Descript also offers a CSV export of usage covering up to 12 months, stated as 366 days, although the export is not available on Free plans. Media in the export is reported in seconds, so divide by 60 before you compare it against the minute figures in your plan. A monthly look at this tab is enough to catch the pattern. One feature is usually responsible for most of the spend, and it is rarely the one the team expected.
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The rule to remember
Minutes buy the media, credits buy the machine work. Record tighter sessions to protect minutes, aim the predictable AI tools at the episodes that earn them, and treat Underlord as a specialist you call for judgment, not a default button. Check the Usage tab before renewal, because nothing you leave unspent carries into the next cycle.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Descript media minutes and AI credits?
Media minutes pay for transcription and recording, covering uploads, in-project recording and Rooms sessions. AI credits pay for generative features such as Underlord, Studio Sound, Remove Filler Words, AI speech, avatars and generated video. Descript's help center tracks the two pools separately in the Usage tab.
Does a Rooms session with several guests spend minutes per guest?
No. Descript counts a Rooms session once per session, not once per guest. A one hour session with four guests spends about one hour of media minutes, not four.
Do unused Descript minutes or AI credits roll over?
No. Both allowances reset when the plan renews, and unused media minutes and AI credits do not roll over into the next cycle.
Why did one Underlord run cost more than another?
Underlord pricing is non-deterministic. Descript states the cost depends on the agent brain, the tool Underlord runs and the model involved, so two similar requests can price differently. The exact cost of each run appears in the Usage tab.
Who on a team Drive can spend minutes and credits?
The pools are shared per Editor seat on the Drive. Viewers cannot spend media minutes or AI credits, and project level Editors cannot either, per Descript's help center.
How do I see what spent my Descript balance?
Open Settings and choose the Usage tab. It lists balances and spend history, and a CSV export covers up to 12 months, although the export is not available on Free plans. Media in the export is reported in seconds.