Side-by-side comparison · Video & Audio
Descript vs ElevenLabs vs HeyGen
Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.
Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.
At a glance
Descript
3.9Pick it if: Podcasters, coaches and creators who record themselves talking and want editing to feel like writing.
ElevenLabs
4.6Pick it if: Anyone who needs narration, voiceovers or spoken audio without hiring voice talent or a studio.
HeyGen
4.1Pick it if: Founders, marketers and trainers who need lots of on-camera video but hate filming.
Overview
| Attribute | Descript | ElevenLabs | HeyGen |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | Edit video and podcasts by editing the transcript, as easily as fixing a typo in a doc. | Lifelike AI voiceovers, dubbing and audiobooks from text, in thousands of voices. | Type a script and a lifelike presenter reads it on camera, in your voice or any language. |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | $24/mo | $6/mo | $29/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Works with Claude Code | No | Yes | Yes |
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | Descript | ElevenLabs | HeyGen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 3.9 | 4.6Winner | 4.1 |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| FeaturesHow much it can do, and how well the pieces fit together. | 4.0 | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 4.0 | 5.0 | 4.0 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 3.5 | 4.5 | 3.5 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 3.5 | 4.5 | 4.0 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | Descript | ElevenLabs | HeyGen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | No | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop app | Yes | – | No |
| Browser extension | Yes | Yes | No |
| API access | – | Yes | Yes |
| Teams & business | |||
| Team workspace | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Enterprise plan or SSO | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Connects to other apps | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Open source or self-hosted | No | No | No |
| AI abilities | |||
| Works with your files | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Understands images | No | No | Yes |
| Makes images | Yes | No | No |
| Makes video | No | No | Yes |
| Writes code | No | No | No |
| Runs agents or automations | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Learns your brand or style | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Works in many languages | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Capabilities score | 11/ 17 | 11/ 17 | 12/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | Descript | ElevenLabs | HeyGen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | Free Free Trying transcript editing on a short recording. | Free Free Trying voices and personal projects. | Free Free Testing an avatar and the translation feature. |
Hobbyist $24/mo, or $16/mo billed yearly A monthly podcast or the odd tutorial. | Starter $6/mo, or $5/mo billed yearly Occasional voiceovers you'll publish. | CreatorOur pick $29/mo, or $24/mo billed yearly Solo founders and marketers publishing regularly. | |
CreatorOur pick $35/mo, or $24/mo billed yearly Anyone publishing weekly. | CreatorOur pick $22/mo, or $18/mo billed yearly Anyone producing audio every week. | Pro From $49/mo Heavier users who want 4K and flexible usage. | |
Business $65/seat/mo, or $50/seat/mo billed yearly Marketing teams sharing a brand and a workflow. | Pro $99/mo, or $83/mo billed yearly High volume and API work. | Business $149/mo Teams with several presenters. | |
Enterprise Custom Larger companies with security requirements. | Scale $299/mo, or $249/mo billed yearly Small teams and products built on voice. | Enterprise Custom Large companies producing video across departments. | |
Enterprise Custom Large or regulated organisations. | |||
| Which plan to pick | Hobbyist works for a monthly podcast, but 1080p and limited Underlord access hold it back. Creator is the one for anyone publishing weekly: 30 hours, 4K and the full AI toolkit. Business only matters once a team shares the account. | Starter at $6 is enough for occasional voiceovers with a commercial licence. Most creators land on Creator at $22 for the professional voice clone and more minutes. Pro and Scale are for teams or anyone building products on the API. | Creator covers most solo founders and marketers: no watermark, your own avatar and 30-minute videos. Move to Business only when you need SSO, more than one custom avatar or a team sharing the account. |
Key features
| Attribute | Descript | ElevenLabs | HeyGen |
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Pros and cons
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | Descript | ElevenLabs | HeyGen |
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How we compare
Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability. The "Visit" buttons may use affiliate links, which never affect a score.
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