Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Descript VS Play.ht

Compare Descript VS Play.ht and see what are their differences

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Descript logo Descript

Text-based audio editor and automated transcription

Play.ht logo Play.ht

AI Voice and Speech Generation tool
  • Descript Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-20
  • Play.ht Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-05-11

Play.ht offers some of the best AI voices to help you create realistic AI voiceovers for your videos, presentations, education and other projects. Play.ht's state-of-the-art Text to Speech editor allows you to create the voiceover according to your needs. You can use multiple AI voices to create conversation-like audio and use full SSML features to enhance your audio.

Play.ht also allows you to embed and distribute your audio files. You can embed the audio using our audio player widgets to increase accessibility on your articles or web-pages. You can use our Podcasting solution to distribute your audio files as podcasts to iTunes and Spotify.

Try Play.ht for free - https://play.ht/

Descript features and specs

  • Ease of Use
    Descript offers an intuitive interface that simplifies audio and video editing, making it accessible even to users with limited technical skills.
  • Automated Transcription
    The platform provides high-quality automated transcription services, allowing users to convert audio to text quickly and with a high degree of accuracy.
  • Collaborative Editing
    Descript enables multiple users to collaborate on the same project in real-time, which is particularly useful for teams working remotely.
  • Multi-Functionality
    Descript is not just a transcription tool but also a full-fledged audio and video editor, offering a wide range of features such as overdubbing, sound effects, and video editing.
  • Overdub
    This feature allows users to create synthetic voiceovers from text, which can be used to correct or add to existing audio without needing to re-record.
  • Seamless Integration
    Descript integrates with other platforms like Zoom, Dropbox, and Google Drive, making it easy to import and export files.

Possible disadvantages of Descript

  • Pricing
    Descript's subscription plans can be relatively expensive for individual users or small teams, especially when compared to other transcription and editing tools.
  • Learning Curve
    Despite its intuitive design, some advanced features and functionalities may require a learning curve, especially for users new to audio and video editing.
  • Limited Free Version
    The free version of Descript comes with limitations, such as restricted transcription minutes and fewer features, which may not be sufficient for heavy users.
  • Occasional Transcription Errors
    While the automated transcription is generally accurate, it can sometimes produce errors, especially with uncommon terms, multiple speakers, or background noise.
  • Performance Issues
    Some users have reported that the application can be slow or laggy when working on large files or complex projects, potentially hindering productivity.
  • Privacy Concerns
    As with any cloud-based service, there are inherent privacy and security concerns related to the uploading and storage of sensitive audio and video files.

Play.ht features and specs

  • AI Voices
    570+ AI Voices and 57 Languages
  • Rights
    Full Commercial & Broadcasting Rights
  • Speech Styles
    Expressive Emotional Speech Styles
  • Pronunciations
    Create Custom Pronunciations
  • Voice features
    Multi-voice Feature
  • Revisions & Downloads
    Unlimited Previews, Revisions & Downloads
  • Custom Pauses
    Custom Pauses

Analysis of Descript

Overall verdict

  • Descript is generally considered a good tool for both beginner and intermediate users looking for an intuitive and efficient way to edit audio and video content.

Why this product is good

  • Descript offers a unique combination of audio and video editing with a simple, user-friendly interface.
  • It provides a robust set of features including transcription, screen recording, and multi-track editing, making it a versatile tool for content creators.
  • Descript's Overdub feature allows users to generate text-to-speech in their own voice, which can significantly speed up the editing process.
  • The platform is consistently updated with new features based on user feedback, ensuring it remains a competitive choice in the market.

Recommended for

  • Podcasters who need reliable transcription and editing capabilities.
  • Video creators looking for a straightforward tool for editing and screen recording.
  • Teams and collaborators who need to work on projects together, as Descript supports real-time collaboration.
  • Content creators who are interested in utilizing text-to-speech technology to streamline their workflow.

Analysis of Play.ht

Overall verdict

  • Play.ht is a strong choice for those seeking a reliable and versatile text-to-speech solution. However, its suitability can depend on specific needs such as the diversity of available languages, voice quality preferences, and budget.

Why this product is good

  • Play.ht is a text-to-speech service known for its high-quality synthetic voices that can be used for podcasts, voiceovers, and other audio content. It offers a variety of natural-sounding voices, multilingual support, and customization features. Users appreciate its user-friendly interface, the ability to fine-tune speech synthesis, and the option to download audio files in different formats.

Recommended for

  • Content creators who need AI-generated voiceovers for podcasts or videos.
  • Businesses looking to add voice features to their applications or services.
  • Individuals who require assistive technology for reading text content aloud.
  • Developers seeking TTS API integration options.

Descript videos

Descript - Hands On: Ultimate Podcast / YouTube Editor

More videos:

  • Review - Descript's Podcast Studio launches: we try it out
  • Review - Audio Editing with Descript Software
  • Demo - Introducing Descript

Play.ht videos

Basic Features | Play.ht

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Descript and Play.ht)
AI
40 40%
60% 60
Transcription
100 100%
0% 0
Text To Speech
0 0%
100% 100
Productivity
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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Reviews

These are some of the external sources and on-site user reviews we've used to compare Descript and Play.ht

Descript Reviews

How to Use a TikTok Subtitles Generator for Free
Descript: AI-based video and audio editor that can transcribe videos and add subtitles easily.
Source: videobytes.ai
Top Otter AI Alternatives in 2024
Descript is one of many editing and transcription tools used to write, record, transcribe, edit, collaborate on, and share videos and podcasts. Descript offers automatic transcription services with industry-leading accuracy, near-instant turnaround, and affordable prices. For just pennies on the dollar, you can choose one of four plans and transcribe whatever you need in 22...
Top 10 Podcasting Audio to Text Transcription Software
In case you are looking for software you can use to record, edit and transcribe your podcasts, then you shouldnโ€™t look much further than Descript. This cross-platform tool can be used to edit both audio and video files, while the Lyrebird AI enables you to correct any mistakes by simply typing what you really want to say. Descript automatically transcribes your videos with...
The 12 Best Notta.ai Alternatives for Better Transcription in 2024
Descript is a versatile tool for editing videos and podcasts with ease. It uses AI to simplify the editing process, making it accessible for users who may not have advanced technical skills. You can edit audio and video as if you were editing a text document. Transcription is one of the many unique features provided by Descriptโ€™s intuitive AI.
Source: sonix.ai
Top 10 AI Subtitle Generators to Try in 2024
Descript combines transcription, video editing, and captioning into one easy-to-use platform. Its advanced AI helps you create accurate subtitles with little effort and can translate them into multiple languages. Descript also offers editing tools to customize subtitle appearance, making sure they match your videoโ€™s look and feel.

Play.ht Reviews

11 Best AI Voice Generators to Explore in 2024
Play.ht is a top-notch AI voice generator loved by big brands such as Verizon and Comcast. This makes it perfect for businesses who want the best quality. With over 900 voices in 142 different languages and accents, it offers great variety. This text-to-speech tool has a special feature called Play Agents for creating AI voice agents. It has a pronunciation library for...
13 Best AI Voice Generators (March 2023) for Natural Text-to-Speech
Play.ht is a voice generation service that is being professionally used for voicing their customer support systems by 7000+ teams and some very large enterprises. If you need AI voice generation at a scale, Play.ht is your best bet.
Source: nerdynav.com
The Best AI Voice Generator for 2023
Play.ht is a text-to-speech tool that uses AI to generate natural-sounding voices in over 140 languages and accents. It offers a variety of features for enhancing and customizing audio, including speech styles, voice inflections, and custom pronunciations. Users can preview their text before converting it to speech, and the resulting audio files can be securely stored and...
Source: webninja.ai
10 Best AI Voice Generators
A powerful AI text-to-speech generator, Play.ht relies on AI to generate audio and voices from IBM, Microsoft, Amazon, and Google. The tool is especially useful for converting text into natural voices, and it allows you to download the voice-over as MP3 and WAV files.
Source: www.unite.ai
How To Convert Articles Into Audio Podcast 2022: (Top Pick)
Bottomline : When we watch a video on YouTube, we always look for something of good quality, whether it is a video or simple audio matters less since the sound is what we usually look for. Now, in the same way, we prefer listening to something rather than reading it, especially because it can get quite frustrating to scroll and space out randomly. This all is eliminated when...

Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Play.ht should be more popular than Descript. It has been mentiond 67 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Descript mentions (12)

  • how do you handle your podcasts transcription and timestamps
    For transcripts, I use Descript. Descript is able to identify all four of our panel members, and I usually spend an hour or so cleaning it up and setting the transcript into a video for YouTube. Source: over 2 years ago
  • looking for video editor that auto cuts conversations
    I don't understand exactly what you are trying to do, but I'm pretty sure Descript can do what you want. Source: over 2 years ago
  • What is your preferred way to make a voice-over?
    I tried to use descript.com but found out that they didn't have a download for Linux and that their online version doesn't allow you to edit your transcript. Source: almost 3 years ago
  • Needing some assistances
    Edit your audio with software like Descript or Audacity. Source: over 3 years ago
  • Video snippit of your episode text animation recommendations
    Looks like an 'audiogram' from descript.com - you can make them on their paid service. Source: over 3 years ago
View more

Play.ht mentions (67)

  • The ultimate open source stack for building AI agents
    Next, for text-to-speech (TTS), tools like Play.ht give you lifelike voices with custom accents and tone controls, while OpenVoice lets you clone voices like youโ€™re building your own mini Morgan Freeman. - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
  • Getting Started with ElevenLabs API
    PlayHT: Over 900 voices across 142+ languages with voice cloning features. - Source: dev.to / 5 months ago
  • Show HN: My Voice AI clone interviews you, then writes your LI / X posts
    ### Why did I build this? 1. LinkedIn and X are b2b lead goldmines. But generating content is hard. You have to figure out what to say. If you're like me, you have trouble coming up with social post ideas when staring at a blank screen. But interesting ideas arrive when I step away from my laptop and talk to people. Also, it's hard to compose the content in a way that appeases the platform algorithms. 2. I want to... - Source: Hacker News / about 1 year ago
  • [D] What offline TTS Model is good enough for a realistic real-time task?
    There aren't really any models that produce realistic real-time voice. I'd recommend ElevenLabs or play.ht, sadly these seem to be the only useable options for now. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Where can I find an online resource of voice cloning?
    I've used play.ht before. Very easy to use. Source: about 2 years ago
View more

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Descript and Play.ht, you can also consider the following products

Otter.ai - Your AI meeting assistant that takes live notes and generates summaries and other insights using Meeting GenAI.

Murf AI - Lifelike voiceovers in minutes.

HappyScribe - Happy Scribe automatically transcribes your interviews

NaturalReader - Main Feature: Full Common Functions: Read Text Files o Text files o MS Word files

InVideo.io - Create thumb-stopping videos in mins for just $10/month even if you've never edited a video before!

Speechify - Read faster, stay focused & absorb more - Create Audiobooks