Pick Descript when
- You want to edit as well: cutting by transcript, screen recording, captions and publishing in one place.
- You want the cleanup applied while you record.
- You need an API today.
A Descript alternativewhen all you need is clean audio
Descript is a full editor, and Studio Sound is one effect inside it. Shhh is only the cleanup: upload, set the strength, download. Try it on your own file here, then compare the details below.
- 1 free hour every month
- Audio or video
- Trained on 102 languages
Shhh and Descript,side by side
What each one offers today, taken from Descript's own pages. Where we could not confirm something, the row is left out.
| Item | Shhh | Descript |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | One tool: upload, set the strength, download | Studio Sound is an audio effect inside the Descript editor1 |
| Try it without an account | Yes. The first 30 seconds of any file, no account | It runs inside a Descript project. The Free plan needs no credit card2 |
| Free plan | 1 hour a month; files up to 30 minutes | 1 media hour a month and 100 AI credits, given once. Studio Sound is marked Limited2 |
| Paid plan | $8 a month or $80 a year. Or one file for $2.99, no account | Hobbyist: US$24 a month, or US$16 a month billed yearly, with 10 media hours and 400 AI credits a month2 |
| How usage is counted | Minutes of audio, nothing else | Media hours plus AI credits. Studio Sound spends credits, up to 30 per file3 |
| Strength control | A slider from 0 to 100 on every plan, including Free | Yes, an Intensity slider1 |
| How it works | Up to 50% your own voice is kept and only the noise is turned down. Above 50% the voice is rebuilt for a studio sound | Descript describes its AI as regenerative: it isolates the audio and then regenerates it4 |
| Video files | Every plan. You get the same video back; the picture is copied, not re-encoded | Yes, by exporting the project. Free exports are 720p with a watermark2 |
| Output | WAV or MP3 (FLAC on Pro), at your file's own sample rate and channels | M4A, WAV or MP3; mono or stereo; 44.1 or 48 kHz5 |
| Your audio and training | Never used to train models | Production models use no user data; research use follows a data sharing setting you can turn off6 |
| API | In preparation (API and MCP server) | Yes7 |
Checked on September 30, 2026 against Descript's own pages. Prices and limits change. If something here is out of date, tell us: support@shhh.sh
Real recordings
Hear the difference. Decide how far it goes.
Real recordings, not added noise. Drag the strength while it plays.
Old film hiss and crackle
0:00 / 0:00
As recorded
The strip is the sound: the haze is noise, the bright lines are the voice. Click it to jump. noise voice
Thomas Edison, late 1920sOld film hiss and crackleen
0–50%
Natural
Your own voice, with the noise turned down.
50–100%
Studio
The voice is rebuilt for a studio sound.
Source: U.S. National Archives (newsreel), Public domain. Trimmed; audio cleaned with Shhh.
Which one fitsdepends on the job
Pick Shhh when
- You already edit somewhere else and only need the audio cleaned.
- You want to pay for minutes of audio, not keep track of credits.
- You want a lower price for cleanup alone: $8 a month, or $2.99 for a single file.
- You want your video back as it was, with no watermark, on the free plan.
Questions
More comparisons
Is Shhh free?
Yes. A free account cleans 1 hour of audio a month, in files up to 30 minutes. Without an account you can clean the first 30 seconds of any file to hear the result.
Will Shhh change how my voice sounds?
You decide. Up to 50% strength your own voice is kept and only the noise is turned down. Above 50% the voice is rebuilt for a studio sound. If it starts to sound robotic, pull the slider back.
Can I use Shhh together with Descript?
Yes. Clean the file with Shhh first, then import the clean file into Descript (or any editor) and edit as usual.
Can I clean the audio of a video?
Yes, on every plan. Drop an MP4 or MOV. Your browser takes the audio out, Shhh cleans it, and the clean audio is put back into the same video. The picture is copied as it is, never re-encoded.
What happens to my files?
They are used only to process them for you, never to train models, and they are deleted after 7 days.
Descript and Studio Sound are trademarks of Descript, Inc.. Shhh is made by IACTA, LLC and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Descript, Inc..
Drop a file. Hear it clean.
Try it free
Try 30 seconds of a file up to 3 minutes long, no sign in.