Text-based editing, honestly compared

If you've ever deleted a sentence from a transcript and watched the video cut itself, you've used text-based editing. Three tools people ask us about do it: Descript, Adobe Premiere Pro and our own Cutgraph Studio.

We make one of them, so read this with that in mind. We've tried to be useful rather than flattering: where the others are stronger, we say so. Pricing changes often, so we've left it out; check each vendor's page before you decide.

The short version

	Descript	Premiere Pro	Cutgraph Studio
Where it runs	Desktop and cloud, account required	Desktop	Your machine only, no account
Text-based editing	Yes, mature	Yes, inside a full editor	Yes, the main way you work
Built-in animation	Templates and layouts	Motion graphics templates, After Effects	A drawing engine with a character cast
AI	Built-in, uses plan credits	Built-in features	Optional co-pilot on your own Anthropic key
Collaboration	Yes	Yes, with Adobe's cloud	No, single user
Recording	Yes, including remote guests	No	No
Source code	Closed	Closed	Public, Fair Source
Platforms	Windows, macOS	Windows, macOS	Windows 11 tested, Linux best-effort

Descript: the most polished

Descript made this way of editing mainstream, and it shows. Recording, remote guests, collaboration, audio clean-up and AI voice features are all far ahead of anything we ship. If you work with a team, record podcasts with guests, or want everything in one place without installing Python, Descript is the safer choice today.

Where we differ: Descript works through an account and its cloud, with plan limits on its AI features. Cutgraph runs entirely on your computer and has no meter. Your footage stays local, transcription happens on your own hardware, and the optional co-pilot bills to your own Anthropic key.

Premiere Pro: the full professional editor

Premiere's text-based editing works the way you'd hope. Delete words in the transcript and the clip is cut, filler words included. It sits inside a complete professional editor with effects, colour, audio tools and a huge plugin ecosystem.

If you already live in Premiere, or your video needs finishing work beyond talk-driven editing, stay there. Cutgraph doesn't do colour grading, complex effects or round-trips to other editors yet.

Where we differ: Cutgraph is narrower and lighter on purpose. The script is the main surface rather than one panel among many, scenes and their story roles sit on a board, and motion graphics are drawn by a built-in engine instead of a separate app.

Cutgraph Studio: local, story-first, a little weird

What we think Cutgraph does well:

• Story-first editing. Script, Board, Timeline and Source lenses on the same video.
• Animation without another tool. Any scene can become an animation or a character cameo on a chosen word, rendered identically in preview and export.
• Proposals, not autopilot. The co-pilot suggests cuts, scenes, B-roll and shots as cards you accept or reject.
• Inspectable. The source preview is about to open under FSL-1.1-ALv2, so you will be able to read exactly what runs.

What it doesn't do well yet, honestly:

• It's a developer preview, installed from source.
• Windows 11 first, Linux best-effort, no macOS.
• English transcription only.
• No recording, no remote guests, no team features, no mobile app.
• A small template and effects library compared with either of the others.

How to choose

• You record with guests or work with a team: Descript.
• You need a full professional finishing tool: Premiere Pro.
• You make talk-driven videos alone, want your footage to stay on your machine, like the idea of built-in animation, and don't mind rough edges: try Cutgraph. It's free, so the cost of finding out is an evening once the preview opens. Join the waitlist.

You can try the core gesture on our homepage without installing anything, and the features page tags every capability as shipped, preview or planned.

FAQ

Did Cutgraph invent text-based editing? No. Descript popularised it and Premiere Pro has had text-based editing for a while. Cutgraph's take is a lighter, story-first view that runs locally, with motion graphics and an optional co-pilot built in.

When should I pick Descript or Premiere instead? Pick Descript for collaboration, recording and polished audio tools. Pick Premiere if you need a full professional editor with effects and a big plugin ecosystem. Pick Cutgraph if you want your footage to stay on your machine, inspectable code and no per-minute meter.