AI voiceover for videos: text-to-speech options in editors and their usage terms

What to compare before you generate a single line

Built-in text-to-speech saves a recording session, but the real costs sit in four places: how generation is metered, which plan unlocks the voices you want, whether you can clone a voice and under what consent rules, and whether the output may be used in a monetized or client video. Vendors document these in different places, and some do not document them at all. This guide sticks to what each vendor's own pages said on 30 October 2026.

None of this is a judgment of voice quality. We have not run listening tests; the comparison is about terms, limits and workflow.

Side-by-side: voices, languages, metering and gates

Not stated means the page we read did not say. [1][3][4][5][6][8][10][12][13]

Descript: credits, models and consent for voice clones

Descript generates speech with ElevenLabs models; its help page lists Multilingual v2, ElevenLabs v3 and ElevenLabs v4, chosen in App Settings. You write a script in Write mode, assign Speakers, and on v3 and v4 you can add tone tags in parentheses, which the model interprets rather than speaks (longer custom prompts may be spoken) and which do not appear in captions, though they do appear in exported transcripts. [1]

Descript warns that tone, volume, accent or speaker identity may shift across paragraphs, especially in longer scripts, and that tone tags reset at each paragraph break. Generated speech must be converted to an audio layer before timeline fades and crossfades. [1]

Credits scale with the job: longer text-to-speech output uses more, and unused credits do not roll over. The help pages we read did not list a per-model credit cost for speech. When they run out, a one-time Top-up adds more. [4] The pricing page lists 400 credits a month on Hobbyist, 800 on Creator and 1,500 on Business. [3]

Voice cloning needs explicit recorded authorization from the person whose voice is used, read as an English consent statement in the app. Descript does not permit cloning a deceased person, a non-consenting person, or audio from an AI source, and says bypassing the process breaches its Terms of Service. [2]

Filmora and FlexClip: credit-based voices

Filmora's text-to-speech flow is: paste the script, pick a language and a voice from the Voice Library or a modeled voice, generate, then preview on the timeline. [6] Voice cloning, which Filmora also calls AI modeling, works by recording yourself reading on-screen text and generating a model. [7] Filmora's plan comparison labels text-to-speech and voice cloning as Paid by AI Credits and says text-to-speech supports 28 languages. [5] Filmora's commercial-use license page did not address AI-generated voices when we read it, so ask Wondershare before using them in client work. [14]

FlexClip's text-to-speech tool accepts up to 4,000 characters per section and up to 60 sections. The first play and generation consume AI credits, and hovering over the play button shows the cost before you commit. [8] FlexClip states that Plus, Business and Team subscribers may use content generated by its AI tools commercially, that AI credit-only buyers may use AI-generated content but not stock resources commercially, and that free users may not use generated content commercially. Commercial rights for content created during an active subscription continue afterward. [9] AI credit purchases are non-refundable. [11]

CapCut: free tool, terms to read

CapCut's text-to-speech tool page claims more than 200 AI voices, names languages including Chinese, Malay, Vietnamese, Thai, English, Spanish and Japanese, and describes the generator as free of charge. It lists audio export as AAC, FLAC, MP3 and WAV. [12] This is a marketing page, so treat the numbers as CapCut's own claims.

On commercial use, the page's FAQ says the audio can be used for commercial purposes such as advertisements, YouTube videos and brand promotions, while telling users to comply with CapCut's terms of use and platform guidelines. [12] CapCut's plan help page separately says Pro includes commercial-use assets and advanced AI tools such as AI-generated content, and that Standard suits users who do not need commercial assets. [13] Read both together and confirm in the app which voices are tagged Pro before relying on one for a sponsored video.

Worked example: a 10-minute explainer

Suppose the script is about 1,400 words, roughly 9,000 characters. In FlexClip that does not fit one section, because sections cap at 4,000 characters; split it into at least three sections, well under the 60-section limit, and check the hover cost on each before generating. [8]

In Descript, plan for the cost to scale with output length, and keep paragraphs short so a tone tag or a voice drift only affects one block. [1][4] Regenerating a paragraph after a script fix costs credits again, so lock the script before generating.

In Filmora, text-to-speech is labeled Paid by AI Credits; the Advanced yearly plan lists 1,000 credits a month, while the Perpetual plan lists 1,000 credits one-time. [5] If you plan to iterate heavily, a one-time allowance can run out where a monthly one would refill.

When recording your own voice is the better choice

• Long-form narration where a consistent voice matters; Descript itself warns that delivery can shift across paragraphs in longer scripts. [1]
• Videos heavy with product names, acronyms or non-English terms that a synthetic voice may mispronounce.
• Content where viewers are trusting you personally, such as reviews, tutorials under your name, or sponsored segments.
• Free-plan projects intended for commercial use, where FlexClip's terms do not allow generated content. [9]
• Any case where you would want to clone someone else's voice; Descript requires their recorded consent, and you should have the same standard everywhere. [2]

Disclosure and review checklist

• Confirm the voice is allowed for your use: plan tier, credit purchase type and commercial terms. [5][9][12][13]
• If you cloned a voice, keep the consent recording and note whose voice it is. [2]
• Listen to the full generated track once, start to finish, before editing pictures to it.
• Check every name, number and command against the script.
• Check that captions and transcripts match the spoken words; Descript tone tags stay out of captions but do appear in exported transcripts. [1]
• Follow your publishing platform's current rules on labeling synthetic or altered content, and say in the description that the narration is AI-generated when a reasonable viewer would assume it is you.
• Keep the final script and the export settings with the project in case you need to regenerate later.

Sources & verification

Product details and prices can change. Check the linked provider before buying.

1. Descript Help: Text to speech Accessed 30 Oct 2026
2. Descript Help: Custom voices Accessed 30 Oct 2026
3. Descript: Pricing Accessed 30 Oct 2026
4. Descript Help: Media minutes and AI credits Accessed 30 Oct 2026
5. Wondershare Filmora: Plans and pricing Accessed 30 Oct 2026
6. Wondershare Filmora Guide: STT and TTS Accessed 30 Oct 2026
7. Wondershare Filmora Guide: AI Voice Cloning Accessed 30 Oct 2026
8. FlexClip Help: AI Text to Speech Tool Accessed 30 Oct 2026
9. FlexClip Help: Commercial Use Regulations Accessed 30 Oct 2026
10. FlexClip Help: Video Editor Plan Benefits Accessed 30 Oct 2026
11. FlexClip Help: Can I get a refund for AI credits? Accessed 30 Oct 2026
12. CapCut: Text to speech tool Accessed 30 Oct 2026
13. CapCut Help: Standard vs Pro Accessed 30 Oct 2026
14. Wondershare Filmora: Commercial use license Accessed 30 Oct 2026