Riverside
Video Hosting Verified May 2026
Remote recording studio for podcasts, video interviews, and live streams that captures separate high-quality audio and video tracks per participant.
- Each participant's audio and video recorded locally and synced, eliminating internet quality issues
- Separate audio tracks per guest allow clean post-production mixing without bleed between speakers
- Browser-based recording requires no software installation for guests, reducing session friction
- AI transcription, automatic filler word removal, and video clips available post-recording
How Riverside scored 56/100
6 weighted criteria, each scored out of 10 and published with its reasoning. Featured placements never move a score.
Deal Strength
3.0 /10This is partner access to Riverside's public pricing, with no verified discount and no coupon, so the link itself saves you nothing. The free tier, not the offer, is what lowers your cost.
Value for Money
5.0 /10There is a free plan, then Pro at $24/mo, Live at $34/mo and Webinar at $79/mo, squarely in line with Descript, Squadcast and Zencastr. You pay category rates for locally recorded quality.
Capability
8.0 /10Double-ender local recording captures separate WAV and 4K files per guest, backed by an AI editor, Magic Clips, Producer mode, live streaming and direct publishing. For video podcasting the feature set has few real gaps.
Time to Value
8.0 /10The free plan needs no credit card and guests join by clicking a link, so you can record a test episode and judge the whole workflow the same afternoon.
Trust & Reliability
5.0 /10Riverside's homepage points to Spotify, Microsoft, The New York Times and TED as users, which is real adoption. Beyond those logos it publishes no uptime SLA and no review totals, so there is little to verify.
Flexibility & Exit
5.0 /10Riverside offers monthly and annual billing alongside a free plan, so you can drop down a tier instead of cancelling outright. It gives no detail on cancellation mechanics or bulk export of past recordings.
About Riverside
Quick answer
Remote recording studio for podcasts, video interviews, and live streams that captures separate high-quality audio and video tracks per participant.
Riverside, in 30 seconds
Riverside is a remote recording studio for podcasts and video shows, built on "double-ender" recording — every guest's audio and video are captured locally, then uploaded to the cloud, so quality does not depend on internet conditions during the call. We picked it because the separate WAV and 4K MP4 tracks per participant are usable in any editing tool, the live editor produces shareable clips, and the AI features save real production hours. The trade-off: local recording needs browser stability and the upload at session end can be slow.
How it works
You create a studio, invite guests with a link, and everyone joins from a Chromium browser or desktop app. Each participant records locally — WAV up to 48 kHz and up to 4K video — while a low-quality preview streams for the live call. At session end, files upload to the cloud.
Magic Editor handles transcription, text-based cutting, audio levelling, filler-word removal and highlights. Magic Clips outputs vertical clips with captions for TikTok, Reels and Shorts. Producer mode lets an engineer monitor without appearing on the recording.
Pricing reality
Four tiers — Free, Standard, Pro and Business. Free covers 2 hours per month. Standard at roughly $15/mo annually lifts to 5 hours with magic clips and AI editing. Pro at roughly $24/mo offers unlimited recording, higher exports, branding and live-streaming. Business is quoted with team seats and SSO.
The honest cost watch: most weekly podcasters land on Pro because the 5-hour cap on Standard runs out once interviews exceed 45 minutes plus pre-roll.
How it compares
| Tool | Strength | Starter price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riverside | Local 4K + WAV, AI editor | Free / from $15/mo | Video podcasters |
| Descript | Text-based editing | Free / from $15/mo | Transcript-first editors |
| Squadcast | Audio-first recording | From $5/mo | Audio-only podcasters |
| Zencastr | Audio + video recording | Free / from $20/mo | Indie podcasters |
Buy if / skip if
Buy if you
- Run a video podcast with remote guests and want broadcast-grade local recording.
- Need separate WAV and 4K MP4 tracks per participant for Adobe, DaVinci or Final Cut.
- Want AI social clips, captions and transcripts inside one tool.
Skip if you
- Record audio-only podcasts where Squadcast or Zencastr cost less.
- Prefer Descript's text-based editing flow.
- Have unreliable guest internet — uploads at session end are slow.
What's included
- Separate local audio and video tracks recorded at up to 4K for each participant
- AI-powered transcription with speaker labels and 95%+ accuracy
- Magic Clips: AI selects the best shareable moments from long recordings
- Text-based video editor — edit audio and video by editing the transcript
- Automatic background noise removal and audio leveling
- Multi-track export for each participant as individual files
- Screen sharing recording with separate track
- Live call quality maintained independently of recording quality
- SaaSTweaks-verified affiliate deal
- Vendor-direct activation flow with editorial pros + cons review
Riverside pricing
Verified May 2026. Vendor's published rates at the time we checked — always confirm at checkout.
| Plan | Price | Term | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | forever | 2 hours lifetime multi-track recording, unlimited single-track, basic transcription |
| Pro | $24/mo | monthly | $288/yr annual (save 20%); 15 hours multi-track/mo, AI transcription, custom branding, 4K video |
| Live | $34/mo | monthly | $408/yr annual; unlimited multi-track, live streaming to YouTube/LinkedIn/Facebook simultaneously |
| Webinar | $79/mo | monthly | $948/yr annual; webinar hosting, registration pages, unlimited attendees, interactive Q&A |
| Business | Custom | custom | Enterprise features, SSO, dedicated support, multiple workspaces |
Getting started
4 steps. The last one is the part most people skip.
- 1
Open Riverside through the link on this page
It carries our referral tag. The price you pay is identical either way, and it never changes the score on this page.
- 2
Compare the tiers against what you actually use
The pricing table on this page lists what each plan includes. Match it to real usage rather than the tier the vendor highlights.
- 3
Start on the smallest plan that fits
Most vendors let you move up mid-cycle and bill the difference, so starting low costs you nothing but starting high does.
- 4
Check the renewal terms before you commit
Note the renewal date and the rate it reverts to, so the second invoice is not a surprise. Annual plans are usually cheaper per month but harder to exit.
Where Riverside wins and loses
What works
- Each participant's audio and video recorded locally and synced, eliminating internet quality issues
- Separate audio tracks per guest allow clean post-production mixing without bleed between speakers
- Browser-based recording requires no software installation for guests, reducing session friction
- AI transcription, automatic filler word removal, and video clips available post-recording
- Supports up to 4K video recording per participant for broadcast-quality podcast production
What doesn't
- Free plan is extremely limited at 2 hours lifetime — designed as a trial, not ongoing use
- Multi-track recordings consume significant local storage on participant devices
- AI editing and clip generation quality varies and may still require manual refinement
- Pro plan limits of 15 hours per month can be restrictive for prolific podcasters
The bottom line
A capable, industry-standard remote recording platform with a strong free trial but no substantive public discount.
Each participant's browser captures their audio and video to local storage during the session, then uploads the file to the cloud at the end. Internet conditions during the call do not affect recording quality.
Up to 4K video and uncompressed 48 kHz WAV audio per participant on Pro and above. Standard caps at 1080p video. Free is limited to 720p.
Local recording continues on the guest's device. When they reconnect, the local file uploads to the cloud. As long as their browser tab stays open, the recording is preserved.
For short-form social clips and clean episode exports, the Magic Editor is enough. For long-form polished video, you will still pull the separate tracks into Adobe, DaVinci or Final Cut.
Riverside leads on remote recording quality with separate local tracks; Descript leads on text-based editing across imported media. Many creators record in Riverside and edit in Descript.
Yes — up to 2 hours of recording per month at 720p with basic editing. Enough to test guest workflow and AI clips before committing.
