Comparison
Riverside alternatives: Zencastr is the closest free match
Cutroomvs
Riverside
RiversideZencastr is the closest free Riverside alternative: it records each guest in a separate track, up to 4K. Descript is better if you spend hours editing each episode, because you cut it by deleting text.
In short
- The best Riverside alternatives are Zencastr, Descript, StreamYard, Zoom and Cutroom.
- Zencastr is the closest free match. It records each guest in a separate track, up to 4K and 48kHz.
- Descript is best if you spend hours editing each episode. You cut it by deleting text, from $16 a month billed yearly.
- StreamYard is best if you go live. Zoom is easiest when your guest already uses Zoom and will not try a new tool.
- Cutroom does not record. It turns one short video of you talking into a finished ad, and your first video is free.
- Riverside alternatives compared
- 5
- Riverside Pro a month, billed yearly
- $24
- Zencastr's free plan, with separate tracks
- $0
Riverside alternatives at a glance
Riverside records each guest on their own device, in separate tracks up to 4K, and lets you edit by text. Here is what each alternative does, what it costs and who it suits.
Riverside alternatives at a glance
Prices and plans read from each vendor's own pricing page on 21 September 2026.
| Tool | Best for | Editing approach | Platform | Pricing from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zencastr | Free podcast recording in separate tracks, plus hosting | Each guest recorded on their own device; AI cleans the audio | Web, iOS app | Free plan; Enterprise price on request |
| Editing podcasts and interviews by text | Record in Rooms, then edit the transcript and the video follows | Web, Mac, Windows | Free plan; Hobbyist $16/month, billed yearly | |
| StreamYard | Going live with guests, and recording those shows | A live studio in the browser that streams, records and makes AI clips | Browser, mobile | Free plan; Core $35.99/month, billed yearly |
 Zoom | Recording conversations you already hold on Zoom | Records the meeting as one mixed file, on your computer or in the cloud | Desktop, mobile, browser | Free Basic plan; Pro $14.16/user/month, billed yearly |
| Cutroom | Turning one clip of you talking into a finished 9:16 ad | You film it; Cutroom edits it and you adjust the transcript | Web | First video free, no card; Lite $19.99/month |
Zencastr
- Best for
- Free podcast recording in separate tracks, plus hosting
- Approach
- Each guest recorded on their own device; AI cleans the audio
- Platform
- Web, iOS app
- Pricing from
- Free plan; Enterprise price on request
Descript
- Best for
- Editing podcasts and interviews by text
- Approach
- Record in Rooms, then edit the transcript and the video follows
- Platform
- Web, Mac, Windows
- Pricing from
- Free plan; Hobbyist $16/month, billed yearly
StreamYard
- Best for
- Going live with guests, and recording those shows
- Approach
- A live studio in the browser that streams, records and makes AI clips
- Platform
- Browser, mobile
- Pricing from
- Free plan; Core $35.99/month, billed yearly
- Zoom
- Best for
- Recording conversations you already hold on Zoom
- Approach
- Records the meeting as one mixed file, on your computer or in the cloud
- Platform
- Desktop, mobile, browser
- Pricing from
- Free Basic plan; Pro $14.16/user/month, billed yearly
Cutroom
- Best for
- Turning one clip of you talking into a finished 9:16 ad
- Approach
- You film it; Cutroom edits it and you adjust the transcript
- Platform
- Web
- Pricing from
- First video free, no card; Lite $19.99/month
How the Riverside alternatives differ
Riverside does two jobs: recording and editing. Each alternative focuses on one of them.
- Zencastr, StreamYard and Zoom are recorders. They capture the call and give you the files.
- Descript is an editor first. It can record remote guests through Rooms, but its strength is editing by transcript.
- Zencastr and StreamYard both record each person separately, like Riverside, so you can fix one voice on its own. Zoom gives you one mixed file.
- Cutroom does not record. You upload one video you filmed yourself, and it gives you back a finished ad.
What each tool is for, and what you get
| Tool | Main job | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Riverside | Record and edit | Separate tracks up to 4K, plus editing by text |
| Zencastr | Record and publish a podcast | Separate tracks up to 4K, plus hosting |
| Descript | Edit by text | An edited episode, clips and captions |
| StreamYard | Go live | A live stream and its recording |
| Zoom | Meetings | One mixed recording |
| Cutroom | Edit one clip into an ad | A finished 9:16 MP4 |
Tool: Riverside
- Main job
- Record and edit
- What you get
- Separate tracks up to 4K, plus editing by text
Tool: Zencastr
- Main job
- Record and publish a podcast
- What you get
- Separate tracks up to 4K, plus hosting
Tool: Descript
- Main job
- Edit by text
- What you get
- An edited episode, clips and captions
Tool: StreamYard
- Main job
- Go live
- What you get
- A live stream and its recording
Tool: Zoom
- Main job
- Meetings
- What you get
- One mixed recording
Tool: Cutroom
- Main job
- Edit one clip into an ad
- What you get
- A finished 9:16 MP4
This is the whole editor
Highlight a phrase and a clip lands on those exact words. No timeline, no keyframes, no layers.
Zencastr
Zencastr is a podcast studio. It records each guest in a separate track, then cleans, hosts and publishes the show.
- Best for: podcasters who want separate tracks without a monthly bill.
- Free plan: 6 people, 4K video, 48kHz audio, unlimited transcription and hosting for 5 shows.
- Zencastr's AI removes filler words and noise, and corrects eye contact and face position.
- It also writes show notes, makes cover art, publishes to Spotify, Apple and YouTube, and streams live in HD.
- Zencastr runs on the web and as an iOS app.
- Tradeoff: there is only the free plan and a custom Enterprise plan, with nothing in between.
Descript
Descript suits you if the recording goes fine but the editing takes you hours.
- Best for: podcasters who spend more time editing than recording.
- Price: free plan with 60 minutes a month at 720p and a watermark. Hobbyist is $16 a month billed yearly, or $24 monthly.
- You delete a sentence in the transcript and it leaves the audio and video.
- Underlord, Descript's AI co-editor, makes edits you ask for. Studio Sound cleans the audio and removes filler words.
- Descript records remote guests through Rooms, records your screen, and runs on web, Mac and Windows.
- Tradeoff: plans limit your hours. A weekly two-hour show uses most of Hobbyist's 10 hours a month.
StreamYard
StreamYard is a live studio in the browser that also records.
- Best for: creators who go live with guests every week and reuse the recording.
- Price: free plan. Core is $35.99 a month billed yearly, or $44.99 monthly.
- Free plan: the StreamYard logo on streams, 2 hours of local recordings a month and 6 people on screen.
- Guests join with a link. You get overlays, backgrounds, layouts and pre-recorded streams.
- Core streams to 3 places at once and adds AI clips and cloud recording. Advanced streams to 8 and runs webinars for 100 viewers.
- Tradeoff: it is built for live shows. If you never stream, you pay for tools you will not use.
Zoom
Zoom is a meeting app that can record your call. Many guests already have it installed.
- Best for: interviews with guests who already use Zoom and will not try a new tool.
- Price: free Basic plan. Pro is $14.16 per user a month billed yearly, or $16.99 monthly.
- Free plan: meetings up to 40 minutes, with local recording.
- Pro adds cloud recording (10 GB per user), unlimited Clips and AI Companion summaries.
- Tradeoff: Zoom does not edit, and you get one mixed file. You cannot fix one guest's audio on its own.
Riverside alternatives pricing
Every price comes from each tool's own pricing page. Yearly means the monthly price when you pay for a year up front.
- Riverside's free plan gives you 2 hours of multi-track recording once, at 720p with a watermark.
- Riverside Pro is $24 a month billed yearly, or $29 monthly. Grow is $34 a month billed yearly.
- Zencastr is free, and its Enterprise plan is priced on request.
- Zoom Pro is the cheapest paid plan here, at $14.16 per user a month billed yearly.
Riverside and its alternatives: price and recording
Prices as each company publishes them, checked 21 September 2026.
| Tool | Free option | Paid from | What it records |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riverside | 2 hours once, 720p, watermark | Pro $24/month yearly ($29 monthly) | Separate tracks, up to 4K |
| Zencastr | Free plan, 6 people | Enterprise, price on request | Separate tracks, up to 4K |
| Descript | 60 minutes a month, 720p, watermark | $16/month yearly ($24 monthly) | Remote calls through Rooms |
| StreamYard | Logo on streams, 2 hours a month | Core $35.99/month yearly ($44.99 monthly) | Each person separately |
| Zoom | Meetings up to 40 minutes | Pro $14.16 per user/month yearly ($16.99 monthly) | One mixed file |
| Cutroom | First video free, no card | $19.99/month (Lite) | Nothing; it edits one clip |
Tool: Riverside
- Free option
- 2 hours once, 720p, watermark
- Paid from
- Pro $24/month yearly ($29 monthly)
- What it records
- Separate tracks, up to 4K
Tool: Zencastr
- Free option
- Free plan, 6 people
- Paid from
- Enterprise, price on request
- What it records
- Separate tracks, up to 4K
Tool: Descript
- Free option
- 60 minutes a month, 720p, watermark
- Paid from
- $16/month yearly ($24 monthly)
- What it records
- Remote calls through Rooms
Tool: StreamYard
- Free option
- Logo on streams, 2 hours a month
- Paid from
- Core $35.99/month yearly ($44.99 monthly)
- What it records
- Each person separately
Tool: Zoom
- Free option
- Meetings up to 40 minutes
- Paid from
- Pro $14.16 per user/month yearly ($16.99 monthly)
- What it records
- One mixed file
Tool: Cutroom
- Free option
- First video free, no card
- Paid from
- $19.99/month (Lite)
- What it records
- Nothing; it edits one clip
When Riverside is still the better choice
Riverside is still the best pick for a show with remote guests.
- Riverside records each guest on their own device, in separate tracks up to 4K and 48kHz, so a bad connection does not ruin the file.
- Riverside Pro includes recording, text-based editing, Magic Clips and an AI editing agent.
- Riverside Pro, at $24 a month billed yearly, costs less than StreamYard Core at $35.99.
- Riverside Grow, at $34 a month billed yearly, adds 1080p live streaming and multistreaming.
Which Riverside alternative should you choose?
It depends on what you make.
Which Riverside alternative should you choose
Choose Zencastr if you want separate tracks, hosting and AI clean-up for a podcast without a monthly bill.
Choose Descript if you spend hours editing each episode and want to cut it by deleting text.
Choose StreamYard if you go live with guests every week and want the show recorded and clipped.
Choose Zoom if your guest already uses Zoom and one mixed recording is good enough.
Choose Cutroom if you film one short video of yourself and want a finished 9:16 ad with stock clips, captions and a headline. Your first video is free.
Where Cutroom fits
Riverside records conversations. Cutroom does not record at all: it edits one short video you filmed yourself into a finished 9:16 ad.
- You film one clip of you talking, on your phone or camera, up to 3 minutes long.
- Cutroom adds captions timed to your voice, adds short stock clips that match what you say and puts a headline at the start. On the Punch and Native styles, it also shortens the pauses.
- It works with one speaker only, so it cannot edit a two-person podcast.
- Your first video is free, with no card, and you have 7 days to make it. It carries a Cutroom mark; Lite at $19.99 a month removes it.
A finished Cutroom ad
One clip of you talking in, a captioned 9:16 video out.
Most serums do nothing
most face serums
Serum9:16▸ 0:07 / 0:26 · shot 1 of 5
Questions people ask
- What is the best alternative to Riverside?
- Zencastr is the best Riverside alternative if you want separate-track recording for free. Descript is better if you mostly need to edit. StreamYard is best for live shows, and Zoom is easiest when your guest already uses Zoom.
- Is there a free Riverside alternative that records separate tracks?
- Yes, Zencastr. Its free plan records separate audio and video for each person, up to 4K and 48kHz, for 6 people. Riverside's own free plan gives 2 hours of multi-track recording once, at 720p with a watermark.
- Can Zoom replace Riverside for a podcast?
- For a quick interview, yes. For a show you edit carefully, no. Zoom records one mixed file, so a guest's echo stays in. Riverside and Zencastr record each person separately, which makes a clean edit possible.
- Which Riverside alternative edits the recording for you?
- Descript comes closest. Underlord makes edits on request, and you edit the transcript instead of a timeline. Zencastr cleans the audio and StreamYard cuts AI clips, but the editing is yours.
- Which Riverside alternative is cheapest?
- Zencastr, at $0, if the free plan covers you. Of the paid plans, Zoom Pro is $14.16 per user a month billed yearly, Descript Hobbyist is $16, Riverside Pro is $24 and StreamYard Core is $35.99.
- How is Cutroom different from Riverside?
- Riverside records a conversation and helps you edit it. Cutroom records nothing: it takes one clip of you talking, up to 3 minutes, and gives back a finished 9:16 ad.
Record wherever you like. When you need a short ad of you talking, Cutroom edits it for you. Your first video is free.
Try for freeYour first video is free, no card, and you have 7 days to make it. It carries a Cutroom mark; Lite at $19.99/month removes it