Browser-based studio for recording podcasts, video interviews and webinars in separate high-quality tracks, with a text-based AI editor, Magic Clips, publishing, and (since October 2026) four AI agents that produce, edit, clip and market your content. Paid plans from $24/mo billed annually; no free plan.
Setup time~15–30 min to a first recorded interview (est.)No-code: Yes
ReplacesZoom or Teams recordings for content, a separate podcast editor, clip-making freelancers and a separate podcast host
We haven't tested Riverside hands-on yet. We researched its official documentation and pricing, checked on 2026-11-02; the review isn't a report of personal use. Our editorial SMB score and setup time are estimates, not test results.
Pricing: quick answer
Riverside is most relevant when you need recording, editing and repurposing, not only meeting notes. Our 2 November regional check showed Pro at $24/month equivalent billed annually or $29 monthly. A 7 November page fetch showed conflicting free-plan content and a staging warning, so we have not reclassified the free plan or treated that response as a fresh checkout quote. Confirm your local offer.
Quick verdict
Separate local tracks are Riverside's reason to be on an interview, podcast or webinar shortlist: each guest is recorded locally at up to 4K video and 48 kHz audio, reducing reliance on the call connection. Its AI agents cover production, editing, clipping and publishing with approval. Small businesses, consultants and B2B marketers can compare that workflow with hiring editing help, but we haven't tested the replacement claim. Pro starts at $24 a month annually. There is no longer a free plan. Collaborative editing or SSO needs Business, and keeping content out of AI training requires a negotiated written opt-out.
What Riverside is and how it works
Riverside is an online studio for podcasts, video interviews and webinars. Send a guest a link and they can join from Chrome, Edge, Safari or the mobile apps without making an account. The important difference from recording the call stream in Zoom or Teams is local capture: each participant’s device records its own track and uploads it in the background. Separate audio and video files can reach up to 4K and 48 kHz, reducing reliance on the quality of the live connection. We would still test the complete recording and export path before an important interview.
Editing and publishing stay in the platform. Delete words in the transcript to cut an episode, use AI tools to remove pauses and filler, fix eye contact or clean audio, and make short social clips with Magic Clips. Podcast hosting and publishing reach YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts and social channels. Higher plans add streaming, a creator website, a newsletter and webinars with registration and HubSpot sync. In October 2026, Riverside added Producer, Editor, Clipper and Marketer agents for this work through chat, plus MCP access for Claude, ChatGPT and Cursor.
Count the shows and the files you need, not just the recording hours. Pro has one studio, Grow two and Webinar three. Separate-track downloads, webinars and access for a second editor can each change the plan decision. We used Riverside’s own pages and help center, checked on 2 Nov 2026; sources are below. We haven’t tested Riverside hands-on or measured whether its editing features can replace a person’s production work.
Is Riverside overpriced for what it offers?
What will the business publish? Separate tracks, editing and repurposing can all belong in a podcast or client-interview workflow. An internal status call needing only actions is a different purchase; start with the meeting assistant hub for that job. A price can’t establish value without the output beside it. We haven’t measured production time saved, and don’t turn the scope of the documented feature list into an invented savings figure.
Budget for the production constraint
Use the regional prices and dates in this review as a starting worksheet, not a guaranteed global quote. Count editors, separate-track downloads in the billing month and credit-funded AI work. Unlimited recording and unlimited downloads of separate tracks are not the same allowance. Ask what happens after the download limit is used, especially if the business has a busy production month scheduled. Finding the constraint before inviting guests is more useful than comparing only the entry rate.
There is a pricing caveat to keep visible. The response retrieved on 7 November 2026 contained a staging-environment warning and conflicting Free-plan content. We retained the earlier dated regional capture rather than declare a newly verified free plan. Confirm the public offer and checkout availability directly before a project. A conflicting page response isn’t a reliable basis for promising a free workflow to the rest of the team.
When not to upgrade
A team rarely publishing video, already comfortable with its editor or needing only transcripts may not use the breadth it is paying for. A proposed pilot should follow one episode from guest invitation through consent, capture, separate-track export, editing, clips and publishing permissions. Inspect export quality and the allowance consumed along the way. We haven’t performed that test; it is a way to evaluate the purchase, not a result claimed in this review.
Before annual billing, decide who owns the raw recordings and where finished files live. Could another editor take over if the account holder left? Keep a local backup of approved deliverables and try an export before retiring the previous tool. Riverside alternatives covers other production approaches. Compare those complete workflows, rather than set a production subscription beside a free notetaker and assume the different bills buy the same output.
Key features and what they do for your business
Separate-track local recording
Each participant is recorded on their own device and uploaded in the background, giving one audio and video track per person. Riverside lists up to 4K video on desktop, up to 1080p on mobile (4K on Business), 44.1 and 48 kHz audio and up to 10 people per session. Recording hours are unlimited on every plan; downloads of separate tracks are capped at 15, 20 or 25 hours a month on Pro, Grow and Webinar.
Launched 26 Oct 2026. Four AI agents on web and iOS that you can chat with: the Producer helps run sessions, the Editor cuts recordings, the Clipper finds short clips and the Marketer prepares and schedules posts. They hand work to each other, remember your preferences and ask before spending AI credits or publishing anything.
Text-based editing and AI clean-up
Unlimited editing by deleting words from the transcript, plus silence and filler-word removal, eye-contact correction, Magic Audio enhancement and AI B-roll. Pro includes no watermark and in-person multi-camera recording.
Magic Clips, show notes and transcripts
Unlimited transcriptions, automatic short clips for social, show notes and AI thumbnails (Grow and up). Riverside says Magic Clips, Magic Audio and the Co-Creator don't use AI credits.
Hosting, publishing and growth tools
Podcast hosting and analytics and direct publishing to YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Instagram, LinkedIn and more from Pro. Grow adds social scheduling, a newsletter, a creator website, two hosted shows, video on Apple Podcasts and custom studio links.
Live streaming and webinars
Grow adds 1080p live streaming, multistreaming to unlimited destinations, custom RTMP, Omnichat and a backstage area. Webinar adds registration pages for up to 100 registrants, lead capture, email reminders, Q&A, polls, call-ins, pre-recorded-as-live and recurring webinars, analytics and HubSpot sync.
Riverside MCP
Connects Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor or other AI assistants to your Riverside library, so they can search transcripts, edit, cut clips, build asset packs and publish or schedule to YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and X. Listed from the Grow plan.
Business controls
Unlimited studios and editors, collaborative editing, workspaces and roles, producer mode, async recording, custom branding, private podcasts, up to 10,000 webinar registrants, API, SSO (Okta, Azure), Salesforce and Marketo, and a dedicated success manager.
Riverside pricing by plan
Plan
Price
What's included
Limits & minimums
Pro
Billed annually$24/moBilled monthly$29/mo
1 studio, no watermark, 4K recording, text-based editing, AI editing agent, Magic Clips, show notes, podcast hosting and publishing, 2,000 starting AI credits
15 hrs/mo of separate-track downloads; 1 seat (extra editor $19/mo); teleprompter for host only
Grow
Billed annually$34/moBilled monthly$39/mo
Everything in Pro, plus 2 studios, social scheduling, newsletter, creator website, video hosting, AI thumbnails, Riverside MCP, 1080p live streaming and multistreaming
20 hrs/mo of separate-track downloads; 1 seat
Webinar
Billed annually$79/moBilled monthly$99/mo
Everything in Grow, plus 3 studios, webinars for up to 100 registrants, branded registration, lead capture, reminders, Q&A and polls, analytics, HubSpot sync
25 hrs/mo of separate-track downloads; 1 seat
Business
Billed annuallyCustom (talk to sales)Billed monthlyCustom
Unlimited studios, editors, storage and downloads; up to 10,000 registrants; collaborative editing, roles, SSO, API, Salesforce and Marketo, 12,000 starting AI credits, dedicated CSM
Price on request; the only plan with SOC 2 / ISO 27001 paperwork listed as a plan feature
Prices read on riverside.com/pricing on 2 Nov 2026 in USD, as served to our checker in the Czech Republic. 'Annual' is the per-month price on yearly billing; the page says 'Up to 20% off Yearly plans'.
Prices vary by region. Riverside's 'Is Riverside free?' article (updated 10 Sep 2026) says paid plans start at $35/mo in the US, UK, Canada, Australia and the Euro area, with monthly prices of $35, $45 and $99 and annual prices of $29, $39 and $79. Check the price shown at checkout for your country.
There is no free plan any more. The same article says the free plan was removed and the 14-day trial needs a card and converts to a paid plan on day 15 unless you cancel.
AI credits are used by AI Translation, AI B-Roll and Animated Clips. Extra credits cost $2 per 100 ($20 per 1,000, $200 per 10,000). Chatting with Riverside Agents doesn't use credits.
If you hit the separate-track download cap you keep access to your content, but can't download new separate tracks until the next billing cycle or an upgrade.
Prices in USD per the vendor's pricing page, before tax, checked 2026-11-02. Check the current checkout price before committing. Estimate a full stack with our AI stack cost calculator.
Use cases by business type
These examples show how a business could use the documented features. They aren't customer stories, tests we've run or measured results.
Consultant
A solo consultant could record a monthly expert interview, let the Editor agent remove filler words and the Clipper agent cut five LinkedIn clips, then approve the posts the Marketer agent schedules.
B2B marketing team
A 3-person marketing team at a software company could run a monthly lead-gen webinar on the Webinar plan, with branded registration and reminders, and sync registrants to HubSpot.
Agency
A small content agency could keep each client's show in its own studio (two on Grow, three on Webinar) so recordings, hosting and analytics stay separate.
Professional services
An accounting or law firm could record short explainer videos with the teleprompter and publish them to YouTube and its podcast feed from one place.
Training provider
A training company could record courses with remote experts in 4K and use AI Translation (which uses credits) to produce versions for other markets.
How to get started in 5 steps
Start the 14-day trialSign up on riverside.com and choose Pro, Grow or Webinar. Riverside says a payment card is required and the trial converts on day 15, so set a reminder if you're only testing.
Invite your guestFrom Home, open Plan and choose Invite to record, then send the studio link or an email invite. Use the Planner to schedule a session in advance. Guests need no account and can join in Chrome, Edge or Safari or the mobile apps.
Check devices and join the studioClick Record, pick your camera and microphone, check the preview and select Join Studio. Ask guests to use headphones and a wired or stable connection.
Record, then wait for uploadsHit record. Each person's tracks upload while you talk; Riverside asks guests to keep the tab open until their upload completes after the session.
Edit, clip and publish with the agentsOpen the recording in the editor or ask the Editor and Clipper agents for a cleaned-up episode and short clips. Review them, then publish to YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts or social, or approve the Marketer agent's schedule.
Integrations, security and privacy
Riverside publishes directly to YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Instagram, LinkedIn and other platforms, and the Marketer agent and MCP can schedule to YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and X. Live streams go to unlimited destinations or any custom RTMP endpoint (Grow and up). Webinar syncs registrants with HubSpot; Business adds Salesforce, Marketo and an API. The Riverside MCP connects Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor and other MCP clients. We found no Zapier integration on Riverside's own pages.
YouTubeSpotifyApple PodcastsInstagramLinkedInTikTokFacebookXHubSpot (Webinar plan)Salesforce and Marketo (Business)Custom RTMPRiverside MCP for Claude, ChatGPT and Cursor
Certifications
Riverside's help center says it is SOC 2 compliant and ISO/IEC 27001 certified (since May 2022); a 2023 Riverside blog post describes SOC 2 Type 2, with the report available to Enterprise customers under NDA. The pricing page lists SOC 2 and ISO 27001 under Business.
Access controls
SSO (Okta, Azure), workspaces, roles and producer permissions are Business features.
Data location
Riverside's privacy policy says data is stored and processed in the US, Canada, the EU, the UK, Israel, Mexico, Argentina, the Philippines and other countries. No EU-only data residency option is stated.
Sub-processors
The published list includes AWS, Google Cloud and MongoDB (US), Auphonic (Austria), CloudConvert (Germany) and AI providers OpenAI, ElevenLabs, Hedra, Pika, HeyGen and Fal.ai (US).
AI training
The privacy policy says Content Data may be used to train Riverside's AI and machine-learning models, unless a business-plan customer opts out through a written agreement. Voice and face data are said to be destroyed after use.
GDPR
A Data Processing Addendum is published, Riverside has a named DPO (PrivacyTeam Ltd, [email protected]) and an EU representative, and transfers to Israel rely on an EU adequacy decision.
These are the vendor's statements, not our security audit. When we write “not stated”, we couldn't find the answer on its public pages. Ask before relying on it.
Pros
Studio-quality separate tracks recorded locally for each guest, up to 4K and 48 kHz.
Unlimited recording hours on every plan; caps apply only to separate-track downloads.
Four AI agents that edit, clip and schedule, but always ask before publishing or spending credits.
Record-to-publish in one tool: editing, clips, hosting, social publishing and webinars.
Guests need no account and can join from a browser or the app.
Clear plan FAQ on studios, credits and download caps.
Cons
No free plan, and the trial needs a card and auto-converts on day 15.
Prices vary by region, and Riverside's own pages show different figures for the US and Euro area.
One seat per plan below Business; extra editors cost $19 a month each and collaborative editing is Business-only.
Content may be used for AI training unless you negotiate a written opt-out on a business plan.
Webinars need the $79+ plan, capped at 100 registrants below Business.
SSO and compliance paperwork are Business-only (price on request).
Editing-first: a text-based audio and video editor with remote recording included (2, 5, 15 or 25 recording hours by plan) and media hours plus AI credits per plan. Better if you mostly edit; Riverside is stronger on unlimited multi-guest recording, webinars and hosting.
Yes (StreamYard logo, 2 hrs/mo of local recordings)
Live-streaming first, with a cheaper entry plan and a free tier. StreamYard says individual plans are for one person's use only. Pick it for regular live shows; pick Riverside for edited podcasts and AI clips.
Zencastr
Free; Enterprise custom
Yes (6 participants, 4K, unlimited separate tracks and transcription, 4 seats, 5 shows)
A generous free plan for podcast recording with separate tracks. Fewer built-in publishing, webinar and AI-agent features than Riverside, but hard to beat on price for a small team starting out.
On 2 Nov 2026 Riverside's pricing page (as shown in the Czech Republic) listed Pro at $24 a month billed annually or $29 monthly, Grow at $34 or $39, Webinar at $79 or $99, and Business on request. Riverside says prices vary by region; its own article quotes $35 a month (monthly billing) for the US, UK, Canada, Australia and the Euro area.
Is Riverside free?
No. Riverside removed its free plan. Pro, Grow and Webinar have a 14-day free trial, which Riverside says requires a card and converts to a paid plan on day 15 unless you cancel.
What are Riverside's AI agents?
Since 26 Oct 2026 Riverside offers four agents (Producer, Editor, Clipper and Marketer) on web and iOS, on all plans. Some Producer features need Grow or above. Chatting with them uses no credits, they ask before spending credits and nothing is published without your approval.
Do guests need a Riverside account?
No. Guests join from a link in Chrome, Edge or Safari or the Riverside apps. They should keep the tab open until their upload finishes after the recording.
Is Riverside GDPR compliant?
Riverside publishes a Data Processing Addendum, names a DPO and an EU representative, and lists its sub-processors. Data may be processed in several countries outside the EU, and the privacy policy allows content to be used for AI training unless a business customer opts out in writing, so review both before recording client material.
Riverside or Descript: which is better?
Riverside is built around recording: unlimited recording hours, separate tracks for up to 10 people, webinars and hosting. Descript is built around editing and has a free plan, but limits media and remote-recording hours by plan. Many teams choose by whether recording or editing is the bigger job.
Does Riverside have an affiliate program?
Yes. Riverside's affiliate program runs on PartnerStack, is free to join with approval, and pays up to 20% commission (Riverside says up to $85+ per sale). We are not a member, so our link is a plain vendor link.
Partner program: Public affiliate program via PartnerStack (riverside.com/affiliate-program; Riverside help article 'Affiliate program: Overview'): up to 20% commission, which Riverside says can mean $85+ per sale; exact rate per affiliate agreement; free to join, application and approval required; contact [email protected]. Verified 2026-11-02. We are not a member, so this is a direct vendor link.
Last verified 2026-11-02. Spotted something out of date? See our corrections policy.
