Riverside solves the biggest problem in remote content creation: quality. While Zoom and Google Meet compress audio and video for real-time communication, Riverside records locally on each participant’s device, producing uncompressed studio-quality files regardless of internet stability. For podcasters and video producers, this changes everything.
What Is Riverside?
Riverside is a browser-based recording platform designed for podcasts, video interviews, and live streams. Each participant’s audio and video records locally at full quality, then uploads to the cloud. The result: separate high-quality tracks for each person, even if someone’s internet connection is unstable during the session.
Think of it as a recording studio that happens to work over the internet.
Riverside Pricing 2026
| Plan | Price | Recording | Participants | Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 2 hours total | 3 | Basic recording, watermark |
| Standard | $15/mo | 5 hours/mo | 8 | No watermark, separate tracks |
| Pro | $24/mo | 15 hours/mo | 10 | 4K video, AI editing, live streaming |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | Custom | SSO, priority support |
The free plan is functional for testing (2 hours total recording, watermark on video). Standard at $15/month covers most podcasters’ needs. Pro at $24/month adds 4K video and AI editing tools.
Key Features
Local Recording
The core technology: each participant’s browser records audio and video locally at full quality. This means:
- Audio: Uncompressed WAV-quality recording regardless of internet speed
- Video: Up to 4K resolution per participant
- Stability: Internet dropouts don’t affect the recording (file uploads after session)
- Separate tracks: Each person gets their own audio and video file
This is fundamentally different from Zoom recording, which captures the compressed stream. Riverside captures what the camera/mic actually records, before any compression.
Separate Audio and Video Tracks
Each participant generates independent files:
- Separate audio tracks (for independent editing, noise reduction, level adjustment)
- Separate video tracks (for multi-camera editing in post-production)
- Synchronized timeline (tracks align perfectly)
For podcast editors, this is essential. Adjust one person’s volume without affecting others, remove background noise from one track, or edit out interruptions — all impossible with a single mixed recording.
AI-Powered Editing
Riverside’s AI features (Pro plan):
- Magic Clips: AI identifies highlights and generates short-form clips automatically
- Transcription: Accurate transcription in 100+ languages
- Text-based editing: Edit the video by editing the transcript (delete a sentence of text, and the corresponding audio/video is removed)
- Speaker detection: Automatically labels who said what
- Noise reduction: AI-powered background noise cleanup
Live Streaming
Stream directly to:
- YouTube Live
- Facebook Live
- LinkedIn Live
- Twitch
- Custom RTMP endpoints
Stream and record simultaneously — the recording quality is separate from (and superior to) the stream quality.
Screen Recording
Share your screen during recordings for tutorials, demos, or presentations. Screen share is captured as an additional track alongside your camera feed.
Pros
- Studio-quality recording: Uncompressed local recording eliminates quality loss
- Separate tracks: Essential for professional post-production
- Browser-based: Guests don’t need to install anything
- AI editing tools: Magic Clips and text-based editing save hours
- 4K video support: Future-proof quality (Pro plan)
- Live streaming: Record + stream simultaneously
- Reliable: Internet issues don’t ruin recordings
- Easy for guests: Share a link, they join in browser
Cons
- Free plan very limited: 2 hours total, watermark
- Monthly recording limits: 5-15 hours may not be enough for daily creators
- AI editing still maturing: Magic Clips don’t always pick the best moments
- Browser-dependent: Recording quality depends on participant’s device capabilities
- Upload time: Large recordings take time to upload after sessions
- No offline backup: If a participant closes the browser before upload completes, data may be lost
- Requires stable internet for monitoring: Real-time preview needs connection (recording doesn’t)
Best Use Cases
- Podcast recording: High-quality remote interviews with separate tracks
- Video podcasts: Multi-camera look from different locations
- Corporate interviews: Professional quality without travel
- Webinars with recording: Stream live, get studio-quality archive
- Content repurposing: AI clips for social media from long recordings
- International guests: Quality recording regardless of participant’s location
Riverside vs Zoom vs SquadCast
| Feature | Riverside | Zoom | SquadCast |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recording type | Local (high quality) | Cloud (compressed) | Local (high quality) |
| Video quality | Up to 4K | Up to 1080p | Up to 4K |
| Separate tracks | Yes | No (paid add-on) | Yes |
| AI editing | Yes | No | Basic |
| Live streaming | Yes | Yes | No |
| Free plan | 2 hours | 40 min meetings | Limited |
| Price | $15-24/mo | $13.33/mo | $20/mo |
| Guests install app? | No (browser) | Yes/No | No (browser) |
Who Should Use Riverside?
- Podcasters recording remote interviews who need professional audio quality
- Video producers wanting multi-track remote recordings
- Media companies conducting interviews without travel
- Content creators who repurpose long-form into clips
- Anyone recording remote conversations where quality matters
Who Should Stick With Zoom?
- Teams primarily doing meetings (not content creation)
- Users who don’t need separate tracks or high-quality archives
- Organizations already invested in Zoom’s ecosystem
- Budget-conscious users who don’t need production quality
The Verdict
Riverside earns a 4.5/5 in 2026. For anyone producing podcast or video content with remote guests, the local recording technology is transformative. The quality difference between a Zoom recording and a Riverside recording is immediately audible/visible — it’s the difference between amateur and professional.
The AI editing features (Magic Clips, text-based editing) add significant value by reducing post-production time. The $15-24/month price is reasonable for anyone producing content regularly.
Recommendation: If you record remote conversations for publication (podcast, YouTube, courses), Riverside is worth it from episode one. The quality upgrade over Zoom/Google Meet is not subtle — it’s the difference your audience will notice. Start with Standard ($15/mo) and upgrade to Pro when you need 4K or AI clips.