Around
Riverside
| Feature | Around | Riverside |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $10.99/mo | Free / from $15/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.2 / 5 | 4.5 / 5 |
| Best For | remote-teams, quick-standups, pair-programming, distributed-teams | podcasters, content-creators, media-companies, video-producers |
| Founded | 2020 | 2018 |
| Floating Video | ✓ | ✗ |
| Auto Leveling | ✓ | ✗ |
| Noise Cancellation | ✓ | ✗ |
| Screen Sharing | ✓ | ✗ |
| Reactions | ✓ | ✗ |
| Virtual Backgrounds | ✓ | ✗ |
| Local Recording | ✗ | ✓ |
| Separate Tracks | ✗ | ✓ |
| 4k Video | ✗ | ✓ |
| Ai Transcription | ✗ | ✓ |
| Magic Clips | ✗ | ✓ |
| Live Streaming | ✗ | ✓ |
| Screen Recording | ✗ | ✓ |
| Text Based Editing | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Around Pros
- Lightweight and fast
- Minimal floating interface
- Good noise cancellation
- Reduces meeting fatigue
✗ Around Cons
- Limited features vs Zoom
- Smaller user base
- No recording on free
✓ Riverside Pros
- Records locally for uncompressed studio quality
- Separate audio and video tracks per participant
- AI-powered editing with transcription and clips
- 4K video recording support
✗ Riverside Cons
- Free plan limited to basic features
- Requires stable internet for real-time monitoring
- AI editing features still maturing
The Verdict
Around is built for remote teams and quick standups, with a focus on floating-video and auto-leveling. Riverside targets podcasters and content creators and leads with local-recording and separate-tracks.
Pricing is close: Around starts at $10.99/mo versus $15/mo for Riverside — not a deciding factor on its own.
Both offer free plans, so you can test each with your real workflow before committing to a subscription.
Feature-wise, Riverside offers broader built-in capabilities (8 features vs 6), while Around takes a more focused approach — which can mean a simpler, faster onboarding experience.
Bottom line: Riverside has a slight overall edge — but if lightweight and fast matters most to you, Around may still be the right call.