Audacity
Riverside
| Feature | Audacity | Riverside |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free only | Free / from $15/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.2 / 5 | 4.5 / 5 |
| Best For | podcasters, students, hobbyists, audio-editors | podcasters, content-creators, media-companies, video-producers |
| Founded | 2000 | 2018 |
| Recording | ✓ | ✗ |
| Editing | ✓ | ✗ |
| Effects | ✓ | ✗ |
| Noise Reduction | ✓ | ✗ |
| Multi Track | ✓ | ✗ |
| Plugin Support | ✓ | ✗ |
| Local Recording | ✗ | ✓ |
| Separate Tracks | ✗ | ✓ |
| 4k Video | ✗ | ✓ |
| Ai Transcription | ✗ | ✓ |
| Magic Clips | ✗ | ✓ |
| Live Streaming | ✗ | ✓ |
| Screen Recording | ✗ | ✓ |
| Text Based Editing | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Audacity Pros
- Completely free
- Cross-platform
- Good for editing
- Extensive effects
✗ Audacity Cons
- Dated interface
- Not for production
- Destructive editing
✓ 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
Audacity is built for podcasters and students, with a focus on recording and editing. Riverside targets podcasters and content creators and leads with local-recording and separate-tracks.
Audacity uses custom enterprise pricing, while Riverside starts at $15/mo — a tangible advantage for teams with a fixed budget.
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 Audacity takes a more focused approach — which can mean a simpler, faster onboarding experience.
Both tools are a solid fit for podcasters — in those cases, the decision often comes down to workflow style and how your team prefers to organize work.
Bottom line: Riverside has a slight overall edge — but if completely free matters most to you, Audacity may still be the right call.