Livestorm
Riverside
| Feature | Livestorm | Riverside |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free / from $99/mo | Free / from $15/mo |
| Free Plan | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Rating | 4.4 / 5 | 4.5 / 5 |
| Best For | marketers, sales-teams, event-organizers, saas-companies | podcasters, content-creators, media-companies, video-producers |
| Founded | 2016 | 2018 |
| Webinars | ✓ | ✗ |
| Virtual Events | ✓ | ✗ |
| Meeting Rooms | ✓ | ✗ |
| Registration Pages | ✓ | ✗ |
| Engagement Analytics | ✓ | ✗ |
| Automation | ✓ | ✗ |
| Local Recording | ✗ | ✓ |
| Separate Tracks | ✗ | ✓ |
| 4k Video | ✗ | ✓ |
| Ai Transcription | ✗ | ✓ |
| Magic Clips | ✗ | ✓ |
| Live Streaming | ✗ | ✓ |
| Screen Recording | ✗ | ✓ |
| Text Based Editing | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Livestorm Pros
- No downloads required
- Excellent webinar automation
- Built-in registration pages
- Great analytics and engagement tools
✗ Livestorm Cons
- Expensive for small teams
- Limited free plan
- Occasional audio lag
✓ 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
Livestorm is built for marketers and sales teams, with a focus on webinars and virtual-events. Riverside targets podcasters and content creators and leads with local-recording and separate-tracks.
On pricing, Riverside is the clear winner for budget-conscious users — starting at $15/mo compared to $99/mo for Livestorm. That $84/mo difference adds up quickly for growing teams.
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 Livestorm takes a more focused approach — which can mean a simpler, faster onboarding experience.
This is a genuinely close comparison. If you can, sign up for both free trials (where available) and run a one-week test with your actual team tasks before deciding.