Descript
Text-based video and podcast editor with AI transcription, voice cloning, and filler-word removal
FREEMIUM Verified JUL 3, 2026
Riverside
Studio-quality remote podcast and video recording with AI editing — Magic Clips, AI show notes, transcription, and multi-platform publishing
Riverside (the platform formerly at riverside.fm, which now redirects to riverside.com after a 2026 rebrand) is a remote recording studio with AI-powered editing: Magic Clips auto-generates short clips from long sessions, and paid plans include unlimited transcription plus an AI editing agent and noise-cleanup tool. The free plan gives 2 hours of one-off multi-track recording at 720p with a watermark; Pro starts at $29/month ($24/month billed annually) for 4K video, no watermark, and 5 hours of monthly track downloads. Best for podcasters and video creators who record remote guests and want AI editing bundled with hosting and publishing.
Verified JUL 11, 2026 FREEMIUM Live
What is Riverside?
Riverside is a remote recording studio for podcasts and video that captures each participant’s audio and video as a separate, locally recorded track on their own device — so a shaky internet connection during the session doesn’t degrade the final export. Once a session ends, its AI editing layer takes over: Magic Clips automatically cuts short-form highlight clips out of a long recording, transcription runs on the full session, and an AI editing agent plus Magic Audio noise-cleanup speed up post-production. The product launched in 2020 as Riverside.fm and rebranded to Riverside at riverside.com in 2026 as it expanded from a podcast-recording app into a broader studio platform; the old riverside.fm domain now redirects there, and it remains the same company and product, not a shutdown or acquisition.
Beyond recording and editing, Riverside bundles podcast hosting, multi-platform publishing to YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts, live streaming and multistreaming, and — on higher tiers — full webinar functionality with registration and lead capture. That breadth is the core trade-off versus a narrower tool: Riverside tries to cover capture, AI editing, hosting, and distribution in one subscription rather than specializing in just one step of the workflow.
Who is it for?
Riverside fits creators and teams who record remote interviews or multi-guest video content on a recurring basis and want AI-assisted editing and publishing without stitching together a recorder, a transcription tool, and a separate hosting platform.
- Podcasters recording remote guests who need reliable, local per-track capture so a guest’s poor Wi-Fi doesn’t ruin the episode audio.
- Video creators and YouTubers who want 4K multi-track recording plus Magic Clips to turn a long episode into short-form social clips automatically.
- Marketing and content teams running webinars or live streams who want registration, lead capture, and multistreaming bundled with the same tool used to record.
- Solo creators just starting out can use the free plan to test recording and Magic Clips before committing to a paid tier, though the 2-hour one-off cap and watermark make it unsuitable for ongoing production.
How much does Riverside cost?
Starting price: $29/mo · Free tier: yes · Model: freemium
Pricing verified JUL 11, 2026
Price history tracked from June 2026
| Plan | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 2 hours of one-off multi-track recording · Up to 720p video, 44.1kHz audio · Unlimited single-track recording and video calls · Magic Clips and full editing suite included · Exports carry a Riverside watermark |
| Pro | $29/mo | $24/mo billed annually ($288/yr) · 5 hours/month of separate multi-track downloads · Up to 4K video, 48kHz audio, no watermark · Unlimited transcription and text-based editing · AI editing agent, Magic Audio noise cleanup · Podcast hosting and multi-platform publishing |
| Grow | $39/mo | $34/mo billed annually ($408/yr) · 20 hours/month of separate track downloads · 2 studios, social scheduling, newsletter, creator website · AI thumbnails and video hosting · Full HD 1080p live streaming to unlimited destinations |
| Webinar | $99/mo | $79/mo billed annually (~$948/yr) · 25 hours/month of separate track downloads · 3 studios, webinars up to 100 registrants · Lead capture, custom branded forms, email reminders · Q&A, polls, webinar analytics, HubSpot integration |
| Business | Custom | Unlimited studios, unlimited separate track downloads · Up to 10,000 webinar registrants · Producer mode, full remote control, API access · SSO, SOC2 and ISO27001 compliance · Dedicated customer success manager |
What are Riverside's key features?
- Local multi-track recording — each participant's audio/video is captured on their own device and uploaded separately, so a bad connection doesn't ruin the take
- Magic Clips — AI selects and cuts short-form highlight clips from a longer recording automatically
- AI show notes and unlimited transcription on paid plans, used to drive text-based editing
- Magic Audio — AI noise removal and sound enhancement applied to raw recordings
- Filler-word removal, speech correction, eye-contact correction, and auto-generated B-roll
- Built-in podcast hosting, analytics, and multi-platform publishing (YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts)
- Live streaming and multistreaming to multiple destinations simultaneously (Grow plan and above)
- Webinar mode with registration, lead capture, polls, and HubSpot integration (Webinar plan)
What people use Riverside for
- 01 Recording remote podcast interviews where each guest's audio and video is captured locally in a separate uncompressed track, avoiding call-quality dropouts
- 02 Turning a long-form video or podcast episode into short social clips automatically with Magic Clips instead of manually re-editing highlights
- 03 Editing an episode by deleting or reordering words in the transcript rather than scrubbing a timeline
- 04 Hosting a live webinar with registration, lead capture, and Q&A directly on the platform instead of stitching together separate recording and webinar tools
- 05 Publishing a finished episode straight to YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts from the same tool used to record and edit it
Pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Local recording per participant means a dropped or laggy internet connection during the call does not degrade the final exported audio/video quality | Free plan caps recording at 2 hours total (one-off, not monthly) and stamps every export with a watermark, so it isn't viable for ongoing production |
| Free plan requires no credit card and includes Magic Clips and the full editing suite, not just a stripped-down demo | Track-download allowances are capped by plan (5 hrs/month on Pro, 20 on Grow, 25 on Webinar) — high-volume creators can hit the ceiling and need to upgrade or pay overages |
| Text-based editing and unlimited transcription on paid plans make trimming a multi-hour interview much faster than timeline scrubbing | Live streaming, multistreaming, and webinar features are locked behind the $39/month Grow and $99/month Webinar tiers, not available on Pro |
| Recording, editing, hosting, and publishing live in one product, cutting out separate tools for capture, transcription, and distribution | Business-tier features like SSO, API access, and unlimited studios require contacting sales for custom pricing rather than a published rate |
What are the best Riverside alternatives?
VEED
Browser-based AI video editor: auto-subtitles, AI avatars, text and image-to-video, dubbing, translation, plus background and noise removal in one web app
FREEMIUM Verified JUN 23, 2026
Opus Clip
AI video repurposing tool that turns long videos into short, captioned vertical clips ranked by predicted virality
FREEMIUM Verified JUN 20, 2026
Captions
AI video creation app for talking-head and social content, with AI avatars (Mirage) and a chat-based editor
FREEMIUM Verified JUN 20, 2026
How people make money with Riverside
- Freelance remote podcast production — editors charge clients per episode to run Magic Clips, transcript-based cleanup, and short-form clip cuts on the Pro or Grow plan's monthly track-download allowance
Frequently asked questions
Is Riverside still called Riverside.fm?
The product rebranded from Riverside.fm to Riverside in 2026, and its site moved to riverside.com. The old riverside.fm domain now redirects to riverside.com; it is the same platform and company, not a shutdown or acquisition.
Is Riverside free?
Yes, there is a free plan with no credit card required. It includes 2 hours of one-off multi-track recording at up to 720p, unlimited single-track recording and calls, and Magic Clips — but exports carry a Riverside watermark.
How much does Riverside Pro cost?
Pro costs $29/month billed monthly, or $24/month ($288/year) billed annually. It removes the watermark, unlocks 4K video and 48kHz audio, unlimited transcription, an AI editing agent, and 5 hours per month of separate track downloads.
What is Magic Clips?
Magic Clips is Riverside's AI feature that automatically identifies and cuts short-form highlight clips from a longer recording, aimed at repurposing a podcast or video episode into social-ready clips without manual editing.
Does Riverside offer webinars?
Yes, on the Webinar plan ($99/month, or $79/month billed annually), which adds webinars for up to 100 registrants, lead capture, custom branded forms, polls, Q&A, and a HubSpot integration on top of everything in the Grow plan.
Does Riverside have an API?
API access is included on the Business plan, which uses custom pricing and also adds SSO, SOC2/ISO27001 compliance, unlimited studios, and a dedicated customer success manager. It is not available on the self-serve Free, Pro, Grow, or Webinar plans.
How is Riverside different from Descript?
Riverside's core strength is local, per-participant recording for remote interviews plus AI clip generation and publishing/hosting; Descript's core strength is its text-based, timeline-driven editor. Many creators use Riverside to record and Descript-style tools to do deeper post-production editing.