Best 6 Riverside Alternatives 2024 : Our Personal Picks

Riverside.fm is a popular tool that lets podcasters record studio-quality video and audio remotely. But, like most tools, it has flaws that push users to seek alternatives.

In this Cleanvoice guide, we’ll look in-depth at the top Riverside alternatives. We’ll explore their features, quality, and how user-friendly they are so that you can make the right call.

Let’s dive in.

What Is Riverside?

Riverside is an online platform that allows you to record podcasts and video interviews.

It records you and your guests locally (bypassing unstable internet connections) and guarantees high-quality audio and video. It also supports separate audio and video tracks for each guest to simplify post-production and audio cleanup.

Why Look For a Riverside Alternative?

Below are a few reasons why you should look for a Riverside alternative:

• Pricing:

Riverside may be too expensive for podcasters on a budget, and a more budget-friendly tier with limited features could make it more accessible.

• Complex User Interface:

Some users have reported that setting up Riverside took them a while. This could be challenging for new podcasters or those who prefer a more straightforward setup process.

• Unreliable Performance: 

Some users have experienced sync issues and lost content on Riverside. It can be disastrous when recording important interviews or sessions.

• Poor Customer Support: 

Users have reported poor customer support from Riverside, with limited options for issue resolution, such as only being able to communicate through chat.

• Automatic Transcription: 

While Riverside offers automatic transcription in over 100 languages, the accuracy of these transcriptions is not mentioned in the reviews.

Criteria to Consider When Choosing Riverside Alternative

Cost and Pricing Structure

Make sure the tool is one you can afford for the long term. Also, check out higher tiers and limits to make sure you won’t be priced out if you want to ramp up production.

Customer Service

Look for platforms that offer robust customer support, preferably with multiple communication channels—chat, phone, and email.

Additional features

Finally, list must-have features and use them to screen tools. Then, move on to desirable features.

6 Best Riverside Alternatives

1. StreamYard: Best for hosting live streams on multiple platforms simultaneously.
2. SquadCast: Best for remote recordings with multiple participants.
3. Restream: Best for expanding your audience reach without requiring special equipment.
4. Remotely: Best for studio-quality podcast and audio session recordings directly from your web browser.
5. Zencastr: Best for high-fidelity audio capture from the comfort of your home.
6. Airtape: Best for recording studio-quality remote interviews and podcasts.

1. StreamYard

StreamYard is a professional live streaming and recording studio that allows users to stream and record their content on platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and more.

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It offers features such as remote guest participation, studio quality recordings, multistreaming to multiple platforms, branding options, and a live webinar platform.

Key Features

• Studio quality recordings: 

The platform ensures that the recordings won’t be blurry or choppy even if someone has weak internet.

• Multistream to all platforms: 

Users can stream to multiple platforms simultaneously. It also allows for the display of audience comments on screen.

• Branding options:

Users can make their shows unique by adding their logo, colors, overlays, and videos, such as intros and outros, without requiring design skills.

• Webinar hosting: 

It can be embedded on websites for a fully white-label experience.

Pricing

StreamYard offers three pricing plans—Free, Basic ($20/month), and Professional ($39/month).

The Free plan provides core features and high-quality streaming for free, while the Basic plan offers additional features such as no StreamYard logo on streams, unlimited streaming, and more.

The Professional plan includes advanced features like on-air webinars, full HD streaming, extra cameras, and multistreaming to multiple destinations.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Ability to stream to multiple platforms simultaneously
• Customizable branding options
• Automatic recording feature
• Ability to invite and manage guests during the stream

Cons

• Requires a stable and strong internet connection for optimal performance
• Limited number of on-screen participants (up to 10)
• Screen sharing option can be improved
• No built-in option for editing while live-streaming

2. SquadCast

SquadCast offers a user-friendly and reliable platform for creating high-quality audio and video content.

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With features like progressive uploads, separate audio and video files, and cloud backups, podcasters can confidently record and produce their podcasts with superior sound and ease of editing.

Key Features

• Remote audio & video recording: 

Collaborate remotely in a cloud recording studio.

• Progressive upload: 

SquadCast’s unique patented technology for seamless uploading of recorded files.

• Dolby technologies: 

Advanced audio processing features for enhanced sound quality.

• Integrations & API:

Automate remote recording workflows with SquadCast integrations and APIs.

Pricing

The pricing for SquadCast includes three main plans—Free, Creator ($12/month), and Pro ($24/month).

The Free plan offers limited features, while the Creator and Pro plans provide more advanced features and benefits at different price points. There’s also a custom Enterprise plan.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Remote collaboration with contributors in different locations
• Real-time editing during recording sessions
• Automatic backups to the cloud
• Customizable recording quality

Cons

• Higher pricing for those with limited budgets
• Resource-intensive
• May have performance issues with less powerful hardware
• Connectivity issues for users with slow internet connections

3. Restream

Restream is a platform that allows users to live stream their content to over 30 destinations simultaneously.

It also provides tools for audio and video production, as well as streaming analytics to help optimize their content.

Key Features

• Studio:

Allows users to have a centralized platform for managing their live streams.

• Multistreaming: 

Users can broadcast their live streams to multiple destinations simultaneously.

• Upload & stream: 

It allows users to upload pre-recorded videos and stream them as if they were live.

• Chat: 

It allows viewers to interact with the streamer and other viewers in real time.

Pricing

Restream offers a range of pricing plans to suit different needs—Free, Standard ($16/month), and Professional ($41/month).

The plans include multistreaming to multiple channels, custom branding, HD streaming quality, storage for recorded videos, and more.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Simulcasting capabilities
• Easy to use
• Low latency streaming
• Stream to multiple platforms

Cons

• Includes Restream logo unless you upgrade
• Doesn’t support 2K and 4K video streaming

4. Remotely

Remotely is a platform that allows content creators to easily record remote interviews in studio quality.

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It offers features like studio-quality audio and video recording, separate tracks for each participant, automatic backups, and automatic post-production.

Key Features

• Studio quality audio and video: 

Locally recorded audio in uncompressed .WAV format at 48kHz/16bit, ensuring high-quality sound; and locally recorded .MP4 video in up to 4K resolution at 30 frames per second, capturing every detail with clarity.

• Separate tracks: 

Each participant is recorded on different tracks, making post-production editing and adjustments easier.

• Multiple guests:

Invite up to 8 simultaneous participants from anywhere around the world for your remote interviews.

• No time drift: 

Remotely ensures that each participant’s track stays synchronized, even during lengthy interviews.

Pricing

Remotely offers two pricing options for recording remote interviews.

The Audio plan costs $15 per month and includes 5 hours of recording per month, while the Audio + Video plan costs $25 per month and includes 8 hours of recording per month. Additional recording hours can be purchased for $2.99 each.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Allows studio-quality interviews from anywhere
• Not reliant on a strong internet connection
• No need to install anything

Cons

• There are no user reviews available

5. Zencastr

Zencastr is an all-in-one podcasting platform that offers a range of features to simplify the podcasting process.

From high-quality recording and editing tools to monetization options and audience analytics, Zencastr provides everything creators need to produce professional podcasts.

Key Features

• Studio quality recording: 

It offers 4K video recording and 16-bit 48k WAV audio tracks per guest, with no time limits.

• Analyze:

You can see where your listeners are located, their listening platforms, operating systems, and browsers. It also provides data on audience retention and the optimal time to post your episodes.

• Live soundboard: 

Its cloud-based Soundboard allows you to insert audio clips live as you record.

• AI video layouts: 

It automatically displays the active participants in your video podcast with its AI video layouts.

Pricing

Zencastr offers different plans for individuals and businesses.

The plans range from $18 monthly for the Professional plan to $275 per month for the ZenAI plan, with varying features such as unlimited recording, post-production credits, video quality, team members, and AI-generated clips.

Pros & Cons

Pros

-Inviting guests with a click

• Internal chat feature
• Multiple tracks for podcasting
• Automated backup integration with Google Drive and Dropbox

Cons

• Limited tools available in the free version
• Crashes on Mac after 30 minutes of recording
• Requires Google Chrome instead of Safari
• No backup feature if computer shuts down during recording
• No mobile app available for managing and sharing files

6. Airtape

Airtape is a podcast recording studio that prioritizes privacy and compliance with data protection regulations.

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With local recording, multiple backups, and European-owned cloud infrastructure, it offers an easy, high-quality solution for recording and publishing podcasts.

Key Features

• Studio quality recordings: 

It allows you to record your podcast or interview in studio quality directly from your web browser.

• Separate tracks: 

You get high-quality audio with different tracks without voice interference, drift, or quality loss.

• Local recording:

Solve the problem of quality loss in voice calls during conferences by recording each participant locally.

• Cloud saving: 

Save chunks of your recording every few seconds to the cloud in the background.

Pricing

Relaunching soon—no pricing information currently available.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Offers studio-quality remote interview and podcast recordings
• Allows users to record meetings online with multiple backups for data security
• Supports local recording for high audio call quality and saving in WAV format
• Intuitive interface for easy navigation and usage

Cons

• No available customer review yet

Bonus Tool: Cleanvoice

Cleanvoice is an AI-powered tool that automatically cleans and transcribes podcast audio recorded on any of the tools mentioned above. Rather than spending hours manually searching for imperfections, Cleanvoice automatically detects and removes:

• Filler words (umm, ahh, etc.)
• Stutters
• Background noises
• Mouth sounds (clicks, pops, etc.)
• Dead air

Marker and timeline exports make it easy to transfer your enhanced audio to your favorite editing tool for post-production. Cleanvoice can also generate highly accurate podcast transcripts. You can repurpose these transcripts as podcast summaries, show notes, and social content.

Get started with 30 minutes of cleaned audio for free.

Conclusion

The Riverside alternatives above are powerful tools for recording and editing podcast audio. Whether you’re looking for a fully loaded studio production package or a straightforward way to record remote interviews, something here will work for your podcasts.

Once you’ve recorded your audio, Cleanvoice can give it the extra polish it needs to sound professional.

Our AI-powered tool can remove background noise, enhance clarity, and add your enhanced audio to your favorite editing tool for post-production.

Get started for free and see what Cleanvoice can do.