Riverside
Records every guest on a separate track — no quality loss, even if the internet drops.
By Thiago Lourenço Martins
My honest opinion on Riverside, before you record anything
rating: 4.3 (out of 5)
I tested it by recording a 20-minute call simulating an interview, just to see the separate track come out — and it came out clean, without the muffled sound of a regular video call. For anyone doing remote interviews that turn into an article, a podcast or a published video, it's a real quality jump: local recording solves the most annoying problem of this kind of work, which is bad internet ruining the footage halfway through.
Where it disappoints: the interface is entirely in English, with no translation option, and the free plan gives you just a taste — 2 hours of separate-track recording, one-time only, with a watermark. To use it for real, without the stamp and in 4K, the path is the Pro plan at US$29/month (or US$24 billed annually), and there's no cheaper middle ground between the free trial and the paid subscription.
Tested and verified against official sources on July 4, 2026.
What's good
- Records each participant locally on a separate track, up to 4K video and 48kHz audio on paid plans — the live call may stutter, the final file doesn't
- The editor cuts straight from the transcript, like editing text: delete a sentence and the matching video clip disappears with it
- Magic Clips and the AI Co-Creator generate cuts, captions, and title suggestions for social media straight from the recording, no separate editor needed
- Publishes straight to YouTube, Spotify and Apple, and live-streams in HD to several platforms at once (LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, Twitch)
Where it struggles
- Interface entirely in English — recording and transcription work fine in Portuguese, but the menus, buttons and support aren't translated
- The free plan gives just 2 hours of separate-track recording for the whole account, one time only — not a monthly quota — and video is capped at 720p with a watermark
- After the free plan, the jump to paid is already US$29/month (or US$24 annually) — there's no cheaper mid-tier plan for people who record occasionally
- If you just want to quickly transcribe a work meeting, the whole package (streaming, podcast hosting, branding) is overkill for what you need
A recording studio that lives entirely in your browser
Riverside is an online platform for recording podcasts and video. Each person on the call records their own picture and audio locally, on their own device — everything then uploads to the cloud and gets combined into one track per person, at studio quality. It's very different from recording a Zoom screen: here, if someone's wifi drops mid-interview, the final file doesn't glitch, because the recording never depended on the call's internet connection to exist — only to sync afterward.
An interview that freezes on screen shouldn't freeze in the story
Anyone who does remote interviews knows the scene: the video freezes, the audio sounds robotic, the call drops right on the most important line. And when that goes out — in an article, a podcast, a recorded class — the audience feels every glitch.
That's the resolution Riverside records each participant at, locally, on their own device, without depending on the call's internet connection. The live conversation might stutter a bit — but the recorded file won't.
Who records what with Riverside
Does a video-call interview with a source in another city and gets back a clean audio track, without the muffled sound of a typical video call — plus a ready transcript to pull the exact quote for the story.
Records the episode with a guest, cuts the clips for Reels and Shorts right there (Magic Clips), and publishes to Spotify and YouTube without switching tools.
Records training sessions or an employee testimonial in video with more than enough quality for internal use, without booking a recording room.
From scheduled call to a file ready to edit
- Create a free account at riverside.com
Click "Start for Free." No card required.
- Open a new Studio
Give it a name for the episode or the interview — this is where the recording happens.
- Generate the invite link and send it to your guest
They join right from the link, in a computer or phone browser, without installing anything.
ask them to wear headphones — it reduces echo in the recording - Accept your guest from the waiting room (Lobby)
They wait there until you, as host, let them into the Studio.
- Check everyone's microphone before you start
The Studio itself shows the real-time audio level for each participant.
- Click record
From there, each participant records their own track locally — only stop once the interview is truly over.
- Wait for the confirmation that the tracks uploaded
This happens automatically, but only close the tab after the upload-complete notice appears.
- Open the recording in the Editor
Cut straight from the transcript, as if editing a text document, then export or publish.
A ready-made request for Riverside's AI assistant
In the AI Co-Creator, generate 5 clips of up to 60 seconds from this recording using the guest's strongest lines, add captions and a short title for each clip — prioritize the moment they reveal new information or take a clear stance.
You get clips already captioned, ready to review and post — with no separate video editor to open.
The detail that decides whether the recording holds up
Do this
- Always record on separate tracks, even for a one-on-one interview — it's much easier to adjust each person's volume afterward.
- Ask your guest to wear headphones — without them, the mic picks up the echo of their own voice coming out of the computer speaker.
- Use the text-based Editor on the transcript to cut — deleting a sentence in the document removes the matching clip from the video.
Avoid
- Expecting the menus to show up in Portuguese — the interface is entirely in English (recording and transcription in Portuguese work fine).
- Counting on the free plan's 2 hours of separate-track recording renewing every month — it's a one-time allowance for the account, not a recurring quota.
- Publishing and assuming there's no watermark — on the free plan, Riverside stamps its mark on the exported video and audio.
A video guide to watch before you record
* Independent suggestion, chosen for content quality. We have no relationship or sponsorship with this channel. The video is in Portuguese.
Record a 5-minute test with someone now
Call a coworker or a friend, open a Studio on Riverside, send the invite link, and record a short test: "tell me the latest news you read today."
It worked if, at the end, you can download your separate track in high quality and open the automatically generated transcript — even without saying a single word in English to Riverside.
What Riverside charges, in dollars
The free plan exists and lets you test without a card — but it's clearly a sample, not a plan for weekly use. Paid plans are billed only in US dollars.
$0 — 2 hours of separate-track recording (one-time, doesn't renew), video capped at 720p with a watermark, 44.1kHz audio, and unlimited single-track recording.
$29/month (or $24/month billed annually, $288/year) — 1 studio, 15 hours of separate-track downloads per month, up to 4K video, 48kHz audio, no watermark.
$39/month (or $34/month billed annually, $408/year) — 2 studios, 20 hours per month, social scheduling, newsletter, and Full HD live streaming.
$99/month (or $79/month billed annually, $948/year) — 3 studios, 25 hours per month, webinars for up to 100 registrants, HubSpot integration.
Custom pricing — unlimited studios, simultaneous recording, custom branding, and API access. Requires talking to sales.
Important detail: the Free plan's 2 hours of separate-track recording don't reset monthly — it's a one-time allowance per account. Official prices from riverside.com/pricing, in US dollars, checked in July 2026.
Who Riverside makes sense for
Worth it if you…
- Are a journalist or producer doing remote interviews that turn into an article, a podcast, or a published video — the separate-track quality shows when you edit.
- Already record a podcast or video with a co-host or guests and are tired of editing muffled Zoom or Google Meet audio.
- Want to publish to several channels at once (YouTube, Spotify, social media) without hiring four different tools.
Think twice if you…
- Just need to transcribe or summarize a work meeting — Otter or Fathom do that more simply, without all the video production.
- Don't do well with English — you'll keep running into untranslated menus and settings.
- Record one interview a month, at most — the free plan (a one-time allowance) already covers you, no subscription needed for now.
When another tool is the right call
Riverside is built for people who record and then produce the content. If all you want is to understand what was said in a work meeting, without any plan to publish it, Otter or Fathom solve that faster and cheaper. If you already have the footage (from a phone, a webcam, whatever) and just need to cut, caption, and post it to social media, CapCut does that for free, straight from your phone. And if the problem is the opposite — you have no one to interview and want a ready-made virtual presenter — HeyGen generates a virtual presenter reading your script.
Questions from people who've never recorded anything like this
Is Riverside really free?
There's a free plan with no credit card required — you can create an account and start recording right away. But it's a sample: 2 hours of separate-track recording per participant (a one-time allowance, not a monthly renewal), video capped at 720p, and a watermark. Single-track recording has no time limit.
Do I need to enter a credit card?
Not to start on the free plan. A card is only needed if you subscribe to a paid plan, which start at US$29/month (or US$24/month billed annually).
Does it work in Portuguese?
Recording and transcription do — Riverside transcribes and even translates and dubs into more than 30 languages, including Portuguese. But the site's interface (menus, buttons, settings) is entirely in English, with no translation option.
Does it work on mobile?
Yes, there are apps for Android and iPhone, plus the mobile browser itself — you can join a recording as a guest straight from the app. If you're the host running the session, a computer is still more comfortable.
Do I need to install any software to record?
No. Riverside runs entirely in the browser, preferably Chrome. There's an optional desktop app, but it isn't required to record.
What happens if the internet drops mid-recording?
According to Riverside itself, each participant records locally on their own device. If the internet drops, the call itself may stutter, but the recording keeps running on the device and syncs with the rest once the connection is back.
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