Zencastr vs Riverside

Two remote studios

Zencastr and Riverside both record each guest on that guest's computer, so a bad connection does not become the master. Zencastr's public plan is Vibecastr, and the pricing page labels it Free. The Free button links a signup price whose amount in the page data is $0. The free column lists 6 participants, separate audio and video, 4K recording, transcription, chapters, a title and description, filler and pause removal, animated captions, 4 seats, and hosting. The rows also print caps: 5 shows, 6,000 video RSS, and 60,000 video views. The other column is Custom, with no dollar amount.

Riverside Free is $0 for a one-time 2 hours of separate-track recording, with a watermark and 720p. The pricing FAQ, last read October 18, 2026, lists Pro at $29/month or $24/month billed annually ($288), with 15 hours of separate-track downloads. Grow is listed at $39/month or $34/month billed annually ($408). The page still carried a staging banner, so those dollars stay approximate. Recording itself is unlimited. The cap that matters is downloading the separate tracks. The Descript vs Riverside page is the comparison with a transcript editor.

What is included before you pay

Zencastr's free column is the whole production pass: the local tracks, the transcript, the filler cut, the chapters, and the host. Riverside's free plan is a short trial of the recording, watermarked, and the host arrives on the paid plans. If you already have a host you like, you can record in either tool and upload the file yourself. If you want the recorder and the feed on one bill, both say hosting is in the product. On Zencastr it is in the free column, up to 5 shows. On Riverside it is on Pro and Grow.

Descript records too, with 2 hours on the free plan. It does not make the guest's browser the master the way these two do. Use Descript when the files already exist and the work is the cut.

Which show should open which app

A weekly remote interview, and you want to see the whole path before you pay: Zencastr, because the public plan is free and the separate tracks are on it. Confirm the 5-show cap and the video view numbers before you move a network. A show that already lives in Riverside, or that needs the live-stream plan Grow describes: stay, and read the card, because the staging notice was still on the pricing page at the last check. The Podcast editing list has the editors that start after the recording.