Shortlist by what you need
Start here if you know why you are leaving Riverside.
Want the closest match?
ZencastrMost similar to Riverside in what it does, its category and its price.
Visit (opens Zencastr in a new tab)Need a free plan?
KrispHas a free plan, rated 4.6 out of 5.
Visit (opens Krisp in a new tab)Want to pay less than Riverside?
HeadlinerFrom $7.99/mo, against from $19/mo for Riverside.
Visit (opens Headliner in a new tab)Want the best rated?
DescriptRated 4.4 out of 5 in our review, against 4.5 for Riverside.
Visit (opens Descript in a new tab)
At a glance
Green means better than Riverside, red means worse. Prices are starting prices per month.
| Tool | Our rating | Starts at | Free plan | Best for | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 RiversideBaseline | 4.5 | $19/mo | Yes | Records locally on each device, not over the call itself | |
| Zencastr | 4.1−0.4 | Free | Yes | Podcast and video recording platform with a chat-based AI Producer for editing, automatic transcripts, AI cover art and show notes, plus 4K video recording and a free plan with unlimited recording. | vs Riverside |
 Castmagic | 4.0−0.5 | $19/moSame price | No | An audio-to-content engine that turns one podcast or meeting recording into dozens of shownotes, clips, and social posts. | vs Riverside |
 Cleanvoice | 4.3−0.2 | $11/mo$8 less | No | Removes filler words and mouth sounds, and nothing else | vs Riverside |
| Descript | 4.4−0.1 | $12/mo$7 less | Yes | Edit audio and video by editing a text transcript | vs Riverside |
 Ermine.ai | 3.4−1.1 | Free | Yes | Record and transcribe audio entirely on your own device - nothing is ever sent to a server. Open source, and completely free. | vs Riverside |
| Headliner | 3.9−0.6 | $7.99/mo$11.01 less | Yes | Podcast and video marketing tool that turns full-length episodes into clips and audiograms, with AI transcription in 100+ languages, automatic captions and context-aware marketing text. | vs Riverside |
 Podsqueeze | 3.5−1.0 | Free | Yes | Turns one podcast episode into transcripts, show notes, newsletters, blog posts, social copy and captioned clips in a single pass. | vs Riverside |
| Krisp | 4.6+0.1 | $8/mo$11 less | Yes | Cancels background noise live, during the call itself | vs Riverside |
The alternatives in detail
In order of how closely each one matches Riverside.
Zencastr
4.1Free
vs Riverside−0.4
Podcast and video recording platform with a chat-based AI Producer for editing, automatic transcripts, AI cover art and show notes, plus 4K video recording and a free plan with unlimited recording.
- Chat-based AI Producer for audio and video editing
- Automatic transcripts in 10 languages
- AI cover art, chapters, titles and show notes
Free plan with unlimited recording and transcription
No dollar prices shown for anything above the free plan
Castmagic
4.0$19/mo
vs RiversideSame price−0.5
An audio-to-content engine that turns one podcast or meeting recording into dozens of shownotes, clips, and social posts.
- Multi-format content generation, shownotes, clips, blog posts, tweet threads, from one recording
- Automatic transcription with filler-word removal and speaker splitting
- Direct ingestion from YouTube, Vimeo, RSS, Zoom, and Google Drive
Generates a wide spread of content formats from a single recording instead of one output type
No genuine free plan, the entry Hobby tier still costs $19/month
Cleanvoice
4.3$11/mo
vs Riverside$8 less−0.2
Removes filler words and mouth sounds, and nothing else.
- Automatic filler word removal (um, uh, etc.)
- Mouth click and stutter removal
- Long pause trimming
Does one specific, common annoyance very well
No free tier to test before paying
Descript
4.4$12/mo
vs Riverside$7 less−0.1
Edit audio and video by editing a text transcript.
- Text-based editing that cuts audio and video together
- Overdub voice cloning for corrections
- Studio Sound noise removal
Transcript-based editing is dramatically faster for dialogue-heavy content
Less suited to music or non-dialogue audio editing
Ermine.ai
3.4Free
vs Riverside−1.1
Record and transcribe audio entirely on your own device - nothing is ever sent to a server. Open source, and completely free.
- 100% local audio recording and transcription - no server upload
- Genuine on-device AI transcription model
- Model caching for faster repeat use
Real privacy guarantee - recordings never leave the device
English transcription only
Headliner
3.9$7.99/mo
vs Riverside$11.01 less−0.6
Podcast and video marketing tool that turns full-length episodes into clips and audiograms, with AI transcription in 100+ languages, automatic captions and context-aware marketing text.
- Automatic audiogram creation and posting
- AI video clipping and captioning
- Transcription in 100+ languages
Free plan with unlimited captioned clips
Free plan is ad-supported and allows one unwatermarked audiogram a month
Podsqueeze
3.5Free
vs Riverside−1.0
Turns one podcast episode into transcripts, show notes, newsletters, blog posts, social copy and captioned clips in a single pass.
- Transcripts from audio or video podcasts
- Show notes and episode summaries
- Newsletter and blog post generation
Covers the whole post-recording workload rather than one piece of it
Clip selection quality varies - test against moments your audience would share
Krisp
4.6$8/mo
vs Riverside$11 less+0.1
Cancels background noise live, during the call itself.
- Real-time noise and echo cancellation during live calls
- Works across any video conferencing app
- Cancels other participants' background noise too
Solves noise problems live, not just in post-production
Free tier's weekly minutes run out quickly with regular use
FAQ
Questions people ask
Is Riverside free?
Riverside has a free plan, and paid plans start from $19/mo.
What is the best free alternative to Riverside?
Krisp is the highest-rated alternative here with a free plan (4.6 out of 5). Other free options: Descript, Zencastr, Headliner.
What is the cheapest alternative to Riverside?
Among paid plans, Headliner has the lowest starting price (from $7.99/mo). If you need it free, start with Krisp.
How did you pick these alternatives?
We match tools on what they do, their category and their price, using the details in our directory. Ratings come from our reviews and reader reviews.