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Plan type: Commercial. Billing period: Custom.
Riverside Pricing (2026): Which Plan Is Right for Your Podcast?
Riverside pricing starts at $0 on the Free plan (2 hours/mo recording, 720p video), $15/mo on Standard (5 hours/mo, 4K video, transcription), and $24/mo on Pro (15 hours/mo, full AI tools). Annual billing cuts those rates by roughly 16%. Most weekly podcasters will land on Standard; daily or high-volume creators producing 10+ hours per month should look at Pro.
The decision between plans almost always comes down to two variables: how many recording hours you consume per month, and whether you need Riverside's AI editing features. If you record one 45-minute episode per week, Standard's 5-hour monthly bank covers you with room to spare. Only move to Pro if you are producing multiple shows, conducting long-form interviews, or want AI noise cancellation and eye contact correction baked into your workflow.
Written by RajatFact-checked by Chandrasmita
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Use this Riverside pricing page to understand cost structure, usage limits, and where pricing conversations need more detail.
Riverside Plans at a Glance: Free, Standard, and Pro
Riverside's Free plan is genuinely usable for occasional recording, but the 2-hour monthly cap and 720p limit make it a testing ground rather than a production tool. At 2 hours, a weekly podcaster burns through their budget in under two 50-minute episodes. The lack of AI features on Free also means you are exporting raw audio and doing post-production elsewhere. For anyone publishing consistently, Free is a starting point, not a solution.
Standard at $15/mo is the sweet spot for solo podcasters publishing weekly. Five hours per month accommodates roughly five to six 45-60 minute interviews, plus re-takes, with a small buffer. The jump to Pro makes financial sense when you are either running multiple shows simultaneously or relying heavily on AI tools to compress your editing time. At $24/mo, Pro costs $9 more than Standard — a worthwhile trade if AI features eliminate 30+ minutes of editing per episode.
Free: $0/mo ($0/mo)
Standard: $15/mo (~$12.50/mo billed annually)
Pro: $24/mo (~$20/mo billed annually)
Pricing source: official pricing page, verified 2026-03-25.
Read the pricing through your actual needs, not only the packaging language.
Riverside pricing should be evaluated in the context of content volume, team size, and the commercial metric that drives expansion cost over time.
Pricing pages should help creators understand not just what the vendor charges, but what storage limits, export quality, and feature gating mean for total cost of ownership. Use this page to frame vendor conversations before committing to a plan.
- Clarify whether cost scales by minutes, projects, team members, or another metric.
- Confirm what premium features, storage upgrades, or priority support add to total spend.
- Model pricing against the actual content volume expected over the next 12 months.
What the Riverside Free Plan Actually Gets You
Choose Free if you are evaluating Riverside before committing, recording fewer than two episodes per month, or need a quick one-off interview setup. Choose Standard if you publish weekly (one show), conduct standard-length interviews, and want 4K video for repurposing clips to social media. Standard is the most popular tier for independent podcasters for good reason — it covers the full feature set at a price that is easy to justify.
Upgrade to Pro when your recording hours consistently exceed 5 per month, you run two or more shows, or your editing workflow depends on AI features like noise cancellation and eye contact correction. Pro's 15-hour bank also makes it the practical choice for podcast networks or production companies managing multiple client shows under one Riverside account. If you are on an annual plan, the Pro rate works out to about $20/mo — comparable to a single meal out.
Standard vs Pro: Choosing Based on Recording Hours and AI Needs
Count your monthly recording hours before choosing a plan
Add up all scheduled recording sessions including re-takes and test calls. If you record one 45-minute episode per week, that is roughly 3 hours/mo — well within Standard. Two shows per week pushes you toward 6+ hours and into Pro territory.
Decide if AI features are must-haves or nice-to-haves
Pro's AI noise cancellation and eye contact correction are genuinely useful but not essential if you record in a treated space and have basic editing skills. Standard gives you all the core recording infrastructure without the AI layer.
Check if annual billing makes sense for your commitment level
Annual billing on Standard saves about $30/year and on Pro about $48/year. If you are still testing Riverside or publishing inconsistently, pay monthly until you have three months of consistent usage — then switch to annual.
Verify transcription export format meets your workflow
Standard and Pro both include transcription, but check whether you need SRT exports for YouTube captions or plain text for show notes. Both formats are available on paid plans. If transcription is your primary need and you do not care about video, consider whether a dedicated transcription tool is cheaper.
Confirm guest access requirements before committing
Guests never need a paid Riverside plan — they join via browser link. Your plan only governs recording limits and quality. If you have co-hosts who record independently and want their own editing access, each would need their own host seat.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Riverside cost per month?
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Riverside has three plans: Free ($0), Standard ($15/mo billed monthly or about $12.50/mo annually), and Pro ($24/mo billed monthly or about $20/mo annually). The Free plan includes 2 hours of recording per month at 720p. Standard gives you 5 hours and 4K video. Pro gives 15 hours plus AI editing tools.
Does Riverside offer a free plan?
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Yes. Riverside's Free plan gives you up to 2 hours of recording per month at 720p video quality. Guests can join without an account. However, the free plan does not include AI features or access to the full transcription editor. It is enough for occasional recording but not for consistent weekly podcasting.
What is included in Riverside Standard at $15/mo?
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Standard gives you 5 recording hours per month, 4K video quality, full transcription, separate audio and video tracks per participant, and the magic clips feature for repurposing content. It removes the Free plan's 720p cap and is the entry point for most active podcasters publishing weekly or biweekly.
What extra features does Riverside Pro add over Standard?
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Pro at $24/mo triples recording hours to 15 per month and adds Riverside's AI suite: AI noise cancellation, AI eye contact correction, AI-powered editing tools, and enhanced transcription exports. Pro is designed for high-volume creators or teams who rely on AI post-production to cut editing time significantly.
Does Riverside include transcription on all plans?
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Transcription is included on paid plans (Standard and Pro). The Free plan has limited access to transcription features. On Standard and Pro, transcripts are generated automatically after each recording session and can be exported in multiple formats, including SRT for subtitles and plain text for show notes.
How much does annual billing save on Riverside?
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Annual billing saves approximately 16% compared to paying month-to-month. On Standard, you pay the equivalent of about $12.50/mo instead of $15/mo — saving around $30/year. On Pro, the effective rate drops from $24/mo to roughly $20/mo — saving around $48/year. Annual plans are billed as a single upfront charge.
Can guests join Riverside recordings for free?
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Yes. Guests never need a Riverside account or paid plan. They join via a unique link and record directly in their browser. The host's plan determines recording limits and quality settings. This makes Riverside practical for interviewing guests who are not technically inclined — no downloads or signups required.
Is Riverside good for audio-only podcasters or just video?
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Riverside records both audio and video as separate local tracks, which is its main technical advantage. Audio-only podcasters can absolutely use Riverside — they just export the audio tracks and ignore the video. That said, the pricing includes video capabilities you may not need, making audio-only alternatives like Squadcast or Cleanfeed worth comparing.
Sources
Pricing and product details referenced on this page were verified from public sources. Confirm final details directly with the vendor before purchasing.
pricing · verified Mar 25, 2026
Official pricing pageRiverside pricing reference
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