Riverside vs Audacity
Side-by-side comparison of Riverside and Audacity.
Studio-quality remote recording for serious podcasters
Free, open-source audio editor for serious creators
What they are
Riverside
Riverside records audio and video locally on each participant's device, then uploads lossless files to the cloud, so a shaky internet connection never ruins a take. It's used by podcasters, journalists, and video creators who need broadcast-quality recordings from remote guests. The built-in AI tools handle transcription, clip creation, and basic editing. One honest note: the interface has a learning curve for guests who aren't tech-savvy.
Audacity
Audacity is a free, open-source desktop application for recording, editing, and processing audio on Windows, Mac, and Linux. Podcasters, musicians, and voice-over artists use it to cut recordings, apply effects, and export to common formats. It covers the fundamentals well, though its interface feels dated compared to modern DAWs and it lacks native multi-track timeline editing for complex productions.
if you need video editing and hosting. It has a usable free tier to start with.
- +Local recording preserves audio and video quality regardless of guest internet speed
- +Up to 4K video recording per participant track
- +Automatic transcription with decent accuracy on clean audio
if you need video editing. It has a usable free tier to start with.
- +Completely free with no feature paywalls
- +Cross-platform support on Windows, Mac, and Linux
- +Large library of built-in effects and filters including noise reduction
Which to choose
Riverside and Audacity both cover video editing, so this is a real either-or for some teams. The right pick depends on which one's wider feature set and pricing fit how you work.
Read the full reviews for Riverside and Audacity.
Pricing checked 3 Jun 2026.