Descript vs Riverside

Descript

• Podcasters and video creators who prefer editing a transcript to a timeline
• Cleaning up interview and talking-head recordings with AI tools
• Turning long recordings into short captioned clips

Riverside

• Podcasters and interviewers recording remote guests in high quality
• Marketing teams turning long recordings into social clips
• Hosts who want recording, editing, hosting and live streaming in one tool

Descript

• The Free plan is limited to 60 media minutes a month, a one-time 100 AI credits and watermarked 720p exports.
• Paid plans cap monthly usage too: 10 media hours and 400 AI credits on Hobbyist, 30 and 800 on Creator, 40 and 1,500 on Business.
• Hobbyist covers 1 person; Creator scales to a team of 3 and Business to 5, each person billed separately.
• There are no mobile apps: phones, iPads and Chromebooks are not officially supported, and the desktop app needs macOS 14 or Windows 11.

Riverside

• The Free plan allows 2 hours of multi-track recording, tops out at 720p and puts a Riverside watermark on exports.
• Separate-track downloads are capped each month: 15 hours on Pro, 20 on Grow and 25 on Webinar.
• Live streaming starts on Grow, and registration, Q&A and polls for webinars need the Webinar plan.
• Collaborative editing, custom roles, SSO and API access are limited to Business; the desktop app is listed for Mac only.

Descript

Text-based editing

Recordings are transcribed automatically, and deleting or rearranging words in the transcript makes the same cut in the audio or video.

Underlord AI co-editor

An AI assistant that carries out editing tasks on a project. Its use draws on the plan's AI credits.

Studio Sound and filler-word removal

Studio Sound uses AI to remove background noise, and filler words can be detected and cut from a recording.

Screen recording and Rooms

Record your screen inside Descript, or use Rooms to record remote guests.

Clips, captions and translation

Turn long recordings into short clips, add captions and subtitles, and translate content into dozens of languages.

AI voices and Eye Contact

Create a clone of your voice or use stock AI voices, and correct gaze with Eye Contact. These AI features consume AI credits.

Riverside

Local multi-track recording

Audio and video are recorded on each participant's own device and uploaded in the background, giving a separate track per person in up to 4K.

Text-based editor

Edit a recording through its transcript, with AI tools that remove silences and filler words. Paid web plans include unlimited transcriptions.

Magic Clips and AI show notes

AI selects short clips for social media and drafts show notes. Magic Clips is also listed on the Free plan.

Live streaming and webinars

Grow adds Full HD live streaming to multiple destinations. The Webinar plan adds registration, Q&A, polls, email reminders and analytics.

Podcast hosting and publishing

Each studio has its own podcast hosting, analytics and website, and can publish to YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Mac and mobile apps

The Mac app records a shared screen locally as its own track. The iOS and Android apps can record, invite guests and serve as a second webcam.

Descript

• Free$0

  60 media minutes per month, 100 one-time AI credits and 720p export with a watermark.

• Hobbyist$16

  per person / month, billed annually ($24 monthly)

  1 person, 10 media hours and 400 AI credits per month, and 1080p export without a watermark.

• Creator$24

  per person / month, billed annually ($35 monthly)

  Up to 3 people, 30 media hours and 800 AI credits per month, and 4K export without a watermark.

• Business$50

  per person / month, billed annually ($65 monthly)

  Up to 5 people, 40 media hours and 1,500 AI credits per month, and 4K export.

• EnterpriseCustom

  Custom pricing with single sign-on, SCIM provisioning and dedicated support.

Riverside

• Free$0

  2 hours of multi-track recording, unlimited single-track recording, 720p video and a Riverside watermark.

• Mobile Plus$9.99

  per month

  For the mobile apps only: removes watermarks and exports up to 4K video and WAV audio.

• Pro$24

  per month, billed annually at $288 ($29 monthly)

  Up to 4K video and 48 kHz audio, no watermark, 15 hours of separate-track downloads a month and 1 studio.

• Grow$34

  per month, billed annually at $408 ($39 monthly)

  20 hours of separate-track downloads a month, 2 studios, and Full HD live streaming with multistreaming.

• Webinar$79

  per month, billed annually ($99 monthly)

  25 hours of separate-track downloads, 3 studios, and webinars with up to 100 registrants, Q&A, polls and analytics.

• BusinessCustom

  Unlimited studios and separate-track downloads, up to 10,000 webinar registrants, API access, SSO and a dedicated CSM.

Descript

• Annual discount

  Save up to 35% with annual billing

  Descript's pricing page says annual plans save up to 35% over monthly. Hobbyist is $16 per person per month billed annually versus $24 billed monthly.

• Education

  Education plan from $8 per editor / month

  Students, educators and administrators at accredited institutions can apply for Hobbyist features at $8 per editor per month paid annually, or $12 paid monthly.

• Nonprofit

  Nonprofit plan from $8 per editor / month

  Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) or equivalent charitable status can apply for the same rate: Hobbyist features at $8 per editor per month paid annually, or $12 paid monthly.

Riverside

• Annual discount

  Save up to 20% with yearly billing

  Annual billing drops Pro from $29 to $24 per month, Grow from $39 to $34 and Webinar from $99 to $79, which Riverside describes as saving up to 20%.