Riverside pricing in 2026: every plan and what it really costs
By Kamal Sankarraj · Published October 17, 2026 · Prices checked on riverside.com on October 17, 2026
Riverside has four plans and no free plan. Pro is $29 a month, or $24 a month billed annually. Grow is $39 ($34 annually), Webinar is $99 ($79 annually), and Business is priced through sales. Pro, Grow and Webinar start with a 14-day free trial. Recording itself is unlimited; the limit that catches people out is the monthly cap on downloading separate per-person tracks.
Disclosure: we make PandaStudio, which records remote podcasts too. Riverside's numbers below come from riverside.com/pricing; plans change, so check there before you buy.
Riverside plans compared
| Plan | Monthly | Billed annually | Separate-track downloads | Studios | Notable |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pro | $29/mo | $24/mo ($288/yr) | 15 hrs/month | 1 | Up to 4K video, 48 kHz audio, no watermark, unlimited text-based editing, AI editing agent, Magic Clips and show notes, podcast hosting and publishing, 2,000 AI credits to start |
| Grow | $39/mo | $34/mo ($408/yr) | 20 hrs/month | 2 | Everything in Pro, plus Riverside MCP |
| Webinar | $99/mo | $79/mo ($948/yr) | 25 hrs/month | 3 | Webinars for up to 100 registrants |
| Business | Contact sales | Contact sales | Unlimited | Unlimited | Webinars for up to 10,000 registrants; 12,000 AI credits to start |
Source: riverside.com/pricing, October 17, 2026. Annual billing is advertised as saving up to 20%. Extra editor seats are a paid add-on on Pro, Grow and Webinar.
The three things worth reading twice
- There is a trial, not a free plan. The 14-day trial on Pro, Grow and Webinar is the way to test a guest setup before you pay.
- Recording is unlimited; separate-track downloads are not. If you edit in another app, you download each person's track, and those hours count against 15 (Pro), 20 (Grow) or 25 (Webinar) a month. Riverside says that when you hit the cap, new separate-track downloads wait for the next billing cycle unless you upgrade.
- Seats and studios are separate. Each plan includes a set number of studios (1, 2, 3 or unlimited), and an extra editor is a paid add-on below Business.
Which Riverside plan fits which show
- Testing the waters: the 14-day trial on the plan you expect to use.
- A weekly interview up to about an hour: Pro, billed annually ($24/mo).
- Longer episodes, more guests, two shows, or you want Riverside MCP: Grow (20 download hours, 2 studios).
- Webinars and lead capture: Webinar.
- A team that needs unlimited downloads and studios: Business.
What it costs over one to three years
Subscriptions add up, so here is the arithmetic from the listed prices, next to our own app for context. This compares price only: Riverside does things PandaStudio does not (4K from every guest, more guests, live streaming, mobile apps, podcast hosting).
| Option | 1 year | 2 years | 3 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Riverside Pro, billed annually | $288 | $576 | $864 |
| Riverside Pro, billed monthly | $348 | $696 | $1,044 |
| Riverside Grow, billed annually | $408 | $816 | $1,224 |
| Riverside Grow, billed monthly | $468 | $936 | $1,404 |
| PandaStudio Starter lifetime (1 computer) | $99 | $99 | $99 |
| PandaStudio Pro Monthly | $228 | $456 | $684 |
Before tax. PandaStudio prices from writepanda.ai/#pricing; the Creator lifetime license ($199) covers 3 computers.
Ways to pay less
- Pay annually if you know you will record all year; that is how Pro drops from $29 to $24.
- Use the 14-day trial to check how many separate-track hours a typical month of your show needs before you choose between Pro and Grow.
- Compare free options: Zencastr's pricing page lists a free plan with local, separate tracks.
- If you want to own the tool, PandaStudio records a host and up to 3 guests locally and includes the editor, from $99 once. See how it works.
Comparing Riverside with something else?
Questions
Is Riverside free?
No. Riverside's pricing page does not list a free plan. Pro, Grow and Webinar come with a 14-day free trial, after which you pay monthly or annually.
How much is Riverside per month?
Pro is $29 a month, or $24 a month billed annually ($288 a year). Grow is $39 a month or $34 billed annually. Webinar is $99 a month or $79 billed annually. Business is priced through sales. These are the figures on riverside.com/pricing on October 17, 2026.
Does Riverside limit how much I can record?
No. Riverside's FAQ says recording itself is unlimited. The monthly cap is on separate-track downloads, the individual per-person files: 15 hours on Pro, 20 on Grow, 25 on Webinar and unlimited on Business. When you reach it, you can't download new separate tracks until the next billing cycle unless you upgrade.
Does Riverside charge per person?
Plans are per account, with a number of studios per plan (1 on Pro, 2 on Grow, 3 on Webinar, unlimited on Business). An extra editor seat is a paid add-on on Pro, Grow and Webinar.
Is there a cheaper alternative to Riverside?
Zencastr's pricing page lists a free plan with local, separate tracks. PandaStudio records a host plus up to 3 guests locally and includes a desktop editor, for $19 a month or a one-time $99. Each has trade-offs; our Riverside alternatives roundup compares them.