Head-to-head · profiles checked Oct 5, 2026
Pick Descript to edit video and audio by editing a transcript; pick Riverside to record remote guests on separate tracks, stream and host webinars. Descript paid plans start at $16/mo billed annually; Riverside starts at $24/mo billed annually. Descript and Riverside both have a free plan: 60 media minutes a month versus a one-off 2 recording hours.
We based this comparison on our Descript profile verified on 2026-10-01 and our Riverside profile verified on 2026-10-05, both from official vendor pages; it uses no third-party benchmarks and no vendor paid for it.
Pick Descript if your main job is editing: it cuts video and audio by editing a transcript and sells monthly media hours and AI credits. Pick Riverside if your main job is recording remote guests, live streaming or running webinars, since it records each participant as separate tracks. Descript paid plans start at $16/mo billed annually; Riverside paid plans start at $29/mo ($24/mo billed annually). Descript and Riverside both have a free plan and cap what you get: Descript by media hours and AI credits, Riverside by separate-track download hours.
Based on our Descript profile verified on 2026-10-01 and our Riverside profile verified on 2026-10-05, both from official vendor pages; no benchmark was run.
If you only want the answer, this is the table. Everything below is the evidence from the two documented profiles.
| You want to | Use | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Edit a podcast by changing the text | Descript | Transcript-based editing: cut words, and the audio and video cuts follow. |
| Remove um and ah filler words | Either | Descript has filler-word removal; Riverside AI editing removes filler words and silences. |
| Record a remote guest with separate tracks | Riverside | Records each participant locally as separate audio and video tracks. |
| Go live on YouTube, LinkedIn or Twitch | Riverside | Live Studio streams to multiple platforms and custom RTMP on Grow and above. |
| Run a webinar with polls and Q&A | Riverside | Webinar plan: up to 100 registrants, polls, Q&A and HubSpot sync. |
| Make short social clips from a long recording | Either | Descript Underlord can create clips; Riverside makes clips with AI editing and Magic Clips. |
| Clone a voice or fix audio with generated speech | Descript | AI voice cloning and text-to-speech to repair cuts and regenerate voiceovers. |
| Translate or dub a video | Descript | Translate and dub in 30+ languages on Business. |
| Clean up noisy audio | Descript | Studio Sound is a one-click audio cleanup. |
| Host a podcast and see analytics | Riverside | Podcast hosting and analytics are included from Pro. |
| Plan | Tool | Price | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Descript Free | Descript | $0 | 60 minutes media per month; 100 AI credits (one-time); 1080p export only |
| Descript Hobbyist | Descript | $16/mo billed annually ($24 monthly) | 600 minutes media per month; 400 AI credits per month; 1080p export |
| Descript Creator | Descript | $24/mo billed annually ($35 monthly) | 1800 minutes media per month; 800 AI credits per month; 4K export |
| Descript Business | Descript | $50/mo billed annually ($65 monthly) | 2400 minutes media per month; 1500 AI credits per month; unlimited 4K export |
| Descript Enterprise | Descript | Custom | Custom media hours and AI credits |
| Riverside Free | Riverside | $0 | 2 hours of multi-track recording (one-off); up to 720p; watermark |
| Riverside Pro + Live Studio | Riverside | $29/mo ($24/mo billed annually) | 15 hours of separate track downloads; 1 studio |
| Riverside Grow + Live Studio | Riverside | $39/mo ($34/mo billed annually) | 20 hours of separate track downloads; 2 studios |
| Riverside Webinar + Live Studio | Riverside | $99/mo | Up to 100 registrants; 25 hours of separate track downloads; 3 studios |
| Riverside Business | Riverside | Custom | Up to 10,000 webinar registrants |
USD as published on each vendor's pricing page, checked Oct 5, 2026. Descript pricing in full · Riverside pricing in full
| Descript | Riverside | |
|---|---|---|
| Media or recording hours | Free 1 hr, Hobbyist 10 hrs, Creator 30 hrs, Business 40 hrs of media per month | Free 2 hrs one-off; separate-track downloads Pro 15, Grow 20, Webinar 25 hours |
| AI credits | Free 100 (one-time); Hobbyist 400, Creator 800, Business 1500 per month | Not stated |
| Export resolution | 1080p on Free and Hobbyist; 4K on Creator and above | Up to 720p on Free; up to 4K on Pro |
| Seats / team | Priced per editor; Creator for up to 3 people, Business for 5+ editors | Studios per plan: Pro 1, Grow 2, Webinar 3, Business unlimited |
| Feature | Descript | Riverside |
|---|---|---|
| Transcript-based editing | Yes | Yes |
| Separate tracks per participant | Not stated | Yes |
| Live streaming | Not stated | Yes (Grow and above) |
| Webinars | Not stated | Yes (Webinar plan) |
| AI voice cloning | Yes | Not stated |
| Translation and dubbing | Yes (Business) | Not stated |
| Screen recording and remote Rooms | Yes | Not stated |
| API | Listed, docs not reachable when checked | Business |
| Mobile apps | Not stated | Yes (app links on its site) |
| Descript | Riverside | |
|---|---|---|
| Training on your data | Not stated; training opt-out on Business and Enterprise | Not stated |
| Retention | Not stated in full; custom retention on Enterprise | Not stated |
| Business controls | SOC 2 Type II, SAML SSO and SCIM, GDPR compliant | SSO (Okta, Azure), SOC2 and ISO27001 |
Taken from each vendor's published policy pages at the time of our check. Policies change; the source links are at the bottom.
Text-based video and podcast editor with AI tools like Studio Sound, filler-word removal and voice cloning.
Free stops at: 60 minutes (1 hr) media per month, 100 AI credits (one-time)
Free · paid from $16/mo US · checked Sep 29
Riverside is a studio for recording podcasts and video, live streaming and webinars with AI editing.
Free stops at: Up to 720p, Watermark
Verified riverside.fm (opens Riverside website in a new tab)
Free · paid from $29/mo US · checked Oct 5
Descript is cheaper at the entry level: Hobbyist is $16/mo billed annually against $29/mo for Riverside Pro ($24/mo billed annually). The plans cover different jobs, so compare limits too: Descript caps media hours and AI credits, Riverside caps separate-track download hours.
Yes, Descript and Riverside both have a free plan. Descript Free gives 60 minutes of media per month and 100 AI credits (one-time) with 1080p export. Riverside Free gives 2 hours of multi-track recording (one-off) at up to 720p with a watermark.
Descript lists a screen recorder and Rooms for remote recording, and its Free plan includes 2 hours of remote recording per month. Riverside is built around studio recording with separate audio and video tracks per participant, plus live streaming and webinars.
Riverside lists Web and Mobile. Descript's profile confirms a desktop app for macOS 14+ and Windows 11+; a web version is only implied and was not confirmed.
Only official vendor pages. No third-party benchmarks, forum threads or press were used. How we review.
compare>
