Pick Riverside if you want to record, edit with AI, stream live and publish from one browser studio, and you'd like a free plan to start. Pick SquadCast if remote recording with progressive cloud backups is the whole job and you already edit somewhere else. It now comes bundled with Descript, so check what that bundle gives you before you commit.
Start with what happens after you press stop: when the recording stops, where does the work go next? If the answer is "into the same tool", you're shopping for a studio. If it's "straight into the editor I already use", you're shopping for a recorder. These two sit on either side of that line, and once you know which side you're on, the rest is detail.
Three things to decide before you open either one
- Do you edit in-house, or hand the files to someone else? A built-in text editor is handy if you're doing it yourself, and wasted if your editor works in their own software.
- Do you ever go live? If live shows or webinars are part of the plan, only one of these names livestreaming on its homepage.
- What scares you more: a guest's dodgy connection, or a crashed session? Both tools answer this, but in different ways, and that's the core of the choice.
Keep your answers in mind as you read the rest. They'll matter more than any feature list.
Six ways the two pull apart
| Riverside | SquadCast | |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Record, edit, repurpose, stream, host and publish, plus webinars and newsletters | Remote recording first; editing handed off to integrations with your own editing software |
| Where the recording lands | Saved on each device first, then uploaded | Progressive Upload saves to the cloud during the session, with separate local audio and video files |
| Editing | Text-based editor, AI filler-word removal, transcript fixes and Magic Clips | Track adjustment and clean-up; little detail on its own editor |
| Live and video output | Livestreaming to several destinations, publishing to YouTube, Spotify and Apple | Audio and video recording, YouTube video as a use case; no live streaming named |
| Guests | Join in the browser, separate track per participant | Click a link: no download, no installs |
| Direction | An AI-powered platform for the whole content workflow | Offered together with Descript as a bundle |
The Descript link changes what you're choosing
This is the part most comparisons skip. SquadCast's own homepage carries a banner pairing it with Descript, offering the two together as one bundle. That partner is a text-based editor that has its own recording feature, called Rooms. So when you pick the recorder today, you're not only picking a standalone recorder: you're stepping towards that editor's way of working, where recording and editing live side by side.
That isn't a bad thing. If you like editing by editing a transcript, the bundle could give you a recorder with strong backups plus an editor in one go. But it does mean the question isn't really "which recorder?" any more. It's closer to "which recording and editing pairing?", and that puts the bigger studio and the bundle on more equal footing than they'd first appear.
The studio, meanwhile, keeps widening its own reach. It now pitches itself as a platform for the whole content workflow and lists AI agents and an MCP app alongside the recorder. So both are heading the same way, towards record-to-publish, just from different starting points.
How each one protects the recording
This is where the two take very different routes, and it's the bit worth reading twice if you've ever lost an episode.
Capture on the device first
The studio records locally on each participant's device and uploads afterwards. Its site says it captures up to 4K video and 48kHz uncompressed WAV audio in separate tracks, and the vendor says the result isn't affected by the internet connection. The logic is simple: if the file is made on the guest's own machine, a wobbly line doesn't spoil it.
Save to the cloud as you go
The recorder uses what it calls Progressive Upload, which it describes as patented. Files auto-save during the session, with cloud backups, and it also keeps separate local audio and video files. The vendor's claim is that a failure part-way through shouldn't wipe out the recording, because most of it's already safe by the time anything goes wrong.
Neither homepage proves that one sounds better than the other. What they do show is two different answers to the same worry, and you can pick the one that matches the failure you've had before.
After you hit stop
Here the gap is wide. The studio has a text-based editor, AI filler-word removal, transcript fixes and Magic Clips for short social cuts. It also livestreams to several destinations and publishes to YouTube, Spotify and Apple, so a solo creator could run a whole show without leaving it.
The recorder keeps its homepage focused on capture. It mentions adjusting and cleaning tracks, then points you to integrations with your favourite editing software. If you've got an editor you love, or a freelancer who edits for you, that's fine. If you wanted one place for everything, it's thinner here, unless the bundle is part of your plan.
On the guest side, both keep things in the browser. The recorder puts it plainly: guests click a link, with no download and no installs. The studio also has guests join in the browser, with a separate track recorded for each person.
My advice, by kind of show
If you run a video podcast, go live now and then, and want to cut clips and publish without juggling apps, Riverside is the better fit, and its free plan lets you see the editor before you commit. If your show is audio-first, your editing already happens elsewhere, and what you want most is a recorder that keeps saving while you talk, SquadCast suits you, and there's a free trial to start. Just look at the current bundle first, because that's now part of what you're buying into.
For more on the wider field, my guide to podcast recording software covers the main tools side by side, and if you're mostly making video episodes, the list of video podcast tools worth a look goes deeper on that.
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If neither suits your show
Descript
Best for: Text-based audio and video editor where you edit the transcript to edit the recording, with Rooms for recording and the Underlord AI assistant.
Zencastr
Best for: Recording, chat-based editing and publishing for podcasts in one place, with 4K video and 48kHz audio stated on its page.
StreamYard
Best for: A browser studio for recording or streaming live to Facebook, YouTube and other destinations, handy for live shows and webinars.
Restream
Best for: Multistreaming to several platforms at once, plus a studio, webinars and clips for creators who want reach.
Ecamm
Best for: A Mac-only app for streaming, recording, podcasting and presenting, with multiple cameras, saved scenes and a live camera switcher.
Do you make podcast recording or live streaming software? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this page.
Want your tool on this list? Featured spots and reviews here are paid partnerships. Here's how to partner with me.
Frequently asked questions
Is SquadCast part of Descript?
Its homepage carries a banner offering it as a bundle with that editor, which has its own recording feature called Rooms. Check the current bundle on its site before you sign up so you know what's included.
Which one is better for recording remote guests?
Both run in the browser. On the recorder, guests click a link with no download or installs, and it saves to the cloud during the session. Riverside records each person locally on their own device in separate tracks, then uploads.
Can I edit my podcast inside SquadCast?
Its homepage mentions adjusting and cleaning tracks but says little about its own editor, and it points to integrations with your editing software. If editing in the same tool matters, the studio's text-based editor does more.
Does either one support live streaming?
Riverside livestreams to multiple destinations. The recorder's homepage doesn't name live streaming, so if going live matters, look at the studio or a dedicated tool such as StreamYard or Restream.
Is there a free way to start?
Riverside states a free plan and the recorder states a free trial, so you can try the recording flow in each before committing.
