Free Podcast Recording Software (2026): 7 Options, Real Limits

The most common mistake with free podcast recording software is choosing a tool from its sign-up page and finding the limits on the day of the interview. You record a great conversation, open the files to edit, and discover one mixed track, a watermark, or a recording that stopped when the allowance ran out.

So this page sorts seven free options by what free means for each of them: a pot of recording time, a lighter tier with fewer guests, software on your own machine, or code you build yourself. They're listed in no particular order, every free limit below is stated as of Nov 2026, and any feature claims are the vendor's own, not mine.

Separate tracks or one mixed file: settle this before anything else

Here's what trips most new podcasters up. The free tiers of the browser studios give you the call, but not always the files you'd want to edit. One records remote audio in mono with no separate track per guest. Another gives you multitrack recording only as a one-off allowance, with its watermark on exports. A third caps local recordings at 2 hours a month.

Why does that matter so much? With a separate track for each person, you can cut a cough, lift a quiet guest or remove crosstalk without touching anyone else's voice. With one mixed file, every fix hits everybody at once, and some problems can't be fixed at all. If clean editing matters to you, check the track setup on the free tier first, before you look at anything else.

If the free tier won't give you separate tracks, software on your own machine will, as long as your guests are in the room with you or recording their own side and sending you the file. It's more fiddly, but it puts the files, and the quality, in your hands.

Four kinds of free, and what each one gives up

A pot of recording time

Riverside records podcasts and video with remote guests and has editing built in; the vendor says its full suite of editing tools is on the free plan. The free multitrack recording is a one-off 2 hour allowance, not a monthly one, exports carry its watermark and video goes up to 720p.

StreamYard is a browser studio for streaming live and recording with guests, and the vendor says all the essential studio features come free. The free plan caps local recordings at 2 hours a month, shows its logo in your streams, and allows 6 people on screen with 1 seat.

Descript records podcasts and calls, then lets you edit the audio and video as text. The vendor says the free plan includes what you need to record, edit and mix. Its comparison table lists a media allowance of 60 minutes a month and local video export at 720p, with watermark-free export shown as a separate plan feature, so read that table closely before you publish anything.

A lighter tier with fewer guests

Cleanfeed is a browser studio built for remote audio guests. Its free Lite tier allows 2 guests and, by the vendor's account, unlimited recording time with commercial use included. The trade-off: there's no multitrack on Lite, so no isolated track per guest, and remote audio comes through in mono. For a straight audio interview you'll edit lightly, that can be plenty.

Software on your own machine

Audacity is a desktop app for recording and editing audio on Windows, Mac and Linux, and the vendor says it's always been free and always will be. It records on your own computer; its page describes no remote guest recording, and some extra plugins come through MuseHub as third-party add-ons.

OBS Studio is free, open source software for capturing and mixing video and audio, recording and streaming live. Its page lists unlimited scenes and a per-source audio mixer with noise gate and suppression. The set-up is yours, though: you configure every scene, source and audio filter by hand, and its page mentions no hosted way to bring remote guests in.

Free if you build it yourself

Ardour is an open source digital audio workstation for recording, editing and mixing on Linux, Mac and Windows, and the vendor highlights unlimited undo and redo. Here's the part people miss: its download section offers ready-built versions to people who pay, and the free route is building it from source. The vendor describes that build as challenging, especially on Windows and Mac, with no support given. If you're comfortable compiling software, you get a serious studio. If you're not, it isn't free in any way that helps you.

Seven free recorders side by side

Tool	Kind of recorder	Good for
Ardour	Open source DAW	Multitrack recording and mixing, if you can build from source
Audacity	Desktop recorder and editor	Solo or in-room recording and editing on any desktop
Cleanfeed	Browser remote studio	Audio interviews with remote guests joining from a browser
Descript	Recorder and text editor	Recording, then editing audio and video like a document
OBS Studio	Capture and streaming app	Video podcasts captured on your own computer from several sources
Riverside	Remote studio plus editor	Remote video interviews with editing in the same place
StreamYard	Live and recording studio	Going live with guests and keeping a recording

Each recorder, in no particular order

Ardour

Best for: People comfortable compiling software who want a full digital audio workstation for recording, editing and mixing, with unlimited undo and redo in one window.

Audacity

Best for: Recording and editing audio on your own Windows, Mac or Linux computer, from a solo show to a guest sitting beside you.

Cleanfeed

Best for: Audio-only interviews where remote guests join from a browser and you want unlimited recording time, which the vendor says includes commercial use on the free tier.

Descript

Best for: Podcasters who'd rather edit by deleting words in a transcript than by cutting waveforms, with recording built into the same app.

OBS Studio

Best for: Video podcasters happy to build their own scenes, mixing cameras, screens and microphones with per-source audio filters, then recording or streaming live.

Riverside

Best for: Shows that record remote guests on video and want to edit in the same studio, with the vendor saying its editing tools come with the free plan.

StreamYard

Best for: Creators who stream live with guests from the browser and want a recording of the session, using what the vendor calls its essential studio features.

Before your first remote interview on a free tier

A free tier is fine for a real show, as long as you've rehearsed with it. These checks take an afternoon and save you a lost episode.

• Run a test call with a friend. Record ten minutes, download everything, and open it in your editor. If you can't get the files you need out of a free tier, you've found out for nothing.
• Check what comes back. Is it one mixed file or a track per person? Audio only, or video too? Is there a watermark or logo on the export?
• Watch the allowance. One-off allowances and monthly caps behave very differently. Note which one you're on and how much an interview uses.
• Ask guests to wear headphones. It stops their speakers echoing back into the recording, and no software setting fixes that as well.
• Record a local backup. Where you can, record your own side on your own machine too, so a dropped connection doesn't lose you the episode.
• Know where you'll go next. When the show grows, our guide to podcast recording tools for remote interviews and our roundup of audio recording software for editing and mixing cover the next step up.

My plain advice for a first season on free software

If your show is you and one remote guest talking, start with a browser studio's free tier and check the track setup with a test call before you book anyone important. If you're recording in the same room, or you're happy for guests to record their own side, desktop software gives you more control over the files and no hosted allowance to watch.

Whatever you pick, don't plan a whole season around a one-off allowance. Use it to learn the tool, then decide whether the monthly limits suit how often you record. And keep a copy of every interview on your own drive, because the guest you can't re-book is the one recording you can't replace.

Do you make podcast recording software with a free plan? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.

Want your tool on this list? Featured spots and reviews here are paid partnerships. Here's how to partner with me.

Frequently asked questions

Can I record a podcast with remote guests for free?

Yes. Several browser studios have free tiers that record remote guests, but each one limits something: recording time, video quality, the number of guests, or whether each person gets a separate track. Check those limits before the interview, not after it.

What's multitrack recording, and do I need it?

Multitrack means each person is recorded on their own track. It makes editing far easier, because you can fix one voice without touching the others. For a lightly edited chat you can manage without it; for a tightly edited show it's worth having.

Is free desktop recording software good enough for a podcast?

For recording yourself, or guests in the same room, yes. Desktop apps record on your own computer, so there's no hosted allowance to run out. What they don't do is bring remote guests in for you, so you'd pair them with a call tool or ask guests to record their own side.

Will a free plan put a watermark on my podcast?

Some free tiers add a watermark to video exports or a logo to live streams. Audio exports are less often affected, but check the export settings on any free plan before you publish an episode.

Do I need a special microphone to start a podcast?

No, but a basic USB microphone and a pair of headphones will lift the sound more than any software setting. Ask your guests to wear headphones too, so their speakers don't echo into the recording.

Can I move from a free tool to a different one later?

Yes. Recordings are ordinary audio and video files, so you can download them and edit them anywhere. Keep your own copies of every episode rather than relying on a studio's storage.