Riverside Free Plan: What You Actually Get in 2026

Yes, Riverside has a free plan, and it is free forever. You get unlimited recording with up to 10 participants, 720p video with 44.1 kHz audio, local recording on every participant's device, and the full editor, including text-based editing, AI Co-Creator, and Magic Clips. The catch: exports carry a Riverside watermark, separate audio and video track downloads are capped at 2 hours total, and podcast hosting is paid only. Every claim below is checked against Riverside's own plan documentation as of August 24, 2026.

What does Riverside's free plan include?

Riverside's free tier is unusually complete for a recording tool. Most competitors gate recording length or participant count. Riverside gates output quality and export volume instead, which means you can produce full episodes without paying and only hit the wall when you distribute.

On the recording side, the free plan covers unlimited session length, up to 10 recorded participants (plus up to 100 audience members), local recording with automatic cloud upload, screen sharing, the media board for live sound effects and overlays, and the iOS and Android apps, so a phone can stand in for a camera.

On the editing side, you get the text-based editor, the multi-track timeline, chat-based editing with AI Co-Creator, Magic Clips for social snippets, animated captions, background noise removal, filler-word and silence removal, audio normalization, and studio branding with your own logo and intro or outro segments.

Free vs. paid: the parts that actually differ

What are the real limits of the free plan?

Four limits matter in practice. First, the 2-hour cap on separate audio and video track downloads is a one-time allowance, not monthly, though it only applies to exporting tracks for use in another editor. Recording and editing multi-track inside Riverside stays unlimited. Second, everything you export at 720p carries a Riverside watermark, which rules the free plan out for client work and most branded marketing. Third, transcription assigns all text to a single speaker, so multi-guest transcripts need manual cleanup. Fourth, there is no podcast hosting or distribution, so you either publish through the Spotify integration or export and upload to your own host.

Does Riverside have a free trial?

No. Riverside does not run a time-limited trial at all. The free plan is the trial, and it never expires, so you can record and edit for months before deciding whether the paid features are worth it. That makes it lower-risk than tools that give you 7 or 14 days and then lock your projects.

When is upgrading worth it?

Upgrade when one of the four limits above starts costing you time or credibility. Pro at $29 per month, or $24 per month billed annually, removes the watermark, unlocks 4K recording and 48 kHz audio, adds Magic Audio, speaker-detected transcription, podcast hosting for one show, and 15 hours of monthly track downloads. Grow at $39 ($34 annual) adds a second studio and live streaming, and the Webinar tier at $99 ($79 annual) adds registration-gated webinars for up to 100 attendees. The full tier-by-tier breakdown is in our Riverside pricing guide, and annual billing runs up to 20% cheaper than monthly.

Free tools that pair well with it

If you are building a content stack on a zero budget, Riverside handles capture and editing, and a few neighbors in our discount marketplace cover the rest. Castmagic turns finished episodes into show notes and social posts, tl;dv covers everyday meeting recording so you save Riverside sessions for produced content, and Murf generates voiceover for intros and ads. And if the end goal is a webinar program rather than a podcast, that is exactly what our Webinar-in-a-Box service builds end to end.

Frequently asked questions

Is Riverside really free forever?

Yes. The free plan has no expiration and no recording time limit. You keep unlimited recording and editing indefinitely; only export quality, track downloads, and hosting are gated.

Does Riverside's free plan have a watermark?

Yes, all exports on the free plan carry a Riverside watermark. Removing it requires any paid plan, which starts at $29 per month or $24 per month billed annually.

How many people can record on Riverside's free plan?

Up to 10 recorded participants in a single session, the same cap as paid plans, plus up to 100 audience members. The free plan includes 1 user seat and 1 editor role.

What video quality does the Riverside free plan record in?

Up to 720p video at 24 fps with 44.1 kHz audio. Paid plans raise that to 4K video, 48 kHz audio, and additional frame rates.

Can I export separate audio and video tracks for free?

Yes, but only 2 hours total as a one-time allowance. The cap applies to exports only; multi-track recording and editing inside Riverside remain unlimited on the free plan.