Riverside vs Async (formerly Podcastle)
Riverside and Async (formerly Podcastle) side by side: what each one is, what it costs to start, and whether you can try it free. Everything below comes from the vendors' own sites and other public sources, not from hands-on testing.
At a glance
| Riverside | Async (formerly Podcastle) | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Voice & Audio | Voice & Audio |
| Starting price | $24/mo (checked October 2026) | Free; paid plans from $11.99/mo |
| Free tier | Not listed | Yes |
| Profile | Read profile | Read profile |
Prices are in US dollars unless shown otherwise. Confirm the current price on the vendor's site before you buy.
Key differences
Async (formerly Podcastle) lists a free tier and Riverside does not.
Async (formerly Podcastle) has the lower starting price ($11.99/mo against $24/mo for Riverside). The cheapest plan rarely has the same limits or features, so compare plans before choosing on price.
Both are in our Voice & Audio category.
About each tool
Riverside
Browser-based studio for recording remote podcasts and video with separate tracks per guest, up to 4K video on paid plans, plus AI editing, transcription and clips.
Who it is for
Podcasters and video creators who record remote interviews. Higher tiers add live streaming, webinars and team features for businesses.
Strengths
- Records up to 4K video and 48 kHz audio on paid plans
- Records separate audio and video tracks per participant
- AI tools on Pro include text-based editing, filler-word and silence removal, audio enhancement, show notes and Magic Clips
- Pro and higher plans export without a Riverside watermark
- A 14-day free trial is offered on paid plans
Limitations
- Riverside's own pages disagree on whether a Free plan still exists: the pricing pages list one (720p, watermark), while a help article dated September 2026 says it was discontinued
- Separate-track recording hours differ by plan, and the pricing pages give inconsistent figures for them
- Live streaming and multistreaming start on the Grow plan, not Pro
- Webinar plans cost more, and Business is quoted through sales
Async (formerly Podcastle)
AI platform for recording and editing audio and video, with dubbing and text-to-speech. Paid plans start at $11.99 a month billed annually ($19.99 monthly).
Who it is for
Async says it serves creators who record and edit content, teams and businesses that produce consistent branded content, and developers building on its Voice API. Its terms describe Creators accounts as for personal or professional content creation and Business accounts as for commercial and team use.
Strengths
- The help-center pricing article lists monthly AI credits of 450 on Essentials, 1,200 on Pro and 3,000 on Teams, with recording of 2, 20 and 50 hours and text-to-speech of 2, 10 and 40 hours.
- Cloud storage is listed as 20 GB on Essentials, 120 GB on Pro and 1 TB on Teams, and Pro lists recording up to 4K.
- Teams lists AI Dubbing and Lip Sync, Producer Mode, Brand Kit, multi-host studio access, unlimited subtitle translations in 70+ languages and advanced user management, for 2 to 5 users.
- Business lists encryption at rest and in transit, SOC2, dedicated onboarding, priority support and a dedicated Slack channel, with custom pricing through sales.
- The Voice API page lists a Developer tier at $0.50 an hour for TTS Flash and $1.00 an hour for TTS Pro, billed on output audio duration, with a $0.10 free credit and no card required.
- The terms say Async does not claim ownership of your content, and that you keep ownership of your input and output and may use output for any lawful purpose.
Limitations
- Async's own pages disagree on the Free plan. The pricing article lists 150 lifetime AI credits, while the credits article says 10 credits a month. Free also lists 1 hour of remote recording and limited exports and storage with no figures.
- The terms grant Async a perpetual, irrevocable license to use your input and output to improve its services and those of its third-party AI providers, with an opt-out by email. The general content license is worded differently, without perpetual or irrevocable.
- The pricing article gives no seat limits for Free, Essentials, Pro or Business, and Teams is limited to 2 to 5 users. The terms say Business and API accounts may be covered by a separate agreement that takes precedence.
