airtape
Riverside is a great platform, but it is not the only one. Here is a fair look at the free Riverside alternatives that actually hold up for remote podcast and interview recording.
Riverside.fm built its reputation on local recording, separate tracks, and a polished production workflow. It is genuinely good software. The reason searchers still look for a free Riverside alternative usually comes down to three things: the free tier's recording-time cap, the cost of the paid plans once you grow, and the broader feature set that some hosts find heavier than they need.
The good news is that the market has matured. There are several free or much cheaper tools that record locally, deliver separate tracks, and produce publishable audio. The honest part is that none of them are a direct one-for-one replacement — each makes a different trade-off, and the right pick depends on what you actually record.
Before picking a tool, it helps to be specific about which Riverside features you are trying to keep:
If you do not need text-based video editing or AI clip generation, you can probably leave Riverside behind without losing anything you actually use.
Here are the options that come up most often in podcaster forums and stand up to real testing.
1. Airtape — Currently free during public beta. Browser-based, records locally per participant with chunked uploads, separate audio and video tracks, browser-based noise removal and transcription. Guests join with one link, no account. Best for hosts who want Riverside-style reliability without the per-month commitment.
2. Zencastr free tier — A long-standing option with local recording and separate tracks. The free tier has caps on recording time and resolution but works well for audio-first shows. The browser flow has more setup steps than Airtape.
3. Cleanfeed free — Browser-based and famous for very low latency, popular with radio producers. The free plan records on the server side, which means quality is tied to the live connection. Mono only on the free tier.
4. SquadCast free trial — Solid recording engine, separate tracks, but the free tier is limited and active development has slowed since the Spotify acquisition. Useful if you already have an account.
5. Cast — A less-known browser tool aimed at audio podcasters. Smaller feature set, simple interface, generous free usage. Worth a look for solo hosts and two-person shows.
6. Audacity plus a meeting tool — Old-school but free: each participant records themselves locally with Audacity while you talk over Zoom or Meet, then you mix the tracks. It works, but it relies on every guest remembering to hit record and send the file. Failure rate is non-trivial.
| Tool | Local recording | Separate tracks | Video | Free tier reality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airtape | Yes | Yes | Yes | Free during public beta, no time cap |
| Zencastr free | Yes | Yes | Limited | Hour and quality caps |
| Cleanfeed free | No (server) | No | No | Mono only, audio only |
| SquadCast free | Yes | Yes | Limited | Tight monthly cap |
| Cast | Partial | Yes | No | Generous free audio |
| Audacity + Zoom | Yes (manual) | Only if each guest records | No | Free, but fragile |
Picking between these is less about features and more about workflow. A few honest pairings:
Riverside itself is still a strong product. If you specifically need its text-based editing and AI clip generation in the same tool, none of these alternatives match it directly — you would either stay on Riverside or pair a free recorder with Descript for editing.
For most people typing "free Riverside alternative" into a search bar, the practical answer is: try Airtape for the recording layer and a dedicated editor for post-production. You get local recording, separate tracks, and a guest experience that is at least as smooth as Riverside, without a monthly bill while the beta is open.
If you specifically need text-based video editing, choose Descript. If you specifically need built-in podcast hosting, choose Zencastr. If you specifically need radio-grade live monitoring, choose Cleanfeed. For everything else — interviews, video podcasts, sales calls, customer stories — Airtape is the closest thing to a Riverside replacement that does not ask for a credit card.
Yes. Airtape is currently free during public beta with no recording-time cap, and Zencastr and Cleanfeed both have permanent free tiers with limits. The right fit depends on whether you need video, separate tracks, or just an audio call recording.
Airtape is the closest match for video podcasts because it records locally on each participant's device, captures separate video tracks, and works through the browser with no guest install. Zencastr's free video tier is more limited.
Yes, with Airtape (free during beta), Zencastr's free tier, and SquadCast's free tier. Cleanfeed's free plan and any meeting-tool-only setup will not give you clean separate tracks.
Riverside bundles recording, text-based editing, AI clips, and show-notes generation in the same product. If you only need the recording layer, you are paying for features you may not use, which is why simpler tools are cheaper.
Only partially. Audacity is a free recorder, but it does not connect remote guests on its own. To replace Riverside with Audacity you also need a meeting tool and you have to trust every guest to record locally and send you the file.