Riverside Alternatives 2026: 5 Free Options
Riverside alternatives: OBS Studio, StreamYard, Descript, Cleanfeed and 1 more. Prices and licenses checked October 22, 2026.
•3 min read•Screen Recording & Streaming
Verdict:Riverside does not list a free plan on its pricing page: Pro is $24 a month billed yearly ($35 monthly), with a 14-day trial, and it includes up to 4K video, no watermark and text-based editing. Most alternatives therefore win by splitting the job. Record locally with OBS Studio for free, then edit in Descript, whose free plan gives 60 media minutes a month with a watermark on exports. That pair covers a solo creator, but it leaves out remote guests. For guests, Cleanfeed's free Lite plan allows 2 guests with unlimited recording time, mono remote audio and no video, which suits an interview podcast and not a video show. StreamYard's free plan allows 6 on-screen participants, and it puts its logo on streams. Restream is closer to a streaming hub, with 2 channels free. If your show is video-first with remote guests, there is no free tool here that matches Riverside's separate-track studio quality, and the honest move is to run a one-month paid test of your best candidate against a Riverside trial using the same guest. If the show is audio-only, start with Cleanfeed's free tier and upgrade only when you hit the guest or mono limits. Check each vendor page for current limits before you commit.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Price | Platforms | Best for | Tested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OBS Studio | Free (open source, with no paid tier listed on its site) | Windows, macOS, Linux | Solo creators and in-person recordings | Docs only |
| StreamYard | Free (StreamYard logo on streams, 2 hours of local recordings a month and 6 on-screen participants); paid from $14.99 per month, billed yearly (Essential; $18.99 billed monthly) | Web | Live shows with guests that also need a recording | Docs only |
| Descript | Free (60 media minutes a month, 720p export with a watermark, 100 one-time AI credits); paid from $16 per person/month, billed annually (Hobbyist; $24 billed monthly) | Web, Windows, macOS | Podcasters who mainly want text-based editing | Docs only |
| Cleanfeed | Free (Lite plan with unlimited recording time, 2 guests, mono remote audio and 1 local audio source); paid from $12 per month (Pro for individuals; $36 a month for businesses) | Web | Audio podcasts with remote guests | Docs only |
| Restream | Free (stream to 2 channels at once, 6 on-screen participants in Restream Studio, Restream branding); paid from $19 per month, billed monthly (Standard) | Web | Creators who stream to several platforms at once | Docs only |
Independent comparison. Paid placements are labelled separately; editorial links earn no affiliate commissions. Learn more.
See the tools in action
Images from the linked documentation. Versions and features may differ from current plans.
Good fit if
- Recording yourself at no cost (OBS Studio is the pick)
- Audio-only interviews with remote guests (Cleanfeed is the pick)
- A live show that is also recorded (StreamYard is the pick)
- Editing recordings as text (Descript is the pick)
- Streaming to several platforms at once (Restream is the pick)
Not ideal if
- You rely on Riverside features or integrations that these tools do not replicate
Riverside today: Paid from $24 per month, billed yearly (Pro; $35 billed monthly) (Riverside pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Why people look for Riverside alternatives
Riverside's free plan is a one-off 2 hours, recorded up to 720p with a Riverside watermark; removing the watermark and recording up to 4K needs Pro. Separate-track downloads are capped in hours per month on each paid plan, and once the hours are used you cannot download new separate tracks until the next billing cycle or an upgrade. AI features run on credits, and more must be bought when they run out. Collaborative editing and custom roles are included only on Business.
OBS Studio
Compared with Riverside: OBS records locally for free and the page states no watermark or time limit, but it has no remote guest recording, so you need a call tool beside it. Riverside's Pro at $24 a month buys remote capture; with OBS you record yourself well and handle guests another way.
Price: Free (open source, with no paid tier listed on its site) (OBS Studio pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Windows, macOS, Linux. GPL-2.0-or-later (open source).
Project activity: 78.4k GitHub stars · latest release 33.0.0 (Oct 23, 2026) · last commit Oct 27, 2026
Best for: Solo creators and in-person recordings.
Worth knowing: OBS records on your machine; it has no remote guest recording.
StreamYard
Compared with Riverside: StreamYard is browser-based like Riverside, and its free plan allows 6 on-screen participants and 2 hours of local recordings a month, with a StreamYard logo on streams. It is built around live streaming, so check the local recordings against your editing needs.
Price: Free (StreamYard logo on streams, 2 hours of local recordings a month and 6 on-screen participants); paid from $14.99 per month, billed yearly (Essential; $18.99 billed monthly) (StreamYard pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Web. Proprietary.
Best for: Live shows with guests that also need a recording.
Descript
Compared with Riverside: Descript replaces Riverside's editing side, not the capture. The free plan gives 60 media minutes a month with a watermark on 720p exports, and Hobbyist at $16 a month billed annually exports 1080p without one. Record elsewhere and edit by text here.
Price: Free (60 media minutes a month, 720p export with a watermark, 100 one-time AI credits); paid from $16 per person/month, billed annually (Hobbyist; $24 billed monthly) (Descript pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Web, Windows, macOS. Proprietary.
Best for: Podcasters who mainly want text-based editing.
Cleanfeed
Compared with Riverside: Cleanfeed is for audio-only shows. Its free Lite plan has unlimited recording time and 2 guests, but mono remote audio and one local source. Pro is $12 a month, half of Riverside's $24, while video appears only on the Cinema plan.
Price: Free (Lite plan with unlimited recording time, 2 guests, mono remote audio and 1 local audio source); paid from $12 per month (Pro for individuals; $36 a month for businesses) (Cleanfeed pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Web. Proprietary.
Best for: Audio podcasts with remote guests.
Worth knowing: Lite and Pro list audio features only; video appears on the Cinema plan.
Restream
Compared with Riverside: Restream is the choice when going live is the main job. Its free plan streams to 2 channels with 6 on-screen participants in Restream Studio and Restream branding. Standard is $19 a month billed monthly, below Riverside Pro's $35 monthly price.
Price: Free (stream to 2 channels at once, 6 on-screen participants in Restream Studio, Restream branding); paid from $19 per month, billed monthly (Standard) (Restream pricing, checked 2026-10-22).
Platforms and license: Web. Proprietary.
Best for: Creators who stream to several platforms at once.
Which one to pick
- Recording yourself at no cost: OBS Studio
- Audio-only interviews with remote guests: Cleanfeed
- A live show that is also recorded: StreamYard
- Editing recordings as text: Descript
- Streaming to several platforms at once: Restream
Limits of this review
Docs-only for OBS Studio, StreamYard, Descript, Cleanfeed, Restream: we did not install or run them, so feature claims come from vendor pages and we did not test import from Riverside. Vendor prices and free limits change; confirm on the linked pricing page before you buy or migrate.
Related guides
More in Screen Recording & Streaming
All Screen Recording & Streaming alternatives →Sources
Kevin Fan
Kevin Fan is a SaaS founder. He runs Free Instead Of, which tracks free and open-source alternatives to paid software and checks each price and free-plan limit against the vendor's own pages.
Methodology
Based on official pricing and product pages checked 2026-10-22: Riverside, OBS Studio, StreamYard, Descript, Cleanfeed, Restream. Prices, free limits and licenses are the figures shown on those pages on those dates. No tool on this page was installed or run. No accounts were created.