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Most buyers should pick Buzzsprout.
Choose Buzzsprout for a dedicated podcast host: its free plan allows two upload hours monthly, but episodes stay up for 90 days. Active Audio starts at $15/month with annual billing. Choose Riverside for recording and transcript editing, with live streaming on Grow and above. Pro costs $24/month billed annually ($288 upfront) and includes 15 hours/month of separate-track downloads. Riverside’s free tier offers two hours of multitrack recording total, not an ongoing hosting substitute. Buzzsprout’s AI add-on prices are unpublished.
01Side by side
| Buzzsprout | Riverside | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $5/month Archive only; active Audio is $15/month annually | $24/month Pro annually; $29/month billed monthly |
| Free plan | 2 upload hours/month; episodes hosted for 90 days | 2 total multitrack hours; exports carry a watermark |
| Best for | Hosting and distributing one or more podcasts | Recording, editing, streaming, and publishing content |
| Core strength | Podcast publishing, directories, and analytics on every plan | Local 4K recording, transcript editing, and multistreaming |
| Learning curve | Ease-of-use review score: 9/10 | Ease-of-use review score: 8/10 |
| Integrations/data | Video to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube | Podcast publishing to Spotify, Apple, and YouTube |
| Team/seat costs | Multi-Podcast: $30/month annually; supports 5 or 10 shows | Extra editor seats available; price not published |
| Support | Support review score: 8/10 | Support review score: 7/10 |
Buzzsprout Choose Buzzsprout if
- Choose Buzzsprout for dedicated podcast hosting and distribution.
- Choose Buzzsprout if its 90-day free hosting limit works for you.
- Choose Buzzsprout if you want analytics included with every plan.
Riverside Choose Riverside if
- Choose Riverside for local recording and transcript-based editing.
- Choose Riverside if live streaming and multistreaming matter.
- Choose Riverside for a free tier with unlimited single-track recording.
02Pricing compared
Buzzsprout’s free plan includes two upload hours a month, but episodes are hosted for only 90 days and there’s no video distribution. Its Audio plan is $15 per month when billed annually ($180 upfront), with one podcast and up to 72 upload hours a year. Buzzsprout doesn’t publish the monthly price for that plan, or prices for its paid AI add-ons. Archive is $5 a month and allows no new uploads.
Riverside’s Pro plan is $24 per month billed annually ($288 upfront), or $29 month to month. It includes 15 hours of separate-track downloads monthly. Grow is $34 monthly on annual billing ($408 upfront) and adds podcast hosting for two shows and live streaming. Webinar is listed at $79 monthly on annual billing, but its page also says “Billed $408 annually”—a clear pricing discrepancy. Business pricing is custom.
03Features and depth
Buzzsprout is built around publishing and managing podcasts. Its plans include analytics, and paid plans support unlimited episodes; Audio is limited to one podcast and 72 upload hours a year. Audio + Video adds distribution to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube, with 1080p video. Fan Mail collects listener feedback. Magic Mastering and Cohost AI can help with audio cleanup and show notes, transcripts, titles, and chapters, but both are paid add-ons with unpublished prices.
Riverside covers more of the production workflow: local recording up to 4K video, separate audio tracks, transcript-based editing, clips, and live streaming. Pro includes unlimited text-based editing and transcription, plus 15 hours a month of separate-track downloads. Grow adds full HD live streaming to unlimited destinations and hosting for two podcasts. The main distinction: Buzzsprout centers on podcast hosting; Riverside combines recording, editing, streaming, and publishing. Riverside’s free plan’s two hours of multitrack recording are a one-off total, not a recurring monthly allowance.
04Ease of use and learning curve
For a creator focused on getting a podcast online, Buzzsprout’s narrower scope should mean fewer production decisions: upload, schedule, publish, and use its podcast website and analytics. The free plan’s 90-day episode limit is a meaningful constraint, though, and its video distribution requires a paid plan.
Riverside puts recording, editing, repurposing, streaming, and publishing in one workflow, so there’s more to learn if you only need a host. Its text-based editor works directly from a transcript, which may suit editors who prefer working with text. Plan caps also matter: separate-track downloads have monthly limits on Pro, Grow, and Webinar. Riverside’s free tier is useful for trying recording, but its two multitrack hours are one-time.
Questions people ask
Can Riverside replace Buzzsprout for podcast hosting?
Riverside can host podcasts: Grow includes hosting for two shows, and Business lists unlimited video and podcast hosting. Buzzsprout is more focused on podcast hosting and publishing. If you need Riverside’s live streaming, recording, and editing tools too, it may consolidate workflows; otherwise, compare its plan cost with Buzzsprout Audio at $15 monthly when billed annually.
Can Buzzsprout distribute video podcasts?
Yes, on its Audio + Video plan, which lists video distribution to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube at 1080p. The plan costs $25 per month when billed annually; its monthly price is not published. Buzzsprout’s free plan does not include video distribution.
What do the free plans include?
Buzzsprout’s free plan allows two upload hours per month, but episodes stay hosted for 90 days and there’s no video distribution. Riverside’s free plan gives two hours of multitrack recording total, one-off, with exports carrying a watermark. Neither limit should be mistaken for an ongoing, unrestricted paid-plan replacement.
Which is better for recording remote interviews?
Riverside is the closer fit for recording: it lists local recording up to 4K video, uncompressed audio, and separate tracks. Buzzsprout’s listed strengths are hosting, publishing, analytics, and distribution. The published plan details don’t specify a Buzzsprout remote-recording feature, so we wouldn’t choose it on that basis.