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It's a split decision.
Choose StreamYard for browser-based multistreaming, simple guest access and a lower entry price: its annual Essential plan is $14.99/month. Choose Riverside if local 4K recording, transcript editing and podcast publishing matter more; its annual Pro plan is $24/month. Both have free plans, but their limits differ. StreamYard’s free plan includes a logo and two recording hours monthly; Riverside’s free plan has a one-off two-hour multitrack allowance and watermarked exports.
01Side by side
| StreamYard | Riverside | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $14.99/month, billed annually | $24/month, billed annually |
| Free plan | 2 recording hours/month; logo; 1 seat | 2-hour multitrack allowance; watermark; 720p |
| Best for | Browser-based multistreaming and live shows | Recording, editing and podcast publishing |
| Core strength | Multistreaming with branding and on-screen comments | Local 4K recording and text-based editing |
| Learning curve | Guests join in-browser; learning curve not published | Editing and publishing tools; learning curve not published |
| Integrations / data | Streams to Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, X, Twitch | Publishes to Spotify, Apple, YouTube; HubSpot on Webinar |
| Team / seat costs | Free includes 1 seat; Business pricing is custom | Extra editor seat costs unpublished; Business pricing is custom |
| Support | Review score: 4.5/10 | Review score: 7/10 |
StreamYard Choose StreamYard if
- Choose StreamYard if you want lower-cost multistreaming.
- Choose StreamYard if guests need browser access without downloads.
- Choose StreamYard if you want on-screen branding and comments.
Riverside Choose Riverside if
- Choose Riverside if separate local tracks and 4K recording matter.
- Choose Riverside if you want transcript-based editing and AI clips.
- Choose Riverside if podcast hosting and publishing belong in one workflow.
02Pricing compared
StreamYard is cheaper to start: its Essential plan is $18.99 per month, or $14.99 per month billed annually. It includes unlimited streaming, two destinations and 1080p video. Riverside Pro costs $29 monthly or $24 per month billed annually, with 4K recording, no watermark, and 15 hours of separate-track downloads per month. Both have free plans, but the limits differ: StreamYard allows two recording hours each month and adds its logo; Riverside gives two hours of multitrack recording once, then watermarks exports. The pricing pages list 7-day and 14-day trials for StreamYard and Riverside, respectively. Riverside’s Webinar pricing has a discrepancy: the page lists $79 per month annually but also says $408 billed annually. Check the checkout total before choosing that plan.
03Features and depth
StreamYard centers on live production: multistreaming, browser-based guest access, on-screen comments and branding tools. Its plans raise destination and participant limits: Essential supports two destinations, Core three, and Advanced eight. Local recordings are included, but the free plan caps them at two hours per month. Advanced adds 4K local recording and On-Air webinars for up to 100 viewers.
Riverside puts more of the production and publishing workflow together. Its feature set includes separate-track recording up to 4K, transcript-based editing, AI-generated clips and podcast hosting. Grow adds 1080p live streaming to unlimited destinations and hosting for two shows. Webinar adds registration and lead-capture tools, while Business lists up to 10,000 webinar registrants. That breadth comes with plan-specific limits: Pro has one studio and 15 hours of separate-track downloads monthly; Grow has two studios and 20 hours. Pick StreamYard for straightforward branded live shows; pick Riverside when editing and publishing after recording matter as much as going live.
04Ease of use and learning curve
StreamYard’s browser-based studio and guest access without downloads make it the simpler fit for a live show with remote guests. The product description says guests can join from a browser or phone in a few clicks, and branding tools are aimed at users without design skills. The trade-off is learning which plan covers your destination, participant and recording needs.
Riverside also records remotely, but its offer spans recording, transcript editing, AI tools, streaming and podcast publishing. That gives creators more to learn and more workflow options in one platform. The review summaries rate StreamYard’s ease of use higher, while noting complaints about rising prices; Riverside’s review notes mixed reliability reports. If your priority is getting guests on a branded stream, StreamYard is the more focused choice. If you need recording and post-production tools together, Riverside has more depth.
Questions people ask
Is StreamYard still free?
Yes. StreamYard lists a free plan at $0 per month. It includes the StreamYard logo on streams, up to six on-screen participants, one seat and two hours of local recordings per month. Essential starts at $18.99 monthly, or $14.99 per month billed annually.
Is there something better than StreamYard?
It depends on the job. Riverside may suit creators who want 4K local recording, transcript-based editing and podcast hosting in one platform. StreamYard is less expensive on the listed annual entry plan and focuses on browser-based multistreaming. Riverside’s annual Pro plan is $24 per month; StreamYard Essential is $14.99.
How do you go live with StreamYard?
StreamYard is a browser-based live studio. Its listed features include multistreaming to social platforms, browser or phone access for guests, custom branding and on-screen viewer comments. The published product details do not give a step-by-step setup guide, so check StreamYard’s current instructions for connecting a destination and starting a broadcast.
Which is better, Zoom or StreamYard?
We can’t make a sourced head-to-head comparison with Zoom from the available product details. StreamYard is described as a browser-based studio for branded multistreaming, remote guests and on-screen comments. If those are your requirements, compare its destination limits and price with Zoom’s current plan details before switching.