# Backpack Studio Soundboard vs Riverside

Backpack Studio Soundboard and Riverside both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 79% of Backpack Studio Soundboard's written reviews are positive against 36% of Riverside's. Riverside's advantage is ratings volume (20K vs 303) and chart position (#193 vs unranked). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Backpack Studio Soundboard sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Riverside sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Backpack Studio Soundboard against 4.7 for Riverside. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Riverside has 20K ratings behind it against 303, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 79% of Backpack Studio Soundboard's written reviews are positive against 36% of Riverside's.

Backpack Studio Soundboard ships an update weekly, Riverside every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Backpack Studio Soundboard | Riverside |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (303 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/backpack-studio-soundboard/id1438882186/reviews) | **[4.7 (20K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/riverside-record-edit-share/id1554443872/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 303 | **20K** |
| Positive reviews | **78.7% of reviews** | 36.4% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Weekly | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | **#193** |
| Size | 133 MB | 213 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | **17.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | +4 | 4+ |
| Developer | [Ed Filowat](https://appshunter.io/developer/657780411) | [RIVERSIDEFM, INC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1554443874) |

## What reviewers say

### Backpack Studio Soundboard

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/backpack-studio-soundboard/id1438882186)

Record, mix, and master professional-sounding podcasts and radio shows directly from your mobile device. This app automates post-production, allowing you to focus on creativity with live sound triggering and advanced audio processing.

**Highlights:** Live sound triggering with automatic volume adjustment, Unlimited soundboard pages with customizable pads, Import sounds from various cloud services and apps, Optional subscription for remote guest recording and live streaming, Create video versions of podcasts with animations, Automatic studio-quality audio mastering and EQ, Customizable shortcuts for recording and sound triggering

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Backpack Live 10 Hours | $9.99 | per month |
| Monthly Pro Subscription | $11.99 | per month |
| Backpack Live 25 Hours | $19.99 | per month |
| Backpack Live 60 Hours | $29.99 | per month |
| backpack pro annual | $99.00 | per year |
| Live Streaming | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Helpful for video editing
- 👍 Compatible with screen readers
- 👍 Easy to create videos with text and audio
- 👍 Intuitive and user-friendly interface
- 👍 Flawless performance and stability

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Text displayed in videos differs from original
- 🐛 Crashes when trying to load pads from Dropbox or Google Drive
- 🐛 Buttons not responsive, causing issues during live playback
- 🐛 Crashes when trying to add album art to saved audio files
- 🔒 Lacks support for Google Drive and 2FA security

**Reported bugs**

- Text displayed in videos differs from original
- Crashes when trying to load pads from Dropbox or Google Drive
- Buttons not responsive, causing issues during live playback
- Crashes when trying to add album art to saved audio files

**Requested features**

- Add more audio effects (reverb, echo, etc.)
- Implement Apple Watch integration for controls
- Add video recording and editing capabilities
- Improve multi-track output for further audio editing
- Provide option to disable the dark pad after playing


### Riverside

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/riverside-record-edit-share/id1554443872)

**Currently charting:** #193 Top Grossing · Photo & Video (US App Store)

Record and edit high-quality video and audio podcasts and social media clips from anywhere. Features AI-powered transcription, text-based editing, and teleprompter for professional content creation on the go.

**Highlights:** PRO quality HD audio and video recording, AI-powered transcription and speech-to-text, Text-based video and audio editing, Teleprompter with customizable settings, Automatic captions and subtitles, Create and share short clips for social media, Multi-cam recording

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mobile Plus | $9.99 | per month |
| RS Mobile Plus - monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| RS Mobile Plus - monthly | $9.99 | per month |
| Pro | $29.00 | per month |
| Grow | $39.00 | per month |
| RS Mobile Plus - yearly | $64.99 | per year |
| Mobile Plus | $72.00 | per year |
| Pro | $289.00 | per year |
| Grow | $409.00 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 High-quality audio and video
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Convenient for remote recording
- 👍 Great platform for podcasters

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Sync issues between audio and video
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🔋 Drains battery on mobile devices
- 👎 Poor customer support
- 👎 Confusing user experience on mobile app

**Reported bugs**

- Inability to access recordings through mobile app
- Inconsistent performance across devices
- Unreliable upload and download of files

**Requested features**

- Screen sharing option
- Ability to edit recordings on mobile app
- Integration with more platforms like Zoom


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Backpack Studio Soundboard free?

Backpack Studio Soundboard is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Riverside free?

Riverside is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Backpack Studio Soundboard or Riverside?

Riverside is rated higher. Backpack Studio Soundboard averages 4.6 out of 5 from 303 ratings, while Riverside averages 4.7 from 20K ratings.

### Do Backpack Studio Soundboard or Riverside have ads?

Neither Backpack Studio Soundboard nor Riverside shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Backpack Studio Soundboard or Riverside?

Backpack Studio Soundboard ships an update weekly, and Riverside every 5 days. Most recently, Backpack Studio Soundboard was updated on September 21, 2026 and Riverside on September 26, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*