Comparison

Riverside vs Zencastr

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Riverside

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
Read full description

Studio-quality recording, editing, and live streaming, right from your phone. Riverside turns your phone into a portable studio for conversations and talking head videos. Record crisp video and audio anywhere, polish it on the spot, go live to your audience, and turn the best bits into posts, without a laptop or a production team. Whether you're creating a podcast, a YouTube channel, a personal brand, or content for your business, this is where it gets made. RECORD ANYWHERE, IN STUDIO QUALITY Record solo, bring on a remote guest, or go audio-only. Riverside captures every track locally, so your quality stays sharp even when your connection doesn't. A built-in stabilizer keeps your shot steady, and your footage uploads in the background as you record, so it's ready to edit and clip the moment you stop. CLIPS FOR SOCIAL, MADE FOR YOU Knowing what to post is hard. Making it is harder. Riverside's AI does both. It finds your most engaging moments, then cuts them, frames them, and adds the captions. You get the best clips from every recording, ready to publish with a tap. EDIT WITH A PROMPT Describe your edit, and Riverside's AI agent makes it. No timeline. No pinching and dragging clips around on a small screen. Tell it which parts to cut and keep, ask it to clean up audio and remove filler words, or add captions and branding. It's the fastest route from raw recording to ready to post, and when you want more control, your project is waiting for you in the Riverside desktop editor. TURN ONE RECORDING INTO A CONTENT ENGINE WITH AI Riverside's AI agent takes a single recording and makes the rest for you: social clips, a thumbnail, captions, a blog post, full show notes. Just ask. LIVE STREAM TO EVERYWHERE AT ONCE Go live and multistream to YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, X, Twitch, TikTok, and custom RTMP destinations at the same time — one session, every audience. PICK UP WHERE YOU LEFT OFF Started a recording or an edit on your computer? Open it on your phone, watch it back, and leave comments waiting for you when you're back at your desk. Already a Riverside desktop user? The app carries your work with you, so your studio isn't stuck at one location. A SECOND CAMERA IN YOUR POCKET Recording on desktop? Add your phone as a second angle and capture an extra video track for your edit. BUILT FOR CREATORS OF EVERY KIND Podcasters, YouTubers, personal brands, and marketing teams — anyone who wants studio-quality content without the studio. WHY RIVERSIDE True local recording for quality independent of your connection One recording = instantly generated clips, thumbnails, posts, and more. AI editing and audio cleanup Full production suite across mobile and desktop Download Riverside and take your studio anywhere. Terms & Conditions: https://riverside.com/terms-conditions Privacy: https://riverside.com/privacy-policy

About

Zencastr

Record high-quality audio and video podcasts directly from your mobile device. This app offers individual WAV recordings and HD video for up to six guests, with automatic cloud backups. It also provides mobile-optimized videos for social sharing and integrates with Google Drive and Dropbox.

Highlights
  • HD audio and video recording
  • Record up to six guests
  • Separate audio and video tracks
  • Automatic cloud backups
  • Google Drive/Dropbox integration
  • Mobile-optimized video output
Features
Read full description

Zencastr hands you a podcast studio's worth of tools for Free. Zencastr is where people go to create, publish, and monetize their podcasts, whether you're recording a video podcast, an audio-only show, or a remote interview. Turn a conversation into a fully produced episode, ready to publish in minutes, not weeks. Your personalized Producer does everything from cleaning up audio, to making the edits you want, to cutting clips for socials, to publishing your episode and clips to every major platform. Plus, on Zencastr, you don't need an audience to start earning, either. Get paid for your progress from day one. Key Features: AUDIO & VIDEO RECORDING — Record with up to 6 participants, each on their own separate audio and video track. - Up to 4K video, 48kHz WAV and MP3 audio - Unlimited recording time, for Free - Locally recorded on your device for studio-quality sound and zero dropouts - Real-time cloud backup + Google Drive & Dropbox sync AI-ASSISTED EDITING AND PRODUCTION - From audio cleanup and editing, to chaptering and shownotes, to creating social clips, and more — do it all by chatting with your personalized Producer. - Clean up audio and remove long pauses and filler words - Talk with your Producer in natural language to make the edits you want - Generate chapters, cover art, and show notes - Apply visual templates and titles AI CLIP MAKING — Let your Producer find the moments worth clipping, or tell it exactly what you want. - Get auto-generated clips, or clip moments you select - Caption every clip, accurate and on-brand - Cut from your original, locally recorded footage - Formatted correctly for every platform - Schedule and publish clips straight to socials HOSTING & PUBLISHING — Upload, host, and publish without limits. - Unlimited audio and video uploads and hosting - Embeddable audio and video player for your site - Video streaming in 1080p - Secure, private RSS feed - Advanced analytics from day one - Host up to 5 shows - Publish to all major social and podcast platforms - Custom links in your post-roll - Schedule clips and social posts ahead of time LIVE STREAMING — Go live in high quality, right from Zencastr. - HD livestreaming to the major live streaming platforms. GET PAID — Start earning from day one, no audience required. - Get paid as you hit milestones in your podcast journey - Unlock brand deals and dynamically inserted ads as your audience grows - Track it all with ad campaign analytics STORAGE — Unlimited storage for every track you record COLLABORATION — Bring your team in on the full podcast production process. - Role-based permissions - Up to 4 seats Terms of service: https://zencastr.com/terms-of-service

Screenshots

Riverside4 screens
Zencastr4 screens

Verdict

The call

Riverside and Zencastr both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 62% of Zencastr's written reviews are positive against 36% of Riverside's. Riverside's advantage is ratings volume (20K vs 721) and update cadence (every 4 days vs fortnightly). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Riverside sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month and Zencastr sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Riverside against 4.9 for Zencastr. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Riverside has 20K ratings behind it against 721, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 36% of Riverside's written reviews are positive against 62% of Zencastr's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Riverside ships an update every 4 days, Zencastr fortnightly. Both last shipped on October 25, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Riverside versus Zencastr: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRiversideZencastr
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (20K ratings)4.9 (721 ratings) — better
Positive reviews36.2% of reviews61.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings20K — better721
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterFortnightly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFreemium
Best chart rank#183 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS18.018.0
Further details — not scored
Size219 MB102 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperRIVERSIDEFM, INCZencastr, Inc.

Customer experience

Riverside

All ratings20,180 ratings
Positive93.9%
Neutral2.0%
Negative4.1%
Written reviews473 reviews
Positive36.2%
Neutral7.2%
Negative56.7%

Zencastr

All ratings721 ratings
Positive97.4%
Neutral1.2%
Negative1.4%
Written reviews13 reviews
Positive61.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative38.5%

User reviews

Riverside

From 20K App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

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

Zencastr

From 721 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fast and efficient recording process
  • 👍 User-friendly and intuitive interface
  • 🎧 Excellent sound quality
  • 📱 Easy mobile podcast creation
  • 🌐 Seamless remote recording with guests

Room to improve

  • 💰 Misleading pricing and billing practices
  • 🚫 No free trial without payment requirement
  • 😤 Deceptive interface design to encourage spending
  • ⚠️ Difficult cancellation and refund process

Bugs and requests

Riverside

Reported bugs

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

Requested features

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

Zencastr

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Continued charging after cancellation
  • Misleading free trial implementation

Requested features

2 requests
  • Free trial option without upfront payment
  • Clearer pricing transparency

In-app purchases

9 purchases

Riverside

Subscriptions9
  • Mobile Plus$9.991 Month
  • RS Mobile Plus - monthly$9.991 Month
  • RS Mobile Plus - monthly3 Days trial$9.991 Month
Show 6 more
  • Pro3 Days trial$29.001 Month
  • Grow3 Days trial$39.001 Month
  • RS Mobile Plus - yearly3 Days trial$64.991 Year
  • Mobile Plus$72.001 Year
  • Pro3 Days trial$289.001 Year
  • Grow3 Days trial$409.001 Year
2 purchases

Zencastr

Subscriptions2
  • Upgrade to Pro$19.991 Month
  • Professional14 Days trial$19.991 Month

Questions

Is Riverside free?
Riverside is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Zencastr free?
Zencastr is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Riverside or Zencastr?
Zencastr is rated higher. Riverside averages 4.7 out of 5 from 20K ratings, while Zencastr averages 4.9 from 721 ratings.
Do Riverside or Zencastr have ads?
Neither Riverside nor Zencastr shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Riverside or Zencastr?
Riverside ships an update every 4 days, and Zencastr fortnightly. Most recently, Riverside was updated on October 25, 2026 and Zencastr on October 25, 2026.

Other comparisons