# Riverside vs Zencastr

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.

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.

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.

Riverside ships an update every 4 days, Zencastr fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Riverside | Zencastr |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (20K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/riverside-record-edit-share/id1554443872/reviews) | **[4.9 (721 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zencastr/id1560999033/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **20K** | 721 |
| Positive reviews | 36.2% of reviews | **61.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 4 days** | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | **#190** | — |
| Size | 219 MB | 102 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 18.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [RIVERSIDEFM, INC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1554443874) | [Zencastr, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1560999035) |

## What reviewers say

### Riverside

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

**Currently charting:** #190 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


### Zencastr

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zencastr/id1560999033)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Upgrade to Pro | $19.99 | per month |
| Professional | $19.99 | per month |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

- Continued charging after cancellation
- Misleading free trial implementation

**Requested features**

- Free trial option without upfront payment
- Clearer pricing transparency


## Frequently asked 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 26, 2026 and Zencastr on October 25, 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.*