Buzzsprout vs Riverside Comparison 2026
Both cover audio & podcasting. Here is what separates them on price, billing, what you can take with you, and coverage.
Podcast hosting that publishes the video too
Remote recording captured locally in full quality
At a glance
- Buzzsprout starts cheaper, at $15.
- Both have a genuinely free tier.
Side by side
Buzzsprout | Riverside | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price (they differ) | From $15 | From $29 |
| Pricing model | Free plan, paid tiers | Free plan, paid tiers |
| Free tier | Yes | Yes |
| Billing | Not stated | Monthly or annual |
| Free trial | Not stated | 14 days |
| API | Not stated | Not stated |
| Data export |
Shaded rows are where the two answers disagree and both listings have answered. A row where one side has not stated a fact is left plain, because silence is not a difference.
Buzzsprout
Podcast hosting that publishes the video too
Buzzsprout hosts a podcast, submits it to the directories and reports back with statistics that are actually readable, which is the reason it keeps being the recommendation for a first show. Upload time is the meter rather than episode count, and the plans are sold as hours a year. One tier up, the same episode is published as video to Apple, Spotify and YouTube from the same upload. Anybody who wants a subscription paywall around episodes will need something else beside it.
Our note
Seventy-two hours a year is about ninety minutes a week, which is more headroom than a new show needs and worth checking against an interview format that runs long. Take the video tier only if you will actually post to YouTube, since the audio plan does everything a podcast strictly requires.
Riverside
Remote recording captured locally in full quality
Riverside records every participant on their own machine, so a bad connection during the call does not ruin the file. Up to 4K video and separate audio tracks. Guests need a reasonably modern browser and some patience with the upload.
Our note
The one to buy if the video matters as much as the audio. If you only ever publish audio, the local-recording safety net is still the reason to be here, but a cheaper recorder plus good habits gets close.
Ratings are the average of reviews readers left. The facts are stated by each tool’s own listing and are not verified by CloutStack. How we make money.