Video & Audio Production · head to head
Anchor vs Riverside.fm
Anchor
Video & Audio Production
Free podcast hosting and creation platform by Spotify
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -
Riverside.fm
Video & Audio Production
High-quality remote podcast and video recording platform
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Anchor has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Anchor no longer a standalone product. Spotify folded Anchor into its own podcaster tooling, and anchor.fm now redirects to creators.spotify.com; Riverside.fm free plan limited to 2 hours of multi-track recording and adds a watermark
- They diverge on capability: Anchor covers Unlimited podcast hosting, Riverside.fm covers Remote recording.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Anchor and Riverside.fm actually diverge.
| Attribute | Anchor | Riverside.fm |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | On request |
| Pricing model | free | subscription |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Founded | 2015 | 2019 |
Identical on both: platforms (Web, Ios, Android), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Video & Audio Production).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Anchor
- Unlimited podcast hosting
- One-click distribution
- Built-in recording
- Episode scheduling
- Monetization tools
- Analytics
- Spotify
- Apple Podcasts
Only in Riverside.fm
- Remote recording
- High-quality capture
- Automatic transcription
- Video editing
- Live streaming
- Distribution tools
- Zapier
- IFTTT
Both cover
- Privacy controls
- Web support
- Ios support
- Android support
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Anchor
- Free podcast hosting and distributionnot Riverside.fm
- Recording and basic editing from a phonenot Riverside.fm
- Distributing an episode to Spotify and other directoriesnot Riverside.fm
- Audience analytics for a shownot Riverside.fm
Riverside.fm
- Remote podcast and video interview recording with multi-track separationnot Anchor
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Anchor
- No longer a standalone product. Spotify folded Anchor into its own podcaster tooling, and anchor.fm now redirects to creators.spotify.com
- Tying hosting to Spotify's platform means the analytics and monetisation follow Spotify's terms rather than a neutral host's
Riverside.fm
- Free plan limited to 2 hours of multi-track recording and adds a watermark
- Pro plan at $29 per month caps separate-track recording at 5 hours per month
- Business plan with unlimited storage and SSO is quote only, requiring contact with sales
Pricing, plan by plan
Anchor
Free- FreeFree
- Unlimited hosting
- Automatic distribution
- Built-in recording tools
Riverside.fm
On request- StarterFree
- 1 hour/month recording
- 1080p recording
- Automatic transcription
- Professional$19/month
- 20 hours/month recording
- 4K recording quality
- Advanced editing
- Studio$99/month
- Unlimited recording
- 4K video quality
- Team collaboration
Which should you pick?
Choose Anchor if
- You need unlimited podcast hosting.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want one-click distribution.
Choose Riverside.fm if
- You need remote recording.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android.
- You also want high-quality capture.
Questions people ask
- Is Anchor or Riverside.fm better?
- Neither clearly leads. Anchor starts at Free and Riverside.fm at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Anchor or Riverside.fm?
- Anchor has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Anchor and On request for Riverside.fm.
- Does Anchor or Riverside.fm run on more platforms?
- Both run on Web, Ios, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
- Can I use Anchor for free?
- Yes. Anchor has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Riverside.fm starts at On request.
- What is Anchor best used for?
- Anchor is most often used for free podcast hosting and distribution, recording and basic editing from a phone, distributing an episode to spotify and other directories, audience analytics for a show. Of those, free podcast hosting and distribution and recording and basic editing from a phone are not what Riverside.fm is typically brought in for.
- What can Anchor do that Riverside.fm cannot?
- Anchor covers Unlimited podcast hosting, One-click distribution, Built-in recording, Episode scheduling. Riverside.fm covers Remote recording, High-quality capture, Automatic transcription, Video editing. Both handle Privacy controls, Web support, Ios support, Android support.
Related pages
More on Riverside.fm
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