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Webinars · head to head

Crowdcast vs Riverside

Crowdcast logo

Crowdcast

Webinars

Live video Q&As, interviews, and webinars

From
$49/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Riverside logo

Riverside

Webinars

Studio-quality remote podcast and video recording

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Riverside has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Crowdcast monthly attendee and hour limits enforced per tier; Riverside the free plan gives a single one off 2 hours of recording rather than a monthly allowance
  • They diverge on capability: Crowdcast covers Q&A sessions, Riverside covers Local recording.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Crowdcast and Riverside actually diverge.

Attributes where Crowdcast and Riverside differ
AttributeCrowdcastRiverside
Starting price$49/monthFree
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWebWeb, Ios, Android, Desktop
Founded20152020

Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Webinars).

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 Crowdcast

  • Q&A sessions
  • Polls
  • Multi-speaker
  • Replay library
  • Zapier
  • ConvertKit
  • Mailchimp
  • Stripe

Only in Riverside

  • Local recording
  • 4K video capture
  • Separate audio tracks
  • AI transcription
  • Magic Editor
  • Zoom
  • YouTube
  • Facebook Live

Both cover

  • Live streaming
  • Web support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Crowdcast

  • Live webinars and virtual eventsnot Riverside
  • Multichannel streaming with team collaborationnot Riverside
  • Audience engagement and monetizationnot Riverside

Riverside

  • Recording remote podcast and video interviews in local quality per participantnot Crowdcast
  • Producing multi track recordings for editing after the sessionnot Crowdcast

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Crowdcast

  • Monthly attendee and hour limits enforced per tier
  • Transaction fees apply (5% on Lite/Pro, 2% on Business plus Stripe fees)
  • Limited storage capacity: 1 GB (Lite), 5 GB (Pro), 10 GB (Business)
  • Extra attendees cost $0.15 each after plan limit
  • Extra hours cost $20 per 5 hours

Riverside

  • The free plan gives a single one off 2 hours of recording rather than a monthly allowance
  • Free exports are capped at 720p, so remote recording quality is the paid feature
  • Separate track recording is metered monthly, at 5 hours on Pro and 15 on Grow
  • Downloadable separate tracks are metered on a different allowance again, at 15, 20 and 25 hours
  • Removing all time limits requires the Webinar plan at $79 a month or a custom Business contract

Pricing, plan by plan

Crowdcast

$49/month
  • Lite$49/month
    • 100+ live attendees
    • 10 hours per month
    • 1 team seat
  • Pro$89/month
    • 250+ live attendees
    • 20 hours per month
    • 2 team seats
  • Business$195/month
    • 1000+ live attendees
    • 40 hours per month
    • 4 team seats

Riverside

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 2 hours of multi-track recordings (one-time)
    • Up to 720p video quality
    • 44.1 kHz audio quality
  • Pro$29/month
    • 5 hours per month of multi-track recordings
    • Up to 4K video quality
    • 48kHz audio quality
  • Grow$39/month
    • 15 hours per month of multi-track recordings
    • Everything in Pro plus
    • Social media scheduling
  • Webinar$99/month
    • Everything in Grow plus
    • Webinar hosting (up to 100 registrants)
    • Pre-record & stream as live

Which should you pick?

Choose Crowdcast if

  • You need q&a sessions.
  • You also want polls.
Crowdcast review

Choose Riverside if

  • You need local recording.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Ios, Android, Desktop.
  • You also want 4k video capture.
Riverside review

Questions people ask

Is Crowdcast or Riverside better?
Neither clearly leads. Crowdcast starts at $49/month and Riverside at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Crowdcast or Riverside?
Riverside has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $49/month for Crowdcast and Free for Riverside.
Does Crowdcast or Riverside run on more platforms?
Crowdcast runs on Web. Riverside runs on Web, Ios, Android, Desktop.
Can I use Riverside for free?
Yes. Riverside has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Crowdcast starts at $49/month.
What is Crowdcast best used for?
Crowdcast is most often used for live webinars and virtual events, multichannel streaming with team collaboration, audience engagement and monetization. Of those, live webinars and virtual events and multichannel streaming with team collaboration are not what Riverside is typically brought in for.
What can Crowdcast do that Riverside cannot?
Crowdcast covers Q&A sessions, Polls, Multi-speaker, Replay library. Riverside covers Local recording, 4K video capture, Separate audio tracks, AI transcription. Both handle Live streaming, Web support.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Crowdcast: How much is Crowdcast Lite plan?

Lite is $49 per month supporting 100+ live attendees, 10 hours per month, and 1 team seat.

Source
Riverside: How much does Riverside Pro cost?

Riverside Pro costs $29/month (monthly) or $24/month when paid annually ($288/year). It includes 5 hours of multi-track recordings per month, 4K video, 48kHz audio, no watermark, teleprompter, 1 studio, and podcast hosting.

Source
Crowdcast: What attendee limits apply to each plan?

Lite supports 100+ attendees, Pro supports 250+, and Business supports 1000+ attendees with $0.15 cost per extra attendee after plan limit.

Source
Riverside: What are the recording hour limits for Riverside plans?

Free plan: 2 hours total. Pro: 5 hours/month. Grow: 15 hours/month. Webinar: 15 hours/month. Business: unlimited. Download limits range from 15-25 hours depending on plan, except Business which is unlimited.

Source
Crowdcast: How much do additional team seats cost?

Additional team seats cost $29 per seat per month across all plans.

Source
Riverside: How many studios are included in each Riverside plan?

Free: 0 studios. Pro: 1 studio. Grow: 2 studios. Webinar: 3 studios. Business: unlimited studios.

Source
Crowdcast: Is there a free trial?

Yes, 14-day free trial with 60-minute sessions and 10 live attendees maximum.

Source
Riverside: Does Riverside offer webinar hosting?

Yes, webinar hosting is available starting at the Webinar plan ($99/month or $79/month annually). It supports up to 100 registrants, with the Business plan supporting up to 10,000 registrants.

Source
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