Riverside vs Podcastle (2026): the budget AI studio against the full platform
Podcastle, rebranded as Async in February 2026, undercuts Riverside on price and leads on AI voices. Riverside answers with unmetered recording, streaming, webinars, and a heavier production pipeline.
By Jean Luc, Riverside Reviews · Updated August 7, 2026
Quick verdict
Podcastle, which rebranded to Async in February 2026, is the value pick: its Storyteller plan at $11.99 a month billed annually records up to 4K, and no competitor touches its AI voice library of 450-plus text-to-speech voices with unlimited voice cloning. The catch is the meter: video recording is capped at 8 hours a month on Storyteller and 20 on Pro, where Riverside's recording hours are unlimited on every plan. Riverside also brings livestreaming, webinars, an Android app, and a far larger reviewer base. Weekly shows with guests outgrow Podcastle's hour caps quickly; narrated and AI-voiced content may never need to.
Try Riverside free ↗At a glance
| Riverside | Podcastle | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry paid plan | Pro $24/mo billed annually ($35 monthly) | Storyteller $11.99/mo billed annually ($14.99 monthly) |
| Recording limits | Unlimited recording hours; separate-track downloads metered (15 hrs/mo on Pro) | Video metered: 8 hrs/mo on Storyteller, 20 hrs/mo on Pro |
| Max resolution | Up to 4K, separate track per participant, up to 10 people | Up to 4K on paid plans, separate tracks, up to 10 guests |
| Free plan | 720p with watermark, 2 hrs multi-track, unlimited single-track | Unlimited audio (160kbps MP3 export), 3 hrs lifetime video at 720p |
| AI voices | AI text-to-speech and VideoDub voice correction | 450+ TTS voices (Asyncflow model), unlimited voice cloning, developer API |
| Livestreaming / webinars | 1080p multistreaming (Grow); webinars to 10,000 registrants | Not offered |
| Mobile apps | iOS and Android | iOS; Android support unverified |
| Trustpilot | 3.8 (486 reviews) | About 4.0 (150+ reviews) |
| G2 | 4.8 (1,751 reviews) | 4.7 (about 80 reviews) |
| Company | RiversideFM, Inc., founded 2020, $47M raised, Spotify partner | Podcastle, Inc. (now Async), founded 2020, ~$22M raised, team centered in Yerevan; rebranded February 2026 |
Prices and figures checked 2026-08-07, from each vendor's own published pages. Both change; verify before you buy.
The meter is the real price difference
Podcastle's headline prices are roughly half of Riverside's, and for light use they are exactly as good as they look. But the plans meter video recording by the hour: 8 hours a month on Storyteller, 20 on Pro. A weekly interview show recording 90-minute sessions with a bit of buffer brushes against the Storyteller cap immediately.
Riverside meters differently: recording hours are unlimited on every plan, and the cap sits on separate-track downloads (15 hours a month on Pro), which most workflows touch far less often. Price the plan against your actual monthly hours before deciding; for heavy recorders the cheaper product can be the more expensive one.
AI: voices against production
Podcastle's AI bet is generation. Its Asyncflow text-to-speech model ships more than 450 voices, voice cloning is unlimited on Pro, and there is a developer API, which is also where the February 2026 rebrand to Async points the company. For narrated content, audiobooks, and AI-voiced production, nothing in Riverside compares.
Riverside's AI bet is post-production of real conversations: Magic Clips, show notes, filler and silence removal, eye-contact correction, AI B-roll, and a chat-based editing agent. Our 96-review corpus rates these tools among the most cited reasons people pay. Match the tool to which kind of AI you actually need.
Platform breadth and the rebrand question
Riverside surrounds recording with distribution: 1080p multistreaming, webinars with registration and CRM sync, hosting, publishing, and apps on both mobile platforms. Podcastle offers hosting with distribution to Spotify and Apple but no streaming or webinar products, and its mobile recording is documented for iOS with Android support unverified.
The rebrand itself is worth weighing. Async's stated direction is a unified AI platform for creators and developers. That may be great for the product, but a buyer choosing a podcast-focused roadmap should know the company's center of gravity is shifting toward AI voice infrastructure.
Where Podcastle wins
- Half the price at the entry tier: $11.99 a month billed annually against Riverside's $24
- The strongest AI voice offering in the category: 450+ TTS voices, unlimited cloning, and an API
- A genuinely useful free tier for audio, with unlimited recording time
- High marks for simplicity and support in its G2 reviews (4.7)
- Slightly higher Trustpilot score than Riverside (about 4.0 vs 3.8), on a smaller base
Frequently asked questions
Is Podcastle the same as Async?+
Yes. Podcastle rebranded to Async on February 4, 2026, keeping accounts, plans, and billing unchanged. The new name reflects a push toward AI voice technology and developer APIs alongside the creator tools.
Is Podcastle cheaper than Riverside?+
On sticker price, clearly: Storyteller is $11.99 a month billed annually against Riverside Pro at $24. But Podcastle meters video recording at 8 hours a month on that plan while Riverside's recording hours are unlimited, so a show recording more than a couple of hours a week can outgrow the cheaper plan fast.
Which has better AI tools?+
Different bets. Podcastle leads on AI generation: 450+ text-to-speech voices and unlimited voice cloning. Riverside leads on AI post-production: clips, show notes, filler removal, eye contact correction, and a chat-based editing agent working on real recordings.
Can Podcastle livestream or run webinars?+
No. Podcastle (Async) has no livestreaming or webinar product. Riverside multistreams in 1080p on its Grow plan and runs webinars with registration, Q&A, polls, and HubSpot sync on its Webinar plan.
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