# Record podcasts

> “Record a remote podcast”. Ranked by expert consensus and what people use now; affiliate links never change the order.

A remote podcast lives or dies on audio when a guest's connection wobbles, so look for local recording per person. Riverside and Zencastr capture each guest in their browser, with Riverside going up to 4K video. Descript wins on editing: you cut the episode by deleting words from the transcript. Add OpusClip or Captions later if you want a steady flow of vertical clips from each episode.

Last checked: 2026-10-02

## Ranking

1. **[Descript](https://suiteintent.com/t/descript?m=GB)**: Edit audio and video by editing the transcript. · Best for full editing control · Free plan
2. **[Riverside](https://suiteintent.com/t/riverside?m=GB)**: Studio-quality remote recording for podcasts and video. · Best for: Interviewing guests in other cities · Free plan
3. **[OpusClip](https://suiteintent.com/t/opus-clip?m=GB)**: AI that cuts short clips from long videos. · Best for automatic clips · Free plan
4. **[Captions](https://suiteintent.com/t/captions?m=GB)**: AI editing and captions for talking-head video. · Best for talking-head videos · Free plan
5. **[StreamYard](https://suiteintent.com/t/streamyard?m=GB)**: Live streaming and recording studio in the browser. · Best for: Interviews streamed to several platforms · Free plan
6. **[Zencastr](https://suiteintent.com/t/zencastr?m=GB)**: Remote podcast recording in the browser. · Best for: Interviewing guests who live far away · Free plan

## Side by side

| Tool | Price | Ease of use (1-5) | Team size |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Descript | Free plan | 4 | solo, small team, growing team |
| Riverside | Free plan | 4 | solo, small team |
| OpusClip | Free plan | 5 | solo, small team |
| Captions | Free plan | 5 | solo, small team |
| StreamYard | Free plan | 5 | solo, small team |
| Zencastr | Free plan | 4 | solo, small team |

## Why these picks

- Prices last checked: 2026-10-02
- Ranked by expert consensus and what people use now; affiliate links never change the order.

## Head to head

- [CapCut vs Descript: short clips or talk videos](https://suiteintent.com/compare/capcut-vs-descript)
- [Descript vs Riverside: which podcast tool to use](https://suiteintent.com/compare/descript-vs-riverside)
- [OpusClip vs Descript: podcast clips for socials](https://suiteintent.com/compare/opus-clip-vs-descript)

## Questions

### Do my guests need to install anything to join a recording?

Zencastr guests join from a link, with nothing to install. Riverside and StreamYard also run in the browser, so a guest opens the invite and joins the studio. Each of these records a local track per speaker. A dropped Wi-Fi signal then spoils far less of the take.

### Can I record and edit a podcast on a free plan?

Descript, Riverside, Zencastr and StreamYard all have free plans. That covers a pilot episode or two before you commit. Descript's free plan lets you edit by transcript and remove filler words. Paid tiers add more recording hours and higher export quality, so check the limits once you publish weekly.

### I already record on Zoom. Is a podcast studio worth it?

A video call records the mixed stream, so one guest's bad connection lands in your final audio. Riverside, Zencastr and StreamYard record each speaker locally and upload clean tracks. You also get separate files per voice, which makes levelling and cutting crosstalk easier. For an occasional chat, Zoom may be enough.

### How do I turn an hour-long episode into Shorts and Reels?

OpusClip picks the strongest moments, reframes them vertically, adds animated captions and scores each clip. Captions fits talking-head clips: it adds captions, trims pauses and can dub your video into other languages. Riverside and Descript also cut short clips from the episode you recorded there. Start with one tool and add a second only if you publish clips daily.

### Can I go live and record the podcast at the same time?

StreamYard streams to YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook and other platforms at once while it records a local track for each speaker. You can add branding and overlays during the show. That suits a weekly live format that you also publish as an audio episode. Riverside and Zencastr focus on recording rather than live shows.