I've worked with hundreds of podcasters across a lot of different platforms. Squadcast came up a lot in the early days. Riverside is what I recommend now, and it isn't a close call.
Before I explain why, I want to be upfront about something. This post has an affiliate link to Riverside at the bottom. The price is exactly the same if you go direct. I include it because I recommend Riverside regardless, not the other way around.
What I actually found using both
Squadcast always felt messy to me. The interface was unclear, the workflow was scattered across too many steps, and reliability was an issue more than once. When something went wrong mid-recording, and it did, the experience of figuring out what happened and recovering from it was not straightforward.
I eventually had to stop working with clients who used it. The workflow became impossible to sustain. Recordings arriving in parts, audio that felt lossy, files in states that were partly rendered and unclear. I had one particular client who sent me two episodes at $250 each. Once I logged in and saw what was there, I had to walk away. It wasn't something I could work with at a professional standard, and it wasn't something I could fix without charging them more than the episodes were worth. That's not a position any producer or editor should be put in.
Riverside felt like the same category of tool built by people who had actually used it. Everything is in one place. The recording, the files, the editing, the transcripts. When a client's session is done, I can access everything through a shareable link. I don't need to ask for a login. I don't need an account on their workspace. I send a link, open it from anywhere, and it's all there. That's not how Squadcast works.
Over time, 99% of the podcasters I work with ended up on Riverside. Not because I pushed them there. Because once they used it, switching back didn't make sense.
Squadcast — Works, but the experience feels fragmented. Unclear interface, less reliable in practice, and the workflow for sharing files with an editor or producer is not intuitive.
Riverside — Everything centralised. Record, edit, transcript, and share all in one place. Shareable links for editors without logins. Consistently more reliable in the recordings I've been part of.
The specific things that matter in practice
Local recording. Riverside records directly on each participant's device and uploads in the background. If someone's internet drops mid-conversation, you still have the full clean audio from their side. That has saved more than a few sessions I've been part of. Recording over a compressed internet stream, which is how most tools still work, gives you whatever the connection gave you. Local gives you the original.
Shareable links for editors. This is the one I use every week. When a session is done, I can share a link with my editor that opens the full project in Riverside. No login required on their end. No transferring large files. No giving someone access to a client's account. Just a link. Squadcast doesn't have a workflow like this and it creates unnecessary friction every single time.
Video built in from the start. Squadcast was built for audio. Video was added later and it shows. Riverside was built for both from the beginning. Separate video tracks per participant, up to 4K, recorded locally. If your podcast is going on YouTube, and it should be, this matters.
No download for guests. Your guest gets a link. They click it. They're in the session. No software to install, no account to create. That removes almost all the technical anxiety that comes up before a recording with someone who isn't confident with technology.
Transcripts and editing in the same place. Automatic transcription, basic editing, and the ability to export everything in one workflow. It won't replace a proper edit for a produced show, but for the host managing their own podcast it means far fewer tools and fewer steps.
✕ Don't underestimate how much a fragmented workflow costs you over time. Every extra step, every file transfer, every login request is friction that builds up across dozens of episodes.
✓ Do look for a tool where recording, editing, transcripts and sharing all live in one place. That's what Riverside is.
Will Riverside make your podcast better?
Honestly, no. Not directly.
What makes a podcast better has nothing to do with which recording platform you use. It's about learning how to record audio and video properly so what you capture is actually usable. It's about knowing who you're speaking to before you press record. It's about creating something of immediate value for that specific person, not a general audience. It's about packaging each episode with a clear reason for someone to care before they've listened to a single second of it.
Riverside doesn't help with any of that. No platform does.
What Riverside does is remove the workflow friction that gets in the way of doing the actual work. A cleaner recording process, fewer technical problems, less time spent on logistics and more time spent on the thing that actually matters. It's a better tool. It's not a better podcast strategy.
If your show isn't growing, the problem is almost certainly not which recording platform you're on. But if you're already working on the right things, a cleaner workflow gets out of your way and lets you focus on them.
Riverside versus Squadcast
| Riverside | Squadcast | |
|---|---|---|
| Local recording | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Video recording | ✓ Up to 4K | Limited |
| No guest download | ✓ Browser-based | ✓ Browser-based |
| Shareable editor links | ✓ Yes | ✕ No |
| Built-in editing | ✓ Yes | ✕ No |
| Auto transcription | ✓ Yes | ✕ No |
| Separate audio tracks | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Starting price | ~$15/month | ~$20/month |
Getting started with Riverside
Riverside has a free tier with a limited number of recording hours each month, which is enough to properly test it before committing to a paid plan. Paid plans start at around $15 a month and unlock unlimited recording hours, higher quality exports and the full editing suite.
There's no complicated switch from Squadcast. Riverside is a separate account. You set it up, invite someone via link, and record. Any existing recordings in Squadcast stay where they are.
Try Riverside for free
Local recording, high quality video, shareable editor links. No guest download required.
Start recording on Riverside →The platform you record on is a small part of what makes a podcast work. But a tool that gets out of your way matters more than people give it credit for. Squadcast never quite got out of mine. Riverside does.
Need a crash course in Riverside?
Bren Russell, Podlad
One or two 60 minute sessions is all it takes. I've done this for dozens of clients and by the end you know exactly what you're doing. No guesswork, no wasted recordings.
Here's what we cover:
- How to position your mic so the recording actually sounds right
- Basic lighting that works without a studio setup
- How to use Riverside's features correctly — local recording, the editor, shareable links, transcripts
- How to tell when a guest's audio is off before it ruins the episode, and what to do about it
- The biggest pitfalls that catch most first-time Riverside users
Book a short free call first and we'll figure out what you need.
Book a free 20 minute intro call
No pitch, no pressure. We'll work out whether a session makes sense and go from there.
