YouTube is the better app overall, scoring 8.7 to 8.3. YouTube wins on 4 of the 5 scores, Riverside on 1.
Creators who make longer videos and want a clear way to earn
Podcasters who interview guests online and want clean video and sound
Score by score
The details
| Feature | YouTube | Riverside |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Social Media & Creator Tools | Social Media & Creator Tools |
| Category rank | #1 of 17 | #8 of 17 |
| Developer | Riverside | |
| Pricing | Free + paid plans | Free + paid plans |
| Usable for free | Yes | Yes |
| iPhone & iPad | ✓ | ✓ |
| Android | ✓ | ✓ |
| Mac | — | ✓ |
| Web | ✓ | ✓ |
Common questions
Is YouTube better than Riverside?
YouTube is the better app overall, scoring 8.7 to 8.3. YouTube wins on 4 of the 5 scores, Riverside on 1.
Which is cheaper, YouTube or Riverside?
YouTube: Free with ads; in the US, Premium is $15.99 a month and Premium Lite is $8.99. Riverside: Free with a watermark; Pro is $29 a month, or $24 a month billed yearly. On value for money, YouTube scores higher.
Do YouTube and Riverside work on the same devices?
Only Riverside runs on Mac.
Which is more private, YouTube or Riverside?
Riverside scores higher on privacy (7.0/10). The App Store label says identifiers may be used to track you. Usage data, device ID, diagnostics and audio are collected but not linked to your identity.
Strengths and weaknesses
YouTube
- Free to watch and post
- Clear rules for getting paid
- Works on phones, computers and TVs
- Lots of ads unless you pay for Premium
- Hard for brand new channels to get noticed
- Google links a lot of data to your account
YouTube is still the best place to watch and post longer videos. You can upload long videos, Shorts and live streams, all for free. Creators start earning from ads at 1,000 subscribers plus enough watch time, which is the clearest pay system of any big app. The downsides are lots of ads unless you pay for Premium, and Google links a lot of what you watch to your account.
Full YouTube review
Riverside
- Each guest gets their own audio and video track
- Record, edit and make clips in one place
- Free plan has unlimited single-track recording
- Free plan puts a watermark on everything
- Only 2 hours of separate tracks on Free, one time
- Live streaming needs the $39 Grow plan
Riverside records each person on their own device, so a shaky internet connection doesn't spoil the sound or picture. You get a separate audio and video track for every guest, in up to 4K on paid plans. After that you can edit by text and make short clips with Magic Clips. The free plan is more of a trial: two hours of separate tracks, 720p video and a watermark.
Full Riverside review
