Side-by-side comparison · Video & Audio
Captions vs Loom vs Riverside
Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.
Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.
At a glance
Pick it if: Founders, coaches and marketers who post talking-to-camera videos on social media every week.
Pick it if: Teams, consultants and salespeople who explain things on screen and want to send a video instead of booking a call.
Pick it if: Businesses running a podcast, interview series or webinar who want guests to sound and look professional without a studio.
Overview
| Attribute | Captions | Loom | Riverside |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | Phone and web app that edits talking-head videos and adds animated captions for you. | Records your screen and camera in one click, with AI titles, summaries and chapters. | Records podcasts and video interviews remotely in studio quality, with AI editing. |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | $24.99/mo | $18/user/mo | $29/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Works with Claude Code | Yes | No | No |
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | Captions | Loom | Riverside |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 3.9 | 4.2 | 4.3Winner |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 4.5 | 5.0 | 4.5 |
| FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together. | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.5 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.5 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 3.0 | 3.5 | 4.0 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 4.0 | 4.5 | 4.0 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | Captions | Loom | Riverside |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop app | No | Yes | No |
| Browser extension | No | Yes | No |
| API access | Yes | – | – |
| Teams & business | |||
| Team workspace | – | Yes | Yes |
| Enterprise plan or SSO | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Connects to other apps | – | Yes | Yes |
| Open source or self-hosted | No | No | No |
| AI abilities | |||
| Works with your files | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Understands images | – | – | – |
| Makes images | Yes | No | No |
| Makes video | Yes | No | No |
| Writes code | No | No | No |
| Runs agents or automations | – | – | Yes |
| Learns your brand or style | – | – | – |
| Works in many languages | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Capabilities score | 8/ 17 | 9/ 17 | 8/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | Captions | Loom | Riverside |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | Free Free Trying it out with simple trims and captions. | Starter Free Occasional recordings and trying it out. | Free Free Trying it with a test episode. |
MaxOur pick $24.99/mo Anyone posting talking-head videos every week. | Business $18/user/mo, or about $15 billed yearly Teams who record often but don't need AI extras. | ProOur pick $29/mo, or $24/mo billed yearly A business running a regular podcast or interview series. | |
Frontier $69.99/mo Heavy users and small teams making lots of AI video. | Business + AIOur pick $24/user/mo, or about $20 billed yearly Teams who send lots of videos and want them skimmable. | Grow $39/mo, or $34/mo billed yearly Teams recording several shows or long interviews. | |
Enterprise Custom Brands producing video at volume. | Enterprise Custom Large companies with IT and security needs. | Webinar $99/mo, or $79/mo billed yearly Businesses that run webinars and live events. | |
Business Custom Larger teams with several producers. | |||
| Which plan to pick | Start on Free to see if the caption styles suit your brand. If you post most weeks, Max is the plan to pay for; only move to Frontier if you keep running out of credits. Prices shown are the iPhone prices and yearly plans are cheaper, so compare before you buy. | Try Starter first. If people on your team record most days, Business + AI on yearly billing is worth it for the summaries and clean-up; plain Business is fine if you just need unlimited length. | Pro on yearly billing covers most company podcasts. Move to Grow only if you record more than about five hours a month, and to Webinar only if you host live events. |
Key features
| Attribute | Captions | Loom | Riverside |
|---|---|---|---|
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Pros and cons
| Attribute | Captions | Loom | Riverside |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | Captions | Loom | Riverside |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, Captions, Loom or Riverside?
Riverside scores highest overall in our ratings (Captions 3.9/5, Loom 4.2/5 and Riverside 4.3/5). Captions is best for captioned reels, TikToks and Shorts and cleaning up talking-head clips. Loom is best for async updates instead of meetings and walking clients through work. Riverside is best for company podcasts with remote guests and recording client or customer interviews.
Which is cheaper, Captions, Loom or Riverside?
Captions: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $24.99/mo. Loom: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $18/user/mo. Riverside: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $29/mo.
Which is easier to use, Captions, Loom or Riverside?
Loom rates highest for ease of use in our scores. Teams, consultants and salespeople who explain things on screen and want to send a video instead of booking a call.
How we compare
Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability.
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