Side-by-side comparison · Video & Audio
Castmagic 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: Businesses and agencies running a podcast, webinar series or YouTube channel who need the written content to go with it.
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 | Castmagic | Loom | Riverside |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | Turns podcasts and recordings into show notes, posts, emails and clips. | 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 | Paid | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | $19/mo | $18/user/mo | $29/mo |
| Free plan | No | 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 | Castmagic | Loom | Riverside |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.0 | 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. | 3.5 | 4.0 | 4.5 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 3.5 | 3.5 | 4.0 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.0 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | Castmagic | Loom | Riverside |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | No | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | No | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop app | No | Yes | No |
| Browser extension | No | Yes | No |
| API access | Yes | – | – |
| Teams & business | |||
| Team workspace | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Enterprise plan or SSO | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Connects to other apps | Yes | 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 | No | No | No |
| Writes code | No | No | No |
| Runs agents or automations | – | – | Yes |
| Learns your brand or style | Yes | – | – |
| 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 | Castmagic | Loom | Riverside |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | Hobby $19/mo billed yearly ($239/yr) A single show publishing a few episodes a month. | Starter Free Occasional recordings and trying it out. | Free Free Trying it with a test episode. |
StarterOur pick $48/mo billed yearly ($579/yr) Businesses with a regular podcast or webinar series. | 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. | |
Team $139/mo billed yearly ($1,669/yr) Agencies and teams working on several shows. | 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. | |
Business & Scale From $699/mo Studios, publishers and platforms. | 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 | Hobby is enough to test it on one show. Starter is the sensible plan for a business publishing every week, and the one that adds API access. Hours are a running total, not a monthly allowance, so estimate how much you will upload in a year. | 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 | Castmagic | Loom | Riverside |
|---|---|---|---|
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Pros and cons
| Attribute | Castmagic | Loom | Riverside |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | Castmagic | Loom | Riverside |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, Castmagic, Loom or Riverside?
Riverside scores highest overall in our ratings (Castmagic 4.0/5, Loom 4.2/5 and Riverside 4.3/5). Castmagic is best for podcast show notes and timestamps and LinkedIn posts from interviews and webinars. 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, Castmagic, Loom or Riverside?
Castmagic: There's no free plan. Paid plans start at $19/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, Castmagic, 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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