Side-by-side comparison · Video & Audio
Castmagic vs Riverside vs TurboScribe
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: Businesses running a podcast, interview series or webinar who want guests to sound and look professional without a studio.
Pick it if: Podcasters, researchers, journalists and marketers with recordings to turn into text.
Overview
| Attribute | Castmagic | Riverside | TurboScribe |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | Turns podcasts and recordings into show notes, posts, emails and clips. | Records podcasts and video interviews remotely in studio quality, with AI editing. | Upload audio or video files and get accurate transcripts, unlimited, for one flat fee. |
| Pricing model | Paid | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | $19/mo | $29/mo | $20/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 | Riverside | TurboScribe |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.0 | 4.3 | 4.4Winner |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 4.5 | 4.5 | 5.0 |
| FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together. | 4.0 | 4.5 | 4.0 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 3.5 | 4.5 | 4.0 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 3.5 | 4.0 | 5.0 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 4.5 | 4.0 | 4.0 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | Castmagic | Riverside | TurboScribe |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | No | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | No | Yes | No |
| Desktop app | No | No | No |
| Browser extension | No | No | No |
| API access | Yes | – | No |
| Teams & business | |||
| Team workspace | Yes | Yes | No |
| Enterprise plan or SSO | Yes | Yes | – |
| Connects to other apps | Yes | Yes | No |
| Open source or self-hosted | No | No | No |
| AI abilities | |||
| Works with your files | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Understands images | – | – | No |
| Makes images | Yes | No | No |
| Makes video | No | No | No |
| Writes code | No | No | No |
| Runs agents or automations | – | Yes | No |
| Learns your brand or style | Yes | – | No |
| Works in many languages | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Capabilities score | 8/ 17 | 8/ 17 | 3/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | Castmagic | Riverside | TurboScribe |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | Hobby $19/mo billed yearly ($239/yr) A single show publishing a few episodes a month. | Free Free Trying it with a test episode. | Free Free The odd interview or voice memo. |
StarterOur pick $48/mo billed yearly ($579/yr) Businesses with a regular podcast or webinar series. | ProOur pick $29/mo, or $24/mo billed yearly A business running a regular podcast or interview series. | UnlimitedOur pick $20/mo, or $10/mo billed yearly Anyone transcribing more than a few files a week. | |
Team $139/mo billed yearly ($1,669/yr) Agencies and teams working on several shows. | Grow $39/mo, or $34/mo billed yearly Teams recording several shows or long interviews. | ||
Business & Scale From $699/mo Studios, publishers and platforms. | 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. | 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. | Start on the free plan. If you regularly hit the three-files or 30-minute limit, Unlimited billed yearly works out at $10 a month. Test a typical recording first, because purchases aren't refundable. |
Key features
| Attribute | Castmagic | Riverside | TurboScribe |
|---|---|---|---|
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Pros and cons
| Attribute | Castmagic | Riverside | TurboScribe |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | Castmagic | Riverside | TurboScribe |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, Castmagic, Riverside or TurboScribe?
TurboScribe scores highest overall in our ratings (Castmagic 4.0/5, Riverside 4.3/5 and TurboScribe 4.4/5). Castmagic is best for podcast show notes and timestamps and LinkedIn posts from interviews and webinars. Riverside is best for company podcasts with remote guests and recording client or customer interviews. TurboScribe is best for interview and research transcripts and subtitles for videos.
Which is cheaper, Castmagic, Riverside or TurboScribe?
Castmagic: There's no free plan. Paid plans start at $19/mo. Riverside: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $29/mo. TurboScribe: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $20/mo.
Which is easier to use, Castmagic, Riverside or TurboScribe?
TurboScribe rates highest for ease of use in our scores. Podcasters, researchers, journalists and marketers with recordings to turn into text.
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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