Side-by-side comparison · Video & Audio
Google Flow Music vs Grok Imagine 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: Creators and small businesses who want custom songs, jingles or background music, and hobbyists who just want to make music.
Pick it if: X users and social creators who already pay for Grok and want quick images and short clips.
Pick it if: Businesses running a podcast, interview series or webinar who want guests to sound and look professional without a studio.
Overview
| Attribute | Google Flow Music | Grok Imagine | Riverside |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | Google's AI music studio: chat to make full songs, edit them, and make a music video. | Grok's image and video maker: turn a prompt or photo into a short clip with sound. | Records podcasts and video interviews remotely in studio quality, with AI editing. |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Paid | Freemium |
| Starting price | $0 | $8/mo | $29/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | No | Yes |
| Works with Claude Code | No | Yes | No |
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | Google Flow Music | Grok Imagine | Riverside |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.3 | 3.9 | 4.3 |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together. | 4.5 | 3.5 | 4.5 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 4.0 | 3.5 | 4.5 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 4.5 | 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 | Google Flow Music | Grok Imagine | Riverside |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | Yes | No | Yes |
| Mobile app | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop app | No | No | No |
| Browser extension | No | No | No |
| API access | No | Yes | – |
| Teams & business | |||
| Team workspace | No | Yes | Yes |
| Enterprise plan or SSO | No | No | Yes |
| Connects to other apps | No | No | Yes |
| Open source or self-hosted | No | No | No |
| AI abilities | |||
| Works with your files | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Understands images | – | Yes | – |
| Makes images | Yes | Yes | No |
| Makes video | Yes | Yes | No |
| Writes code | Yes | No | No |
| Runs agents or automations | No | No | Yes |
| Learns your brand or style | – | – | – |
| Works in many languages | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Capabilities score | 7/ 17 | 8/ 17 | 8/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | Google Flow Music | Grok Imagine | Riverside |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | Free $0 Trying it and making the odd song. | Plus $8/mo Trying Imagine alongside X Premium. | Free Free Trying it with a test episode. |
StarterOur pick $6/mo Creators who need music every week. | PremiumOur pick $30/mo People making images and clips most weeks. | ProOur pick $29/mo, or $24/mo billed yearly A business running a regular podcast or interview series. | |
Plus $18/mo Heavy users and music videos. | Super $100/mo Heavy video users. | Grow $39/mo, or $34/mo billed yearly Teams recording several shows or long interviews. | |
Member $48/mo Musicians who live in it. | Ultra $200/mo Power users generating all day. | 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, since the daily credits go a long way for background music. Starter is cheap enough to take once you're making music every week. Yearly billing saves about 25%. | If you already pay for Grok Premium, use what you have. Don't buy Grok just for Imagine. A dedicated video tool like Kling or Hailuo gives better clips for the money. | 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 | Google Flow Music | Grok Imagine | Riverside |
|---|---|---|---|
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Pros and cons
| Attribute | Google Flow Music | Grok Imagine | Riverside |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | Google Flow Music | Grok Imagine | Riverside |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, Google Flow Music, Grok Imagine or Riverside?
They tie on our overall rating (Google Flow Music 4.3/5, Grok Imagine 3.9/5 and Riverside 4.3/5). Google Flow Music is best for custom background music for videos and jingles and short brand songs. Grok Imagine is best for animating a photo for a social post and quick memes and reaction clips. Riverside is best for company podcasts with remote guests and recording client or customer interviews.
Which is cheaper, Google Flow Music, Grok Imagine or Riverside?
Google Flow Music: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $0. Grok Imagine: There's no free plan. Paid plans start at $8/mo. Riverside: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $29/mo.
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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