Side-by-side comparison · Video & Audio
Google Flow Music vs Hedra 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: Creators and marketers who want talking-character videos, AI spokespeople or animated mascots without filming.
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 | Hedra | Riverside |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | Google's AI music studio: chat to make full songs, edit them, and make a music video. | Make talking-character videos and other AI video by briefing a creative agent. | Records podcasts and video interviews remotely in studio quality, with AI editing. |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | $0 | $0 | $29/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | 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 | Hedra | Riverside |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.3 | 3.7 | 4.3 |
| Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it. | 4.5 | 4.0 | 4.5 |
| FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together. | 4.5 | 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. | 4.5 | 3.0 | 4.0 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 4.0 | 3.5 | 4.0 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | Google Flow Music | Hedra | Riverside |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile app | Yes | No | 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 | Yes | Yes |
| Connects to other apps | No | Yes | 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 | Yes | Yes |
| Learns your brand or style | – | Yes | – |
| Works in many languages | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Capabilities score | 7/ 17 | 12/ 17 | 8/ 17 |
Pricing
Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.
| Attribute | Google Flow Music | Hedra | Riverside |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | Free $0 Trying it and making the odd song. | Free $0 Trying a few talking clips. | Free Free Trying it with a test episode. |
StarterOur pick $6/mo Creators who need music every week. | Basic About $20/mo Occasional talking-character videos. | 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. | ProOur pick About $50/mo Creators making video every week. | Grow $39/mo, or $34/mo billed yearly Teams recording several shows or long interviews. | |
Member $48/mo Musicians who live in it. | Ultra About $100/mo Heavy users of premium models. | Webinar $99/mo, or $79/mo billed yearly Businesses that run webinars and live events. | |
API Pay as you go Developers building it into their own tools. | 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%. | Try the free credits, then pick Basic if you only need the odd talking clip. Pro makes sense once you use premium models like Veo or Kling every week. Credits don't roll over, so don't buy more than you'll use. | 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 | Hedra | Riverside |
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Pros and cons
| Attribute | Google Flow Music | Hedra | Riverside |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | Google Flow Music | Hedra | Riverside |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, Google Flow Music, Hedra or Riverside?
They tie on our overall rating (Google Flow Music 4.3/5, Hedra 3.7/5 and Riverside 4.3/5). Google Flow Music is best for custom background music for videos and jingles and short brand songs. Hedra is best for making a photo or character talk and animated mascots and AI spokespeople. Riverside is best for company podcasts with remote guests and recording client or customer interviews.
Which is cheaper, Google Flow Music, Hedra or Riverside?
Google Flow Music: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $0. Hedra: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $0. 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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