Side-by-side comparison · Video & Audio
Google Flow Music vs Riverside vs Submagic
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: Businesses running a podcast, interview series or webinar who want guests to sound and look professional without a studio.
Pick it if: Coaches, creators and small businesses who film talking-head shorts and want them captioned and edited without doing it by hand.
Overview
| Attribute | Google Flow Music | Riverside | Submagic |
|---|---|---|---|
| In one line | Google's AI music studio: chat to make full songs, edit them, and make a music video. | Records podcasts and video interviews remotely in studio quality, with AI editing. | Adds animated captions, B-roll, zooms and cuts to your short videos automatically. |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium | Paid |
| Starting price | $0 | $29/mo | $19/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | No |
| Works with Claude Code | No | No | Yes |
Rating breakdown
Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.
| Attribute | Google Flow Music | Riverside | Submagic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall rating | 4.3 | 4.3 | 4.2 |
| 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. | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.0 |
| Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them. | 4.0 | 4.5 | 4.0 |
| Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan. | 4.5 | 4.0 | 3.5 |
| Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over. | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.5 |
Feature comparison
A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.
| Attribute | Google Flow Music | Riverside | Submagic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Access & platform | |||
| Free plan | Yes | Yes | No |
| Mobile app | Yes | Yes | No |
| 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 | – | – | – |
| Makes images | Yes | No | No |
| Makes video | Yes | No | Yes |
| Writes code | Yes | No | No |
| Runs agents or automations | No | Yes | No |
| Learns your brand or style | – | – | Yes |
| 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 | Riverside | Submagic |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plans | Free $0 Trying it and making the odd song. | Free Free Trying it with a test episode. | Starter $19/mo, or $12/mo billed yearly Creators posting a few shorts a week. |
StarterOur pick $6/mo Creators who need music every week. | ProOur pick $29/mo, or $24/mo billed yearly A business running a regular podcast or interview series. | ProOur pick $39/mo, or $23/mo billed yearly Anyone posting daily. | |
Plus $18/mo Heavy users and music videos. | Grow $39/mo, or $34/mo billed yearly Teams recording several shows or long interviews. | Business $69/mo, or $41/mo billed yearly Teams and agencies editing at volume. | |
Member $48/mo Musicians who live in it. | Webinar $99/mo, or $79/mo billed yearly Businesses that run webinars and live events. | Custom Custom Media companies and large teams. | |
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%. | 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. | Try it free first. Pro on yearly billing suits most people posting every day, and the 5-minute cap covers almost every short. Take Business only if you clip long podcasts or need 4K. |
Key features
| Attribute | Google Flow Music | Riverside | Submagic |
|---|---|---|---|
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Pros and cons
| Attribute | Google Flow Music | Riverside | Submagic |
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Who each one is for
| Attribute | Google Flow Music | Riverside | Submagic |
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Questions people ask
Which is better, Google Flow Music, Riverside or Submagic?
They tie on our overall rating (Google Flow Music 4.3/5, Riverside 4.3/5 and Submagic 4.2/5). Google Flow Music is best for custom background music for videos and jingles and short brand songs. Riverside is best for company podcasts with remote guests and recording client or customer interviews. Submagic is best for animated captions on talking-head Reels and removing silences and adding B-roll automatically.
Which is cheaper, Google Flow Music, Riverside or Submagic?
Google Flow Music: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $0. Riverside: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $29/mo. Submagic: There's no free plan. Paid plans start at $19/mo.
Which is easier to use, Google Flow Music, Riverside or Submagic?
Submagic rates highest for ease of use in our scores. Coaches, creators and small businesses who film talking-head shorts and want them captioned and edited without doing it by hand.
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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