When creators need to transcribe a podcast, repurpose a webinar, or generate content from video interviews, AI transcription tools have become essential. One of the most popular options on the market is Riverside.fm, known for its high-quality remote recording and increasingly, its AI-powered transcription capabilities.
But does it live up to the hype—and how does it compare to alternatives like Submagic, especially for short-form content creators?
The short answer, before we even begin, the short answer is, Riverside is actually pretty sweet. But it’s an all in one tool geared toward podcasts and online meetings. So, if you do one of those, Riverside can get you started.
We’re going to tackle the period after the honeymoon. Now you want to level up, or, you aren’t a podcaster. Let’s get this sorted out, for you. Read on.
What is Riverside’s AI transcription feature?
Riverside.fm is widely known as a high-quality platform for remote video recording and podcast production. But beyond crystal-clear audio and video files, it now offers a robust AI transcription feature designed to transcribe audio into clean, editable text automatically.
This feature uses AI-powered transcription technology to turn your recordings—whether they’re interviews, webinars, or solo podcasts—into usable, searchable, and exportable content. With just a few clicks, you can go from raw audio to accurate transcriptions without needing to manually scrub through your footage.
AI transcriptions by RiversideWhat can you do with Riverside’s AI transcriptions?
Once your audio files are processed, you can use the transcribed text for a range of purposes:
- Show notes for your podcast or video
- SEO-friendly blog content
- Adding subtitles or captions to your video files
- Performing text-based editing directly in the Riverside platform
Supported export formats:
You can export your transcriptions in multiple standard file formats, including:
- SRT – For captions and subtitles
- TXT – For clean, raw text
- VTT – For use in modern video platforms
This makes Riverside a versatile solution not just for recording, but for repurposing and distributing content across platforms.
If your goal is to quickly transcribe audio from long-form recordings and create accurate transcriptions for republishing, Riverside's built-in tool offers a streamlined solution—especially when paired with their high-quality video recording workflow.
Who is Riverside best suited for?
Riverside.fm is a powerful platform that goes beyond just recording and audio transcription. Its built-in AI transcription feature is part of a broader ecosystem that includes text-based editing, speaker separation, and Magic Clips—a tool that uses AI to automatically create shareable short-form highlights from long-form content.
This makes Riverside especially valuable for creators and teams working on long, high-quality productions where automation, post-production tools, and precise editing capabilities are essential.
Ideal for:
- Podcast hosts and interviewers: If you regularly produce long-form conversations and need a streamlined workflow to transcribe audio and create social content, Riverside's integrated tools deliver both accuracy and convenience.
- Video educators and explainers: For teachers, coaches, or YouTubers producing detailed tutorials or educational series, Riverside’s user-friendly interface and transcript export options (like SRT, TXT, and VTT) make repurposing content fast and scalable.
- Agencies producing webinars and long-form video content: Agencies working with clients in B2B or media spaces will benefit from Riverside’s reliable video recording, accurate transcriptions, and batch processing features.
- Creators who prioritize precision: While it’s not the fastest system on the market, Riverside is ideal for those who value high-quality transcripts over instant turnaround. The platform’s AI transcription tool is tuned for clarity and speaker distinction, making it great for interviews, panels, and webinars.
In short: if your content is long-form, accuracy is your top priority, and you're already using Riverside for video recording, the transcription feature adds significant value to your content creation process.
How accurate is Riverside’s transcription?
Riverside claims up to 95% accuracy under ideal recording conditions. For most users working with high-quality audio—think clear speech, minimal background noise, and well-isolated tracks—the platform delivers strong results. It’s especially reliable for video transcription, podcasts, and long-form speech to text use cases.
However, accuracy can dip when:
- Multiple speakers overlap
- There’s ambient or background noise
- The dialogue is informal, fast-paced, or includes regional accents
The platform’s AI transcription does include a built-in editor, but if you're producing clips from longer conversations or fast-moving formats, editing can become time-consuming.
By comparison, Submagic’s AI technology offers 98.9% accuracy, specifically optimized for short, mobile-first video files—but more on that next.
Where Submagic fits in: Built for short-form creators
If you’re not just transcribing for notes—but planning to repurpose video into Reels, Shorts, or TikToks—then your needs go beyond a basic transcription service.
That’s where tools like Submagic stand out.
While Riverside excels at transcribing podcasts and webinars, Submagic is built for creators who want to:
- Transcribe, style, and export clips quickly
- Turn podcast content into short-form social videos
- Add branded open subtitles (fonts, colors, animations)
- Work inside a single, fast workflow
Submagic uses AI-powered transcription and editing to make content creation seamless for social platforms. And it’s worth noting that the transcription accuracy is also strong, comparable to Riverside in most cases—with the added benefit of real-time subtitle styling and video exports.
Feature comparison: Riverside vs Submagic
| Feature |
Riverside.fm |
Submagic |
| AI transcription |
✅ Yes |
✅ Yes |
| Accuracy rating |
90–95% |
98.90% |
| Best for |
Podcasts, webinars |
Short-form video, social media |
| Speaker labels |
✅ Yes |
❌ Not focused on |
| File formats |
.srt, .txt, .vtt |
.srt, .txt, video export |
| Editing capabilities |
Text-based editing |
Clip editing, trimming, zooms |
| Clip creation |
✅ Magic Clips |
✅ AI-driven clipping for Shorts |
| Customization |
❌ None |
✅ Fonts, colors, styles |
| Use cases |
Long-form, studio content |
Social-first, branded content |
| Pricing |
Subscription required |
Free plan + paid features |
| Workflow speed |
Slower for short clips |
Fast, optimized for TikTok/Reels |
Submagic's clipping tool: Create Shorts from long-form content like podcasts
One standout feature is Submagic’s auto-clip generator. You can upload a full podcast, and Submagic will:
- Identify viral-worthy segments
- Clip them automatically
- Add subtitles, zooms, and visual effects
- Export platform-ready content in seconds
This tool is ideal for turning one long-form recording into dozens of snackable, high-performing short videos—perfect for building presence on TikTok, Instagram Reels, LinkedIn, or YouTube Shorts.
Honest pros and cons of Riverside's AI transcription
Pros
- Great transcription accuracy (in good conditions)
- Text-based editing is useful for trimming long videos
- Exports clean transcripts in standard file types
- Integrates directly with Riverside recordings and Magic Clips
Cons
- Limited subtitle styling—no fonts, colors, or animation
- Not optimized for short-form workflows
- Requires you to download and re-edit clips in another video editor
- Best suited for long content rather than rapid-fire social video
Riverside can be pricey. Here’s the pricing plan breakdown.
Free Plan:
- Cost: $0 per month
- Multi-track Recording: 2 hours of separate audio and video tracks (one-off)
- Single-track Recording & Editing: Unlimited
- Video Calls: Unlimited duration
- Video Quality: Up to 720p
- Audio Quality: 44.1 kHz
- Watermark: Riverside watermark on exported files
- Key Features: Full suite of editing tools, Magic Clips
Standard Plan:
- Cost: $19 per month (or $15 per month billed annually at $180)
- Multi-track Recording: 5 hours of separate audio and video tracks per month
- Everything in Free, plus:
- Video Quality: Up to 4K
- Audio Quality: 48 kHz
- Watermark: No watermark on exported files (watermark during live streams)
- Smooth Speech & Set Pace: AI tools for audio editing
- Image & Text Overlays
Pro Plan (Most Popular):
- Cost: $29 per month (or $24 per month billed annually at $288)
- Multi-track Recording: 15 hours of separate audio and video tracks per month
- Everything in Standard, plus:
- No limit on edits
- Magic Audio: AI-powered audio enhancement
- AI Transcriptions: 100+ languages
- AI Generated Show Notes
- Magic Clips controls
- AI Voice: Generate speech in your own voice
- Teleprompter (for host)
- Music & Video Overlays
- Full Brand Kit
Live Plan:
- Cost: $39 per month (or $34 per month billed annually at $408)
- Multi-track Recording: 15 hours of separate audio and video tracks per month
- Everything in Pro, plus:
- Multistream on unlimited channels
- Omnichat
- Hide/show participants
- Custom RTMP
- Lower thirds
- Accept Live call-ins
- Live stream in Full HD (1080p)
Business Plan:
- Cost: Custom pricing (Book a demo for a quote)
- Features: Designed for companies producing video content in-house. Includes everything in the Live plan, plus:
- Unlimited transcriptions
- Production workspaces for team collaboration
- Advanced editing capabilities
- Live Studio add-on included, plus lobby branding
- Producer mode controls
- Custom frame rates
- Priority support
- Customized onboarding & dedicated Customer Success Manager
- SSO (Okta, Azure, etc.)
- SOC2 Type II & ISO27001 certified
Choose based on your content goals
If your priority is podcasting, webinars, or publishing long-form content with clean transcripts, Riverside’s transcription tool is one of the best available—particularly if you're already recording with their platform.
But if your goal is social media growth, branded video creation, or clipping highlights from long content, Submagic is more streamlined.
You don’t just get ai transcription—you get styling, editing, and export in one fast system, purpose-built for:
- TikTok
- YouTube Shorts
- Reels
- LinkedIn videos
Bottom line
Use Riverside.fm if:
- You need detailed transcripts for podcast episodes
- You work with long-form content
- You want integrated tools for show notes or blog content
Use Submagic if:
- You’re creating short, high-performing clips
- You want to streamline the time spent editing and styling
- You need a transcription + captioning workflow in one tool
Want to see how Submagic works?
✅ Try Submagic for free — no credit card required.
Transcribe, edit, and clip like a pro. Perfect for creators, agencies, and anyone making short-form content at scale.
