What is the difference between Around and Riverside?

Around is best for Remote teams wanting lightweight, always-on video, while Riverside is best for Podcasters and creators recording high-quality video. Around starts at Free and Riverside starts at $15/mo.

Is Around or Riverside cheaper?

Around starts at Free and is free. Riverside starts at $15/mo.

Is there a free alternative to Riverside?

Yes, Around offers a free tier.

Around vs Riverside

Around is lightweight video calling tool with floating bubbles, noise cancellation, and minimal screen space, while Riverside is studio-quality recording platform for podcasts and video with local recording and AI transcription. The biggest difference up front: Around is free, while Riverside starts at $15/mo. Around is built for remote teams wanting lightweight, always-on video, whereas Riverside targets podcasters and creators recording high-quality video.

At a glance

	Around	Riverside
Best for	Remote teams wanting lightweight, always-on video	Podcasters and creators recording high-quality video
Starting price	Free	$15/mo
Free tier	✓	—
Open source	—	—
Free tier available	✓	—
Open source	—	—
AI Editing	—	✓
Floating UI	✓	—
Lightweight	✓	—
Local Recording	—	✓
Noise Cancellation	✓	—
Screen Recording	—	✓
Screen Sharing	✓	—
Transcription	—	✓

Around

Strengths

Includes Floating UI as a core feature, purpose-built for video conferencing workflows
Includes Noise Cancellation as a core feature, purpose-built for video conferencing workflows
The core product is free with no paywalled essentials
Includes screen sharing alongside the core feature set — fewer separate tools needed

Weaknesses

May lack some advanced features
Some advanced features require upgrading to a paid plan
Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
Call quality depends heavily on participants' internet connections

Try Around → Full review

Riverside

Strengths

Includes Local Recording as a core feature, purpose-built for video conferencing workflows
Includes Transcription as a core feature, purpose-built for video conferencing workflows
Pricing starts at $15/mo, which includes the full video conferencing feature set
Includes screen recording alongside the core feature set — fewer separate tools needed

Weaknesses

Starts at $15/mo — on the expensive side, especially for small teams or solo users
Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
Call quality depends heavily on participants' internet connections
Limited team/admin features if your organization eventually scales up

Try Riverside → Full review

The bottom line

Pricing: Around is completely free, which makes it the obvious pick if budget is the top concern. Riverside starts at $15/mo. That cost buys you a more polished or feature-rich experience, so it comes down to whether the extras justify the spend.

Feature gaps: Around offers Floating UI, Lightweight and Noise Cancellation that Riverside lacks. Riverside brings AI Editing, Local Recording and Screen Recording that Around does not have.

Team fit: Around is geared toward small teams teams, while Riverside is aimed at individual users and small setups. Pick the one that matches where your team is today and where it is headed — migrating tools later is always painful.

Where each tool shines: Around's biggest strengths are: includes floating ui as a core feature, purpose-built for video conferencing workflows. includes noise cancellation as a core feature, purpose-built for video conferencing workflows. Riverside's biggest strengths are: includes local recording as a core feature, purpose-built for video conferencing workflows. includes transcription as a core feature, purpose-built for video conferencing workflows.

Watch out for: With Around, users commonly note that may lack some advanced features. With Riverside, the main complaint is that starts at $15/mo — on the expensive side, especially for small teams or solo users.

Choose Around if...

You need a tool built for remote teams wanting lightweight, always-on video
Budget is a hard constraint — Around is free, Riverside is not
You specifically need Floating UI and Lightweight
You care about includes noise cancellation as a core feature, purpose-built for video conferencing workflows
Your team size fits the small teams profile Around is designed for

Choose Riverside if...

You need a tool built for podcasters and creators recording high-quality video
You specifically need AI Editing and Local Recording
You care about includes transcription as a core feature, purpose-built for video conferencing workflows
Your team size fits the individuals profile Riverside is designed for