Choosing a recording platform that’s right for you and your needs will save you a lot of extra work post-recording. Whether you are recording remotely or in-person, there are many things to consider before selecting which recording platform you want to use: quality of the recording, if you need video recording capabilities, the ease of use, cost, compatibility with your device and recording equipment, and if there is also the ability to edit within the same platform.
Check out our Top 10 Podcast Recording Platforms to decide for yourself which one is right for you.
One of our favourite online-based recording platforms to use is Riverside.fm for its high-quality audio and video recordings (uncompressed 48kHz audio resolution and up to 4K video) and its user-friendly interface. There are free and paid options, depending on how many recordings you plan to do each month and what features you are looking for.
When recording on a web-based platform it is an important feature for the recording to not be reliant on a stable internet connection. If you or a guest has a weak internet connection, the recording quality will suffer.Riverside.fm records audio (and video files) locally on each participant’s device and uploads the files to the cloud. This is known as Double-Ender Recording and is a must for web-based platforms. As you record, the files are being uploaded to the cloud in real-time and you are not left waiting at the end of your session for the uploads to complete.
While Riverside is suitable for both Windows and Mac, a drawback of the platform is that it is only compatible with Google Chrome. They do also have an app available for mobile and tablet devices if you can’t access a Chrome browser. The platform supports up to 8 users at a time, the host plus 7 guests. You can also allow people to access the “recording studio” as a “producer” to manage the recording while not being recorded themselves.
There are also editing features on the platform meaning you have the ease of doing your recording and editing all in one place. The editing capabilities are basic but are more than suitable for beginners or those who do not wish to edit too extensively.
Another great option for a reliable web-based platform, that has excellent sound quality is Squadcast. The platform is extremely user-friendly and allows guests to feel comfortable when recording remotely. The sound quality is on-par with Riverside, with very similar features available on both platforms, such as the capability to record video, progressive upload, and double-ended recording. Squadcast has the capability for 10 users (one host and nine guests) and is available for use on multiple browsers.
Squadcast is priced slightly higher than Riverside, but there is a selection of pricing options available depending on what your needs are, along with a 7-day free trial.
For podcasters who are looking for very high, professional-standard quality recordings, Adobe Audition is a popular choice. For those who know how to make use of the advanced features, it is a great option for producing studio results. However, for beginners, there is a steep learning curve, even with the plethora of tutorials available. You will need to download the software to your computer/phone which can be a disadvantage overusing a web-based platform.
If you are having guests on your podcast, you can do multitrack recording with Adobe Audition but you will need to be in the same location. Recording remote interviews are not possible (although you can use their editing features to edit an imported recording of a remote interview).
If you want to know more about editing features in Adobe Audition, check out our picks for the Top 10 Podcast and Audio Editing Software here.
You can purchase Adobe Audition on its own or as part of the Creative Cloud package. Before you invest you can check out their free trial to see if it is right for you.
With a beautifully simple interface, Zencastr is a pleasure to use for your podcast recordings. The audio quality is excellent and as it is also a web-based platform it is ideal for remote recordings. They have also recently started offering a video recording feature. With a Soundboard for live editing and automatic post-production, Zencastr is a great choice.
While in the past they had some stability and reliability issues, they now offer secured cloud backup. One drawback is that there is no “green room” which means you and your guests need to have your microphone and speaker set up correctly before opening Zencastr, which can sometimes lead to technical issues and problems with audio quality. You also need to wait longer for your files to upload at the end of the recording compared to other platforms, which can be inconvenient for you and your guests.
Their free plan offers great features and is an ideal starting point. You can update to their paid plan to avail of the additional benefits at a later date if you so wish.
Ringr is another popular recording platform for podcasters. While the audio quality is high and certainly to a standard suitable for most podcasters, the quality offered by other alternatives is arguably better. With a mobile app available it can be very useful if this is something that you need to meet your podcast’s needs. Its capability caters to one host and 3 guests. It is very easy to set up a recording, as it is similar to making a phone call. When your recording is finished, if you have more than one speaker, it will automatically merge audio tracks and allow for easy editing.
Its pricing is very competitive and there are unlimited recordings no matter which plan you choose, which is an excellent bonus.
Podcastle is another recording platform that is very easy to use, with studio-quality audio. With recording capability for up to 10 participants, the platform also uses local recording so that there is no dependency on internet connection stability. If you’re looking to record video, they have just recently launched this feature. An additional bonus of opting for Podcastle is their excellent editing capabilities, which uses AI technology to sweeten your voice and remove background noise so you can record anywhere while still sounding like you are in a studio.
Where Podcastle stands out from its competitors is the quality of its free version, which includes unlimited hours of recording. For advanced features, you can also upgrade to their reasonably priced plans.
Podbean covers the whole journey of producing your podcast – from creation, recording, hosting, distribution, and managing your podcast. While the desktop version does not support audio recording, if you’re a podcaster that needs/wants to record episodes on the go from anywhere Podbean could be your answer. Its user-friendly mobile app for audio recording is extremely convenient and requires no additional equipment. While the audio quality will not match the standard of the other platforms (and is not compatible with lossless file formats), its simplicity, portability and the ability to record, edit and publish all within the app makes it a very popular choice. While you can easily invite guests via the app, it does not support multitrack recording which can make your life more difficult during the editing stage.
Depending on your requirements, there are 4 pricing options to choose from that vary from a very basic free version to a pricy business edition.
Hindenburg was originally created with journalists and podcasters in mind, rather than other platforms which were originally targeted at musicians. Its main selling point might be its editing capabilities but you can also record your podcast directly on the Hindenburg platform. It is very simple to use and once your recording finishes it will automatically start its audio balancing by analysing your audio file and matching it to the latest audio measurement guidelines. This can come in very useful if you make use of the fact that you can pause a recording at any time and come back to continue where you left off when you are ready.
While the quality of this platform is very high, it is on the pricier end of the spectrum.
Reaper is a very affordable recording and editing software with a host of features for the price tag making it a good choice. You will need to download it to your computer to use, so is best for podcasts where you are alone or your guests are with you in person rather than in different locations. However, you can have as many guests as you like since the number of simultaneous recording inputs is limited only by your hardware. Recordings are local and are not dependent on your internet connection’s stability. It also supports over 200 plug-ins which can be extremely beneficial.
The interface can be a little overwhelming at first and difficult to get your bearings. There are also fewer tutorials available compared to other software and platforms available.
Zoom was not created for podcast recordings, but podcasters have been using it to great success nonetheless. Over the past few years, most people have become very familiar with using Zoom, and along with the ability to record both audio and video, it has become an easy and convenient platform for podcasters to record. If you are having a high number of guests on an episode, Zoom is great as there is the capability to have up to 100 guests.
If you are looking for high-quality audio, Zoom is not the best option. Although, your guests will feel very comfortable and familiar during the recording, perhaps the reduction in quality could be worth it for you. Keep in mind that there could be a risk of losing your recording as the files are saved only after the recording ends. Zoom recordings are also dependent on internet stability which could lead to further quality issues. There is a free option available which is a great option if your episodes will not be longer than 40 minutes. There are also paid plans to choose from if the free version doesn’t meet your needs.
Once you have established what format your podcast will take, what your needs are, and what your budget is, there is certainly a platform out there to suit you and your podcast. We like the web-based platforms as it is extremely useful to be able to have guests and speakers on your podcast from a remote location.
Once you have finished recording your episode, it’s time to get editing. Check out our Top 10 Podcast and Audio Editing Software.
