Riverside Review: How to Make Money as an Affiliate

Disclosure: some links in this post are affiliate links. If you buy through them, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

What Is Riverside?

Riverside is an online studio for recording podcasts and videos with people who aren't in the same room as you.

You send a guest a link. They click it in their browser. You both show up on screen, and Riverside records each person on their own device.

Why does that matter? Because the recording doesn't depend on your internet connection. If the call gets choppy, the files usually don't. That's the big problem Riverside solves, and it's why so many podcasters use it.

Here's the simple version of what you get:

• Local recording of up to 4K video and uncompressed audio
• Separate audio and video tracks for each person
• AI audio cleanup to reduce background noise
• Text-based editing, where you edit the video by editing the transcript
• Transcripts, show notes, captions, and short clips for social media
• Live streaming and webinars
• Podcast hosting that publishes to Spotify, Apple, and YouTube
• Web, Mac, and mobile apps

So it's not just a recorder anymore. It's trying to be the whole studio, from the first "can you hear me?" to the finished episode.

How Does Riverside Work?

Riverside runs in your browser. No big download, no complicated setup for your guests.

For Creators

1. Create a free account.
2. Set up a studio and invite your guests with a link.
3. Hit record. Each person is recorded locally on their own device.
4. When you're done, the files upload to Riverside.
5. Edit using the transcript, clean up the audio, and remove filler words and silences.
6. Export the full episode, pull short clips, and publish.

For Affiliates

1. Apply to the Riverside affiliate program (it runs through PartnerStack).
2. Once approved, grab your unique link from the dashboard.
3. Send traffic to it from your blog, YouTube channel, or email list.
4. Earn a commission when someone you refer buys a subscription.

Riverside says signing up takes about three minutes and costs nothing.

Riverside Pricing

Riverside has a free plan, a few paid plans, and a custom plan for larger teams. Paying yearly costs less per month than paying monthly.

The free plan is a real way to test it. You get a small amount of recording time, up to 720p, and a watermark. The paid plans remove the watermark, raise the quality, and give you more recording hours each month.

Always check Riverside's pricing page for current numbers. Plans, limits, and prices change, and the annual discounts vary by plan.

Who Should Use Riverside?

Creators

Riverside is a great fit if you:

• Run an interview podcast with remote guests
• Want video and audio that look and sound better than a normal video call
• Don't want to learn complicated editing software
• Want to turn one long recording into a bunch of short clips
• Host webinars or live streams and want it all in one place

Affiliates

It's a great fit if you:

• Write about podcasting, YouTube, or content creation
• Have an audience of coaches, course creators, or small businesses who want to start a show
• Like promoting tools with a free plan (free signups are easier to get)

Pros and Cons of Riverside

Pros

• Local recording, so a bad connection doesn't ruin your files
• Separate tracks for every person, which makes editing much easier
• Guests join from a browser link. Nothing to install.
• Text-based editing is very beginner-friendly
• AI tools for clips, show notes, and captions save a lot of time
• Free plan to test before you pay

Cons

• The free plan has a watermark and very limited recording time
• Paid plans have monthly recording-hour limits, so heavy users need a bigger plan
• Uploads can take a while after long recordings, especially on slow internet
• There are a lot of features. If you just want a simple recorder, it can feel like more than you need.

Riverside vs Alternatives

Want the deeper breakdowns? Read my Descript review, my Livestorm review, and my Castmagic review.

Here's the short answer. If your show is built on conversations with people in other places, Riverside is one of the easiest ways to make it sound and look professional.

How to Make Money with Riverside as an Affiliate

Riverside runs its own affiliate program. Here's what their affiliate page says right now:

• Commission: up to 20% for every customer you refer, which Riverside says can be "up to $85+ per sale"
• Payouts: monthly
• Platform: PartnerStack
• Who can join: creators, educators, agencies, and anyone with an audience
• Cost to join: free
• Extras: a real-time dashboard, banners, and pre-written posts

Notice the words "up to." Your actual rate may depend on the plan your referral buys. Riverside's page doesn't list a cookie length or say how long commissions recur, so check the program terms after you join.

So how do you actually earn? Here are three simple angles.

1. Help People Start a Podcast

Every new podcaster asks the same question. "What do I record with?" That's a steady stream of searches, and most of them come from people about to buy something.

Write the guide that answers it. Show the setup. Recommend Riverside where it fits.

2. Write Honest Comparisons

People who type "Riverside vs" into Google are close to a decision. Help them make it. Compare it to Zoom, Zencastr, or SquadCast, and be fair about the trade-offs.

3. Build a Podcast Tool Stack

Recording is just one step. Pair Riverside with tools for editing, repurposing, and growth, and you have a "complete podcast stack" post with several ways to earn. My ElevenLabs review covers AI voice, and if your readers want to monetize their show, point them to my Acast review.

Content Ideas That Rank

• Riverside review (this kind of post)
• Riverside vs Zencastr
• Riverside vs Zoom for podcasting
• Best remote podcast recording software
• How to record a podcast with remote guests
• Best podcast equipment for beginners

"Best of" and "vs" posts tend to convert well, because the reader is already shopping.

Common Questions About Riverside

Is Riverside free?
There's a free plan, but it has a watermark and limited recording time. Most serious podcasters move to a paid plan.

Do my guests need to download anything?
No. Guests can join from a browser link. There are also mobile apps if they want to record from their phone.

Why is Riverside better than recording on Zoom?
Riverside records each person locally on their own device, so the quality doesn't drop when the internet does. You also get separate tracks for each person.

Does Riverside have an affiliate program?
Yes. It pays up to 20% per referred customer, with monthly payouts, through PartnerStack.

Can I edit my podcast inside Riverside?
Yes. You can edit by editing the transcript, clean up audio, cut filler words, and create short clips.

Final Thoughts

Riverside fixes a real problem. Remote conversations that sound like remote conversations.

It's easy for guests, easy for beginners, and it keeps adding tools that save creators time. That makes it simple to recommend honestly.

And when a tool is simple to recommend honestly, it's usually simple to earn from.

Try Riverside free here.

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