Podcast recording software compared for real estate agents

Podcast recording software for real estate agents splits into three groups. Riverside, Zencastr and SquadCast by Descript record each guest locally and include editing. StreamYard is built to stream as well as record. Zoom records meetings. ICONS Live, which is free for agents, records interviews that the ICONS team goes on to produce. Prices below are as of October 2026.

How do the recording tools compare on price?

The six recording tools range from free to $99 a month, and most have a free option with limits. Prices were taken from each company’s pricing page on October 9, 2026, and ICONS Live’s row reflects the ICONS Live studio page.

Tool	Starting price (Oct 2026)	Free option	Records each guest locally	Built-in editing
Riverside	Pro $24/mo billed annually ($29 monthly)	Yes: 2 hrs multi-track (one-off), 720p, watermark	Yes	Yes, text-based
Zencastr	Vibecastr free; Enterprise custom	Yes: up to 6 people, 4K, 48 kHz WAV	Yes	Yes, text-based and chat
SquadCast by Descript	Hobbyist $16/person/mo billed annually ($24 monthly)	Yes: 1 media hour/mo, 720p with watermark	Yes (Descript Rooms)	Yes, text-based
StreamYard	Core $35.99/mo on the billed-yearly tab	Yes: logo, 2 hrs/mo local recordings	Yes, with local recording on	Trim only
Zoom	Pro $16.99/user/mo billed monthly	Yes: Basic, 40-minute meetings	No; optional separate audio per person	No
ICONS Live	Free	Free; ask for access through the form on the ICONS Live page	Yes	No

Each tool also gets a longer head-to-head with ICONS Live, with every plan and limit sourced:

• Riverside. Riverside vs ICONS Live covers text-based editing and live streaming.
• Zencastr. The Zencastr vs ICONS Live comparison looks at a free plan that includes hosting.
• SquadCast by Descript. Recording inside an editor is the focus of SquadCast by Descript vs ICONS Live.
• StreamYard. For live streaming first, read StreamYard vs ICONS Live.
• Zoom. Agents who already use Zoom can start with Zoom vs ICONS Live for podcast recording.

What does a year of each recording tool cost?

A year of recording software costs between nothing and about $430 for one person on these entry plans. The figures below multiply each tool’s listed entry price; they are worked examples from the October 2026 pages, not quotes.

Tool and plan	Listed price	Approximate first year
Zencastr Vibecastr	Free	$0
ICONS Live	Free; access through the form on its page	$0
Zoom Pro	$169.90 per user per year billed annually	$169.90
Descript Hobbyist	$16 per person a month billed annually	$192
Riverside Pro	$288 billed annually	$288
StreamYard Core	$35.99 a month on the billed-yearly tab	about $432

Free plans keep the cost at zero but carry limits: Riverside’s one-off 2 hours and watermark, Descript’s 1 media hour a month and watermark, and Zoom’s 40-minute meetings. Check those limits against a weekly schedule before you rely on a free plan.

Which tools record each guest on their own device?

Five of the six tools record each person locally. Zoom is the exception. Local recording means the file is made on each person’s computer, so a dropped connection doesn’t reach the saved audio and video.

• Riverside. It says it captures “up to 4K video and uncompressed audio in separate tracks, unaffected by internet connection.”
• Zencastr. Every participant “is recorded on their own separate track,” at up to 4K and 48 kHz WAV.
• Descript Rooms. SquadCast now sits under Descript, whose recorder gives each participant “a separate file, recorded on their own machine.”
• StreamYard. With local recording on, you can download an individual audio and video file for each participant.
• ICONS Live. Each person is recorded as uncompressed 48 kHz WAV and MP4, and the files are lined up automatically.
• Zoom. A computer recording captures the meeting as one participant sees it. Per Zoom’s recording file formats page, it can save a separate M4A audio file per participant, but not separate video.

Why that matters for the edit, with a diagram of the two signal paths, is in what a wifi drop does to a call recording.

Which tools include editing or live streaming?

Riverside, Zencastr and Descript include editors, while StreamYard and Riverside lead on live streaming. Editing and streaming are where the tools differ most:

• Editing. Riverside offers text-based editing on paid plans; Zencastr lists text-based, multi-track and chat-based editing on its free plan; Descript is an editor first. StreamYard offers trimming and project-file export. Zoom and ICONS Live have no editor.
• Streaming. StreamYard streams to 3, 8 or 10 destinations by plan. Riverside streams in 1080p on Grow and higher. Zencastr lists live streaming in 1080p. ICONS Live and Zoom are not used for podcast streaming here; ICONS Live records only.
• Transcripts. Riverside lists more than 90 languages, Descript 25, StreamYard 15 and Zencastr 10. ICONS Live writes a transcript per speaker in English only.

How easy is each tool for a guest who isn’t technical?

Most of these tools let a guest join from a browser link on a computer, with no download. That matters when your guest is a lender, an inspector or a past client who records once.

• Riverside. Guests on a computer use Chrome, Edge or Safari; recording on a phone needs the iOS or Android app.
• Zencastr. No signup and no download are needed on a computer, in Chrome, Edge or Brave.
• StreamYard. Guests join from the invite link without logging in or downloading software, and an iOS guest app is available.
• Descript Rooms. It runs in the browser, and Descript says Rooms isn’t supported on mobile devices.
• ICONS Live. Guests open a link, check their camera and microphone in a green room, and wait to be let in.
• Zoom. Guests who use Zoom for work will know it; we didn’t check Zoom’s guest download requirements for this article.

Whichever you pick, ask guests to wear headphones. A laptop beats a phone, every time.

What limits should agents watch?

Each tool’s free or entry plan has one limit that matters most for an interview show. Check these before you commit:

1. Riverside: the free plan’s 2 multi-track hours are one-off, and paid plans cap separate-track downloads per month.
2. Zencastr: the free plan allows 6 participants; hosting rows read “Unlimited Video RSS 6,000,” which is worth asking about.
3. Descript: recording hours are capped per drive, from 2 hours on Free to 25 a month on Business, and media hours and AI credits don’t roll over.
4. StreamYard: the help center lists “No ability to download recordings” on Free, even though the pricing page lists local recordings.
5. Zoom: Basic meetings stop at 40 minutes, and cloud recording needs a paid licence.
6. ICONS Live: up to 6 people on camera, English-only transcripts, browser only, and you ask for access rather than signing up.

Which recording tool fits your situation?

The right recording tool comes down to two questions: who edits the show, and do you want to go live? Three answers for three kinds of agent:

• Solo agent starting out and editing alone: Zencastr or Riverside’s free plan. Both record locally and include editing; Zencastr’s self-serve plan is free.
• Agent with a producer, in-house or at ICONS: ICONS Live. The producer gets lined-up per-speaker files, and the recording moves straight into review and publishing.
• Agent who wants live market updates: StreamYard, or Riverside Grow. Both stream to social platforms and can record locally.

If you already pay for Zoom, it’s fine for testing. Turn on separate audio files per participant, and move to local recording when the show gets serious.

Guests must know they are being recorded, on any of these tools. In some US states every person on the call has to agree, not just the host, which is a general note and not legal advice; check with your broker. For microphones, cameras and the rest of the setup, read the real estate podcast equipment guide.