The Best Video Podcast Recording Software in 2026

Q: What is the best way to record a video podcast?

Record locally on each participant's machine and upload the files afterward, rather than recording the live internet stream. Local recording captures full quality regardless of connection problems, so a guest's WiFi dropping costs you nothing. Tools built for podcasting do this automatically; video conferencing apps generally do not.

Q: What is the difference between local and cloud recording?

Local recording saves full-quality files on each participant's own device and uploads them after the session. Cloud recording captures the compressed stream as it arrives over the internet. Local survives a bad connection, cloud does not, and this single difference decides most of your final quality.

Q: Do I need separate video tracks for each guest?

Only if you plan to cut between speakers in the edit. If you are happy with a fixed grid layout you do not need them. If you want the polished look where the camera follows whoever is talking, separate tracks are required and not every tool provides them.

Q: Can I record a video podcast for free?

Yes. Most dedicated tools have free tiers with recording-hour limits, and OBS Studio is free without restriction but records only your own machine. The usual free tradeoffs are watermarks, resolution caps, or the loss of separate participant tracks.

Q: Is Zoom good enough for recording a video podcast?

It is good enough to start and unbeatable for guests who will not install anything, since almost everyone already has it. It records the compressed internet stream rather than local files, and it cannot produce separate video tracks per participant, so it caps your quality in ways dedicated tools do not.

Every tool on this list will record a video podcast. On a good day, with a good connection, the results are close enough that you would struggle to tell them apart.

The differences show up on bad days. A guest’s WiFi stutters, someone’s audio turns robotic for ninety seconds, two people talk over each other during the best exchange of the episode. What separates these tools is what you are left with when that happens, and that comes down to one technical decision most comparisons never explain.

The one thing that decides quality: local vs cloud recording

Cloud recording captures the stream as it arrives over the internet. Whatever the connection did to your guest’s audio and video is baked into the file. If they dropped out for ten seconds, the recording dropped out for ten seconds. Permanently.

Local recording saves a full-quality file on each participant’s own machine and uploads it after the session. The internet is only carrying the live conversation so you can talk to each other. The actual recording never touches it. A guest can lose connection entirely and their local file remains pristine.

This is the whole ballgame. It is why dedicated podcast tools exist when video calling software is free and already installed. Everything else, the effects and the AI features and the branded overlays, is decoration on top of this one decision.

Anything that records locally per participant is playing a different sport from anything that does not.

How we picked these tools

Local recording per participant, weighted most heavily, for the reason above.
Separate audio tracks, so one person’s cough is not welded to your sentence.
Separate video tracks, if you want to cut between speakers rather than accept a fixed grid.
What the guest has to do. A tool your guest cannot figure out is a tool you will stop using.
Honest free tiers, not trials disguised as free plans.

Quick comparison

Tool	Records locally	Separate audio tracks	Separate video tracks	Guest setup
Riverside	Yes	Yes	Yes	Browser link, no install
SquadCast (Descript)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Browser link, no install
Zencastr	Yes	Yes	Yes	Browser link, no install
Podcastle	Yes	Yes	Yes	Browser link, no install
StreamYard	Cloud-based	Limited	No	Browser link, no install
Zoom	No	Yes, on paid plans	No	Already installed
OBS Studio	Yes, your machine only	Yes	Local sources only	Not built for guests

The pattern in that table is the point. The four tools at the top solve the same problem the same way, and the interesting differences between them are workflow and price, not capability.

The tools

Riverside

The most established name in remote video podcast recording, and generally the one people mean when they say a show “looks professional”. Records locally in high resolution for every participant, produces separate tracks for audio and video, and guests join from a browser link with nothing to install.

Best for: video-first interview shows where quality is the product. Watch for: local recording means large uploads at the end of every session. On a slow connection, that wait is real.

SquadCast, now part of Descript

SquadCast built its reputation on reliable local recording, and being inside Descript now means the recording and editing steps live in one place. If you already edit in Descript, the friction that usually sits between recording and editing largely disappears.

Best for: shows already using Descript, or anyone who wants recording and editing unified. Watch for: you are buying into an ecosystem. Worth it if you like Descript, less so if you do not.

Zencastr

Long-standing, well-regarded, and usually the value pick. Records locally, handles separate tracks, browser-based for guests. It does the fundamentals properly without charging for a long feature list you will not use.

Best for: audio-first shows adding video, and anyone watching costs. Watch for: fewer polish features than Riverside. Whether that matters depends on whether you would have used them.

Podcastle

Bundles recording, editing and AI features into one tool, aimed at solo creators who do not want a separate editor. Records locally with separate tracks.

Best for: solo creators who want one tool from recording through to a finished file. Watch for: all-in-one tools trade depth for breadth. Fine until you need something specific.

StreamYard

Built for live streaming rather than recording, and it is very good at that. If your show goes out live to YouTube or Facebook and the recording is a byproduct, StreamYard fits naturally. If the recording is the point, its cloud-based approach means you inherit the quality of the live stream.

Best for: live shows where the stream is the primary format. Not for you if: you record and then edit before publishing.

Zoom

Everyone has it, nobody needs convincing to open it, and that counts for more than podcast guides usually admit. A guest who will not install software will still join a Zoom call.

The limits are real. It records the compressed internet stream rather than local files, and it cannot give you separate video tracks per participant, so cutting between speakers in the edit is off the table. It can record separate audio tracks on paid plans, which is the setting that makes it workable at all.

If Zoom is your choice, its defaults will hurt you until you change five of them. Our guide to recording a podcast on Zoom walks through exactly which.

Best for: hard-to-schedule guests, and getting started without adding friction. Not for you if: audio and video quality is what your show competes on.

OBS Studio

Free, open source, endlessly configurable, and the standard for anyone recording their own machine with multiple sources. It is not a remote guest tool. Pair it with something else for interviews.

Best for: solo shows, screen-heavy content, in-studio multi-camera setups. Not for you if: you want to record remote guests without engineering it yourself.

Recording remote guests vs everyone in one room

These are different problems and the tools are not interchangeable.

Remote guests. Local recording matters enormously, because you cannot control your guest’s WiFi and it will eventually fail you. Riverside, SquadCast, Zencastr and Podcastle all exist to solve exactly this. Our guide to recording a podcast remotely covers the broader workflow.

Everyone in one room. Local recording is irrelevant, because there is no network between you. Your constraints are cameras, microphones and getting the sources into one timeline, which is OBS territory or a hardware setup. Start with video podcast equipment and studio setup instead.

Picking a remote recording tool for an in-studio show is a common and expensive mistake. So is the reverse.

Free options, and what they actually cost you

Most tools here have a free tier, and they are more usable than you might expect. The catches follow a pattern:

Recording hour limits. Usually generous enough to test, not enough to run a weekly show.
Resolution caps. Free tiers often cap at 720p, which is visible on a large screen.
No separate tracks. The most common paid gate, and the feature that matters most in the edit.
Watermarks. Less common now, but check.

OBS Studio is the genuine exception: free with no limits, because it is open source and records only your own machine.

The honest advice is to run a real episode on a free tier before paying anything. You will learn more from one recorded conversation than from any comparison table, including this one.

Which tool fits which show

Remote interview show, quality matters. Riverside, SquadCast or Zencastr. Pick on price and whether you want Descript.

Remote interview show, guests are hard to schedule. Zoom, with the settings fixed. A recorded episode beats a perfect setup nobody showed up for.

Solo show with screen sharing. OBS Studio, or Podcastle if you want editing included.

Live show. StreamYard.

In-studio, multiple cameras. OBS or hardware. Remote recording tools are not built for this.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best way to record a video podcast?

Record locally on each participant’s machine and upload afterward, rather than recording the live stream. Local recording captures full quality regardless of connection problems.

What software does Joe Rogan use?

The Joe Rogan Experience is recorded in a physical studio with multiple cameras and microphones feeding a professional setup, not through remote recording software. It is not a useful model for most shows, because a show with remote guests has entirely different requirements from one where everyone sits in the same room.

What is the difference between local and cloud recording?

Local saves full-quality files on each participant’s device and uploads them after. Cloud captures the compressed stream as it arrives. Local survives a bad connection, cloud does not.

Do I need separate video tracks for each guest?

Only if you plan to cut between speakers. If a fixed grid layout is fine, you do not need them.

Can I record a video podcast for free?

Yes. Most tools have free tiers with hour limits, and OBS Studio is free without restriction but records only your own machine.

Is Zoom good enough for recording a video podcast?

Good enough to start, and unbeatable for guests who will not install anything. It records the compressed stream rather than local files and cannot produce separate video tracks, so it caps your quality.

After you record

Recording is the first step. Once you have the files, you need somewhere to host and distribute them, which is a separate decision covered in our comparison of video podcast platforms.

If you are still working out the format, what a video podcast is and how to start one are the right places to begin.