Looking for better or cost-effective Squacast alternatives and competitors? Let me help you with it because I’ve gone through your pain.
In this article, I’ll talk about 3 affordable Squadcast alternatives and competitors that will give you access to cool, exciting features (some of which even Squadcast doesn’t have!) without you going broke. I’ll tell you about their pros, cons, help you compare the prices, and show you honest reviews from other users, too. I have personally tried and tested all these tools.
Full transparency time: I may get some commission if you click on these links but it won’t cost you anything. Also, these tools have not paid me to write this review. I use it every day and I support these projects regardless.
Table of Content
If you don’t have time, then here is a comparison for your Squadcast alternatives.
Before I move on to the alternatives, I have to say that Squadcast does have its fair share of advantages. Squadcast started off offering only audio recordings. You would have been able to see yourself on video, but the recording would only capture the audio. They have since added the option of video recording in beta. So, you can either opt for only audio recordings or go for audio and video recordings when choosing a plan.
The amazing quality of Squadcast’s audio recordings has won the hearts of many podcasters. Squadcast records in WAV and MP4 formats. You can also get separate recordings for each of the participants recorded locally.
To add to it, you can mix the recordings afterward using Squadcast by simply choosing the tracks you want to merge. It takes away a lot of the hassle you would otherwise need to take for post-production.
Next, you can get video tutorials guiding you with Squadcast directly from the Squadcast team. This is a truly unique effort by the team to make the lives of their customers easier.
You can also check your settings and see whether you have the right devices for input and output selected in the Squadcast green room before entering the actual session. You can view a preview of yourself and check yourself and your background, which is especially helpful for video podcasts.
Squadcast is also backed up by TinySeed, an accelerator for seed-stage SaaS founders looking to grow their businesses.
Their UX is also easier to use than a few other tools I have personally used. Users have also felt the same, as evident on g2.
Having said all this, Squadcast does have its share of cons.
You cannot change the settings once you are in the session, regardless of whether you are recording or not. Some users have found this irksome since it can be a problem if background noise suddenly comes from a different place. But this may not be much of an issue for people with very good mics, though.
Squadcast also is not supported by Safari. So if one of your guests primarily uses Safari, it can be inconvenient for them as they would have to download another browser before your podcast.
Some users have also shared concerns about the lack of adequate integration with more commonly used organization tools such as Google Calendar or Slack.
One major issue I personally feel Squadcast has at the moment is its pricing. It is extremely steep and not at all suitable for hobbyists or beginners. The cheapest plan for audio recordings alone costs $20 per month, $220 if paid annually.
On the flip side, the cheapest plan for audio and video recordings starts from $40 per month and $440 if billed annually.
Squadcast does not offer any free version and only has a 7-day free trial.
Their explanation for the steep pricing is that they believe in competing through quality rather than pricing. Squadcast claims to focus on customers and not on investors, as opposed to what many other podcast software backed by venture capitalists do.
They’ve also declared that reliability through providing a quality product is their primary ambition.
Whatever the reason, the point that Squadcast is quite expensive remains. As such, here are some affordable Squadcast alternatives and competitors that are equally as good, if not better.
Squadcast alternatives and competitors #1 – Riverside.fm
Riverside.fm is an incredible podcast recording software and a personal favorite for many reasons. If you have to choose Squadcast vs Riverside.fm (choose Riverside) and let me tell you why.
Pros
Riverside.fm is constantly innovating some feature or the other. With such a continual commitment to improving customer experience, Riverside.fm has several pros, making it a great alternative.
Both Squadcast and Riverside.fm offer progressive uploads, so you don’t have to awkwardly ask your guest to stay back after the podcast while the tools complete their uploading. Both of them also upload to the cloud automatically as they record, so even in cases of crashes or disasters, your files are safe.
Plus, Riverside.fm offers locally recorded audio and video recordings, just like Squadcast. However, Riverside.fm’s video recording is fully formed and offers up to 4k in resolution, which means you never have to worry about grainy, blurry videos ever again.
Because the podcast is recorded locally, your audio and video will be recorded in studio quality no matter how strong or weak your internet connection is. If you are wondering whether or not recording locally really makes that much of a difference in terms of quality, take a look at the image below comparing the video quality of Riverside.fm’s local recording to cloud recording of the popular video conferencing software, Zoom.
Riverside.fm allows up to 8 participants, whereas Squadcast allows up to only 4. This means that even if you are the single host of your podcasts, you can invite only a maximum of 3 guests using Squadcast, which may not always suffice. Compared to that, Riverside.fm lets you have 7 other people, which is usually more than enough.
Riverside.fm also allows a producer to be present without taking up a participant slot. Thereby, the producer can focus on the quality while you can fully concentrate on the conversation.
Another wonderful feature of Riverside.fm that I am truly excited about is the option to live stream. You can directly connect to and engage with your audience on popular social media platforms such as Facebook, Youtube, and Twitch. This feature helps you reach out to a wider audience.
When I say Riverside.fm helps you build a community, I genuinely mean it. You can have live listener call-ins using Riverside.fm, which isn’t possible on Squadcast and many other podcast recording software.
You can also share your screen on Riverside.fm, which can help you elevate your podcasts.
Riverside.fm has a mobile app so you can produce quality podcasts anytime, anywhere.
Cons
Riverside.fm currently only works on Chrome browser from your PC/laptop. Its iOS app supports iPads and iPods. By contrast, Squadcast works on the latest versions of several browsers, some of which can be accessed using Android mobile phones, such as Chrome, Brave, Firefox, Opera, and Edge.
Squadcast also offers integrations with some editing software, which Riverside.fm lacks.
Check out my take on some of the best (and free) Riverside.fm alternatives.
Best suited for
Riverside.fm is best for serious podcasters and professionals who usually have multiple guests and need perfection in their podcasts.
Pricing
Riverside.fm offers up to 60 minutes for free, which is quite generous. Paid plans start at $7.5 per month (if billed annually) for up to 2 hours of recording. This is a significantly better figure for Hobbyists compared to Squadcast’s pricing, where they would have to pay at least $40 a month for audio and video recording.
If you want additional features and some customization, Riverside.fm also has an Enterprise plan.
Things I wish Riverside.fm had
- Automatic transcription: I could have avoided the hassle of manually transcribing my podcasts.
- Analytics: I would love data about my audience to improve my podcasts and connect to them better.
Honest reviews from others
ProductHunt rating: 4.5/5
Users have praised its ease of use, high quality, and local recording on participants’ end.
You are in luck – Here’s a discount code for you to try. 25% off for the first 3 months: Aazar25
You can even ready my full review on Riverside here.
Squadcast alternatives and competitors #2 – Welder
Welder is the cool new kid in town for podcasting with a low budget.
Pros
The user interface is neat and easy to use. If you love a good UX, chances are you are going to love Welder.
Like Riverside.fm, it also offers video recording in resolution up to 4k, which means amazing quality. Because Welder also records podcasts locally, you don’t have to worry about your internet connection ruining the quality of your recording. Welder records audio in 48kHz, 24 bit.
Moreover, it offers separate tracks for each participant, as Riverside.fm and Squadcast do.
You also don’t have to download anything to be able to record using Welder.
According to a Reddit thread by one of the founders, Welder has big plans for the future. They plan to add automatic transcription, live streaming capability, apps for iOS and Android mobile phones, and more.
Welder also offers a maximum of 8 participants, which is significantly higher than what Squadcast offers (4 participants max).
You can also do a test recording of up to 10 seconds with Welder before the actual recording.
Plus, you can record using any device that is connected to your computer.
Welder also allows you to check your settings before proceeding with the session.
Check out my full Welder review here.
Cons
Currently, Welder does not record in WAV format as Squadcast does, but it plans to do so in the future.
Files are also downloaded in GBs. Although this ensures good quality, it can cause you to run out of space faster. Squadcast’s file sizes are smaller than those of Welder.
I also wish Welder offered instant recordings. Currently, you have to wait till you stop the recording for your upload to complete.
Lastly, Welder does not allow you to schedule podcasts like Squadcast and Riverside.fm do. This is pretty inconvenient as scheduled invites can help guests keep track of their routines and make sure they have time set aside for joining your podcast.
Best suited for
Hobbyists can use Welder if the pricing is not a problem. Professionals may use it too, though I think they may be able to benefit more from other Squadcast alternatives and competitors like Riverside.fm.
Pricing
Welder offers 30 minutes for free. Paid plans start at $25 a month for up to 5 hours of recording, which is much cheaper than what Squadcasts charges for 5 hours.
Things I wish Welder had
- Chat feature: I wish I were able to chat with my audience.
Honest reviews from others
Product Hunt rating: 5/5
Users have appreciated the ease of use and quality of recordings.
Squadcast alternatives and competitors #3 – Remotely.fm
Although quite new, Remotely.fm has made its mark in the podcasting world with some cool features.
Pros
Remotely.fm locally records audio in 16 bit .WAV format at 48kHz. Remotely.fm also locally records videos up to 4k in resolution at 30 frames per second in MP4 format. And yes, you will get separate tracks for each participant.
You also have the option to only record the audio if you want to.
Unlike Welder, Remotely allows you to schedule interviews and send calendar invites to your guests. You can also send them invite links.
Another exciting feature that is unavailable in Squadcast, Riverside.fm, and Welder is the capacity for branding.
On Remotely.fm, you can alter the color to match your brand, upload a logo, and attach a name.
Like Welder, Remotely.fm allows you to do a test recording before proceeding with the actual recording.
With this podcasting software, you can keep an eye on your upload progress, as you can with Riverside.fm.
Unlike Welder, you can get the recorded file right after you stop recording on Remotely.fm. You do not have to ask your guests to stay connected and hence forgo that bit of unnecessary awkwardness.
Remotely.fm allows you up to 8 guests, which is 4 more than what Squadcast allows. It also offers cloud backups and ensures there is no audio drift.
Cons
Remotely.fm’s knowledge base lacks sophistication compared to the resources and blogs offered by other businesses.
Best suited for
Remotely.fm’s affordable pricing makes it perfect for hobbyists. Again, professionals can use this if they want to, but I feel that they may prefer other Squadcast alternatives and competitors over Remotely.fm.
Pricing
If paid yearly, Remotely.fm charges $15 per month for only audio recordings and $25 per month for both audio and video recordings.
Things I wish Remotely.fm had
- Automatic transcription: I would have loved it if Remotely.fm could’ve automatically transcribed my podcasts.
- Mix content: I wish I had the option to mix separate tracks as Squadcast allows me to.
Honest reviews from others
Users have appreciated the ease of use and Remotely.fm’s ability to support multiple hosts.
My final two cents on this
For me, Squadcast’s only notable issue is its pricing. I personally think that Squadcast should add another plan that is priced lower and allows a number of hours fewer than 5, as that is currently the lowest number of hours for their Indie Plan. Alternatively, they could have a calculator that sets a price according to the customer’s needs.
Overall, my favorite out of all these Squadcast alternatives and competitors would be Riverside.fm. The price and the features make it just the right software for me.
If you are a professional podcaster, you can go for Riverside.fm with your eyes closed. You can try Welder, too, if that is more up your alley. If you are just starting out as a hobbyist, you can either choose Remotely.fm or Welder.
Disclaimer: Please note, I may receive affiliate compensation for some of the links below at no cost to you if you decide to purchase a paid plan. However, these are the best tools I have tested for launching and running a website & a podcast. You can read my affiliate disclosure in my privacy policy & affiliate disclosure.