Video tools / Compare
Lightworks vs Riverside
Both do 1 of the same video tools task. Below is what each says about its own limits and pricing, and how each ranks on signals we can measure or quote.
Disclosure: agathox makes some of the tools listed here. They are labelled and scored by the same method as every other tool.
A
Lightworks
Lightworks is the Emmy-winning video editor behind Hollywood classics, free to download on Windows, macOS and Linux. Import, edit, grade and deliver in one app.
Signals score: 3.9 / 5 · not a hands-on test
Visit lwks.comB
Riverside
Riverside is your online studio for high-quality podcast and video recording and editing. Powered by AI, built for human conversations. Get started for free.
Signals score: 3.9 / 5 · not a hands-on test
Visit riverside.comPricing, limits and privacy
- Free tier
- A: Free plan (listed as free forever): export up to 1080p, 1 cloud provider at a time, 720p low-quality H.264 proxies, YouTube and Vimeo presets, MP4 media files only.
- B: Free plan at $0/month: 2 hours of multi-track recording (listed as one-time), unlimited single-track recording and editing, editing tools, Magic Clips, video up to 720p, audio 44.1 kHz.
- Paid plan
- A: Create (4K export, BRAW and ProRes decode) and Pro (8K export, 10-bit, HDR) are offered monthly, yearly or one-time. Prices are not shown on the page read; it says prices are in USD, GBP and EUR before sales tax.
- B: Pro $29/month (or $24/month billed $288 yearly), Grow $39/month (or $34/month billed $408 yearly), Webinar $99/month (annual figures on the page are inconsistent), Business custom via sales. Currency or country not stated.
- Signup
- A: Not stated. The page links to Sign In and My Account but does not say whether the free download needs an account.
- B: Not stated.
- Watermark
- A: The page says files created with Lightworks are free from overlays or watermarks. Watermarked Pond5 stock footage can be imported and bought at export.
- B: Yes. The pricing page says the free plan has a Riverside watermark; Pro lists no watermark.
- Where files go
- A: Not stated.
- B: Privacy policy says personal data may be stored and processed in the US, Canada, EU and other places. No retention period for recordings is stated. Voice and face data are kept only as long as needed for the requested feature. Recordings may be used to train its AI, except for business-plan customers who opted out.
From each tool's own pages, checked 2026-11-01. Prices and limits change; check the tool before you rely on them. Sources are listed on each tool's page.
Compare on a task
Neither tool has been hands-on tested on these tasks yet, and we do not guess. Open a task to see both ranked with every other tool.
- Only Riverside: Screen recorder
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