Free, with no watermark
No plan, no trial, no hour cap. The AI edits run on your own agent plan, so Claude or ChatGPT users pay $0 more.
Takes Riverside alternative
A free Riverside alternative for solo creators.
Takes for Mac is free and records you with a teleprompter. No watermark, no hour cap. Then ask for the edit.
The short answer
Three things to know first.
Made for one person
Riverside is a studio for guests. Takes is for you alone, talking to the camera from a script.
Files stay on your Mac
Each take is a plain .mov in a folder. No upload, no cloud, no account.
At a glance
Riverside and Takes, side by side.
Riverside
- ✓Remote guests in the browser
- Free plan: 720p, a watermark
- Pro is $29 a month
Takes for Mac
- ✓Made for one person
- ✓Full size, no watermark
- ✓Free and open source
What it costs
What it costs each month.
The smallest Claude or ChatGPT plan runs Takes. No Max plan needed.
Takesyou already pay for Claude or ChatGPT$0every feature · no watermark
Takes + Claude Prothe smallest plan, billed yearly$17$20 month to month · no Max plan needed
Riverside Free$0720p · a watermark · 2 recording hours once
Riverside Probilled yearly$24$288 a year
Riverside Promonth to month$29cancel any month
Riverside prices from riverside.com/pricing, 22 October 2026. Claude Pro is $20 a month, or $17 billed yearly. ChatGPT Plus with Codex is $20 a month.
How
From one take to every version, alone.
-
1Record yourself
Press ⌘R. Full size, on your Mac.
-
2Read your script
It follows your voice. No co-host needed.
-
3Ask for the edit
Plain words. No timeline.
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4Get each version
16:9 and 9:16, saved on your Mac.
Less work
Two sentences, not ten clicks.
The same job: a tight 9:16 clip with captions, then the post.
Timeline editor 10 steps
- Import the take
- Drag it to the timeline
- Find and cut each pause
- Run auto captions
- Remove the filler words
- Fix the caption style
- Set 9:16
- Reframe on your face
- Export
- Write the caption
Takes 2 messages
- "Cut my keeper into a vertical short. Keep it tight, no silences."
- "Now write the posts for it."
8 minfrom the last word of a real take to the first cut (3:18 → 1:24, 36 pauses out)
A real video
What "ask for the edit" looks like.
The maker of Takes made this LinkedIn video in Takes on October 1, 2026. Claude Code did every cut. The full story, step by step.
3:18raw take
36pauses cut
1:24first cut
27notes, in words
9versions
0timeline drags
Some of the real notes
- v3 · 0:14"I stutter here a little, any chance you can correct?"
- v4"Too many stuttery pauses, please cut."
What you get
Everything a solo creator needs.
A teleprompter that listens
It scrolls as you talk and waits when you stop.
No hour cap
Full size, straight to a folder on your Mac.
Restarts cut for you
Ask once. The ums and retakes go.
Captions in your style
Burned in, low, clear of your face.
9:16 on your face
The vertical crop follows you.
Free, no watermark
MIT licensed. No account, no trial.
Post
Then it writes the posts.
LinkedIn, X, YouTube and Shorts, each shown as it will look.
Compare
Takes, Riverside, Descript and CapCut.
| Takes for Mac | Riverside | Descript | CapCut | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, open source (MIT) | Free plan; Pro $29 a month ($24 yearly) | Free plan; from $16 a month | Free plan; $9.99 or $19.99 a month |
| Free plan limits | None. Your disk | 720p, a watermark, 2 recording hours once | 720p export | Some tools paid |
| Remote guests | No, one person | Yes | Yes, in Rooms | Not stated |
| Teleprompter | Follows your voice | Yes, for the host on Pro | Scrolls at a set speed | In the phone app |
| How you edit | Ask in words | Text editing, plus an AI agent | Transcript editing | A full timeline |
| Where files live | A folder on your Mac | Riverside's cloud | Descript's cloud | Device, plus paid cloud |
| Runs on | Mac, Apple silicon | Browser, Mac app, phones | Mac, Windows, web | Mac, Windows, web, phones |
Sources: riverside.com/pricing, our Descript page and our CapCut page, checked 2026-10-22; Takes from its code.
Be honest
Who should stay on Riverside.
Takes fits you if…
- you record alone, to the camera, from a script or notes
- you want full size with no watermark, free
- you want a clean cut with captions, with no timeline
- you want your files on your Mac, not in a cloud
Stay on Riverside if…
- you record guests from afarTakes records one person.
- you need Windows or a phoneTakes is a Mac app.
- you want to record in the browserTakes needs an install.
- you want $0 and do not use an AI agentRiverside Free needs no plan.
Get started
Paste one line, or download.
One line installs Takes and sets it up. Or download the .dmg.
NeedsApple silicon, macOS 15+, and Claude Code, Codex or pi.
First time with the .dmg?macOS asks once: click Open Anyway in Privacy & Security.
Free and openMIT licensed. Read the code on GitHub.
Questions
Riverside alternative questions.
Is there a free alternative to Riverside for solo creators?
Yes. Takes for Mac is free (MIT): no watermark, no hour cap. Riverside Free is 720p with a watermark; Pro is $29 a month.
Can Takes record a guest?
No, one person only. Pick Riverside for remote guests.
Is the quality as good as Riverside's?
It records straight to your Mac at full size, so it is as good as your camera and mic.
Does Takes have a teleprompter?
Yes. It follows your voice as you read.
What does Takes need?
Apple silicon, macOS 15+, and an agent on your own plan: Claude Code, Codex or pi.
More about Takes