ChatGPT answers, unedited

For long-form, in-depth remote interviews, I’d prioritize three things:

1. Local recording (so a guest’s bad Wi-Fi doesn’t ruin the file)
2. No practical session-length limits
3. Reliable recovery/upload if a 2–4 hour conversation happens

The best choice depends on whether you record video, audio only, and how much post-production you do.

My top picks

1. Riverside — best overall for serious interview shows

riverside.fm

Choose this if your interviews are a flagship product (YouTube, documentary-style, video podcast, guest conversations).

Strengths:

• Records each participant locally, preserving quality despite internet issues
• Separate audio/video tracks for editing
• Strong video quality and production workflow
• Good guest experience: guests usually just click a link
• Built-in editing, clips, transcripts, and publishing tools The Podcast Consultant ngram

Potential downside:

• It is more than you need if you only publish audio.
• Check the current plan limits carefully if you routinely record extremely long sessions; “unlimited” can vary by feature/plan. ngram

My default recommendation for a long-form interview host: Riverside.

2. SquadCast (via Descript) — best if editing is your bottleneck

descript.com

Good fit if your workflow is:

• Record a 2-hour conversation
• Edit by transcript
• Pull quotes and clips quickly

Strengths:

• Strong integration with transcript-based editing
• Clean, podcast-focused workflow
• Good for teams already using Descript THAT Toronto Podcast Studio

3. Zencastr — best audio-first option

zencastr.com

Choose this if:

• Your interviews are primarily audio
• Video is secondary
• You want recording + hosting + podcast workflow together

Strengths:

• Local multitrack recording
• Audio-focused roots
• Built-in podcast tools and AI editing features Podcast AI Tools Riverside

4. Cleanfeed — best for broadcast-quality audio only

cleanfeed.net

If your show is closer to NPR/BBC-style audio interviews:

• Excellent audio capture
• Less clutter than video podcast platforms
• Designed around remote audio production Riverside

What I would avoid for your use case

• Zoom as the primary recorder: convenient, but it is optimized for meetings rather than pristine interview capture.
• Browser call recordings without local tracks: a multi-hour interview can be destroyed by one participant’s connection problems.

My recommendation by scenario

For a host doing long-form, in-depth interviews, I’d start with Riverside, then pair it with a separate backup strategy (for example, having the guest record a local backup track when the guest is especially important). The Podcast Consultant podrewind.com

One question would change the recommendation: are these video interviews published publicly, or audio-only conversations?

For long-form, in-depth remote interviews, I’d choose Zencastr if “unlimited duration” and recording reliability are your top priorities.

My pick: Zencastr

zencastr.com is particularly well suited to interview/podcast workflows because:

• Unlimited recording time, including on its current free plan. Zencastr Zencastr
• Local recording on each participant's device, rather than relying on the call's internet stream for recording quality. Zencastr
• Separate tracks for each speaker, which is important when you're doing serious post-production. Zencastr Help Center
• Up to 48 kHz WAV audio and, on the current free plan, up to 1080p video. Zencastr
• Its paid plans include unlimited recording storage, whereas the free plan has a limited retention period for recording masters. Zencastr Help Center

For a serious interview show, I'd use a paid Zencastr plan rather than simply relying on the free tier—not because of duration, but for storage and production capabilities.

Riverside is the other strong choice

riverside.fm is arguably the more polished all-around production platform. It also records locally, continuously uploads the recordings, and supports up to 4K video/48 kHz audio on paid plans. Riverside Riverside

One important wrinkle: Riverside says sessions automatically end after 6 hours, so if by “unlimited” you mean I occasionally want to conduct a 7–10 hour interview without interruption, Riverside is not the right choice. Riverside Help Center

Bottom line

I'd go with Zencastr for your use case. For a host doing serious, long-form interviews, the combination of local recording + separate tracks + unlimited duration is more important than having the flashiest studio interface.

One caveat: for mission-critical interviews, I wouldn't trust any cloud service as the only copy. Have you and/or the guest run a local backup recording when the interview is particularly important.

For long-form, in-depth remote interviews, I’d choose Riverside—with one important caveat: “unlimited recording” and “unlimited high-quality separate-track downloads” are not the same thing.

My pick: Riverside

Riverside is the strongest fit if reliability and interview quality matter more than having the cheapest plan.

• Very long sessions: Riverside says recordings can continue without a recording-time limit, although it recommends keeping sessions under 4 hours; sessions automatically end after 6 hours if someone is still in the studio. support.riverside.com
• Local-quality capture: each participant's audio/video is recorded separately rather than relying solely on the quality of the live internet connection.
• Separate tracks: crucial for interviews—you can independently clean up your voice and your guest's voice.
• Video: up to 4K on paid plans, if you're publishing video interviews.
• Guest experience: browser-based, so guests generally don't need complicated software.
• Post-production: transcription, editing, clips, and other tools are built in.

The catch is that paid plans have monthly allowances for downloading separate high-quality tracks, while the actual studio recording itself isn't cut off when you exceed that allowance. Riverside explicitly says recordings aren't stopped when you go over your plan's hours. riverside.fm

What I'd choose for your use case

One thing I would not do: use ordinary Zoom/Meet recording as your master recording for an important long-form interview. They're excellent for the conversation itself, but a dedicated local-recording platform gives you a much better safety margin for production.

For comparison, SquadCast currently offers 10–40 recording hours per editor/month depending on plan rather than unlimited recording, while its integration with Descript is its big advantage. squadcast.fm

Bottom line: If you're building a serious interview archive and want to be able to record a 2-, 3-, or 4-hour conversation without worrying about the call length, Riverside is my default recommendation. If you tell me whether your interviews are audio-only or video, roughly how many hours/month you record, and whether you edit in Descript/Premiere/Final Cut, I can narrow it down to the exact plan and the best alternative.

For long-form, in-depth remote interviews where recording reliability is the priority, I’d choose Zencastr right now.

Why Zencastr fits your use case

• Unlimited recording duration — Zencastr says its paid plans have unlimited audio/video recording with no time limit, and its current free plan also advertises unlimited recording. support.zencastr.comsupport.zencastr.com
• Local recording — each participant’s audio/video is captured on their own device and progressively uploaded. So a temporary internet problem doesn't turn into bad audio in your master recording. zencastr.comsupport.zencastr.com
• Separate tracks — you get individual files for you and each guest, which is crucial for cleaning up a long interview afterward. support.zencastr.com
• Excellent audio — paid plans support 16-bit/48 kHz WAV, rather than relying on compressed conference-call audio. zencastr.comsupport.zencastr.com
• Guests don't need an account or software — you can send someone a recording link and they join through their browser. zencastr.comsupport.zencastr.com
• Up to 12 people on paid plans, so you're not constrained if an interview occasionally becomes a panel. support.zencastr.com

The important distinction

For your particular use case, I'd prioritize local recording + progressive upload over whether the service has the prettiest video-call interface. That's what protects a 2–4 hour interview from being ruined by a flaky connection.

I'd rank the options:

One particularly nice thing about Zencastr is that even its current free offering advertises unlimited recording, although storage/other features differ by plan. Paid plans provide more durable recording storage; Zencastr specifically recommends downloading and checking your files after each session. support.zencastr.comsupport.zencastr.com

My setup for a serious interview show: Zencastr → WAV separate tracks → immediately download/archive the masters → use your normal editing/transcription workflow afterward. And for interviews you absolutely cannot recreate, I'd still make a local backup recording on your side rather than trusting any single cloud service.

If you tell me (1) audio-only vs. video, (2) typical interview length, and (3) roughly how many interviews/month, I can narrow it down to the specific plan and compare Zencastr vs. Riverside on cost and limits.

For long-form, in-depth remote interviews where you really don’t want the recording to stop, I’d choose Zencastr.

My pick: Zencastr

It currently offers unlimited-duration audio and video recording, separate tracks for participants, 48 kHz WAV audio, and automatic backups. Its documentation explicitly says paid plans have no recording time limit. support.zencastr.com

That makes it particularly well suited to interviews that might run 2–4+ hours rather than conventional 30–60 minute podcasts.

Riverside is excellent, but there's an important catch: its current individual plans have 5 or 15 hours/month of multitrack recording, while unlimited multitrack recording is on its Business tier. riverside.com

For your particular use case, I'd therefore rank them:

1. Zencastr — best if unlimited-duration recording and reliability are the priority.
2. Riverside — best if you also want a more sophisticated video-production/editing ecosystem and your monthly recording volume fits its limits.
3. SquadCast/Descript — attractive if your post-production workflow already revolves around Descript.

One important distinction: “unlimited duration” doesn't mean “never worry about your files.” For important interviews, I would still have the guest use headphones, verify their mic before starting, and download/check the separate tracks immediately after the interview. Zencastr itself recommends checking that uploads have completed after recording. support.zencastr.com

If you tell me audio-only vs. video, typical interview length, number of guests, and whether you need 4K, I can narrow this down to the best plan—not just the best service.

For long-form, in-depth remote interviews, I’d choose Riverside—with Zencastr as the strongest alternative.

My pick: Riverside

Why it fits your use case:

• No recording-duration limit on a session; Riverside explicitly says you can record as long as needed. riverside.fmriverside.com
• Local recording gives you separate participant tracks rather than relying solely on the quality of the internet call.
• Paid plans support up to 4K video and 48 kHz audio, which is appropriate for serious interview production. riverside.fmriverside.com
• It has progressive uploading and automatic cloud backups, important for multi-hour interviews. riverside.fmriverside.com
• You also get transcription, text-based editing, show notes, clips, and podcast publishing tools—useful if you're turning interviews into a content pipeline. riverside.fmriverside.com
• The current Pro plan is listed at $29/month or $24/month annually, though the important catch is that separate-track downloads are capped at 15 hours/month on Pro. riverside.com

Strong alternative: Zencastr

Zencastr is particularly interesting if unlimited recording is your #1 requirement. Its current pricing says even the free plan includes unlimited audio/video recording, unlimited separate-track recordings, 1080p video, and 48 kHz WAV audio; paid plans add 4K and other production features. zencastr.com Its help center also explicitly says paid plans have no recording time limit. support.zencastr.com

What I wouldn't choose for this specific job

StreamYard is excellent for livestreaming, but it's less attractive for marathon interviews: its paid plans can stream indefinitely, yet recordings are limited to 10 hours on Core/Advanced/Teams and 24 hours on Business. support.streamyard.com

Bottom line:

• Best overall interview studio: Riverside
• Best if truly unlimited recording is the overriding priority: Zencastr
• Best for livestream-first workflows: StreamYard

For a host doing 2–4+ hour interviews regularly, I'd lean Riverside Pro, provided 15 hours/month of separate-track downloads is enough. If you're doing substantially more than that, Zencastr becomes very compelling.

For long-form, in-depth remote interviews where recording reliability is the priority, I’d choose Riverside.

Why Riverside is my pick

• Local recording: Each participant’s audio/video is recorded on their own device, rather than relying on the quality of the internet connection. That’s the most important feature for serious interviews. support.riverside.com
• Progressive uploading: The files upload while you’re recording, reducing the risk of losing an enormous recording at the end of a session. riverside.com
• Long sessions: Riverside currently says recording time is unlimited, although it automatically ends a session after 6 hours if a host, producer, or guest is still in the studio. It recommends keeping individual recordings under 4 hours for best results. support.riverside.com
• Separate tracks: You get individual tracks for each participant, which is exactly what you want for serious post-production. support.riverside.com
• High-quality video/audio: Paid plans can record up to 4K video, with audio up to 48 kHz depending on configuration. support.riverside.com

One important distinction

“Unlimited recording” doesn't necessarily mean unlimited downloadable multitrack hours. Riverside's current plans distinguish between unlimited time in the studio and the monthly allowance for downloading separate high-quality tracks. support.riverside.com

So if your interviews are routinely 2–4 hours, I'd pay particular attention to the plan's separate-track download allowance, not just the headline “unlimited recording” claim.

My shortlist

For your particular use case, Riverside is the safest default because the combination of local capture + progressive upload + isolated participant tracks is much more important than having the cheapest or simplest video-call platform.

If by “reliable unlimited-duration” you mean interviews that can run 4–8+ hours without ever hitting a hard recording cutoff, I'd actually narrow the choice further, because Riverside's 6-hour automatic cutoff matters. I can compare the current 2026 plans and hard session limits of Riverside, Zencastr, SquadCast, and a couple of specialist alternatives specifically for 3-, 5-, 8-, and 12-hour interviews. support.riverside.com

For long-form, in-depth remote interviews where recording reliability is the priority, I’d choose Zencastr.

My pick: Zencastr

The key reason is that it is designed around local, multitrack recording, rather than simply recording the internet call. Each participant’s audio/video is recorded locally and progressively uploaded, so a temporary internet problem shouldn't degrade the actual recording. zencastr.comsupport.zencastr.com

It also explicitly supports no time limit on recordings. Paid plans have unlimited audio/video recording, and Zencastr says it has not encountered the theoretical upper limit in practice. support.zencastr.com

For your use case, the important features are:

• Unlimited-duration recording — ideal if an interview unexpectedly runs 2–4+ hours. support.zencastr.com
• Separate track per participant — much better for professional editing than a single mixed recording. zencastr.comsupport.zencastr.com
• 48 kHz WAV on paid plans — appropriate for serious long-form audio production. zencastr.comsupport.zencastr.com
• Up to 4K video on higher plans. support.zencastr.com
• Guests don't need an account or special software; they can join through a recording link. zencastr.comsupport.zencastr.com
• Automatic backups/progressive uploads, which is particularly valuable for lengthy interviews. zencastr.comsupport.zencastr.com
• Unlimited transcription is currently advertised as well. zencastr.com

Zencastr official site

Riverside is the other one I'd seriously consider

Riverside is arguably the more polished choice if you care heavily about video production, editing, and an attractive guest experience. Its current plans also have unlimited recording duration and local recording. riverside.com

The catch is that Riverside's paid plans meter separate-track downloads by monthly hours—for example, its current Pro plan includes 15 hours/month. riverside.com If you're doing several very long interviews every month, that's worth paying attention to.

Riverside official site

What I'd choose

Bottom line: For an interviewer whose primary concern is “I cannot afford to lose a three-hour conversation”, I'd go with Zencastr, preferably on a paid plan. Its local recording + progressive upload + separate tracks + unlimited duration combination is particularly well suited to long-form interviews. zencastr.comsupport.zencastr.com

One important caveat: no browser-based service should be your only copy of an irreplaceable interview. For especially important conversations, I'd have both you and the guest use headphones, record locally, and verify that the individual tracks have finished uploading before ending the session. Zencastr itself recommends checking/downloading files after they finish uploading. support.zencastr.com

For long-form, in-depth remote interviews, I’d choose Riverside.

My pick: Riverside

It fits your use case particularly well because:

• Unlimited recording time on all plans. Riverside says sessions can run indefinitely, although it automatically ends a session after 6 hours if someone is still in the studio, so I’d treat ~4 hours as the practical ceiling for a single interview. support.riverside.comsupport.riverside.com
• Local recording captures participants' audio/video locally rather than relying entirely on the quality of the internet connection. riverside.com
• Separate participant tracks make serious post-production much easier.
• Paid plans support 4K video and 48 kHz audio, which is appropriate for a professional interview show. riverside.com
• The Pro plan is currently $29/month, or $24/month billed annually, and includes 15 hours/month of separate-track downloads. Recording itself remains unlimited. riverside.com

One important alternative: Zencastr

Zencastr is worth considering if your priority is specifically unlimited high-quality recording without worrying about recording-hour allowances.

Zencastr currently advertises unlimited audio and video recording even on its free plan, unlimited separate-track recordings, 48 kHz WAV audio, up to 10 participants, and 90 days of recording-master storage. Its paid plans likewise advertise unlimited recording with no time limits. zencastr.com

What I'd choose

For your particular description—long-form, in-depth interviews—I’d start with Riverside Pro. The combination of local recording, separate tracks, high-quality video/audio, and editing tools is more valuable than simply having an unlimited call timer.

One caveat: “unlimited recording” isn't the same thing as “unlimited downloadable multitrack files.” Riverside's paid plans cap separate-track downloads monthly, even though the actual recording time is unlimited. support.riverside.comsupport.riverside.com

If you tell me audio-only vs. video, typical interview length (e.g. 2–4 hours), number of guests, and whether you edit yourself, I can narrow this down to the best 2–3 services for your workflow.

For long-form, in-depth interviews, I’d prioritize: local recording, separate tracks, automatic upload/backup, no session time caps, and a guest experience that works for non-technical people. Dedicated remote recording platforms are generally much better than Zoom/Meet because they capture each person’s audio/video locally rather than relying only on the live connection. thattorontopodcaststudio.ca

My shortlist:

www.peerthroughmedia.com

My recommendation for your use case

For 2–4+ hour conversations with important guests, I would choose:

1. Riverside (best overall)
Use it if your interviews are video podcasts, YouTube content, documentaries, or you want the safest “guest clicks a link and records” workflow. It is the closest thing to a remote studio. thepodcastconsultant.com

2. SquadCast + Descript (best if your workflow is transcript-driven)
Choose this if you spend lots of time searching transcripts, cutting interviews by text, and producing audio-first episodes. podcastpontifications.com

3. Zencastr (best if you mainly care about audio)
A good fit for conversational shows where video is secondary. podrewind.com

A few things I would not compromise on for long interviews:

• Never rely on a normal video call recording as your master file.
• Require guests to use headphones + a decent microphone.
• Enable local backups/downloads after every session.
• Keep a second recorder running on your end (even a local audio recorder) for high-value guests.

One clarification: when you say “unlimited-duration recordings,” do you mean:

1. a single interview can run 5–10+ hours without being cut off, or
2. you need unlimited total recording hours per month for many interviews?

The best choice changes depending on which one matters more.

For long-form, in-depth interviews, I’d prioritize: local recording, separate guest tracks, no hard session limit, automatic uploads/backups, and easy guest joining. The best choice depends on whether you publish audio-only or video + audio.

Best overall: Riverside

Choose this if your interviews are video-first (YouTube, documentaries, filmed conversations).

Why it fits:

• Records each participant locally, so a guest’s bad internet connection doesn’t ruin the master file.
• Strong video quality and separate tracks.
• Designed for professional remote interviews and multi-camera-style workflows.
• Better if you later create clips, social content, or edited video versions. www.ngram.com

Potential downside:

• More production features can mean more complexity.
• The best features are usually in paid tiers. www.ngram.com

Best for audio-first deep interviews: Zencastr

Choose this if the conversation itself is the product (podcast, oral history, expert interviews).

Why it fits:

• Paid plans include unlimited audio/video recording with no time limits. support.zencastr.com
• Records separate participant tracks.
• Supports high-quality WAV audio on paid plans.
• Guests can join through a browser link without needing an account. zencastr.com
• Also includes hosting, transcription, clips, and publishing tools if you want an all-in-one workflow. zencastr.com

Potential downside:

• If you’re building a highly produced video show, Riverside generally has a stronger video-production orientation. www.ngram.com

Best if you already edit heavily: Descript + SquadCast

Good fit if your workflow is:

1. record interview,
2. transcribe,
3. edit by changing the transcript,
4. produce polished episodes.

My recommendation for your use case

For 90-minute to 4+ hour expert interviews, I’d pick:

1. Video interviews / public-facing show → Riverside
2. Audio archive / podcast / research interviews → Zencastr
3. Heavy transcript-based editing workflow → SquadCast + Descript

Whichever you choose, I would avoid relying on Zoom as your master recorder for important interviews. It is excellent for meetings, but dedicated remote recording platforms are designed around preserving each participant’s clean local track. zencastr.com

A few questions would narrow it down:

• Are these audio-only or video interviews?
• Typical length: 1–2 hours, 3–5 hours, or longer?
• Do you need raw archival-quality files (for future documentaries/books), or mainly finished episodes?

For long-form, in-depth remote interviews where you care most about reliability and no recording cutoff, I’d choose Zencastr.

Why it fits your use case:

• No recording time limit: Zencastr says paid plans include unlimited audio/video recording with no time limits. support.zencastr.com
• Local/double-ended recording: Each participant’s audio/video is recorded locally and progressively uploaded, so a temporary internet problem shouldn't degrade the actual recording. That's a major advantage over Zoom-style recordings. zencastr.com
• Separate tracks: You get independent tracks for each participant, which is what you want for serious post-production. zencastr.com
• High-quality audio: Paid plans support 16-bit/48 kHz WAV, with video up to 4K depending on plan/setup. zencastr.com
• Guests don't need accounts: You can send an interviewee a link and have them join without creating a Zencastr account. zencastr.com
• Unlimited storage on paid plans: Zencastr says paid plans provide unlimited recording storage, while its free tier has archival limits. support.zencastr.com

What I'd pick

Zencastr paid → best match if your priority is “I want to start a 3–5 hour interview and never worry about the platform ending the recording.”

SquadCast/Descript is also excellent for remote interviews, but its current plans impose monthly recording-hour allowances (10, 30, 40 hours, etc.), so I'd favor Zencastr if “unlimited duration” is a core requirement. squadcast.fm

One important distinction: “unlimited recording duration” isn't the same as “nothing can ever go wrong.” For particularly valuable interviews, I'd still have the host and guest use wired headphones, stable connections, and ideally make a local backup recording as insurance.

If you tell me audio-only vs. video, typical interview length, number of guests, and your approximate monthly budget, I can narrow it down to the specific Zencastr plan—or tell you if another platform is a better fit.

For long-form, in-depth remote interviews, I’d choose Zencastr if your top priority is genuinely unlimited-duration recording with minimal fuss.

My ranking

Why Zencastr: its current plans advertise unlimited audio and video recording with no time limits, separate tracks, and local recording. Its recording system progressively uploads each participant's locally recorded audio/video, so an internet hiccup shouldn't degrade the master recording. Guests can join through a link without creating an account. support.zencastr.com

That's particularly important for your format: if you're doing a 2–4 hour investigative/interview conversation, I wouldn't want the recording dependent on a conventional video-call stream.

The important Riverside caveat

Riverside is arguably the nicer overall production environment, and it also records high-quality tracks locally on each participant's device. support.riverside.com

But it isn't truly unlimited-duration per session: Riverside says recordings automatically end after 6 hours, and recommends keeping sessions under 4 hours for best results. support.zencastr.comsupport.riverside.comsupport.riverside.com

So if "unlimited duration" is a hard requirement rather than just a nice-to-have, Zencastr wins.

One other distinction: Riverside's recording time is unlimited on its plans, but the amount of separate high-quality track downloading is plan-dependent. support.riverside.com Zencastr's current pricing explicitly advertises unlimited separate-track recording on its free tier as well. zencastr.com

Bottom line:

• Choose Zencastr → if reliability + unlimited-length interviews are the priority.
• Choose Riverside → if you value a more sophisticated video-production/editing ecosystem and your interviews will reliably stay below ~4–6 hours.

For a host doing serious long-form interviews, I'd personally start with Zencastr, then test it with a 2–3 hour mock interview before committing your real recordings.

For long-form, in-depth remote interviews where recording reliability is the priority, I’d choose Zencastr.

Why Zencastr fits your use case

• No recording time limit on paid plans. Zencastr explicitly says paid plans have unlimited audio/video recording with no time limits. support.zencastr.comwww.ngram.com
• Local recording: each participant’s audio/video is recorded on their own computer and progressively uploaded. So a temporary internet hiccup shouldn't ruin the master recording. zencastr.comsupport.zencastr.com
• Separate tracks: you get an individual audio/video file for each participant, which is exactly what you want for serious post-production. zencastr.comsupport.zencastr.com
• High-quality audio: paid plans provide 16-bit/48 kHz WAV, rather than relying on compressed call audio. zencastr.com
• Long-term storage: paid plans currently include unlimited recording-master storage. support.zencastr.comsupport.zencastr.com
• Guests don't need an account or special software—they can join through a recording link in their browser. zencastr.com
• It can also automatically back up recordings to Dropbox or Google Drive, which is particularly attractive for an interview archive. zencastr.com

Zencastr

Zencastr vs. Riverside

I'd narrow your decision to these two:

For an audio-first, serious interview archive, I'd lean Zencastr. For a video-first show where you care heavily about polished video production, livestreaming and production controls, I'd lean Riverside. A recent comparison similarly characterizes Zencastr as more podcast/workflow-oriented and Riverside as more of a production studio. www.ngram.com

One important caveat

"Unlimited duration" doesn't mean I'd treat any cloud recording service as your only copy. For interviews that can't be recreated, have both you and your guest record locally as a backup when practical, and automatically sync/download the finished tracks. Zencastr's local recording plus cloud storage makes that workflow particularly sensible. support.zencastr.comsupport.zencastr.com

My pick: Zencastr paid plan. If your interviews routinely run 2–4+ hours, that's precisely the scenario where its no-time-limit, local-track architecture is valuable.

For long-form, in-depth remote interviews, I’d choose Riverside—with one important caveat: if “unlimited” means both unlimited session length and unlimited access to separate high-quality tracks, there are differences between plans.

My pick: Riverside

It’s particularly well suited to interview shows because it records participants locally and progressively uploads the recordings, rather than relying solely on the quality of the live internet connection. It supports separate participant tracks, high-quality audio, and up to 4K video on paid plans. riverside.com

Most importantly for you, Riverside says recording time itself is unlimited on its current plans. However, its separate-track downloads are capped on Pro/Grow/etc. plans (e.g. 15 hours/month on Pro), so don't confuse “unlimited recording” with “unlimited downloadable multitrack hours.” riverside.com

There is also a practical caveat: Riverside recommends keeping recordings under 4 hours, and says a session will automatically end after 6 hours when someone is still in the studio. riverside.comsupport.riverside.comsupport.zencastr.comwww.thepodosphere.com

The other one I'd seriously consider: Zencastr

Zencastr is compelling if your absolute priority is unlimited recording. Its current paid plans explicitly advertise unlimited audio and video recording with no time limits, and its free plan also advertises unlimited audio/video recording and unlimited separate-track recordings. support.zencastr.com

So my decision would be:

For your specific use case—long-form, in-depth interviews where losing a 2–3 hour conversation would be disastrous—I'd lean Riverside, but I'd build in a backup recording strategy regardless of platform.

One thing I'd not do is use Zoom as your primary master recording for serious interviews. Dedicated remote-recording platforms are designed to capture local tracks at substantially better quality than a conventional video-conference recording. www.thepodosphere.com

If you tell me audio-only vs. video + audio, typical interview length, and roughly how many interviews/month, I can narrow this down to the best plan and cost for you.