Legal professionals, journalists, health care workers, and plenty of others record audio of people speaking and need to have it typed up and put into a document. Doing that work yourself is tedious, especially since transcription services can do it for you. Transcription services come in two varieties: automated and human-made.
Automated transcriptions, also sometimes called machine-generated or AI transcriptions, are cheap and fast to make. They’re usually also riddled with mistaken words, a lack of punctuation, and other errors that you need to correct. Human-generated transcriptions are typically extremely accurate but cost more and take longer to produce. Both types of transcription have pros and cons, and some companies offer both, letting you choose what you need based on the audio file you have.
Here, we list the best transcription services based on our hands-on testing. We evaluate services based on accuracy, ease of use, and price. Read on after the product summaries to find more information on what to look for in a transcription service and some details on how they work.
Deeper Dive: Our Top Tested Picks
Otter
Best for Free Transcriptions
Why We Picked It
Otter has long been popular for its generous free plan. It’s less enticing than it once was, but you still get a good amount of free: 300 live transcription minutes per month and three prerecorded audio or video files for transcription per lifetime, and each transcription session can only be 30 minutes. If you like Otter and want more bandwidth, you can subscribe to a paid plan, starting at $16.99 per month or $120 per year. Pro includes 1,200 minutes per month for live transcriptions. All transcriptions can be for audio files up to 90 minutes. And you get to upload and transcribe 10 prerecorded files per month.
Who It’s ForÂ
Otter is for people who need automated, rather than human, transcription. Otter makes the most sense for anyone who regularly transcribes a few files but typically does not have a large volume of work for transcription.
PROS
- Best live editing of any transcription service tested
- Integrates easily with video conferencing apps
- Generous free plan for live audio transcription
- Well-designed mobile apps
CONS
- AI-generated transcripts have more errors than human-made ones
- No option for human transcription
- Only works for English and struggles with accents
SPECS
| Name | Value |
|---|---|
| Price Is | $0 |
| Automated/Human-powered | Automated |
| Web Editing | |
| Cloud-Based Apps | |
| Audio Calls | |
| Collaboration Features |
GoTranscript
Best for Low Cost Human-Generated Transcriptions
Why We Picked It
GoTranscript is among the best online transcription services for accurate, affordable, human-made transcriptions. It also markets to specific sectors, such as the legal, education, and medical fields, making it excellent for specialty transcription work. Recently, the company also started offering machine-automated transcriptions, but these aren’t as impressive as the work its human staff produces.
Who It’s For
GoTranscript is best for users who need highly accurate human transcriptions at the lowest possible price.
PROS
- Incredibly accurate human transcriptions
- Low price
- Great website
- Many languages supported
- Industry-specific transcriptionists available
CONS
- Low-quality automated transcription service
- Mobile app has limited functionality
- No ability to integrate with video conferencing software
SPECS
| Name | Value |
|---|---|
| Price Is | 99 Cents per Minute |
| Automated/Human-powered | Human, Automated |
| Web Editing | |
| Cloud-Based Apps | |
| Audio Calls | |
| Collaboration Features |
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Rev
Best for Access to Human and Automated Transcription
Why We Picked ItÂ
Rev is our top choice transcription service for when you want to be able to choose whether a particular file needs a human transcriptionist or a machine to do the work. Turnaround is fast, and rates are competitive. Rev also has a great collaborative web space for teams to work together on projects. Rev also now offers captioning for videos.
Who It’s ForÂ
Rev is best for professionals who use a transcription service regularly. A subscription costs $29.99 per month and includes 1,200 minutes of auto-transcription per month and unlimited transcriptions from Zoom calls. Note that you do not get any human-generated transcription for this price; you only get automated transcription. For à la carte services, prices start at 25 cents per audio minute for automated transcriptions and $1.50 per minute for human-generated transcriptions and captions. For customers who need a lot of audio transcribed, Rev has large-volume packages with custom pricing.
PROS
- Options for human-made or AI-generated transcriptions, subtitles, and captions
- Fast turnaround
- Good collaboration tools for teams
- Well-designed web interface
CONS
- Clunky mobile apps
- High monthly fee
- Can’t edit or add comments to live transcription
SPECS
| Name | Value |
|---|---|
| Price Is | 25 Cents per Minute |
| Automated/Human-powered | Automated, Human |
| Web Editing | |
| Cloud-Based Apps | |
| Audio Calls | |
| Collaboration Features |
Scribie
Best for Occasional Use
Why We Picked It
While Scribie doesn’t have as many features as Rev, it does have low prices for accurate and reliable transcriptions. Scribie doesn’t have a mobile app, and its website is a bit clunky, but its prices are tough to beat. It also has a subscription plan that knocks off a few more pennies per audio minute, which makes sense for high-volume users.
Who It’s ForÂ
Scribie is a decent and affordable transcription option for people who need quality transcriptions with a short turnaround time. Scribie is best for users who do not need a large volume of transcription and don’t require mobile apps or an advanced web-based editor.
PROS
- Nearly flawless transcriptions
- Competitive pricing
- Easy-to-use online editing software
CONS
- No mobile app
- Confusing web interface
- No longer offers AI transcription
SPECS
| Name | Value |
|---|---|
| Price Is | |
| Automated/Human-powered | Human |
| Web Editing | |
| Cloud-Based Apps | |
| Audio Calls | |
| Collaboration Features |
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TranscribeMe
Best for Affordable Automated Transcription
Why We Picked It
TranscribeMe offers affordable, automated transcriptions with the option to pay more for human transcriptions. It also provides harder-to-find services, such as data annotation for transcripts.
Who It’s ForÂ
TranscribeMe is best for customers who need low-cost automated transcription or some of its specialized services, such as data annotation or transcription and translation in languages other than English.
PROS
- Inexpensive
- Can upgrade from machine to human transcription
- Works with several languages
- Specializes in multiple industries like legal and medical fields
CONS
- Human transcriptions can take up to five days to complete
- Lacks a team workspace
- Pricing isn’t transparent, and order form needs improvement
SPECS
| Name | Value |
|---|---|
| Price Is | 7 Cents per Minute |
| Automated/Human-powered | Automated, Human |
| Web Editing | |
| Cloud-Based Apps | |
| Audio Calls | |
| Collaboration Features |
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Trint
Best for Media Professionals
Why We Picked It
Trint is an online transcription service designed with the media in mind. You upload audio or video files to this web-based service, and Trint sends you back either machine-generated text transcripts or captions. It also has a unique ability: Team members can clip and merge various audio files, as well as collaborative editing them. Trint is a good, if pricey, choice for people who work in media, be it podcasting, scripting, or print.
Who It’s ForÂ
Trint isn’t for most people, but it is the clear choice for those who are building a platform or business using mostly video or audio content.
PROS
- Accurate
- Straightforward and easy to use
- Supports collaboration
- Can translate to multiple languages
CONS
- Can’t record live audio from a laptop or desktop
- Expensive and requires a subscription
- No option for human transcriptions
- Doesn’t support multi-factor authentication
SPECS
| Name | Value |
|---|---|
| Price Is | $60 per month |
| Automated/Human-powered | Automated |
| Web Editing | |
| Cloud-Based Apps | |
| Audio Calls | |
| Collaboration Features |
Buying Guide: The Best Transcription Services for 2024
Automated vs. Human Transcriptions: What’s the Difference?
Automated transcription services use automatic speech recognition to transcribe an audio file into text. Two primary benefits of using automation are that it’s fast and it’s cheap.
Services that offer automated transcription sometimes include extra features that may not be free in a human-generated transcript, such as time stamps and basic speaker identification (for example, Speaker 1, Speaker 2). The downside of automated transcription is that it’s far less accurate than when a human does the job.
Automated transcription services often include access to document-editing software that lets you clean up the text. If you see an error in the document, click on the time-stamped section to listen to the words and transcribe that portion on your own.
Rev, Otter, GoTranscript, Scribie, TranscribeMe, Trint, and Temi (which didn’t score high enough to be included in this list of the best transcription services) all offer automated transcription services. Rev, GoTranscript, Scribie, and TranscribeMe also offer human-powered services.
Transcriptions made by humans are highly accurate, but they’re also pricier and typically require a longer turnaround time, though you can pay extra if you need a rush order.
Human-generated transcription services use trained transcriptionists—often more than one—to complete the work. When a transcription job is given to more than one transcriptionist, it means no one person has access to your entire audio recording, which is usually seen as being good for privacy. Employees and contractors sometimes sign non-disclosure agreements to become transcriptionists as well. When you choose human-generated transcripts, you can sometimes pay to get transcriptionists who are educated in a particular industry’s jargon, such as legal or medical terms.Â
Using human-powered transcription may introduce privacy concerns. In testing and reviewing transcription services, we look at the conditions under which a company says it will comply with law enforcement and hand over any user data. You can read the details in the review of each service. All services that made this list of the best transcription services operate under strict nondisclosure policies and let you remove your files from their servers at any time.
How Much Do Transcription Services Cost?
Many transcription services charge on a per-minute basis. For example, a 30-minute transcription at $1 per minute would cost $30. Costs can add up quickly, and some services bill extra for a faster turnaround time, verbatim files (meaning they include all the “ums” and “ahs”), or if the audio is of poor quality. If you find yourself transcribing audio and video files often, a subscription-based service, such as those offered by Otter and Trint, might be the best value for you. Increasingly, video editing software now has automated captioning, too, so if you use one you might want to first check if it’s included.
As you might guess, the amount of time it takes to turn around a file usually depends on its length. Automated services can typically process a file in a matter of minutes. Human-powered services take quite a bit longer, and you may have to pay for faster delivery speeds. Rev is simple in that it promises to return your file (in most cases) in a 12-hour timeframe. GoTranscript’s slowest option (five days) is also its cheapest.
How to Get the Most Accurate Transcription
One of the most important things you can do to ensure an accurate transcription is to capture a high-quality recording of a conversation or interview in the first place. It is vital that your subjects are close to the recording device and speak in loud, clear voices. When you have multiple speakers, participants should speak one at a time to avoid interference. Most services have a note in their documentation saying that speakers with heavy accents can pose some issues, though there’s not much you can do to avoid it. Audio editing software such as the free Audacity can clear up some issues, but it can’t perform miracles. In-person recordings also produce better results than recordings of phone calls.
In general, automated services are useful only if the audio recording is on the simple side and you don’t need perfectly accurate results. They’re fine for personal voice memos and similar applications but not for a professional setting.
How to Edit a Transcription
Most people need to correct some parts of their transcript once they receive it. When you log into your transcription service, you get an editing program where you can listen to the audio recording again while looking at the typed transcript so that you can make changes easily. The setup of having audio playback right in the editing program is convenient.
Some editing interfaces include tools for highlighting selected parts of a transcript or editing the start time of the recording. Playback speeds and quick rewind buttons (all controllable via keyboard shortcuts) are also fairly standard. GoTranscript is notably the only service that does not offer an online editor. Your only option is to edit the exported transcript after GoTranscript completes a job.
Recommended by Our Editors
The Best Transcription Apps
Many of the transcription services we reviewed, including GoTranscript, Otter, and Rev, also offer mobile apps in addition to their web dashboards. Most offer both Android apps and iPhone apps. For the most part, these apps function as digital voice recorders, though you can also order transcripts of your recordings directly from your mobile device. The drawback is that you can’t import audio files or links the way that you can via their websites. Many let you view the completed transcript directly on your device. Otter goes one step further than the others by giving you excellent organizational features and the ability to edit transcripts on the go.
Human vs. Automated Transcription
There are alternatives if you want to avoid transcription services entirely—for privacy reasons or to save on costs. For doing your own manual transcription, Transcribe is a great option at only $20 per year. It lets you listen to an audio recording while you type, with built-in keyboard shortcuts and useful playback modes that reduce the number of times you need to pause and rewind. Another option is oTranscribe. It works similarly to Transcribe, but it’s free.
If you’re a paying Microsoft 365 subscriber, you can use Word’s Transcribe feature from the Home > Dictate dropdown menu. You can record in real-time inside Word or upload audio files to its online automated transcription service. Transcribe for Word doesn’t cost any extra.
Google Docs may be the best solution for those who don’t want to spend any money. With Google Docs, you can use the voice typing feature, which is nothing more than a speech-to-text tool, to put words down on the page. It’s often quicker than typing everything out. Some people listen to a prerecorded audio file on headphones and then speak the same lines aloud to a speech-to-text tool, which works better than playing the audio directly into a microphone, but it’s still cumbersome and takes time.
Ultimately, any transcription method or service you choose is better than simply letting your recordings go to waste. Yes, transcribing can be a hassle, and some services are costly, but the value of accurate and usable transcripts far outweighs these annoyances. At least one of the services named above should suit your needs. Make sure to read our full reviews for help picking the right one.
