Taking an audio or video recording is often faster than writing things down. However, converting them into usable text can be a pain afterward. It is a labor-intensive, time-consuming, and sometimes even boring activity.
Imagine having to replay a bit of garbled audio over and over, trying to make sense of the words. Or just the daunting task of writing down hours of content. Thankfully, there are services available that can do it for you.
Best Transcription Services
Whether you want to transcribe any video or audio to repurpose as an article, organize it into notes, add accurate captions, or share it with your colleagues, there are tons of transcription apps you can use. From AI-powered tools to human services, here are the best ones currently in the market.
1. Rev
One of the most popular in this niche, Rev offers you a lot of services such as human and automated transcriptions, captions, and subtitles. Since its founding in 2010 by five MIT students, it has since gained a reputation for quality transcription work.
It has a fast turnaround time in processing large amounts of data and has little to no errors that are easily editable. Making a request is straightforward too. Simply upload your file and wait for the finished product.
Pricing can be complicated as it is different for every service. Human transcription is pricier than AI transcription. There are also add-on services you can try depending on your needs, such as rushing an order, adding timestamps, or transcribing verbatim.
Price starts at .25$ per audio minute. See more details about their services and pricing here.
2. GoTranscript
Unlike other transcription services that have a mix of human and automated work, GoTranscript only offers human transcription. This has allowed them to expand to different languages such as Chinese, Arabic, French, Italian, Japanese, and more.
They also provide transcriptions for fields with specialized terminologies such as the educational, legal, and medical fields. It might take more time for a transcription to be done, but what you get is error-free, accurate, and polished.
GoTranscript is one of the most affordable in terms of human transcription. An order can cost only .90$ per audio minute with a 3-day turnaround.
Find more about their prices here, or calculate how much a job will cost you here.
3. Otter.Ai
Otter.AI specializes in automated transcription. For people who need results free and fast, it’s one of the best options currently available in the market.
Its free version is quite generous, with 300 free transcription minutes per month, capping each transcription at 30 minutes. If you’re on a tight budget, this could tide you over until you’re able to afford their paid plans which start at $8.99 per month if you take a yearly plan.
Bear in mind though, AI technology isn’t foolproof. You might receive transcriptions with errors, though using their built-in editing software can easily fix them.
Check out their prices and service inclusions here.
4. Trint
Trint is another machine-powered transcription service. It’s perfect for collaboration, with many features that make working in a team easier.
You can check a transcription’s version history, edit it with Trint’s online editor, share it with your team members, and even restrict their access if you need to (view, edit, comment). Its best feature is its Story Builder, where you can combine multiple files into a single file.
It’s pricier than others on this list, starting at $48 a month with its starter plan. However, if you won’t be using it for a while, you can “pause” a plan to only $5 a month. This way, you can keep your files safe and easily accessible.
Check out their prices and services here.
5. Scribie
Scribie is another service that offers human and AI-powered transcription. Often, you’ll have to choose between affordable and reliable, but this one has a reputation for delivering both.
You can expect a fast turnaround time for your orders, ranging from 30 minutes for an automated transcript to 24 hours for a human transcript. Their website also claims to have an 80-99% level of accuracy, though keep in mind that is for clean audio of American speakers.
Prices start at .10$ per audio minute. You can check here for more details about their services, including custom pricing.
6. TranscribeMe
TranscribeMe also offers both human and machine-powered transcription services. While there’s nothing that stands out about it, the services it offers are a solid option for anyone looking to transform their audio or video files.
It’s also an affordable option, priced at .79$ per audio minute. It also has a fairly smooth online editor, which you can use on the go with its mobile app. So if all you need are occasional transcriptions, this service can definitely get the job done.
You can see more information about their prices and services here.
7. Temi
Temi is another automatic transcription service. It works great for files with good audio (no background noise, clear speakers, and minimal accents), boasting a 90-95% accuracy. But it doesn’t work that well for audio that’s either complex or poor quality.
Pricing is straightforward, at only .25$ per audio minute. You get a free trial of one transcript that’s under 45 minutes. There isn’t much customization though, so if you’re looking for add-on services, it’s best to check out other places.
8. Transcription Panda
Transcription Panda is another service that offers purely human transcriptions. They accept all video and audio formats, such as MP3, MP4, MOV, WAV, and M4A. They even take links to any sites containing the audio or video you need transcribed.
They also do translations as long as one of the languages is English. So English to Spanish or English to French is doable, but not Spanish to French.
Pricing starts at .79$ per audio minute for a simple transcription. Anything extra, whether it is timestamps, verbatim translation, or speaker identification will cost more. The turnaround time is 5 business days but can be expedited for a higher price.
Check out their services and prices here.
Quality of Transcription Tools
When you use any kind of transcription tool, it’s best to expect that you’ll do some editing depending on a few factors. This will range from audio quality, the transcriptionist’s skills, the quality of the AI, and how fast you want it done.
Accuracy is the most important aspect of these tools, especially if there are a lot of complex words being transcribed. A lot of these tools boast accuracy levels of 95-99%. Human transcriptions are better, as they can informed decisions on what is and what is not being said.
The quality of AI transcription services can be iffy. Sometimes they even miss obvious errors. However, as their algorithms improve, so will their output. And a lot of the best transcription services have AI that rarely goes down 80% of accuracy.
As to which one is best for you, it entirely depends on what you’ll use the transcription for and the complexity of the recording. If it’s simple and easy, go for an AI service, but for more complex recordings, it might be best to go for a human transcriptionist.
Have you used a transcription service? Share your experience in the comments below!
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Cole is a blog writer and aspiring novelist. He has a degree in Communications and is an advocate of media and information literacy and responsible media practices. Aside from his interest in technology, crafts, and food, he’s also your typical science fiction and fantasy junkie, spending most of his free time reading through an ever-growing to-be-read list. It’s either that or procrastinating over actually writing his book. Wish him luck!
