Otter and Scribie's automated transcription tiers are the only free options we've reviewed, though the former will eventually require a monthly subscription. As you might guess, the amount of time it takes to turn around a file usually depends on its length. Automatic services can typically process a file in a matter of minutes.
Rev is simple in that it promises to return your file (in most cases) in a 12-hour timeframe. Scribie's and GoTranscript's slowest options (five days) are also their cheapest, though you can fast-track that to 12 hours for an additional $1.60 per minute in both cases - video transcription service. There are also intermediary options for both services.
It is vital that your subjects are close by and speak in loud, clear voices. (⇨ view some video transcription services). If there are multiple speakers present for a recording, participants should only speak one at a time to avoid interference. Most services also point out that speakers with heavy accents may also pose some issues, though there's not much you can do to avoid that.
It's also worthwhile to use a dedicated digital voice recorder. In-person recordings also produce better results than recordings of phone calls. In our testing, the overall accuracy of transcripts varied considerably. We evaluated with two different files: a recording of a conference call with multiple speakers and an in-person interview with just two participants.
The latter did considerably better on the second (easier) recording, but they still weren't perfect. Keep in mind that your experience may vary, as we cannot control every variable in tests of human-based transcription services. Basically, the automatic services are only useful if your recording is on the simple side and you do not need the utmost accuracy.
Regardless of the service you choose, chances are that you will need to correct some parts of your transcript. As such, most services include a built-in editor for making these changes before you export the final document. video transcription. Typically, these interfaces combine playback controls with a text editor. This is much more convenient setup, then say, switching between a document and audio player every couple of minutes.
Some include extra 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 it completes a job.
All offer both Android apps and iPhone apps. For the most part, these apps function as digital voice recorders, but they do let you order transcripts of the 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 respective web interfaces.
Otter goes one step further than the others with excellent organizational features and the ability to edit transcripts on the go. If you want to avoid the transcription services entirely—for privacy reasons or to save on costs—there are alternatives. For doing your own manual transcriptions (you listen to the recording and type what you hear), Transcribe is a great option, at only $20 per year.
For those who don't want to spend any money, Google Docs may be the best solution. With Google Docs, you can use its voice typing feature to put words down on the page, which is certainly quicker than typing everything out. Another completely free option is oTranscribe, but it operates more similarly to Transcribe, with a similar layout and set of keyboard controls.
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 in the chart should suit your needs; make sure to read our full reviews for help picking the right one. Do you use a service not mentioned here? Let us know in the comments and it may make the chart in our next update.
We use artificial intelligence to automatically transcribe the spoken word in 31 languages, making it easy to find the moments that matter. Trint’s powerful collaboration tools connect teams for seamless, fast and secure content creation, whether you're transcribing from the office or home.
You want the best transcript you can find. But, there are a lot of options to sift through. Different transcription companies offer different price points, and all are seemingly ready to deliver a flawless service. How do you decide? This guide is here to help. To start with, there is a big divide in the services offered by transcription companies of which you need to be aware.
These transcription companies often operate on subscription models, or with per minute costs, averaging around £0.07 — although some are free. The problem is a lack of quality control. Most speech to text software struggles to achieve greater than an 80% accuracy rate even under ideal circumstances ((⇨ see our guide on how to transcribe video like a pro)). With complications (poor audio quality, multiple speakers, fast talkers, overlapping speech, thick accents, background noise etc.) accuracy can take a sharp decline.
All the common questions regarding transcription services answered in one guide. Your ability to effectively use automatic speech recognition software will be dependent on your willingness to spend time editing the transcript and the quality of your audio file. If you go to the effort beforehand to create an immaculate recording, ASR might serve you well.
But, they do not produce transcripts that you can count on. Human transcription services have a much greater tolerance for challenging audio. The human brain is still far better at linguistics understanding than the best machines on the market. Human transcription services also generally make proofreading guarantees ((⇨ see our guide on how to transcribe video like a pro)). Effectively, you can count on a quality outcome.
Most commonly, this means editing out stutters, repetitions and the ‘umming’/‘ahhing’ that can make reading natural speech difficult (intelligent verbatim), or the inclusion of all of these specifics in addition to added notes on pauses, tone and laughter (verbatim). Lastly, some transcription companies offer ‘notes’ or ‘summary’ options that forego detail to summarise the major points of a recording — allowing for the quick digestion of information.
Most companies offering human transcription services charge around £2 per minute of recorded audio and a standard turnaround time of 24 hours. Some are cheaper, but lower starting prices are often accompanied by additional fees that increase the end price. This can include additional costs based on the number of speakers, audio quality, timestamps, accents or turnaround times.
However, this comes with security risks that you should consider if having sensitive material transcribed. On average, it will take a trained transcriptionist 1 hour to transcribe 15 minutes of audio. Think about that when assessing prices and turnaround time. But, you still need to know which company to pick.
Each has a speciality. Your specifics will impact which is best for you. In no particular order, let’s get started! Take Note has a team of 600 UK-based transcribers and offers 99% to 99.9% accuracy. Their investment in data security makes them the safe choice for security-conscious transcription users who need to ensure their client data is controlled under the tightest compliance standards.
Specialising in high volume projects, Take Note’s service options have been designed with the end-user in mind with varying levels of detail available depending on the purpose of the desired transcript and final project budget constraints. As well as the option to remove umms, errs and false starts from their verbatim service, they also offer a great detailed notes service, which starts at £0.79 per minute.
This is a far more efficient way of transcribing meetings because you only keep the necessary information and get rid of anything else. Not many transcription services give you this option, so if you want efficient transcriptions that capture the basic information in an easy to digest format, Take Note are a great option.