Transcribing speech is important for accessibility, keeping records, and sharing content. Whether you need to ink a press release after a conference or you simply want subtitles for your videos, using transcription services helps you avoid the grueling task of manually converting audio into readable text.
Our carefully curated list of the best transcription services is based on our extensive experience and includes both AI-options and those that employ human transcriptionists.
GoTranscript Review
EXCELLENT
EXCELLENT
EXCELLENT
EXCELLENT
- ⦿ API integrations
- ⦿ STEM transcriptions
- ⦿ High accuracy rates
Audext Review
EXCELLENT
EXCELLENT
EXCELLENT
EXCELLENT
- ⦿ 60+ languages supported for transcribing
- ⦿ Affordable and cost-effective plans
- ⦿ Speaker identification
Trint
GOOD
EXCELLENT
EXCELLENT
EXCELLENT
- ⦿ Multilanguage transcriptions
- ⦿ Real-time AI transcription
- ⦿ Vast integration selection
Rev Review
EXCELLENT
EXCELLENT
EXCELLENT
EXCELLENT
- ⦿ Fast turnaround
- ⦿ Excellent editor tool
- ⦿ Subtitles
Fiverr Review
GOOD
EXCELLENT
EXCELLENT
GOOD
- ⦿ Almost 15,000 freelancer transcribers
- ⦿ Affordable options
- ⦿ User-friendly platform
Scribie Review
GOOD
EXCELLENT
GOOD
GOOD
- ⦿ Affordable
- ⦿ Progress tracking feature
- ⦿ Fast turnaround times
Otter Review
FAIR
EXCELLENT
EXCELLENT
GOOD
- ⦿ Real-time transcriptions
- ⦿ Excellent mobile app
- ⦿ Custom vocabulary feature
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The Best Transcription Services in 2022
- GoTranscript: best for STEM transcriptions
- Rev: best for editing transcriptions
Trint: best for multi-language transcriptions
- Scribie: best in terms of affordability
- Otter: best free transcription service

Our Methodology for Evaluating the Best Transcription Services
We’ve tested the transcription software based on several essential parameters. Below are the methods we’ve used for determining the quality of the services that the transcription companies offer.
Type of Software
Most people who seek assistance from transcription services are looking to outsource the labor-intensive task of converting audio into text. Those who aren’t too concerned about potential errors can turn to AI-based services. AI technology is becoming more advanced by the day, and the accuracy of these services is improving.
Another option is employing human transcription services. Users usually decide to go for this option if they need to transcribe videos with accented speakers and those with speech impediments or if the recording has plenty of background noise. Even though more expensive and slower than AI-based ones, human-powered services are more accurate.
In other words, if time is of the essence, AI speech-to-text software is a better option - it’s mostly used by journalists, podcasters, or students. On the other hand, if your main goals are fewer errors and texts that don’t require much editing, go for human transcriptionists. This is usually the first choice for market research or video production companies, as well as educational and legal institutions. On the downside, it comes with privacy concerns.
Transcription Accuracy
The best transcription service companies promise high accuracy and readability when transcribing audio or video files. Most of the companies provide between 80% and 99% accuracy. AI services usually have lower accuracy and readability rates, while human-powered options are more accurate. We’ve tested the level of accuracy and checked the samples for grammar and spelling slips.
We’ve also evaluated the ability of the services to recognize nuances in the languages and support non-verbal and complicated audio. If speakers have different accents or use non-standard jargon, AI transcription services might prove insufficient. Also, background noises can make it difficult to decipher the audio, and texts tend to be less accurate. Some of the best audio transcription services even emphasize that they offer transcriptions for multiple languages and accents, while others state explicitly that they support only American English.
Turnaround Time
Whether you’re working on captions or subtitles, the duration of the process depends on the type of software you’re using. If you’ve chosen to go for automated AI-based services, you’ll most likely get the results in less than an hour for shorter videos. On the other hand, human transcriptionists can take several days to complete.
Companies that we’ve reviewed explicitly state their turnaround times, and we’ve made sure those claims are accurate. In our book, transcripts should be delivered within minutes with digital transcribing. For human transcription services, we gave our seal of approval to companies that delivered in no more than a few days.
Price
AI services are generally much cheaper than human transcribers and usually charge around $0.25 per minute of audio. The latter cost up to $2 for a minute. We highly appreciate affordable transcription services and companies that offer free versions or at least free trial options.
Mobile Apps
Having an app for your mobile devices can be very useful. For the most part, these dedicated Android and iOS apps work as digital voice recorders, enabling you to capture voice memos, minutes of meetings, lectures, and more. Then, you can quickly transcribe the audio file directly from the app and get to see the complete transcript on your mobile device.
These are usually automated transcription services that are error-prone. However, most apps offer an editing feature that lets you edit text while listening to audio playback and adjusting its speed for better understanding. In case you’re using a human-powered transcription service, you can use the app to order the transcript with a single click while you’re on the go.
Transcription Editor
A transcription editor is a built-in feature that allows users to edit the transcript manually. If you order your transcript from accurate transcription services such as human-powered ones, you probably won’t have much use for this feature.
However, AI-based services are prone to errors, and you’ll need to edit the transcripts manually. You can do so while listening to the audio, as most of these editors contain playback controls so that you can adjust the speed, rewind, highlight parts of the transcript, or edit the start time of the recording. It’s much more convenient than manually switching between a video or audio player and the document.
Additional Features
The companies that offer additional features aside from recording, transcribing, and editing, ranked higher on our list. The best transcription services often provide a speaker identification function. When enabled, it detects each person speaking in the stream and labels their parts of the speech.
We liked seeing companies that provide time stamping, live captions for Zoom meetings, and live, automated, or on-demand webinars. We also appreciate subtitle services, captioning, commenting and notes, multiple export options, or text-to-text transcription for converting paper documents into electronic ones.
Also, anyone employing human-powered services who needs their transcript done quickly will appreciate the Rush transcription feature for additional fees. Furthermore, it’s always a plus if you can integrate tools you already use, such as Zoom, Vimeo, Dropbox, and YouTube.
Another important consideration is security. This is especially important with human transcriptions, where privacy can be an issue. Our list only includes professional transcription services that make employees sign NDAs and rely on strict confidentiality agreements while using top-notch encryption or authentication methods.
vvUpon reviewing both AI-backed and human-powered transcription services, we’ve come to the conclusion that the latter option is better. Services that use human transcriptionists such as Rev and Scribie proved more accurate and more capable in dealing with complicated recordings. However, it takes them longer to deliver transcripts, so if you need things done quickly, Temi or Otter are better options.
If you’re looking for the best medical transcription services or need a STEM transcription, then we recommend human transcribers and companies that promise the highest accuracy rates. Also, pay attention to the security features such as NDAs, the encryption, and any additional features. Those who need quick transcripts can go for automatic services with faster turnaround times and good editing tools to polish up the text.
Turnaround times differ depending on the type of software, quality of the recording, accents, background noise, number of speakers, and a range of other variables. Companies can take as little as a couple of minutes or several days and even weeks to deliver transcripts. The best transcription services usually take four hours or less to transcribe a one-hour recording.