There are many reasons to use transcription services. For example, businesses use them to create transcripts of meeting minutes, researchers use them to create accurate records of interviews and focus groups, and academics use them to produce lecture transcripts.
Whatever the need, transcriptions done by a professional service can provide an accurate, reliable record of events or conversations. Typing up meeting notes or lectures yourself can be time-consuming and prone to errors; using a professional service can ensure that your transcript is ready on time and free from mistakes.
While Rev is one of the most popular platforms in the transcription industry, it may not always meet your project needs. Or maybe you want your transcripts in ready-to-use format with customized templates, which Rev doesn’t provide. You’ve come to the right place if you’re looking for the best Rev alternatives!
6 Best Rev Alternatives & Competitors of 2024:
1. Otter.ai
Otter lets you transcribe your virtual meetings with artificial intelligence (AI) powered video transcription and translation services. The company was started in 2016 and is based in Los Altos, California. Otter’s software can also provide captions for live speakers, which is great for webinars or panel interviews.
Key Features:
Otter seamlessly delivers video conferencing integration for various collaborative platforms like Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and Zoom. The workflow is easy to set up and includes real-time transcript sharing and an AI assistant that can join meetings on your behalf. You can also use Otter on your Android or iOS mobile device.
The main Otter services are automatic note-taking, captioning, and transcription of live virtual events. Recorded video/audio transcriptions are also available.
Pricing:
Pricing starts at $8.33 a month, and there is a free plan providing up to 300 monthly minutes of transcription. Otter.ai’s customers include UX designers, students, video producers, consultants, and entrepreneurs.
Why Choose Otter.ai as Your Rev Alternative?
Otter’s has a host of advantages, including:
- Live transcription with speech recognition software
- Real-time and comprehensive usage analytics
- A virtual assistant to help you with different issues
- Collaboration options with multiple users
- A free basic plan
However, keep in mind that Otter is an AI transcription service, so there may be inaccuracies in your transcript. According to some users, the tool is sometimes unable to differentiate speakers in a live event. Per our research, Otter.ai’s accuracy is only around 80-85%, which is good but not great, especially if you want to use the document quickly.
2. GMR Transcription
GMR Transcription is a leading human-based audio and video transcription and translation service provider with one of the fastest turnaround time options. Founded in 2004, the Tustin, California-based company boasts 100% US-based human transcriptionists having experience transcribing nearly 7.5 million minutes of content at the time of writing this article.
By working only with US-based transcriptionists, GMR Transcription is capable of transcribing the most difficult audio files, which can include background noise, multiple speakers, and more. They also have experience in industry-related transcription services, including webinars, podcasts, academic, court reporting, and deposition transcription services.
Key Features:
The client portal of GMR Transcription offers a straightforward 3-step process to get your transcription completed. Upload your video/audio file or add a URL, specify your requirements, and wait as the team transcribes your recording. Their dashboard supports third-party integrations with video hosting or conferencing sites like Zoom, so you can import your files easily.
You can also use the website’s exclusive web linking feature. To import files, you can simply copy and paste the URLs of video/audio files from popular platforms, including YouTube, SoundCloud, Google Podcast, Apple Podcast, Vimeo, Libsyn, Dropbox, and Wistia.
Pricing:
GMR Transcription video transcription services (English) start at $1.25, while their Spanish transcription options start at $3.25. For extra fees, you can order a verbatim document with false starts and stutters. Insertion of time codes and editing for perfect grammar is also an option.
Why Choose GMR Transcription as Rev Alternative?
If you’re wondering why GMR Transcription is a great Rev alternative, here are the top reasons:
- They provide an industry-leading accuracy of 99% on good-quality audio
- You can call or use live chat to speak with customer support
- Guaranteed confidentiality and data security with encryption and NDA agreement
- You can order transcripts in customized formats
If you need highly accurate for your projects, GMR Transcription is a great option for you. However, if transcript quality is not a priority and you have the time to make edits by yourself, you can try other AI-based alternatives that quickly generate transcripts with 70-80% accuracy at more affordable rates.
3. Descript
If you’re a podcaster or vlogger, Descript can make your day in the office a lot easier by creating and transcribing videos. It is operated by AI and human coordinators. You can record your content inside the platform and instantly convert it to text. The San Francisco-based company was founded in 2017. Besides transcription, Descript is also a great tool for screen recording and video editing purposes.
Key Features:
Descript provides a word-editing tool that many media creators who use it find highly intuitive. Transcribers can easily eliminate filler words and false starts within the text editor to deliver an accurate video transcript. You can use the web linking feature here as well.
Pricing:
Descript pricing starts at $12 a month for core services, including video editing, live recording, podcasting, and transcription. Users can also upload videos recorded elsewhere for transcribing or advanced editing using the online resource.
Why Is Descript a Great Rev Alternative?
If you’re a blogger or podcaster, you will love Descript for the following features:
- Live collaboration, meaning that you can record and share your screen or webcam in real-time
- Advanced video processing capabilities like multi-track editing
- Quick auto-captioning for live meetings
- Automatic speaker recognition software for identifying multiple speakers
- Free plan for up to 3 hours of transcription with overdub trial
However, those who need an app for video/editing processing may find it difficult to work with multiple files in Descript. According to our research, Descript’s average accuracy is around 90%.
Also Read: 18 Best Video Editing Software for Beginners
4. Happy Scribe
Based in Catalonia, Barcelona, Happy Scribe provides both AI and human-based video and audio transcription services worldwide. Founded in 2017, the company delivers video-to-text conversions and subtitles in more than 45 languages, including English, Spanish, and Mandarin.
Key Features:
With Happy Scribe, you can collaborate on your transcription workflows with colleagues, including correcting grammar using the built-in text editor. You can also generate AI transcripts or order human-based transcription services for higher precision and perfect grammar. The platform makes timestamping and word search/replacement a breeze for its users.
Pricing:
AI-generated transcripts cost $0.20 a minute, while text produced by human transcriptionists starts at $1.95. Users pay more for subtitles and translation, though.
Happy Scribe’s most popular corporate clients include Forbes, BBC, and Spotify.
Why Is Happy Scribe Considered One of the Best Rev Alternatives?
Happy Scribe has multiple unique strengths:
- It’s cheaper than Rev (you pay $1.95 to get your human-made transcript in 24 hours)
- The subtitling service supports more than 45 languages
- You can upload large video files for transcription
- The transcriptionists at Happy Scribe are highly professional and earn around $1500 to $3000
- The AI can provide an accuracy of 80-85%, while human transcriptionists at Happy Scribe can provide more than 95% accuracy
The quality of Happy Scribe transcription service is good, but some users wish it allowed offline video reviewing to save on data costs. Also, the subtitling function may ignore silent moments in the videos resulting in time code mismatches. This might not be the best choice for you if you need a verbatim transcription with complete detail.
5. Zubtitle
Zubtitle is a Charleston, South California-based provider of online video-editing and captioning tools that entered the scene in 2018. The platform allows you to enhance 20-30-minute videos for posting on social media.
Key Features:
Zubtitle isn’t your typical transcription services provider. It automatically adds subtitles and captions to your online videos, and it’s popular with social media marketers and influencers.
Not only can you add your logo and brand colors, but you can also resize your video to unique preferences within the straightforward dashboard.
Pricing:
Plans start at $19 per month. For this price, you can upload, edit, enhance, and brand up to 10 videos that are 20 minutes long.
What Makes Zubtitle a Great Rev Alternative?
Some of the stand-out perks the online video editor offers are:
- With the free plan, you can get captions for two 20-minute videos per month
- Automatic captioning enables users to quickly process and repurpose videos for any social media platform
- Boosts viewer engagement with animation
- It is capable of providing around 90% accuracy
However, Zubtitle isn’t your go-to platform if you are looking to transcribe audio files longer than 30 minutes.
You May Like: 5 Data Storytelling Trends and Examples
6. Temi
Temi is a fast and easy online AI-based transcription service. Founded in 2017, the company is headquartered in San Francisco. It provides excellent speech recognition capabilities for video/audio-to-text conversions with a high level of accuracy.
Key Features:
If you only need audio or video transcription services, the Temi online dashboard has a rather straightforward workflow for you. Simply upload and submit your file. Within minutes, you’ll have your text (with timestamps and speaker annotations) ready for clean-up.
Pricing:
Users pay $0.25 per minute to transcribe files using the AI-powered online tool. They get all the services/features offered for this rate, including timestamps.
Why Choose Temi Over Rev?
- One of the cheapest transcription options among all services mentioned here
- One of the fastest turnaround times (5 minutes or fewer)
- The tool makes continuing accuracy improvements by analyzing user edits using AI
- Can provide accuracy up to 85-90% on clear audio
Remember that you may have to clean up 5-10% of your Temi transcript because the service doesn’t use human transcriptionists or proofreaders. As with most AI-driven speech recognition tools, Temi may not provide a usable transcript if you upload a poor-quality recording with heavy background noise or strong accents.
Human VS AI: Which Transcription Service You Should Choose?
While Rev provides both human and automated transcription services, a lot of others provide only one of them, and some provide both. So what should you choose, a human or a bot?
The answer depends upon your needs. AI transcription can be a great option if you are:
- short of time
- have a clear, high-quality audio file
- don’t need the transcript in any specific format or template
However, if your audio file has multiple speakers, background noise, and industry-specific terminology, then AI won’t be able to provide an accurate transcript.
Generally, if you have enough time, you should always choose a human-based transcription service. The cost difference gets balanced out by the difference in the quality of the transcripts.
See Also: 5 Best Digital Journal Apps
Conclusion
Rev is an excellent transcription company, but it’s understandable if you’re now looking for a different experience on a platform that’s more aligned with your current transcription goals or budget.
The key differentiator when choosing audio or video transcription services can be anything, such as the 90% or 99% accuracy guarantee you get. That difference in quality can determine whether or not you have to spend more time and resources cleaning up the transcript in-house.
Determine your project needs first and then explore all of your options!
FAQs: Rev Alternatives
Is Rev better than TranscribeMe?
Rev and TranscribeMe are two popular transcription services that offer similar transcription services with some differences that set them apart. Both platforms offer fast and reliable transcription services at an affordable price, with TranscribeMe starting at a lower price point than Rev.
While Rev has a simpler interface, TranscribeMe offers more customization options for the transcription process. Both services also offer additional features such as captions, subtitles, foreign language transcription, and translation services, with Rev providing more additional services.
In terms of accuracy, both services have a reputation for providing high accuracy in their transcription services, although the accuracy may vary depending on the quality of the audio or video file.
Rev has a shorter turnaround time, with files under 30 minutes being delivered in 12 hours, while TranscribeMe’s standard turnaround time is 2-3 business days.
Ultimately, the choice between the two services depends on individual needs, preferences, and budget. It’s recommended that users compare the features, pricing, and reviews of both services to decide which one would better fit their specific transcription needs.
Is transcribing for Rev worth it?
Rev pays its transcriptionists on a per-audio-minute basis, with rates ranging from $0.30 to $1.10 per audio minute, depending on the difficulty of the audio and the transcriptionist’s level of experience.
While the payout may seem low, Rev offers a flexible work schedule, allowing transcriptionists to work on their own time and choose the projects they want to work on. Additionally, Rev provides all the necessary tools, such as a transcription editor and style guide, to ensure that the transcription process is efficient and accurate.
That being said, transcribing for Rev requires a certain level of proficiency in English grammar, spelling, and punctuation. The audio files can also be challenging, requiring transcriptionists to be able to understand different accents and audio quality. Some transcriptionists have reported that the pay rate can be low for certain types of audio files, which can make it difficult to earn a reasonable income.
Overall, transcribing for Rev can be a good way to earn extra money from home, especially for those with strong language skills and a flexible schedule. However, it’s important to be aware of the potential challenges, such as the difficulty of some audio files and the relatively low pay rate for certain projects.
