If you’re searching for a legit online typing job, transcription is one work from home job where people convert their skills into dollars.
In this post, you’ll learn everything you need to know about working from home as a transcriptionist. We also have a big list of transcription jobs, along with ratings and pay rates when included.
Are you ready to make money in your spare time? Let’s go!
What is Transcription?
Transcription is the process of taking a live or recorded audio file and converting it into a text document. The audio can be from lectures, interviews, sermons, podcasts, webinars, videos, voice notes, or any other form of recorded speech.
Why do people convert these recordings into text?
Some professionals are too busy to type their own work, so they use transcribers.
People with hearing difficulties may require subtitles or written documentation to understand what’s happening in a movie or TV show. Transcriptionists create the documents and captions to assist these people.
Another reason is personal preference.
Let’s say a business owner records a video, but many of their clients prefer reading over watching videos or listening to audio. They transcribe the video or audio clip into a written transcript so those clients can consume the content in their desired format.
Transcription Types
There are three main transcription specialties: general, legal, and medical transcription, and we’ll discuss each one below.
General Transcription
As the name suggests, general transcription does not focus on any specific niche. Instead, it involves converting all types of audio, like business recordings, interviews, and phone conversations, into text documents. For general transcription, no specialized knowledge or terminology of the subject is required.
Legal Transcription
At times, people need legal recordings transcribed into written documents. These may be court proceedings from judges, lawyers, or advocates. As a legal transcriptionist, you’ll need to know legal terminology and produce work without any errors to work in this specialty of transcription effectively.
Medical Transcription
Like legal professionals, medical transcribers transcribe audio files for doctors, surgeons, psychiatrists, and nutritionists who need their recordings converted into written documents. Medical transcribers need to know medical terminology and acronyms that are common in the medical field.
One thing to note about medical transcription is that demand and pay rates for medical transcriptionists have decreased, as most medical facilities have switched to electronic medical records.
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job outlook for medical transcribers is -5%, with a decline of 2,200 positions from 2024 to 2034.
Qualifications Needed for Transcription Jobs
If you have the right skills and knowledge, online transcription jobs are a great work from home opportunity! Here are the qualifications you’ll need to start working as a transcriber.
Perfect Command of the English Language
This is self-explanatory. Correct punctuation, spelling, and grammar are necessary to be a transcriber. In short, petty errors such as confusing “it’s” with “its” or not knowing when to use a comma or colon should be avoided. Finally, it helps to know the difference between US and UK English.
Keen Listening Skills
The types of audio you will encounter in transcription will vary significantly in quality, accent, speed, and complexity. As such, one should listen keenly and get the words right.
Good Research Skills
In some cases, you may receive audio that has non-English words or words that you’ve never heard of before. To create an accurate script, you’ll need to look some words up. Often names of towns, people, and things may not be clear in the audio. By taking the extra time to research the unknowns, you’ll improve the quality and acceptability of your work.
Fast and Accurate Typist
When you’re a transcriber, speed is critical to your success. Transcribing one audio file may produce hundreds, sometimes even thousands, of words. To be successful, you’ll need a typing speed of 60 WPM (words per minute) or more. The faster you can type, the more money you can earn in most cases. However, speed should not compromise accuracy.
Required Equipment and Training For Transcription Jobs
If you have a good command of the English language and you’re a fast and accurate typist, you can learn transcription without taking a course. If your English, grammar, and typing skills are rusty, taking an online course can help prepare you for this career.
For medical and legal transcription, you’ll need to take a course to learn the proper terminology.
I recommend Transcribe Anywhere’s courses if you’re interested in learning general or legal transcription.
Let’s talk about other equipment you’ll need to work as a transcriptionist:
How Much Do Transcription Jobs Pay?
Generally, transcription pay is calculated by the audio hour or minute. According to PayScale.com, the median wage for a transcriber is $21.64. Of course, you can earn more based on the quality, speed, and type of transcription you’re doing.
One perk of transcription work is that you can set your own schedule and work any time of day or night, as long as you meet your assignment deadlines and turn out high-quality work.
One thing to note with transcription is that if it says you’re paid per audio minute, this is not the same as per minute worked. This is how long it takes you to type out one minute of audio.
According to professional transcriber Lisa Mills, experienced transcriptionists usually have a 3-to-1 turnaround rate, meaning it takes them three minutes to type out one minute of audio. Beginners can expect a slower turnaround rate, but with practice, you can increase your typing speed and hone your listening skills.
Where to Find Legitimate Transcription Jobs From Home
If you want to work from home doing transcription, there are many transcription companies to explore. Most companies on this list will require you to take and pass a skills test before you’re able to start working on projects.
Another thing to note: most transcription work is for independent contractors, which means you’re responsible for paying self-employment taxes. Be sure to educate yourself on the pros and cons of this work arrangement.
Here are 24 legit online transcription jobs to check out.
1. 3Play Media
3Play Media hires independent contractors for English and Spanish transcription, as well as English voice writers. In these freelance roles, you get paid weekly; you can create your own schedule, and you can do transcription in a variety of areas, like entertainment, corporate, and educational content. To begin working with 3Play Media, you’ll need to fill out an application, verify your email address, and take and pass a skills test.
According to Indeed, the average hourly pay rate for a caption editor at 3Play Media is $28.67 per hour.
- 3Play Media gets a 3.4-star rating on Glassdoor.
2. AccuTran Global
AccuTran Global hires independent contractors living in North America for transcription, stenography, and captioning in a wide range of industries. You’ll need excellent communication skills, the ability to meet deadlines, and your own equipment.
According to their website, pay is determined by the call length, starting at $75 for events up to an hour.
- AccuTran Global gets a 5-star rating on Glassdoor.
3. Acolad
Formerly Verbal Ink, then Ubiqus, now Acolad hires freelance transcriptionists, translators, creatives, marketing, and learning specialists. For this role, you’ll need to be a fast, accurate typist with excellent listening skills and a love of research. You must pass a test before you can accept assignments.
According to Indeed, the average hourly pay rate for a transcriptionist at Acolad is $27.30.
- Acolad gets a 2.6-star rating on Glassdoor.
4. AlphaSights
AlphaSights hires remote language transcribers and general transcribers from around the globe. These positions require at least five years of experience with a 98% to 99% accuracy rate. You’ll need to pass an assessment and criminal background check.
According to Indeed, the average hourly pay rate for a transcriber at AlphaSights is $27.47.
- AlphaSights gets a 3.6-star rating on Glassdoor.
5. Babbletype
Babbletype hires highly skilled independent contractors for transcription and translation work. For these freelance positions, you must live in the United States (they do not hire in California), Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, or New Zealand. You must watch their intro video to apply; then you’ll complete a lengthy application and skills assessment test.
According to Indeed, the average hourly pay rate for a transcriptionist at Babbletype is $26.62.
- Babbletype gets a 2.8-star rating on Glassdoor.
6. CastingWords
CastingWords hires freelance transcribers and editors in all US states except CA, DC, HI, IN, MA, NY, and WV. To apply with CastingWords, you’ll need to be at least 18 years old, have the ability to receive payments via PayPal, and have prior experience or the ability to pass an initial transcription exam.
Payments are made weekly by check. Pay rates vary by project, complexity, and grade of your work, but range from $0.085 to over $1 per audio minute. Assignments are graded on a scale of 0 to 9; levels 0 to 4 are rejected, and higher levels earn higher rates. The higher the quality of your work, the more you’ll earn.
- CastingWords gets a 3-star rating out of 5 on Glassdoor.
7. CrowdGen by Appen
CrowdGen by Appen hires freelance contributors worldwide to complete short tasks like categorizing social media, transcribing audio, moderating content, and more. For many of these roles, you’ll need to take and pass an initial exam before you can begin working on projects, but they are open to novices.
According to Indeed, independent contractors earn an average of $10.46 per hour, and the company offers payments via PayPal, Payoneer, Air, and direct deposit.
- Appen receives a 3.7-star rating on Glassdoor.
8. Daily Transcription
Daily Transcription hires freelance transcriptionists, captioners, translators, medical transcribers, AI editors, legal transcribers, and bilingual Spanish transcriptionists from the US, Canada, Australia, Ireland, India, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. To work as a transcriptionist, you’ll need at least one year of experience, a typing speed of 50 WPM, and a strong level of attention to detail.
Starting pay rates are $45 to $66 per hour of material. You’ll need to pass a grammar quiz and a transcription test in your area of expertise.
- Daily Transcription gets a 4.4-star rating on Glassdoor.
9. eScribers
eScribers hires legal transcribers, proofreaders, and stenographic reporters from all states except California and Massachusetts. You’ll work as an independent contractor in these roles, and payments are issued via direct deposit. eScribers hires beginners, so if you don’t have prior experience, this is a good opportunity to get your feet wet.
According to Indeed, the average hourly pay rate for a transcriber at eScribers is $16.81 per hour.
- eScribers receives a 3.5-star rating on Glassdoor.
10. GMR Transcription
GMR Transcription hires US general transcribers, Spanish translators and transcribers, and certified translators. No experience is needed, but you’ll need to pass a transcription test. According to their website, they hired transcribers through FlexJobs, Transcription Essentials, and Transcription Certification Institute, so you can apply via those avenues.
According to Glassdoor, transcriptionists typically earn $0.61 to $1 per audio minute.
- GMR Transcription gets a 4.4-star rating on Glassdoor.
11. GoTranscript
GoTranscript hires transcribers and translators in 140 languages from all around the world. To apply for this transcription job, you’ll need to complete an application and pass a sample transcription test.
According to their website, English transcriptionists earn up to $0.65 per audio minute, and top earners can make up to $3,250 per month. Payment goes through PayPal or Payoneer every Friday.
- GoTranscript receives a 3.9-star rating on Glassdoor.
12. Happy Scribe
Happy Scribe hires freelance transcribers, captioners, and translators from the United States, United Kingdom, Spain, France, Germany, Canada, Kenya, the Philippines, and more. No experience is needed, but you’ll need to pass an assessment test to prove your skills.
According to previous information on their website, transcribers earn €0.90 per audio minute, with top earners making €3,000 a month. Payments go out every two weeks via Wise.
- Happy Scribe gets a 4.8-star rating on Glassdoor.
13. QuickTate
QuickTate hires freelance transcriptionists to transcribe short 2- to 3-minute audio clips, like voicemail messages, letters, legal and medical files, and phone calls. For this position, you’ll need to take and pass an assessment test and pay for a criminal background check, which costs $20. You’ll also need to have Excel and Express Scribe Pro.
General transcribers at QuickTate earn $0.0025 per word, and medical transcribers earn $0.0050 per word. Payments go out every Monday via PayPal.
- QuickTate has a 2.9-star rating on Glassdoor, so thoroughly research this company before applying
14. Rev
Rev hires freelance transcribers, captioners, and translators from the US (all states except California), Australia, Canada, Ireland, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Africa, and the UK. For these freelance positions, you must take and pass a grammar quiz and provide a transcription sample before beginning work. However, they do hire beginners.
Transcriptionists earn $0.30-$1.10 per audio minute, captioners earn $0.54-$1.10 per video minute, and translators earn $1.50-$3.00 per audio/video minute. Payments are distributed weekly via PayPal.
- Rev receives a 3.8-star rating on Glassdoor.
15. Scribie
Scribie hires freelance transcribers with strong communication skills and an excellent command of English. You don’t need prior experience for this role, but you will need to take and pass a test to become certified to work.
According to previous information on their site, the pay is $5-$20 per audio hour, and payments go through PayPal.
- Scribie gets a 2.9-star rating on Glassdoor.
16. SpeakWrite
The Austin-based company SpeakWrite hires legal, general, and Spanish transcriptionists. Before applying, you must pass a typing test with a speed of 60 WPM and an accuracy of 90%. SpeakWrite hires in all states (except California) and Canada, and transcriptionists need one year of experience.
According to their website, the average monthly income is $450, and top earners make $3,400 a month.
- SpeakWrite gets a 3.2-star rating on Glassdoor.
17. Speechpad
Speechpad offers captioning, translation, and transcription services to companies. They hire freelance transcribers and translators from all over the world. To apply for these positions, you must be fluent in English, have excellent grammar skills, and type at least 40 WPM.
According to its website, transcribers earn $0.25 to $2.50 per audio minute, translators make $2.00 to $5.00 per audio minute, and payments go out twice a week.
- Speechpad gets a 4-star rating on Glassdoor.
18. Telenotes
Telenotes is a CRM for salespeople, and its offerings include transcription services. For these independent contracting roles, you must live in Utah, type 70 WPM, and have excellent spelling and grammar skills. Most transcription work can be done between 8:00 AM and 8:00 PM, but transcribers are expected to work one night shift per week, starting at 9:00 PM, for 1 to 2 hours. While no experience is required for this position, you will be expected to pass a typing test during the application process.
According to this expired job posting, the starting pay is $11.00 per hour for your first 60 days, then it averages $14 per hour based on a variety of factors.
- Telenotes receives a 4.9-star rating on Glassdoor.
19. TELUS Digital
TELUS Digital is an AI community where freelancers worldwide can work on short tasks and projects like transcription, translation, search engine evaluation, mystery shopping, data collection, and more. Some projects require a preliminary exam to vet your skills and expertise.
According to Glassdoor, the average hourly pay for a transcriber at TELUS Digital is $16 per hour.
- TELUS Digital receives a 3.4-star rating on Glassdoor.
20. Tigerfish
Tigerfish hires elite US-based transcribers for general, medical, legal, tech, and finance transcription projects. You’ll need to download 3 5-minute MP3 files to your computer and transcribe them for your application. For this freelance gig, you’ll need a Windows-based computer to run their video timecoding software, and you’ll need to purchase a copy of Start Stop’s Power Play for Windows Media.
Tigerfish does not mention a pay rate on their website, and there is no salary information on Glassdoor or Indeed.
- Tigerfish gets a 5-star rating on Glassdoor; however, it has only one review, and they have a 3-star rating on Indeed, with two reviews.
21. TranscribeMe
TranscribeMe offers transcription and translation services to many industries, including medical, legal, and educational. To apply for a transcription job, you’ll need to be at least 18 years old, have a valid PayPal account, a computer, a high-speed internet connection, and pass the English entrance exam. In this freelance role, you’ll transcribe short 2- to 4-minute audio clips, so you don’t necessarily need transcription software. TranscribeMe hires in all states except California and Massachusetts.
Starting pay is $15-$22 per audio hour, with special teams earnings being $60 to $70 per audio hour.
- TranscribeMe receives a 3.9-star rating on Glassdoor.
22. Verbit
Verbit provides transcription and captioning services for law firms, courts, media and entertainment establishments, and higher education institutions. They hire part-time, experienced legal transcriptionists in the US and globally for freelance positions.
According to their website, the pay is per audio minute or per page basis, and is standard for the transcription industry.
- Verbit gets a 3-star rating out of 5 on Glassdoor.
23. VIQ Solutions
VIQ Solutions, formerly Net Transcripts, provides confidential transcription and translation services for law enforcement agencies. They hire remote transcriptionists who have experience in specialized transcription. In these roles, you’ll work as an independent contractor, and payments are made twice a month via direct deposit. They hire in all 50 states except Massachusetts, Illinois, and California.
According to Indeed, the average hourly pay rate for a transcriptionist with VIQ Solutions is $25.65 per hour.
- VIQ Solutions receives a 2.6-star rating on Glassdoor
24. Way With Words
Way With Words hires native English freelance transcriptionists from the US, Canada, the UK, countries in the European Union, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, and South Africa. Way With Words hires both beginners and experienced transcriptionists, and you’ll need to take and pass an assessment before being able to work on projects.
According to their website, transcribers earn $0.40 to $1.20 per audio minute, and payments are distributed via PayPal.
- Way With Words gets a 4.1-star rating out of 5 on Glassdoor.
FAQ About Work From Home Transcription Jobs
How much do transcriptionists make working from home?
Rates for transcription vary, depending on the type of transcription you’re doing (general, legal, or medical), how fast you can type, your experience, and the company you’re contracted with.
As we mentioned above, the average hourly pay rate for a general transcriptionist in the US is $21.64.
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average pay rate for a medical transcriptionist is $18.05 per hour, and for court reporters (they don’t have an exact category for legal transcription), it is $32.36 per hour.
Of course, all of these numbers are averages; with practice and proficiency, you can earn more or less depending on your speed.
Can I be a transcriber with no experience?
Yes, many companies hire novice transcribers. That said, transcription is a skill that takes time to develop.
If you think transcription might be an ideal career path for your personality, check out this free 7-lesson mini course from Transcribe Anywhere.
Is transcription still in demand?
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics does not have a direct category for general or legal transcriptionists on its website. However, according to Transcribe Anywhere, demand for transcriptionists remains high.
With AI, transcription can be done automatically, but a transcript editor must evaluate the final text for correctness, as AI tools often make contextual, terminology, and attribution errors.
Ditto Transcripts echoes this sentiment, saying:
The U.S. transcription industry will remain strong through 2035. Market value will grow beyond $50 billion. Transcription providers who embrace technology but maintain human quality standards will more than likely succeed the most.
Final Words About Online Transcription Jobs
Hopefully, this gives you a better idea of what transcription work entails and how much you can earn as a transcriber. As you can see, this is an excellent career for beginners who don’t have years of transcription experience or a college degree. In many cases, you don’t even need to submit a resume, just an application, along with an assessment exam.
Transcription jobs are perfect for busy parents since you can work in small increments at any time of the day. While the pay tends to be on the lower side, if you hone your skills and speed and learn a specialty area, you can generate higher paychecks.
If you’re curious about other sites that post transcription gigs, you can explore LinkedIn, Indeed, Glassdoor, and Upwork. Just be sure to vet each company for legitimacy.
Are you interested in working from home as a transcriber? Not sure if you have the right skills? Check out Transcribe Anywhere’s free training workshop.
Sheeroh Kiarie is a work at home mom who works as a transcriber and a blogger. She’s very passionate about online freelancing. She blogs at workonlinekenya.com, and her goal is to provide others with helpful information about working online and the experiences she has gained in her online work journey.
