I worked as a transcriber during college, and at the time I was making about $8/hour with regular work coming in each week. It was boring, but easy, and most importantly I could work from home.
These days, as you have no doubt already guessed, almost every transcription service is rushing to create AI tools that can do the work. But there are still three transcription platforms that you can apply to, described below.
However, for the best online work, I suggest using task sites instead of transcription. Transcription work will become harder and harder to get, whereas task work is on the rise, and is one of the highest-paying gigs you can do from home. More on that later.
You can still apply for the following three transcription platforms:
However, as you have probably already guessed, your chances of being hired are very low. AI has decimated this industry.
But if you do get hired, these three platforms are all effectively the same for newcomers. You will be given access to their platform and sent audio files for each job. Write up what you hear, and expect an hour of audio to take at least three hours to transcribe.
With all three platforms, you will get paid on a weekly basis. But you will not be paid much, according to Rev, their average earners only make $245 a month!
I suggest you do higher-paying and easier to get online work instead; use a task site.
Complete paid tasks with Freecash instead
For similar or better money than freelance transcription, while also being able to work from home, I recommend using a task site like Freecash. The work is certainly a lot less boring.
Platforms like Freecash connect you with companies who need small tasks to be completed. For instance, a market research company might need respondents to give feedback about a potential rebranding, or a developer might need player-testers to try their game.
From your end, all you need to do is follow these steps:
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Join Freecash, or log in with Google or Facebook.
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Pick tasks that interest you, as many or as few as you want.
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Complete the tasks, working from home, when you have time.
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Withdraw your money via bank transfer, PayPal, or one of the numerous other options.
And you can earn a hell of a lot more on a task site. Whereas top transcribers on Rev make $1.5k a month, top earners on Freecash make over $5k.
You can actually track how much the top earners make via the Freecash leaderboard, with the first to make it to $5k each month earning a $500 bonus.
And you don't need to wait to receive your money; once you've earned your funds you can withdraw from Freecash in seconds. Which is just another reason why this is a better option for anyone wondering how to get paid to transcribe audio.
If you're not sure about using Freecash as an alternative to transcription, here is a more in-depth overview of how it works. I also recommend you check out what actual users are saying on Trustpilot.
