REV:How to make money?

The process of transcribing an audio or video file can be tedious and time consuming. You could spend hours typing out interviews and notes by yourself, or you could make your life easier by using a transcription service like Rev. This human-based service is an excellent option for transforming your recorded files, producing highly accurate transcripts at a reasonable price. Its web interface is only average and it lacks a subscription model (you have to pay by the minute), but these are only minor drawbacks to an otherwise outstanding service. For those reasons, Rev is our Editors' Choice for transcription services.

How Much Does Rev Cost?

Rev's pricing is straightforward; it costs $1 per minute of uploaded audio or video files. There's no bulk rate, extra cost for quicker delivery, or penalty for poor audio quality. The only exceptions are an extra $0.25 per minute each if you want time stamps every 30 seconds or a verbatim transcription. Verbatim transcripts leave in all the filler words such as "uh" and "um." I like Rev's simple pricing structure, though I wish it offered a monthly subscription option (at a discount) for professionals or teams who rely heavily on such services for their work.

The under-12 hour turnaround time for files that are 30 minutes or shorter is among the fastest turnaround guarantees I've seen. Customers can opt in to Rev's Shorten Turnaround option for files over 30 minutes (at no extra cost), a delivery process which Rev claims is three times quicker than normal. If you select this option, your transcription job is split into several segments (each worked on by a separate transcriptionist) and stitched together at the end. Rev does not offer a free trial option.

For comparison, Trint costs $15 per hour of audio transcribed or $40 per month for 3 hours, if you go for their subscription model. Both are more cost-effective than Rev, though it is worth noting that Trint is an automated service—software does the job, not people. Scribie's middle-of-the-road option costs $1.20 per minute with a 36-hour turnaround time. However, Scribie charges extra fees for recordings with poor quality or speakers with strong accents.

How It Works

To get started with Rev, you need to sign up with an email address. Once you log in, click the Get Started button on the main Transcription Page or Place New Order button from the account section. Rev gives you the option to either upload a file directly from your computer or paste in a link to a public web address. Once the file uploads successfully into the system, payment and service options appear. For example, you can opt into the time-stamping or verbatim options and select the file format you prefer for exporting. The price in the upper left corner updates continuously depending on the options you select, so you won't ever be caught off-guard by the final cost.

Once you confirm the order, Rev sends you an email with the details, and then a follow-up message once one of the company's freelancers starts working on the job. A Rev freelancer, otherwise known as a Revver, then has the option to claim your transcription from a job board. Only one transcriptionist works on your file in most cases. Revvers can remove themselves from a job if the audio is of poor quality or they are unable to complete it for some reason.

Once a Revver completes your transcription, Rev sends out a notification email, along with an option to rate your Revver once you finish reviewing the work. This is one way the Rev ensures the quality of its transcriptionists, in addition to other internal quality checks.

Web Interface

You can access your completed file via the Rev website. The web console has a basic layout but is fine for most tasks. That said, the interface feels a bit text heavy and the thick gray layout bars at the top and bottom of sections look dated, and the color scheme is a bit dull, as well. The left-hand menu items include Users, Order History, Search Orders, and Settings, along with billing and payment options. The Users section lets you add any number of people to share your same billing account, which is useful for teams. I also like the granularity of the settings options, which let you, for example, specify layout preferences for the exported file.

Most people will stick to the Order History section since that is where your transcribed files live. You can sort your orders by a few different categories including by date, size, or cost. Oddly, you need to visit a separate tab to search through any of your past orders. This information can also be exported to a CSV. Clicking on an individual job brings you to a details page, where you can access the original file or download the transcription directly. Customization options include exporting it as a Word document, a text file, or as a PDF. You can also choose between a text-based and table format for the final document.

Regardless of the service you use, you will likely need to make some changes to the final version or download a copy of an older job at some point. To access Rev's web editor, click on the View & Edit option. This editing console is a simplified version of what Revvers use, and it's an effective way to make changes before exporting. This interface has a clean design and eyesight-friendly dark background, which is helpful for people who stare at a screen most of the day. The blue, red, and white accents contribute help keep it organized.

Placing your order is simple as well. Transcriptions remain at the same $1 per minute rate, and you can options such as timestamping (every 2 minutes) for an extra $0.25 and specify the speaker names that appear in the transcript. It's worth noting that Rev offers a $10 discount on your first order. Once the transcript is complete, you can view it from within the app via the View Transcript button in the lower right corner. The last option is to link Rev to your Dropbox account for easy exports.

Rev recently released Rev Call Recorder for iOS. In short, this app lets you record and submit your phone calls to Rev for transcription. Users can also share and listen to any previous recordings from the app. Although these features are certainly useful, I feel like Rev would do better to add them to its existing Android and iOS apps.

Both Temi and GoTranscript also offer mobile apps that function in much the same way. Both let you record audio within the app and directly order transcripts afterward. Otter's mobile app is by far the best; the interface looks the most modern and users can edit transcripts directly.

Rev It Up

Let's face it, transcribing any audio or video file is a hassle and requires time and dedication that you just may not have. That's where transcription services can be of assistance. Rev performed very well in our accuracy test and makes it easy to make corrections via its online editor. On top of that, the pricing structure is both reasonable and straightforward. For those reasons, Rev receives our Editors' Choice award for transcription services.