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INSIDE: TranscribeMe is often the perfect solution for people who want to start a side hustle. It’s an easy way to break into the world of transcription. This review will help you decide if it’s right for you!
Do you want to break into the transcription industry, but you don’t even know what a foot pedal is? TranscribeMe could be a great place for you to start!
This transcription company lets you work from home, is completely open to newcomers, and is a good place to improve your skills on the job. There are minimal equipment requirements, and you don’t have to buy any transcription software.
Kick back with a cup of coffee and read our comprehensive overview of this job opportunity. Then decide if this is your path to a transcription career – or if it just sounds like a great way to make some extra cash.
Also See: How To Not Get ****ed Over Starting As a Transcriptionist
AI vs. Human Transcription: Where TranscribeMe Still Shines in 2025
Before we dive into TranscribeMe specifically, let’s talk about the elephant in the room: AI transcription tools like Otter.ai, Rev AI, and Sonix are everywhere now. You’ve probably heard the buzz about how these automated services can transcribe audio in minutes rather than hours. And yes, they’re pretty impressive!
But here’s the thing: Even the best AI transcription services are only hitting around 69% accuracy on average, with some studies showing error rates as high as 12-14%. That means for every 100 words, you’re looking at 12-31 mistakes. Yikes!
This is exactly why human transcriptionists like those working for TranscribeMe are still very much in demand. While AI struggles with accents, background noise, multiple speakers talking over each other, and industry-specific jargon, human ears can handle these challenges.
Where humans still win big:
- Legal and medical transcription (where a single wrong word can be costly)
- Recordings with heavy accents or poor audio quality
- Multi-speaker conversations with crosstalk
- Content with specialized terminology
- Situations requiring strict confidentiality and HIPAA compliance
The reality is that AI and human transcription are finding their own lanes. AI is great for quick-and-dirty transcripts where perfect accuracy isn’t crucial—think internal meeting notes or rough drafts. But when accuracy matters, human transcribers are still the gold standard.
The Remote Work Boom: More Transcription Opportunities Than Ever
Talk about perfect timing! The explosion of remote work since 2020 has created a massive demand for transcription services. Here’s what’s driving this growth:
Meeting Mania: The average employee spends 31 hours per month in meetings, and companies are realizing that having accurate transcripts means better follow-up, clearer action items, and less “wait, what did we decide?” moments.
Podcast Paradise: The podcast industry is booming, with creators needing transcripts for SEO, accessibility, repurposing content into blog posts, and reaching audiences who prefer reading to listening.
Content Creator Central: YouTubers, course creators, and online educators are all hungry for transcripts to make their content more accessible and searchable.
The U.S. transcription market was valued at USD 30.42 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 5.2% from 2025 to 2030. That’s a lot of work opportunities for folks like you!
Bottom line: While some predicted that remote work would decrease transcription needs, it’s actually done the opposite. More virtual meetings, more recorded content, and more emphasis on accessibility have all contributed to increased demand.
TranscribeMe Overview
Transcription is a straightforward side hustle: You listen to an audio file and type what you hear being said.
Straightforward is not the same as simple, however. You’ll be listening to speakers of all stripes, from those with heavy accents and those who mutter to those who enunciate clearly. You’ll have to deal with cross-talk, poor audio quality, look up terms, and listen to the same audio again and again.
But it’s also rewarding work. Your transcriptions may provide captions or make research easier for a person who’s hard of hearing or may even be used in legal cases or for medical purposes. (Note that being a legal or medical transcriptionist generally involves specialized training.)
When you work with TranscribeMe, you’ll log in to its WorkHub, which you must have Google Chrome to access. Then you’ll have the opportunity to claim any available jobs on the TranscribeMe platform.
Pick up an audio file, transcribe it and submit it, all through the hub. Files tend to be brief, from 10 seconds to one minute each. Company reviewers will check your work to ensure it passes their accuracy requirements before allowing anyone into the program.
TranscribeMe prides itself on crowdsourcing these transcriptions, so the audio submitted to the company is diced into small pieces and assigned to many transcriptionists who work simultaneously.
After all the pieces are completed, the quality assurance department puts the files together. That’s the stage when time stamps and speakers’ names are added, so you only need to focus on what’s said in your audio file, not who’s saying it.
A quality assurance person will review your work and make corrections as necessary, and you’ll get paid for accepted work. (If your work requires a lot of corrections, it may be rejected. Please refer to the current Transcriber Handbook for procedures and minimums.)
TranscribeMe Job Requirements
TranscribeMe is perfect for the entry-level transcriber!
The requirements are extremely basic for the industry:
- You must have a high school diploma. Don’t have a high school diploma? See work-from-home opportunities that don’t require one.
- You must be fluent in English.
- You should also have an impeccable grasp of English grammar and punctuation rules.
- It helps to have a good ear as well: You’ll do great if you can easily distinguish between speakers and filter out background noise while listening.
- As far as technical requirements go, you must have a home computer with reliable, high-speed internet access.
As far as technical requirements go, you must have a home computer with reliable, high-speed internet access.
The site does recommend that you have headphones for listening to the audio. Headphones make transcribing much easier by improving your listening environment.
Experienced transcriptionists have commented that a foot pedal is a great tool as well. It allows you to control the playback of the audio file with your foot, so you never have to take your fingers off the keyboard.
How much does TranscribeMe pay per hour?
TranscribeMe’s base pay rate is between $15 and $22 per audio hour. (Rates can change at any time. Please refer to the company’s website for up-to-date details.)
TranscribeMe issues payments through your PayPal account once a week. Payments are in U.S. dollars, and you can request a payout once your account reaches $20. Note that PayPal is the only payment method at this time, and TranscribeMe is unable to pay you for your work in any other way.
The key words to how much TranscribeMe pays is “audio hour” – you’ll make $15 to $22 for each hour of audio that you transcribe. That means the more quickly and accurately you can transcribe – the more efficient you are – the more money you’ll make!
The standard professional rate of transcription accepted by the industry allows four minutes to transcribe one minute of audio. At that rate, you’ll spend four hours transcribing 60 minutes of audio and earn less than $4 per hour at TranscribeMe’s pay rate. This is really low pay.
How TranscribeMe Pay Stacks Up Against Other Gig Work in 2025
Let’s be real about the money. TranscribeMe’s $15-22 per audio hour translates to roughly $4-6 per actual hour for beginners (using the industry standard of 4:1 ratio). That’s honestly pretty low compared to other gig economy options available today.
Here’s how it compares to other popular gig work:
- Uber drivers: Average $23.33 per hour
- DoorDash delivery: $15-30 per hour during peak times
- Uber Eats: $15-25 per hour
- General freelance writing: $15-50+ per hour
- Virtual assistant work: $12-25 per hour
But wait—before you close this browser tab, consider this: TranscribeMe has some unique advantages that these other gigs don’t offer:
- Zero transportation costs (no gas, car maintenance, or wear and tear)
- Work in your pajamas (try doing that with food delivery!)
- Build valuable skills that can lead to higher-paying transcription work
- Completely flexible scheduling (no “shifts” or peak hour requirements)
- Low barrier to entry (no background checks, car inspections, or customer service stress)
That being said, many beginners appreciate the opportunity to see if a transcription job is a good fit for them to earn extra income while still working their full-time job.
There are opportunities to earn a higher rate as you gain experience. Once you’re a regular transcriber with TranscribeMe, you can apply to be added to their special teams.
Depending on the project and pool, jobs can pay qualified transcribers $22 to $60 per audio hour. Special projects can pay up to $100 per audio hour.
You’ll find that there are chances to advance within the company, and you could move up to quality assurance and beyond.
TranscribeMe Pros and Cons: The Complete Picture
PROSCONS✅ True flexibility - Work any time, any amount❌ Low pay - Especially for beginners✅ No commute or gas costs❌ Inconsistent work availability✅ Skill-building opportunity❌ First-come, first-served job claiming✅ Supportive community forums❌ Takes time to become efficient✅ Opportunity to advance to special teams❌ PayPal-only payments✅ Short audio files (easier to manage)❌ Quality requirements can be strict✅ No customer interaction stress❌ Limited to 2 attempts on entrance exam
TranscribeMe Reviews
Most of the reviews for TranscribeMe on Glassdoor are positive, lauding the flexibility of the work schedule and the welcoming, supportive community of transcribers in the forums.
The flexible schedule refers to the policy that you can work as much or as little as you want – you literally set your own hours to log in and be available for transcription.
The forums put you in touch with an entire community’s experience, and TranscribeMe is cited as a great place to pick up tips for growing your skills as a transcriptionist.
The drawbacks are what you’d expect:
- You’re not guaranteed transcription work, and it’s first come, first served.
- Little work may be available initially when you sign on.
- Several reviewers on Glassdoor mention what they believe is a low wage for the amount of work you put in, while others point out that, as you become more efficient, your hourly wage increases.
As mentioned earlier, an experienced transcriptionist that consistently completes high-quality work will get the opportunity to advance to special teams or even become part of QA, with the pay rate increased accordingly. People who’ve worked with special teams say they haven’t experienced a lack of steady work once they leveled up.
The TranscribeMe Exam
The application process includes passing a TranscribeMe test to be eligible to work for the company. You’ll be provided access to the company’s style guide to study before you attempt the test.
You’ll be tested on TranscribeMe-specific style questions in addition to your command of English grammar and punctuation, so it’s incredibly important actually to study the guide.
When you’re ready to get started, you can complete the test through the portal. For the first part, you’ll be asked to make the correct choice in multiple-choice questions or to type in the correct response. That section is followed by two audio files that you must transcribe.
You have two chances to pass the entrance exam. If you don’t pass, there’s a 30-day waiting period before you can try again.
Similar Opportunities
The transcription landscape has evolved quite a bit! Here are your current alternatives to TranscribeMe:
Traditional Competitors:
- Rev.com: Still popular, similar pay structure ($15-22/audio hour), offers captioning and translation too. Also pays weekly via PayPal and offers regular feedback and coaching to help you grow.
- GoTranscript: Starting at $1.02 per minute of audio, 100% human transcription, often more available work than TranscribeMe
- 3Play Media: $10-30 per hour estimated, specializes in educational and media content with opportunities in both English and Spanish
- Scribie: Starting at $0.80 per minute, offers both AI-assisted and pure human transcription with bonuses for high-volume workers
Newer Players Worth Checking Out:
- CrowdSurf: Very short files, great for quick work sessions when you only have a bit of time
- Casting Words: Unlimited test attempts (nice safety net!), graded pay scale from 8.5 cents to $1 per audio minute
- Daily Transcription: Focuses on business and academic transcription
- Babbletype: Extremely selective but higher pay for market research transcription
Freelance Platforms (where you can set your own rates):
- Upwork: Transcription jobs paying $17-22/hour
- Fiverr: Set your own prices, build a client base. These are good platforms to initially use alongside TranscribeMe, while you build up experience and a customer base.
Pro tip: Many successful transcribers work for multiple platforms simultaneously to maximize their income and ensure steady work flow.
While TranscribeMe may not provide full-time pay, it’s a stepping-stone. If you have no experience in the transcription world, this is an easy way to try it out – for pay – to see if you want to pursue a work-from-home job being a professional transcriptionist.
If you enjoy the work, check out some of these other transcription jobs. Or check out this free course on starting a transcription business!
If you enjoy the work, check out some of these other transcription jobs. Or check out this free course on starting a transcription business!
Is TranscribeMe a scam?
In my experience, TranscribeMe is not a scam. I know there are complaints online of people who were unhappy with the rate of pay, but there are plenty of veterans who make good money. It’s going to take time to become efficient and prove the quality of your work before accessing the better-paying gigs, but they are available.
While as a beginner, it won’t replace your day job, the opportunity is there to advance.
How do I get started with TranscribeMe?
Sign up on the TranscribeMe website. You will create a profile by completing the application form, where you’ll enter some personal information, like your name, email, and country.
How does TranscribeMe pay?
TranscribeMe issues weekly payments through your PayPal account once your account reaches $20. PayPal is the only payment method at this time.
