A young woman wearing a professional headset with a microphone sits at a bright wooden desk, typing on a laptop displaying audio wave software. On her desk sits a transcription foot pedal and an open notebook with style guide rules. In the background, a cork bulletin board features a printed checklist titled "Top Vetted Transcription Sites" listing platforms like Rev, TranscribeMe, and GoTranscript.

10 Real Transcription Sites

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A young woman wearing a professional headset with a microphone sits at a bright wooden desk, typing on a laptop displaying audio wave software. On her desk sits a transcription foot pedal and an open notebook with style guide rules. In the background, a cork bulletin board features a printed checklist titled "Top Vetted Transcription Sites" listing platforms like Rev, TranscribeMe, and GoTranscript.The Ultimate Side Hustle Guide: 10 Real Transcription Sites & How to Pass Their Typing Tests

Whether you want to make some extra pocket money—maybe aiming for around $300 a week—or you just want a flexible work-from-home job, typing up audio files (transcription) is a great option.

But finding the right gig can be tricky. The internet is full of low-paying scams, and even the good websites make you pass really annoying typing tests before they let you work.

This guide breaks down 10 of the best, most trusted transcription websites out there. Afterward, we’ll show you the exact tricks you need to pass their tests on your first try.

Part 1: Choosing the Right Typing Site

Transcription jobs usually fall into two main categories: “Drop-In” Websites (great for beginners because you can log on and work whenever you want) and Premium Agencies (they pay more, but they expect you to have more experience and follow a strict schedule).

Beginner-Friendly “Drop-In” Sites

  • Rev

    • What it pays: $0.40 to $1.10 per audio minute (about $24 to $66 for every hour of audio you finish).

    • The Test: A grammar test, a typing speed test, and a short audio trial.

    • The Real Scoop: There is always plenty of work available here, and they pay you every single week through PayPal. The downside? They reject a lot of applicants because their tests are tough, and they sometimes have a waitlist.

  • TranscribeMe

    • What it pays: $15 to $22 per audio hour.

    • The Test: A big exam based on their specific English grammar rules.

    • The Real Scoop: This is the absolute best place for beginners. Instead of sending you a massive 30-minute file, they break the audio down into tiny 2-to-4-minute clips. It’s easy to practice on, but the starting pay is on the lower side.

  • GoTranscript

    • What it pays: Up to $0.60 per audio minute.

    • The Test: Read their rulebook and pass a short audio test.

    • The Real Scoop: If you speak more than one language, this site is fantastic because they handle over 140 languages. The downside is that their website looks a bit old-fashioned, and a lot of the audio files have people with very heavy accents that are hard to understand.

  • Scribie

    • What it pays: Up to $25 per audio hour.

    • The Test: A short audio typing and editing test.

    • The Real Scoop: This site uses AI to do a “rough draft” of the audio first. Your job is mostly to listen along and fix any typos the AI made. They also give out monthly bonuses, but the pay for super clean audio files can be a bit low.

  • CastingWords

    • What it pays: Up to $1.00 per audio minute.

    • The Test: A basic grammar test.

    • The Real Scoop: They grade your work on a point system. If you do a great job and get high scores, you get promoted to a tier that pays a lot more money. The downside is that the amount of available work goes up and down a lot.

Premium & Higher-Paying Gigs

  • SpeakWrite

    • What it pays: About half a cent per word (usually equals $12 to $15+ per hour of real-world typing).

    • The Test: You must type at least 60 words per minute with 90% accuracy, and pass a background check.

    • The Real Scoop: You’ll mostly be typing up serious documents like legal files and police interviews. Because it’s high-level work, you can’t just “drop in”—you have to sign up for specific shifts.

  • Daily Transcription – Become a Freelancer button is at the bottom in red
    What it pays:     $0.75 to $0.85 per audio minute.

    • The Test: A typing test and a strict audio screening.

    • The Real Scoop: You get to type fun stuff like movie scripts, entertainment news, and university research projects. They pay every week by mail with a paper check. The catch? The deadlines are incredibly tight, so it can be stressful.

  • Way With Words – Does Not look like they are hiring right now

    • What it pays: Up to $1.75 per audio minute.

    • The Test: A really long, multi-part listening and language test.

    • The Real Scoop: They have a wonderful support team and always pay on time via PayPal. However, they have one of the hardest entrance exams in the entire industry.

  • GMR Transcription

    “We recruit from job boards and forums like Flex jobs, Transcription Essentials, Transcription Certification Institute, and Wahm.com.”

    • What it pays: $0.75 to $1.25 per audio minute (good typists make $1,000 to $3,000 a month).

    • The Test: A tough grading test and a typing test.

    • The Real Scoop: This site pays really well if you are fast and accurate, and they love hiring people living in the US and Canada. But you have to stay active; if you don’t take regular jobs, they will delete your account.

The Do-It-Yourself Route

  • Upwork: Instead of working for a specific company, you can create a freelance profile on Upwork and find your own clients. Good transcriptionists here usually make $17 to $22 per hour. The trick is to specialize in something specific, like typing up history podcasts or business meetings. You get to set your own prices, but you do have to spend time applying for jobs, and Upwork takes a small fee from your earnings.

💡 Do the Math Before You Start Here is a major insider secret: one hour of audio does not equal one hour of typing. It takes the average person about 3 to 4 hours of real-world time to type out, proofread, and format just one single hour of recorded audio. Keep that in mind when calculating how much time you need to spend working!

Part 2: How to Pass the Entrance Tests

Most people who apply to these websites fail the entrance test on day one. It’s usually not because they can’t type fast—it’s because they don’t follow the exact formatting rules.

Most tests are graded automatically by computer bots. If you miss a single comma or period according to their rulebook, the computer gives you a zero. Use this simple playbook to beat the bots:

1. The “Clean Verbatim” Rule

Most tests want you to do what’s called “Clean Verbatim.” This means you type exactly what the person said, but you cut out all the awkward human “filler” noises.

  • Delete Crutch Words: Always delete words like uh, um, ah, like, you know, and so if the speaker is just using them to fill space.

    • What they said: “Um, I went to, like, the store on, uh, Friday.”

    • What you type: “I went to the store on Friday.”

  • Fix Casual Slang: Even if the person talks very casually, you have to type it out in proper English.

    • Turn gonna into going to

    • Turn wanna into want to

    • Turn gotcha into got you

  • The “Okay” Trick: Never type “OK” or “Ok.” Almost every single transcription test will instantly fail you for that. Always spell it out completely as Okay.

2. Watch for Sneaky Rules Hidden in the Guide

Companies intentionally hide weird rules in their instructions to see if you actually read them.

  • Weird Formatting Rules: For example, on some tests, the instructions tell you to start the paragraph with a lowercase letter and do not put a period at the very end of the file. It sounds backward, but if you put a normal period at the end, the grading bot flags it as wrong.

  • Using Brackets: If someone laughs or the audio gets too blurry to hear, you have to use a label. Make sure you use the exact brackets they ask for. Usually, it looks like [laughs] or [inaudible 00:01:23]. Pay attention to whether the letters need to be lowercase or capital!

3. Numbers and Titles

Computers are very strict about how you write out numbers.

  • Numbers 1-9: The golden rule across the whole industry is to spell out numbers zero through nine as words, and use regular numbers for 10 and above. (Example: “There were nine birds and 12 trees.”)

  • Titles: Words like sir, ma’am, miss, or doctor should be lowercase unless you are using them with a real name. (Example: “Yes, sir, I told Doctor Smith.”)

🛠️ How to “Open-Book” the Test Since nobody is watching you take these online tests, use it to your advantage:

  1. Keep the Rulebook Open: Open the company’s style guide in a second window right next to your test screen.

  2. Use Ctrl + F: Don’t guess. If a question asks about hyphens or percentages, press Ctrl + F on your keyboard to search the rulebook instantly for that word.

  3. Don’t use AI to cheat: If you try to run the audio test through an AI tool, you will probably fail. Test creators intentionally choose audios with tricky words that sound identical (like affect and effect, or there and their) because they know AI engines get them confused! Rely on your own ears and the rulebook.

    There you have it. IF you are looking for  freelance work this is a great place to start.

    There are a  few tools you need if you are going to do this full time….a great ergonomic chair, a reliable Internet connection and a Transcriptionist floor pedal would really help.

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