Automated transcription services use automatic speech recognition to transcribe an audio file into text. Two primary benefits of using automation are that it's fast and it's cheap. Services that offer automated transcription sometimes include extra features that may not be free in a human-generated transcript, such as time stamps and basic speaker identification (for example, Speaker 1, Speaker 2). The downside of automated transcription is that it's far less accurate than when a human does the job. Automated transcription services often include access to document-editing software that lets you clean up the text. If you see an error in the document, click on the time-stamped section to listen to the words and transcribe that portion on your own. Rev, Otter, GoTranscript, Scribie, TranscribeMe, Trint, and Temi (which didn't score high enough to be included in this list of the best transcription services) all offer automated transcription services. Rev, GoTranscript, Scribie, and TranscribeMe also offer human-powered services. Transcriptions made by humans are highly accurate, but they're also pricier and typically require a longer turnaround time, though you can pay extra if you need a rush order. Human-generated transcription services use trained transcriptionists—often more than one—to complete the work. When a transcription job is given to more than one transcriptionist, it means no one person has access to your entire audio recording, which is usually seen as being good for privacy. Employees and contractors sometimes sign non-disclosure agreements to become transcriptionists as well. When you choose human-generated transcripts, you can sometimes pay to get transcriptionists who are educated in a particular industry's jargon, such as legal or medical terms.  Using human-powered transcription may introduce privacy concerns. In testing and reviewing transcription services, we look at the conditions under which a company says it will comply with law enforcement and hand over any user data. You can read the details in the review of each service. All services that made this list of the best transcription services operate under strict nondisclosure policies and let you remove your files from their servers at any time.