Pricing

Transparent transcription pricing, with no guesswork.

Start with a clear standard rate. If audio quality, speaker count, turnaround, or transcript requirements increase the work involved, we tell you before production begins.

Get a quote

All prices are inclusive. What you see is what you pay.

The standard rate, and what it covers.

Human transcription, produced and reviewed by a person. Most recordings are priced at this rate with nothing added.

Standard human transcription

R14.50per recorded audio minute

All inclusive. Nothing is added to this figure.

  • 3 to 5 business days turnaround
  • Up to 2 speakers
  • Clear English audio
  • Intelligent or clean verbatim
  • Standard document format
  • 15 minute minimum order

Not included in the standard rate

The standard rate assumes a recording that behaves. Where it does not, the difference is set out in full below rather than left to a disclaimer.

What falls outside the standard rate
  • Express delivery within 48 hours, or Urgent within 24 hours
  • Three or more speakers
  • Six or more speakers, and focus groups, which are quoted after review
  • Full verbatim, keeping every stutter, filler and repetition
  • Timecoding, at every speaker change or every 30 seconds
  • Poor audio, strong accents, specialist terminology, frequent overlap, and complex formatting

See what each one costs

What changes the price.

Each of these is applied to the rate above. Nothing is charged that is not on this page.

The three turnaround rates, and what is added to them
Service or rulePriceCondition
Standard R14.50 / min 3 to 5 business days. Clear English audio, up to 2 speakers, intelligent or clean verbatim, standard document format.
Express R16.50 / min Within 48 hours. Subject to confirmed capacity and audio review.
Urgent R18.50 / min Within 24 hours. Subject to confirmed capacity and audio review.
3 to 5 speakers + R2.00 / min Per recorded audio minute.
6 or more speakers, or focus groups Quote after review These recordings are reviewed and quoted in writing. No fixed price is published for them.
Full verbatim + 25% Of whichever rate applies. Every stutter, filler and repetition is kept.
Timecoding + R2.00 / min Per recorded audio minute, for timestamps at every speaker change or every 30 seconds.
Minimum order 15 min A recording shorter than 15 minutes is billed as 15, at whichever rate and options apply.
Complex recordings From + 20% Following review of a representative sample. This is an estimate floor, not a guaranteed surcharge.

Complex recordings. Poor audio, strong accents, technical, legal, or medical terminology, frequent overlap, and complex formatting are reviewed before final pricing is confirmed. Estimates for these recordings start from a 20% complexity uplift.

Work out an estimate.

The figure updates as you go. Straightforward recordings receive the calculated estimate; complex ones are reviewed and confirmed in writing before work begins.

Step 1

How long is the recording?

or

The minimum order is 15 minutes. A shorter recording is billed as 15.

Your recording is not uploaded. The length is read on your own device and the file never leaves it. Nothing is sent to us until we have agreed a secure way for you to do that.

Step 2

How soon do you need it?

Express and Urgent turnaround are confirmed against capacity and an audio review before they are agreed.

Step 3

How many speakers are there?

Step 4

How closely should it follow the recording?

Step 5

Do you need timecoding?

Step 6

What is the recording like?

Choose everything that applies. These are the things that change how long a recording takes to get right, and they are the reason a sample is reviewed before a final quote.

Step 7

About the project and about you

When you need the finished transcript.

Needed only if you would rather we called or messaged.

Preferred contact method

Sample upload available after we respond. We do not accept recordings through this website. Once we have replied, we agree a secure transfer method with you and you can send a short representative sample for review.

What happens next

Nothing is owed until the quote is accepted.

You send these details. We review them, and the recording where a review is needed, and confirm your written quote, the turnaround, and the payment instructions. Production begins once the quote is accepted and payment terms are settled.

Send it over

Request your written quote.

Treated as confidential. We reply about the next step, usually within one working day.

Thank you. We will review your requirements and confirm your written quote and payment instructions.

Payment and production.

New, once-off, and private-client projects are paid in full after the quote is accepted and before transcription enters production. Approved organisations with a valid purchase order may request invoice terms. Payment options and instructions are confirmed with the quote.

01 You accept the quote

The written quote sets out the scope, the turnaround, and the price. That price is what you pay, with nothing added to it. Nothing is charged before you accept it.

02 Payment is settled

Payment options and instructions are confirmed with the quote. Approved organisations with a valid purchase order may request invoice terms instead.

03 Production begins

Work starts once payment or agreed terms are in place, and the transfer method for your recording has been agreed.

How you can pay

Questions about pricing.

Why does transcription cost more for difficult audio?
Because the work is measured in listening, not in typing. A clear recording of two people runs close to real time with a review pass on top. Distance from the microphone, background noise, overlapping speech, unfamiliar terminology, and strong accents all mean passages have to be replayed, checked against context, and sometimes marked as uncertain rather than guessed. The recording is the same length; the work is not.
What counts as full verbatim?
Full verbatim keeps everything that was said, including stutters, false starts, filler words, repetitions and audible hesitation. Intelligent or clean verbatim, which is the standard, keeps the meaning and the speaker's own words while leaving out the clutter that carries no information. Full verbatim is slower to produce and to check, and it adds 25% to whichever turnaround rate applies.
How are timestamps charged?
Timecoding adds R2.00 per recorded audio minute. That is the same figure whether you want a timestamp at every speaker change or one every 30 seconds. If you do not need timestamps, nothing is added.
Can you transcribe focus groups or recordings with more than five speakers?
Yes, and those recordings are quoted after review rather than priced online. With six or more voices, attribution becomes the bulk of the work, and how difficult that is depends entirely on the recording. We listen to a representative sample and then confirm a written quote and a turnaround, so the figure you receive is one we can stand behind.
Is the website estimate the final price?
Straightforward files receive the calculated estimate. Complex files are reviewed and confirmed in writing before work begins. In every case the estimate is based on the details you supply, and we confirm scope, capacity, and final pricing before production starts. Nothing is charged before you accept the written quote.
When do I pay?
New, once-off, and private-client projects are paid in full after the quote is accepted and before transcription enters production. Approved organisations with a valid purchase order may request invoice terms. Payment options and instructions are confirmed with the quote.
Is there a minimum order?
Yes, fifteen minutes. A recording shorter than that is billed as fifteen minutes, at whichever rate and options you have chosen. On the Standard rate that is R217.50. The reason is simple: a five minute job and a two hour job take almost the same amount of everything that is not transcribing, from reading the brief to formatting and delivering the finished document.
How do I pay?
By bank transfer. Our banking details are sent with the quote, and an instant payment usually reflects within minutes while an ordinary transfer takes about one working day. Send the proof of payment and the work goes into production. Approved organisations with a valid purchase order may request invoice terms instead.
Are the prices on this page the full price?
Yes. Every figure on this page is inclusive, and nothing is added to it afterwards. The only reason a final quote differs from the estimate here is scope: a recording that turns out to be more complex than described, or a change to the turnaround or transcript style you asked for. Either way we confirm it in writing before production begins.