Speech-to-text technologies have undoubtedly changed how we interact with phones or computers. They have advanced to the point where we can use them to type out what we’re saying and produce transcripts—albeit poor-quality, unpunctuated, unformatted, and inaccurate transcripts, at that. That’s why voice recognition alternatives like professional transcription companies still exist.
So, let’s discuss when to use voice recognition and your options should speech-to-text not provide what you need.
In this article, you’ll learn:
- Voice recognition has limitations in noisy environments or for sensitive data. Human transcription offers higher accuracy for legal, medical, and technical content.
- Consider accuracy, turnaround times, security compliance, and customization options when choosing transcription services. Options include human, AI-powered, or hybrid approaches.
- Transcription services can be used in the legal, medical, academic, business, and media fields. Based on turnaround and features, pricing varies from $1.50 to $5.00 per audio minute.
What is Voice Recognition?
Anyone who isn’t living under a rock has surely noticed that most computers can now interpret spoken words, and this is all thanks to voice recognition technologies.
Voice recognition involves capturing and converting sound waves into digital signals through a microphone and analyzing the signals to identify the words or voice typing. This technology is powered by Natural Language Processing (NLP).
Perhaps the most notable applications of the technology are Siri and Alexa – this is how they can respond to voice controls or commands. Also, the same technology has become pretty valuable for improving accessibility for individuals with disabilities.
When Should You Not Rely on Voice Recognition Software?
Voice recognition or some of the best speech-to-text software has become handy for tasks like dictation. However, there are instances in which we shouldn’t rely on it.
| Situation | Reasons |
| Noisy environments | Background noise can interfere with accuracy |
| Critical information input | Errors could have serious consequences |
| Multiple speakers present | Software may struggle to differentiate voices |
| Handling sensitive data | Privacy concerns and potential security risks |
| Emergencies | Time-sensitive tasks require guaranteed accuracy |
| Non-native speakers | Accents and pronunciations may cause misinterpretations |
| Technical or specialized vocabulary | Software may not recognize industry-specific terms |
| Low-quality audio equipment | Poor input can lead to inaccurate recognition |
| Fast-paced or high-stress scenarios | Speech patterns may change, reducing accuracy |
| Legal or official documentation | Verbatim transcription is often required |
The Best Voice Recognition Software Alternatives
When the situation calls for it, the services considered top options for voice recognition alternatives are below.
1. Ditto Transcripts
Not to brag, but we are the first option.
Ditto specializes in human-powered transcription services—we use no automated voice recognition tools to ensure the highest level of accuracy. We serve multiple sectors: legal, law enforcement, medical, business, academic, and even qualitative research. In addition, we offer translation, typing, proofreading, adding subtitles or captions, and deposition summary services.
Where are we located? Our headquarters is in Denver, Colorado, and we only employ U.S.-based transcriptionists to ensure language and cultural familiarity with American English.
Our Top Features:
- 100% Human Transcription: Ensures high accuracy, context comprehension, and use of punctuation, with a focus on industry-specific nuances.
- HIPAA and CJIS Compliance: Secure and confidential handling of sensitive data for medical and law enforcement clients.
- Customizable Services: You can request verbatim transcripts, time-stamped text, custom formatting, or whatever you prefer. If we can do it, we will.
- Fast Turnaround: Options for delivery within 1-2 business days for rush jobs.
- Transparent Pricing: Flexible plans with no long-term contracts. (Below)
Pricing:
Our pricing structure varies depending on turnaround times and the type of service.
- Standard: $1.75–$3.00 per audio minute (3-5 days)
- Rush: $2.25–$5.00 per audio minute (1-2 days)
- Extended: $1.50–$2.50 per audio minute (6-10 days)
We also offer additional services like verbatim transcription and timestamps.
Best Use Cases:
Our services are ideal for projects where you can’t trade accuracy over anything.
- Legal and Law Enforcement Agencies: Court documents, police reports, evidence transcription, or anything related to legal documentation.
- Medical Professionals: Clinical notes and HIPAA-compliant transcription.
- Academic Institutions and Researchers: Lectures, interviews, dissertation-related transcriptions, qualitative transcriptions, etc.
- Businesses and Content Creators: Meeting summaries, podcasts, subtitles, captions, and financial reports.
- Any Transcription Project Requiring High Accuracy Rates
Ditto stands out in the market thanks to our over 99.9% accuracy rates and customization while ensuring compliance with strict U.S. data security standards. We are the go-to option for industries where accuracy is the most valuable thing.
2. Rev
Rev also provides various transcription-related services and can be a voice recognition alternative. Based on information available on their website, Rev offers the following services.
- Human Transcription: Manual Transcription services.
- AI Transcription: Automated transcription is available.
- Closed Captions and Subtitles: English captions with global translated subtitles cost between $5 to $12 per minute.
- AI Captions: For quick, automated captions.
- API Access: Allows developers to integrate into other software.
- Accessibility Services: Compliance with FCC and ADA standards for video captions and transcripts.
Rev is also based in the U.S. and is headquartered in California.
Top Features:
Rev is more of a DIY tool if I were to describe them. Below are some of its top features.
- Human + AI Options: A dual service model lets users choose between AI-powered transcription for speed and cost or human transcription for precision.
- Interactive Editors: Built-in tools for editing transcripts and captions.
- Fast Turnaround: AI services are nearly instantaneous, while human transcription can be delivered within five hours.
- Mobile App: You can place orders directly from your smartphone.
- Language Support: Global subtitles support multiple languages, so they are also ideal for international use.
Best Use Cases:
- Education: For lecture transcription and accessibility.
- Legal Professionals: Transcribing case documents and interviews.
- Content Creators and Podcasters: Adding captions and transcripts to improve accessibility and SEO.
- Media and News Outlets: Fast transcription of interviews and broadcasts.
- Research and Corporate Meetings: Use for summarizing or analyzing interviews and discussions.
3. TranscribeMe
Another voice recognition alternative is TrancsribeMe, which offers several services.
- Audio & Video Transcription: Offers transcription services with varying levels of detail, including First Draft, Standard, and Verbatim options with varying accuracy rates.
- Translation Services: Available for many languages, starting at around $0.11 per word.
- Data Annotation & AI Training: Supports AI/ML projects by providing high-quality annotated datasets.
- Subtitling and Captioning: Useful for accessibility and SEO purposes.
- Medical and Legal Transcription: HIPAA-compliant services for healthcare and GDPR-compliant services for legal sectors.
The company operates globally and based in the United States.
Top Features:
- Hybrid Model of AI and Human Transcription: Uses AI technology paired with human transcriptionists.
- High Accuracy Levels: Standard services guarantee accuracy when high-quality audio is provided.
- Customizable Services: Specialized formatting, speaker identification, and redactions are available based on client needs.
- Accessibility Features: Transcription for ADA compliance and SEO optimization through captions and subtitles.
Best Use Cases:
They also have multiple utilizations.
- Healthcare and Medical: HIPAA-compliant transcription for patient data and research.
- Legal Industry: GDPR-compliant services for court reporting, legal evidence transcription, and depositions.
- AI & Machine Learning: Annotated datasets for speech recognition and NLP model training.
- Academia & Education: Lecture and interview transcriptions for students and researchers.
- Market Research: Structured transcripts from interviews and focus groups.
In my view, these features make them a solution for businesses and educators looking for transcription services
4. Happy Scribe
Happy Scribe is another one of the available voice recognition alternatives. They offer a few services, like:
- Mixed Transcription: Offers both AI-powered automatic transcription and human-made transcription.
- Subtitling and Captioning: Provides automatic and professional subtitles, including translated subtitles for international audiences.
- Audiovisual Localization: Translates videos and audio into over 130 languages with machine or human-made precision.
- API and Integrations: Connects with platforms like YouTube, Zoom, and Zapier for seamless workflows.
They’re based in France, although they serve a global audience.
Top Features:
There’s a lot to explore in this solution; however, some of their top features include:
- Collaboration Tools: Workspaces and sharing links for team projects.
- High-Security Standards: GDPR-compliant and SOC 2 Type 1 certified.
- Custom Style Guides & Glossaries: Tailored for professionals and media teams.
- Visual Timeline & Soundwave Editor: Assists in detailed transcription and subtitle adjustments.
- Machine & Human Translation Options: Allows scalability depending on the required precision.
Best Use Cases:
Happy Scribe can also be used in many projects, perhaps except legal transcription-related projects in the U.S. One condition for a legal transcription to be admissible in the US courts is that it be certified and produced by a U.S.-based legal transcriptionist.
In my view, below are the best use cases for Happy Scribe
- Media & Entertainment: This is for subtitling and translating content across platforms.
- E-Learning: Supports transcription for educational content and online courses.
- Corporate Communications: Enables easy transcription of meetings, webinars, and business videos.
- Accessibility: Helps create SDH (Subtitles for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing) for inclusive media projects.
5. Scribie
Similar to Happy Scribe, Scribie provides manual and automated transcription services. It supports audio and video transcriptions, speaker identification, time-coding, and custom formatting options. Clients can upload files directly from their devices or cloud platforms like YouTube and Vimeo.
Top Features:
There are also several notable factors about Scribie; some are listed below.
- High Accuracy: Scribie claims a 99% accuracy rate for manual transcription, achieved through a multi-step process.
- Flexible AI and Manual Transcription: Offers automated transcription for quick results, though manual transcription is recommended for higher accuracy.
- Free Re-reviews: Scribie offers complimentary revisions until the transcription meets client expectations.
- Security: Offers data encryption and confidentiality agreements as part of its service. Users can request that files be permanently deleted, though Scribie is not HIPAA compliant.
Best Use Cases:
As mentioned, they’re not HIPAA compliant, and it’s not stated anywhere that they’re CJIS compliant either, so utilization can be limited to projects where those compliances don’t really matter.
- Business Meetings and Webinars: Ideal for capturing and archiving discussions or brainstorming sessions.
- Educational Transcription: Useful for transcribing lectures or interviews.
- Media and Podcasts: Suitable for video captions and podcast transcripts.
- Medical Documentation: They can somehow handle technical transcription, although it is not HIPAA compliant, so it may not be ideal for healthcare records.
Why Ditto Stands Out Of The Competition
If you were to Google voice recognition alternatives, you’d probably see the service providers on this list. While most of them have similar service packages, accuracy rates, and pricing, Ditto’s most significant edge among them is that we don’t use AI or any automated software in our transcription processes.
We’ve trained and employed 100% human, 100% U.S.-based transcription teams since our inception and even through the big AI boom. This is because humans will always understand humans better than any line of code can. Furthermore, our human transcribers ensure accuracy to the highest degree, and there’s no question whether AI made your transcripts.
If you need transcripts certified, or if any of our transcribers are required to go to court to testify to the accuracy of said transcript under oath, that’s not a problem. And it’s not something offshore transcription companies can offer.
Last but not least, Ditto is the only one on this list that is FINRA, HIPAA- and CJIS-compliant. This means our security and process are fully capable of ensuring that any medical, legal, or law enforcement transcription job is kept private and confidential in full accordance with regulatory requirements.
Your Audio Files are Safe With Ditto’s Reliable Transcription Service
Since 2010, Ditto Transcripts has provided human transcription solutions for the medical, business, legal, and academic verticals. We’ve transcribed audio for authors, writers, journalists, city councils, museums, oil and gas companies, and families. Everyone can enjoy our services whenever they need it; we don’t have any contracts to sign or minimum job orders.
Ditto Transcripts offers transcription services starting at $1.50 per audio minute. We can deliver your completed transcripts in as little as twenty-four hours. We tick all the boxes in accuracy, quality, affordability, and speed—it’s no wonder we’re the best in the industry.
Why Choose Ditto Transcripts To As Your Transcription Partner?
Ditto Transcripts provides the best transcription services in the US. We have the broadest range of turnaround times, with the highest-quality transcripts—99% accuracy guaranteed—and expertise in different industries.
Ditto Transcripts is a FINRA, HIPAA, and CJIS-compliant transcription company based in Denver, Colorado. We provide fast, accurate, and affordable transcription services for companies of all sizes. Call (720) 287-3710 today for a free quote and ask about our free five-day trial.