gotranscript.com

January 30, 2026

GoTranscript.com is an online service that sells human transcription, captions/subtitles, translation, and “proofreading” (editing/cleaning up an existing transcript, including AI-generated ones). You upload audio or video, pick turnaround time and add-ons, and you get back a formatted transcript or subtitle files. The pitch is straightforward: reasonably low per-minute pricing, lots of language options, and a menu of speed tiers depending on how fast you need the output.

What GoTranscript actually offers (and what people usually buy)

Most customers come in through one of these paths:

  • Human transcription: You send audio/video, a person transcribes it. GoTranscript markets “human-made” accuracy targets (they commonly cite 99% in their own materials).
  • Proofreading / editing: You already have a transcript (often from an AI tool) and you want a human to fix it fast—speaker names, punctuation, missed words, and the messy parts like accents, crosstalk, or jargon. Their help center describes proofreading/editing pricing as being based on the duration in minutes plus any add-ons.
  • Subtitles / captions: You’re turning the transcript into time-coded captions/subtitles for publishing. GoTranscript positions proofreading of AI output as a quick way to get subtitle-ready text.
  • Translation: Text or audio translation, often bundled with subtitles for multilingual publishing. (A lot of teams do: transcript → subtitles → translation → foreign-language subtitles.)

If you’re choosing between these, the practical question is: do you need someone to create text from scratch, or do you need someone to fix and format text you already have? Proofreading is typically the cheaper, faster “salvage” route when your AI transcript is close but not clean.

How pricing tends to work on the site

GoTranscript prices most services per minute of audio/video, with the final cost changing mainly based on speed and add-ons. Their public “cost estimate” pages emphasize per-minute rates and fast-turnaround tiers, and the help docs for proofreading explain that proofreading/editing costs are calculated from the file duration (minutes) plus extras like timestamps or additional review.

A couple details that matter in real life:

  • Turnaround is where your cost jumps. If you pick the fastest option, you’re paying for priority handling. TechRadar’s roundup of transcription services also highlights GoTranscript as particularly strong on speed, citing a fastest turnaround range in the 6–12 hour window.
  • Add-ons can be a quiet multiplier. Timestamps, verbatim style, speaker labels, strict formatting, or extra review steps usually push the per-minute rate upward. (This isn’t unique to GoTranscript; it’s the normal transcription pricing model.)

If you’re trying to budget, the simplest way is to pick one representative file, set your required options (especially timestamps + verbatim), and run a quote/estimate with your real audio length. That will be more honest than trying to guess from a headline per-minute number.

Workflow: what you upload, what you get back, and what you should prepare

The workflow is mostly standard for transcription vendors:

  1. Upload a file (audio/video) or provide content in the format they accept for the service you picked.
  2. Choose settings: turnaround, language, transcription style (clean vs verbatim), speaker identification, timestamps, and any special instructions.
  3. Receive deliverables: typically a transcript document, and for subtitles you’ll usually get common subtitle formats (the exact file formats depend on the order type you choose).

Two practical tips that reduce headaches:

  • Give vocabulary upfront. If your audio has product names, technical terms, or people’s names, add them in instructions. This is where errors often come from, even with humans.
  • Be realistic about audio quality. Background noise, overlapping speakers, and heavy accents are where time goes up and accuracy tends to wobble. If the audio is rough, you may want to plan for a second internal review pass no matter which vendor you use.

Accuracy and quality: what to expect in practice

GoTranscript advertises high accuracy for human transcription (they commonly state 99%).
But in practice, accuracy is not a single number. It depends on the content.

Where human transcription usually does well:

  • Clear recordings (podcasts, interviews with good mics)
  • Structured meetings with distinct speakers
  • General business, education, and media content

Where problems show up:

  • Dense jargon (medical/scientific), especially without a glossary
  • Strong regional accents + noisy environments
  • Multiple people talking over each other

You’ll also see mixed opinions in third-party reviews. Trustpilot shows a large pool of customer ratings, generally positive in tone, though you still need to read the lower-star reviews to see patterns. And at least one review site that aggregates complaints points to issues around accent handling and specialized vocabulary, suggesting some customers end up doing extra editing afterward.

The balanced way to approach it is: treat GoTranscript as a cost-effective option that can be very good when the audio and instructions are solid, but don’t assume it will be “publish-ready” in every niche scenario unless you’re also budgeting time for a quick internal QA check.

Security, confidentiality, and whether it’s safe for sensitive files

GoTranscript publishes a security/trust section and help-center documentation around confidentiality, including NDAs and policy enforcement language.

If you handle sensitive data, focus on concrete steps:

  • Use NDAs when appropriate (their help content indicates NDA support).
  • Minimize what you upload: trim dead air, remove unrelated segments, and avoid including unnecessary personal identifiers.
  • Match your compliance needs (health, legal, regulated industries) with what the vendor explicitly supports in its security documentation. Their help center lists security topics like handling PII and HIPAA compliance as part of the documentation structure, which is a useful starting point for due diligence.

If you’re in a high-stakes environment, you’ll still want your procurement/security team to review the trust center materials and any contractual terms before you upload real client data.

Integrations and scaling: API and “proofreading AI output” as a workflow

If you’re building a pipeline (media teams, product teams, research ops), GoTranscript documents an API in its help center for proofreading workflows—especially “refining third-party AI transcripts.”

This matters because a common modern workflow is:

  • Run fast/cheap AI transcription internally
  • Send the draft out for human cleanup
  • Use the cleaned transcript for captions, translation, and publishing

That hybrid approach is often the best cost/quality balance when you have lots of content and you don’t need every word perfect from the first pass.

Who GoTranscript is a good fit for (and who should look elsewhere)

Good fit:

  • Creators and teams producing regular audio/video content
  • Researchers doing interview transcription at volume
  • Companies that need captions/subtitles quickly and don’t want to staff it internally

Consider alternatives (or plan extra QA):

  • Medical/legal transcription that requires specialized formatting and terminology certainty
  • Very noisy audio, heavy crosstalk, or multilingual code-switching in one recording
  • Content where “one mistake” is a serious risk (legal filings, clinical documentation)

None of this is unique to GoTranscript. It’s just the reality of transcription: you’re buying a mix of labor, process, and risk reduction.

Key takeaways

  • GoTranscript sells human transcription, proofreading/editing (including fixing AI transcripts), subtitles/captions, and translation.
  • Pricing is generally per minute, with turnaround speed and add-ons (like timestamps) driving the final cost.
  • Fast turnaround is a major selling point; some roundups cite 6–12 hour fastest options.
  • Quality depends heavily on audio clarity and how well you provide names/jargon in instructions; plan a quick internal QA pass for specialized content.
  • They publish security/trust materials and NDA-related help documentation, which is important if you handle sensitive files.

FAQ

Is GoTranscript human transcription or AI transcription?

GoTranscript markets human-made transcription as a core offering, and also positions proofreading/editing as a way to clean up AI-generated transcripts (whether their own or third-party).

What’s the difference between transcription and proofreading on GoTranscript?

Transcription is creating the transcript from the audio/video. Proofreading/editing is correcting an existing transcript (often an AI draft). Their help docs describe proofreading costs as based on file duration in minutes plus add-ons.

How fast can GoTranscript deliver?

Speed depends on the tier you select. External comparisons often highlight GoTranscript’s fast turnaround options, including a cited 6–12 hour fastest window in at least one industry roundup.

Is GoTranscript secure for confidential recordings?

They publish a trust center and security-related help documentation, and they state they can provide NDAs and enforce confidentiality policies. For truly sensitive material, you should still do internal due diligence and confirm the exact controls you need.

Can I integrate GoTranscript into a workflow or product?

They document an API in their help center for proofreading use cases, including refining third-party AI transcripts, which can support a scalable “AI first, human cleanup” pipeline.