Yes! We price on the length of the audio or video file you provide, not the amount of time it takes to complete the transcript, the number of speakers, or other factors.
Our system bills on the full duration of the file (rounded to the nearest whole minute, with a 1-minute minimum), regardless of content, so be sure to trim any stretches of silence or material you don't want transcribed, such as pre- or post-interview chit-chat.
When you provide your recording, our system may be able to estimate the duration immediately. If so, the Estimated Length field on the checkout page will display the duration. If an estimate is not yet available, this field will default to 1 minute until the length is verified in processing.
If you know the duration of your recording, you can edit this field to get an exact amount at checkout. If not, you can leave the estimate or default value, and let our system figure it out.
The checkout page includes radio buttons indicating Estimated durations and Exact durations.
Estimated durations is the default, and will allow the order to progress regardless of the duration indicated.
If you are paying by credit card, we run an authorization when you place your order, but do not charge your card until the order is complete, so estimated durations are fine at the upload stage.
If you are paying via PayPal, the payment is drawn at the time the order is placed, so you do need to enter (or verify) the correct duration of each file, so you pay the correct amount.
In that case, you would select the Exact durations button. The system will check that all file lengths in your order match the values you provide, before getting to work. If they differ, we will halt processing and contact you about it to adjust payment before proceeding.
Either way, you are always billed for the true duration of each file.
Please keep in mind that we do differentiate price-wise between good and bad quality audio, in the form of an optional Difficult Audio upgrade. See the What is meant by difficult audio quality? entry for more details.
⬅ FAQ