CrowdSurf Review – Worth It? (Detailed Inside Look)

Looking to make some extra cash by transcribing? CrowdSurf claims to have you covered. But is it worth it? And more importantly, is CrowdSurf legit?

Well, if you continue reading this CrowdSurf review, you will find the answers to the questions above and more. You will get a detailed inside look and learn about everything the platform has to offer, so you will know exactly what to expect from it before you even register.

From how you can earn and what you'll need to do to get started, to the payment methods and earning potential, I'll cover it all.

Then you will be able to make an informed decision on whether or not CrowdSurf is for you or not. So let’s go ahead and take a closer look at what it offers, shall we?

What is CrowdSurf, and what does it offer?

CrowdSurf is a website that specializes in offering transcription services to its clients. So for you to earn, you have to work as one of their freelance transcribers.

CrowdSurf has partnered with WorkMarket (which is a gig economy platform) to provide you with tasks to earn from, so don’t be alarmed when it takes you to a different website when you try to register as a member (more on this later).

But how will you be able to determine if it is really worth your time?

Well, the first step is to understand how it works, and the best way to do that is to examine the earning opportunity it offers.

I have, therefore, made a video that shows exactly how you can earn from CrowdSurf. You can also read all the details below the video.

Recommended: Check Out the Best Transcription Jobs for Beginners

The earning opportunity – Jobs

As mentioned above, to earn from CrowdSurf, you need to work as a freelance transcriber for them.

Once you become a CrowdSurf transcriber, you can log in to the WorkMarket member dashboard. As explained above, you will be using the WorkMarket platform to find jobs as a transcriber.

But before you can work on a job, you will have to go through a few requirements. As shown in the photo above, you’ll have to provide your tax information and payment information and pass two transcription assessments.

After you’ve completed the requirements, you will be accepted into the CrowdSurf Work Labor Cloud. This is essentially a special market specifically for CrowdSurf and this is where you will be able to find transcription jobs you can apply for.

When starting out, you’ll only have access to basic transcription jobs. These jobs offer lower pay, but they are not that complicated to do and don’t take long to complete. Once you’ve completed enough basic transcription jobs, CrowdSurf will promote you to more advanced jobs that pay a higher rate.

To work on a job, you will have to apply for it first. When you see a job you are interested in doing, just click it and read the full details.

Now, before you apply for a job, make sure you understand what the job is asking you to do, so make it a habit to read and understand the job details before you hit the “Apply” button.

If your application is accepted, you will receive an email notification from them. You can also just log in to the member dashboard to see the status of your application. When you get accepted, all you have to do is submit everything that will be required of you before the deadline. After you’ve submitted the deliverables, CrowdSurf will review your work, and if everything is in order, they will award you the promised compensation.

It can take a few days before you will receive your payment for the job, so don’t be alarmed if you don’t receive the payment right away. In the next section, I will discuss how you can withdraw your earnings. One thing you need to keep in mind is that each job you take on will pay you by the audio minute.

Plus, the amount you will earn will also depend on your level of experience as a transcriber. If you are a beginner, the rate will be quite low. But as explained above, you will be promoted if you continue completing basic jobs.

Once you get promoted, the rate per audio minute will be higher, so the amount you can earn will be significantly increased.

Recommended: Check Out the Best Transcription Jobs for Beginners

How do you get paid?

As explained above, you will be using the WorkMarket platform when working as a transcriber for CrowdSurf. That also means you will be using the payment methods WorkMarket offers because every time you earn from a job, it will be credited to your WorkMarket account.

Now the good thing is that WorkMarket offers a few payment methods including direct bank transfer, PayPal, or WorkMarket Visa. The payment methods that will be available for you will depend on your location.

If you live in the US, you can get paid via direct bank transfer, PayPal, or via WorkMarket Visa. If you live in Canada or anywhere else, you can only get paid via direct bank transfer or PayPal. What’s great about its payment methods is that you don’t need to reach a threshold to withdraw your earnings.

As long as you have money in your WorkMarket account, you can withdraw it using the payment method you choose. Just keep in mind that if you choose the PayPal option, there will be a fixed $1 transaction fee that will be deducted from the amount you will withdraw.

Overall, the payment system of CrowdSurf is relatively straightforward, and I like the fact that it offers convenient payment methods like PayPal and bank transfer. If you are interested in more sites that offer a convenient payment method, I recommend you also check out the top sites that pay via PayPal.

How much money can you make?

The amount you can earn from CrowdSurf will depend on how many jobs you can complete and your experience level as a transcriber.

As explained, each transcription job will pay you per audio minute. As a beginner transcriber, you can expect to earn around $2 to $3 per audio hour you transcribe.

That’s a small amount for transcription work, but it will get higher once you get promoted to higher levels. It can take some time before you can earn a decent amount, so you will have to be patient.

Overall, I would say the earning potential of CrowdSurf is not that good, in my opinion. But the good thing about it is that it accepts transcribers regardless of how experienced they are. That’s one good thing about the site, in my opinion. Normally, other transcription sites look for or favor more experienced transcribers, so you will have a hard time finding opportunities to earn.

Can you use it on mobile?

Since the job involves transcribing audio (or even videos), the work involved will require a computer. That being said, since CrowdSurf uses the WorkMarket platform, you will be able to apply for jobs conveniently on a mobile device since WorkMarket has a mobile app you can download.

The app is available for Android and iOS devices. The app is relatively easy to use, so you won’t have a hard time looking for jobs to apply for.

Who can join CrowdSurf?

The site doesn’t tell you exactly which countries it is available in, but from what I can tell, it is available more or less worldwide. It also makes sense because transcribers can work anywhere as long as they have an internet connection so they can submit their work.

As mentioned earlier, when you sign up as a member of CrowdSurf, you’ll be taken to the WorkMarket platform. After you’ve submitted the registration form, you’ll have to go through an onboarding process. This will only take a few minutes to finish, so it shouldn’t be an issue.

After you’ve finished the onboarding process, you will need to live up to a few requirements before you can work as a transcriber. You’ll have to submit your tax information and payment information, as well as pass a couple of transcription assessments.

It can take up to three days before you hear back from them on the status of your application as a transcriber. So don’t expect to start earning immediately after you sign up.

One thing you need to keep in mind is that when you work as a transcriber, you’ll also need transcription equipment like headphones and a foot pedal. These are not requirements, but they will help you do your job more efficiently.

Can you get support?

The CrowdSurf site doesn’t have any Help or even an FAQ page, so if you have any questions about the site or your account, you won’t find the answers on their website. Instead, you can get in touch with their support team by emailing them at support@crowdsurfwork.com.

You can also interact with any of their team members on WorkMarket, so you will still be able to request assistance. Overall, I would say the site does provide the minimum support required, but I do wish their site has a Help or FAQ page to decrease the instances of having to contact support.

Final Verdict

CrowdSurf is a legit site that will allow you to earn extra cash by working as a freelance transcriber. It has a couple of good features, but it also has some drawbacks you need to keep in mind.

Let me end this review with a summary of its pros and cons to give you an overview of what the site has to offer. Then you can decide if this is a good fit for you or not.

In my opinion, CrowdSurf is not a bad site to earn extra cash as a transcriber. However, don’t expect to earn a lot from it, especially if you are just starting out as a transcriber, because the rate of pay will be quite low. But if you are patient enough, you will eventually be able to earn a decent amount from it.

You also have to wait a few days after signing up before you can start earning. I would suggest you join if you need an additional site to find transcription jobs and if you are also just starting out as a transcriber.

But if you are looking for an easier way to earn decent money, I recommend you check out the top survey and GPT sites in your country instead. The sites on this list all have good earning potential, so you will be able to earn a decent amount even if you don’t have any prior experience working on this kind of site.

Now if you are looking to earn a full-time income, I highly suggest you check out the ultimate guide to create a full-time income online instead. It will show you a step-by-step guide on how to build your own online business so you can earn a full-time income without the help of any website.

If you have any comments, questions, or experiences with CrowdSurf, I would love to hear from you in a comment below.