Speechpad Review – Worth it or Not? (An Honest Look)

Speechpad is a website that allows you to earn when and where you want by working as one of their transcribers. Now, if you are interested in this opportunity, you must be wondering if it is worth it or not. After all, this is not the only site that offers this kind of earning opportunity online.

If you want to find out if it is worth it, I recommend you keep reading this Speechpad review because it will give you an honest look at what it offers. That way, you’ll know exactly what to expect from it before you even join.

Then you can decide if it is the right opportunity for you or not. So, let’s dive in, shall we?

What is Speechpad, and what does it offer?

Speechpad is a website that specializes in providing transcription, captioning, and translation services to its clients. To earn from it, you have to work on transcription, caption, and translation jobs. And in case you are wondering, yes, it is legit because you can really earn from the jobs it offers.

However, that doesn’t automatically make it worth your time. To figure out if it is a good fit for you, the first step is to understand how it works. The best way to do so is to take a look at the earning opportunity it offers so you will have a clear idea of how much time and effort is needed to earn from it.

So, here’s how to earn from Speechpad.

The earning opportunity – Jobs

If you get accepted as a transcriber, you’ll gain access to the jobs offered by Speechpad when you log in to the member dashboard. The site offers four types of jobs – transcription, captioning, translation, and review.

As shown in the photo above, review jobs are invite-only jobs, and you will only receive an invite to do this kind of job if you prove yourself to be an excellent transcriber/captioner/translator. When starting, you’ll gain access to the basic transcription jobs.

If you want to work on captioning jobs, you’ll need to take the qualification test for captioning and pass it. The same goes for translation jobs.

As for the exact process of how to earn, you’ll need to log in to the dashboard and go to the Job Board section to view all the available jobs. Now, take note that some jobs will require you to have a certain rating to be eligible to work on it.

So, you can’t just accept any job. When starting, you can only accept the ones that don’t require any rating.

Another important thing you need to know is that each job has an allotted time (deadline) for you to submit your final work. The allotted time is shown on each job, and the clock begins as soon as you click the Accept Job button.

If you run out of time, you won’t be paid for the job, so be sure you’re able to dedicate the necessary time before you accept a job. So, only accept a job when you are ready to work on it.

Now, when working on a job, you’ll have to use their system. This means you don’t have to use a third-party word-processing software like Microsoft Word. Their system also works with certain foot pedals, which is a necessary tool for working as a transcriber.

So, if you don’t have one, I suggest you get one that they recommend because it will really help you transcribe files a lot better and faster. After you complete the job, you must submit your work and wait for Speechpad to review your submission.

If it gets approved, you’ll receive the compensation promised. Take note that you will be paid per audio minute and not for how long it will take you to complete the job. That’s why it is also very important to finish jobs quickly to become an efficient earner in this field.

Once your work is approved, your client will be able to give you a rating. Your overall rating is a running average of your last 10 rated jobs. And as explained above, your rating will help you to gain access to more earning opportunities, which is why it is very important to always do your best when working on a job if you want to maximize your earnings from Speechpad.

If you think you can’t submit the work before the deadline, you can request a one-time extension. However, Speechpad will only grant this request due to extenuating circumstances like emergencies, power outages, etc.

So, you can’t request one if you don’t have a good reason. There’s no reason for you not to finish the job before the deadline because Speechpad always sets the deadline so that you will have enough time to complete the job, barring any extenuating circumstances.

Recommended: Check Out the Best Transcription Jobs for Beginners

How do you get paid?

Whenever you complete a job, you’ll earn a certain amount depending on the audio file length you worked on. As mentioned earlier, you’ll get paid per audio minute, and the rate will range from $0.25 to $1, which is not bad, in my opinion.

Then, Speechpad will send your earnings directly to your PayPal account every Thursday and Friday regardless of how much you’ve earned before midnight on Monday and Thursday (GMT), respectively. This means you don’t have to reach a certain threshold to receive your earnings.

You will also receive the full amount because Speechpad will shoulder the transaction fees involved when they transfer your earnings to your PayPal account. Not a lot of sites do this, so this is one of the best advantages you’ll get from Speechpad.

Overall, I would say its payout system is relatively convenient and straightforward. I like the fact that it offers payment via PayPal because it is one of the more convenient options, in my opinion.

If you are interested in more sites that use a convenient payout system, I suggest you also check out the top sites that pay via PayPal.

How much money can you make?

With a site like Speechpad, the amount you can earn will mostly depend on how fast you can finish a job and how good your transcription skills are. As explained earlier, if you get good ratings from clients, you’ll gain access to more job opportunities, so you can earn more as a result.

As for the rates of jobs found on Speechpad, they vary. For transcription jobs, the rate will be $0.25 to $1 per audio minute, depending on the turnaround time and complexity of the job. For captioning jobs, it’ll be $0.30/min to $1.00/min. Review jobs pay slightly less at $0.20/min to $1.00/min, but they are additional opportunities to earn, and they are relatively easy to do.

These rates are not the best out there, but they are fairly decent, so you can earn a decent amount quickly from Speechpad if you can quickly finish jobs. But as mentioned, the earning potential will depend entirely on your skills, so it’s quite hard to determine how much you can earn from it.

Can you use it on mobile?

Due to the nature of the work that needs to be done, the answer to this question is a NO. You’ll definitely need to use a computer if you want to work as a transcriber. Aside from that, you’ll also need a couple of other equipment, like a foot pedal and headphones.

You don’t need to use word-processing software because Speechpad has its own system you must use.

Who can join Speechpad?

Generally speaking, Speechpad accepts applicants from all over the world. However, they prioritize skill and experience when accepting applicants, so not everyone who applies will get accepted. Aside from that, they will not always hire new transcribers.

If there are not enough job opportunities for its current workforce, Speechpad will pause its hiring. So, if this happens, you’ll just have to check back after a few weeks to see if they are hiring again.

As for the application process, you’ll have to submit the application form and then answer a couple of tests to check your typing skills and to see if you are good with grammar. If you pass these tests, they will schedule an interview to finalize the application process.

When you get hired, you can log in to the member dashboard and start earning. Now, if you want to gain access to the captioning and translation jobs, you’ll have to take their qualification tests and pass them so that you will be eligible to work on those types of jobs.

Can you get support?

Speechpad has a comprehensive FAQ section you can check out if you have questions about the site. If you can’t find the answers you need, you can contact their support team instead.

You can do so by filling out the contact form provided by the website. They also have a phone number you can call if you want to speak directly with a representative. Just bear in mind that this line will only be open during business hours (Monday to Friday 9 AM to 5 PM PST).

Overall, I would say the site does provide decent support since it offers a couple of convenient ways for you to get help.

Final Verdict

Speechpad is a legit site that will let you earn by working as a transcriber. It has a couple of decent features, but it also has certain limitations you need to consider.

Let me wrap up this review by summarizing its pros and cons so you can see a clear overview of what it offers. Then, you can decide if it is the right fit for you or not.

In my opinion, Speechpad is not a bad site to earn from if you are a transcriber. It pays a decent amount, and it offers a convenient payout method.

Just keep in mind that it is very selective who they accept as transcribers, and they are not always hiring. This means that their workload doesn’t outnumber their workforce, which is not exactly what you want from a site like this because it means that you will not be able to find opportunities to earn from time to time.

So, if you are looking for a regular source of extra income, then this is not the best option. You are better off working on GPT and survey sites, in my opinion, if you want to regularly earn extra cash. For a list of great sites and apps to join, I recommend you check out the top survey and GPT sites in your country.

The sites and apps on this list all have good earning potential, so you can earn a decent amount quickly. Plus, they are always accepting new members.

You can also choose to go the other way by building your own online business. To learn how to do so, I recommend you check out this guide on how to build your online business. It will teach you how to set up your online business from the ground up so you can earn even when you sleep.

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