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Rev Review: How to Make Money Online With Rev.com

By Dallas Cox
By Dallas Cox
Earning extra money on the side doesn’t have to take the form of a part-time job anymore. Instead, you can find freelance work online for extra cash with no commitment— you don’t even have to leave the house!
In this article, we’re going to take a closer look at how to make money online with the transcription and captioning service Rev.com.
I’ve been using Rev intermittently over the last three years and have managed to rack up just under $3,000 in extra cash. Of course, how much you earn will depend on how much you work.

Table of Contents

What is Rev?

Rev is an online transcription and caption service that connects customers with at-home freelancers who claim and complete projects.

The best way to earn extra money with Rev is by applying to be a freelancer. According to the website…

"Aside from the extra income paid out weekly via PayPal, the best part of freelancing jobs with Rev is the flexibility. You can work as much or as little as you'd like, from wherever you please. A wide range of people, from stay-at-home moms to college students and retirees, work from home with Rev."

The job entails listening to audio or video files and accurately typing what you hear. That does mean that you'll need to have a strong understanding of the English language as well as grammar.

If you meet those requirements, then you'll only need a computer (with audio) and a reliable internet connection to get started. The software, style guides and an online community of support are all available in your browser.

How Does Rev Work?

Customers who need a video or audio file transcribed or captioned submit their files to Rev. Those files then become available for “Revvers” to claim, listen to, caption or transcribe and submit before receiving payment. 
“Revvers” are freelancers who have taken a quiz, submitted a sample project and been approved to listen to and/or watch customer files and accurately type what’s being said.

In order to earn money as a freelancer at Rev, you'll need to apply to either be a transcriptionist or a captioner. According to the website, here's what you can expect from each role:

Transcriptionist:

  • Listen to audio and video
  • Accurately type what is being said
  • Label speakers
  • Earn $0.30-$1.10 per audio/video minute

Captioner:

  • Watch video
  • Accurately type what is being said and creatively convey sounds
  • Sync typed audio with video
  • Earn $0.54-$1.10 per audio/video minute

If you can speak a foreign language fluently, you can also sign up to translate subtitles for $1.50-$3.00 per audio/video minute. 

To get started, you'll need to apply online. Expect to spend at least an hour on the application. Once you've signed up to be a freelancer, here's what's next: 

  1. You'll be asked to take a quiz that demonstrates your English language and grammar skills. 
  2. You'll submit a transcription or caption sample, which will be reviewed to ensure it meets customer quality expectations. 
  3. Lastly, if you're approved, you'll be able to register and start earning right away. When I applied to be a captioner, I was approved the next day.
Once you’ve registered and logged in, you’ll be able to see claimable projects available in the workspace. After you claim a project, you’ll have an hour to decide if you want to unclaim it with no penalty. If you complete the project and click submit, you’ll be able to see the payment for that project immediately in your earnings tab.
After that, a member of Rev’s quality control team will review and grade your work. You’ll receive a PayPal deposit the following Monday regardless of that grade.

How Much Does Rev Pay?

According to Rev, freelancers have the potential to earn between $30 and $750 monthly. In my experience, earning an average of $400/month is completely possible by working around 15 hours a week. 

Depending on the job you apply for and the projects you claim, you can expect to make anywhere from $0.30 to $1.10 per audio/video minute as a transcriptionist or captioner at Rev. However, the time it takes to complete an audio/video minute will vary depending on the difficulty of the project and your typing speed. 

When I claim a project, I expect to spend approximately 3-5 minutes transcribing or captioning each audio/video minute. That means if I claim a 5-minute project, I expect to be working on it for up to 20 minutes. In my experience, if I’m willing to work for two hours on Rev projects, I can expect to earn around $16. 
The amount that you’re able to earn per hour will start to increase as you complete more projects. For example, here are the levels you can reach to increase your earnings as a captioner: 
As you can see, once you’ve completed 60 minutes of completed work that meets the company’s standards, you’ll gain access to more caption jobs with higher pay per audio/video minute. 
If you’re able to maintain an average of captioning 1,200 minutes in a span of 120 days, you’ll gain access to Revver+, which means you’ll be able to claim projects before they’re available to Revvers. Then, you can apply to Rev’s quality control team and get paid for grading other freelancers’ completed projects. 

Your earnings accumulate throughout the week (Sunday through Saturday). You can expect a deposit into your PayPal account the following Monday.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it’s definitely possible to earn additional income by working as a freelance transcriptionist or captioner at Rev, especially if you’re a fast and accurate typist. 
Compared to a traditional part-time job, you may not initially earn quite as much hourly. But even as a freelancer, you’ll have the potential to grow and earn more per hour as you complete more projects.
If you’re still on the fence about Rev, consider these pros and cons:
Pros Cons
Work from home Time spent typing will take more than the audio/video minute you’re paid for
Choose your hours Some audio files are difficult to hear
Get paid per completed project (regardless of the grade it receives) The amount of available projects varies throughout the day/week
Get weekly PayPal deposits Other freelancers will also be trying to claim available projects

If you have a computer and a reliable internet connection, it never hurts to sign up and complete the sample project to see if it's something you'd be interested in pursuing. 

While working as a freelancer at Rev is never going to be a reliable primary source of income, it is an honest way to provide quality work in exchange for extra cash without having to leave your home. 

How do you earn extra money throughout the year? Let us know in the comments below! 

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This article was originally published on Clark.com

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