Rev Alternative
Rev offers professional transcription services with human transcription options and high accuracy. But their per-minute pricing ($1-2/minute) and upload-and-wait model don't work for everyone. If you need real-time dictation as you work — talking and seeing text appear instantly — Blurt offers a flat $10/month with no per-minute costs. Free tier to start.
The Typing Problem
Per-minute pricing kills your budget for daily use
At $1-2 per minute, Rev makes sense for occasional transcription projects. But if you're dictating throughout the day — emails, Slack messages, documentation — costs spiral fast. A 10-minute voice session costs $10-20. Do that daily and you're looking at hundreds per month. You need predictable pricing.
Upload and wait doesn't work for real-time writing
Rev's model requires uploading audio files and waiting for transcription. That works for recorded interviews or podcasts. It doesn't work when you're composing an email right now or need to reply to a Slack message in the next 30 seconds. You need text as you speak, not text hours later.
You're paying for human transcription you don't need
Rev's accuracy comes from human transcribers reviewing work. That's valuable for legal depositions or medical records. For your daily messages and documents? AI transcription is accurate enough, and you'd rather save the money. You don't need perfect — you need fast and good enough.
API integration is overkill for personal productivity
Rev offers robust API access for developers building transcription into their apps. But you just want to type with your voice in the apps you already use. You don't need to code an integration. You need a tool that works everywhere, instantly.
How It Works
Blurt gives you real-time voice-to-text anywhere on your Mac. No uploads, no waiting, no per-minute billing.
Hold your hotkey
Press your chosen key combination. A small indicator shows Blurt is listening.
Talk naturally
Speak at your normal pace. Blurt handles punctuation and capitalization automatically.
Release and text appears
Text is instantly inserted at your cursor. Works in any app — email, Slack, docs, anywhere.
Real Scenarios
Real-time email composition instead of uploading recordings
You need to send a detailed email explaining a project status. With Rev, you'd record yourself, upload the audio, wait for transcription, then copy it into your email. With Blurt, you hold a button, say what you want to write, and it appears in your email client instantly. One step instead of five.
Quick Slack replies without thinking about cost
Someone asks you a question on Slack. You could type a response or dictate it. With Rev's per-minute pricing, that quick 30-second reply costs money. With Blurt's flat rate, you just talk. No mental math about whether it's worth the cost. Reply in 3 seconds and move on.
Documentation throughout your workday
You write code comments, update READMEs, draft PRs, take meeting notes. These add up to hours of dictation per week. At Rev's rates, that's hundreds of dollars. At Blurt's $10/month, it's the same price whether you dictate for 5 minutes or 50 hours.
When good-enough accuracy beats perfect accuracy
Rev's human transcription catches every nuance. But for your daily work, AI transcription is 95%+ accurate — and instant. You can fix the occasional error faster than you'd wait for human review. Speed matters more than perfection for most tasks.
Testing voice-to-text without financial commitment
Not sure if dictation will improve your workflow? Blurt's free tier gives you first 1,000 words free to find out. No credit card, no commitment. If voice-to-text isn't for you, you've spent nothing. Rev's per-minute pricing makes experimentation expensive.
Accessibility needs on a budget
You need voice input due to RSI, carpal tunnel, or other accessibility needs. Using your voice isn't a nice-to-have — it's essential. Rev's per-minute model makes this expensive. Blurt's flat monthly rate makes voice input affordable for all-day use.
Rev and Blurt serve different use cases. Here's an honest look at how they compare.
| Blurt | Rev | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | $10/month or $99/year flat | $1-2 per minute transcribed |
| Transcription speed | Real-time (instant) | Minutes to hours (upload and wait) |
| Human review | AI-only (no human review) | Human transcription available |
| Use case | Real-time dictation while working | Post-recording transcription |
| Free tier | First 1,000 words free | No free tier |
| Platform | macOS only | Web, API |
| API access | None (end-user tool only) | Full API for developers |
When Rev Is the Better Choice
Blurt isn't right for every transcription need. Here's when Rev is genuinely better:
You need human transcription accuracy
For legal depositions, medical dictation, or content where every word must be perfect, Rev's human transcribers catch things AI misses. If accuracy is critical and you can wait, human review is worth the cost.
You're transcribing recorded audio, not dictating live
Have a podcast episode, interview recording, or meeting audio file? Rev is built for this. Upload, wait, get text. Blurt only works for real-time dictation — it can't process pre-recorded files.
You need occasional transcription, not daily dictation
If you transcribe one interview per month, Rev's per-minute pricing might be cheaper than a monthly subscription. Do the math: a 30-minute interview at $1.50/minute is $45. If that's your only transcription need, Rev could cost less.
You need API integration for your product
Building transcription into an app or service? Rev's API lets developers integrate transcription programmatically. Blurt is an end-user tool with no API — it's for personal productivity, not product development.
You're not on macOS
Blurt is macOS only. If you work on Windows or need web-based access, Rev's platform availability is a real advantage. They work everywhere; we work on Macs.
Frequently Asked Questions
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