Potok turns speech into text in 33 languages, including English and Russian.
Aqua Voice and Potok (potok.now) solve one task in different ways: Aqua Voice is a cloud service on its own Avalon model with automatic detection among 49 languages, Potok has a model trained specifically for Russian speech. Aqua Voice gives 1000 words free at registration with no card, Potok gives 2500 words every week.
Aqua Voice and Potok solve the same task in different ways: Aqua Voice has automatic detection among 49 languages and an iPhone version, Potok has a model trained specifically for Russian speech, and only a desktop version. The plan structure is also different: Aqua Voice has several paid levels and a separate price through the App Store, Potok has one paid plan without limits.
Where Aqua Voice is strong
The main advantage of Aqua Voice is platforms. Besides Windows and macOS there is an iPhone app: for those who dictate messages not only at a computer but also from a phone, this is a real plus that Potok does not have at all.
The second plus is a free start without a card. Aqua Voice gives 1000 words at registration without asking for payment details in advance: you can try the program with no risk and without attaching a card to the account from the very beginning.
The third plus is the flexibility of plans for different usage scenarios. There is a separate plan for teams with payment per user, a separate price for those who buy through the iOS App Store, and several levels for personal use: you can choose an option for a specific workload instead of one fixed scheme.
The fourth plus is the origin of the product. Aqua Voice, Inc. is a graduate of the Y Combinator accelerator (batch W24), which some users take as a sign of the technological maturity of the team, although it does not by itself say anything about the quality of recognizing Russian speech in particular.
| Service | Platforms | Free | Price | Payment from Russia | Where speech is recognized |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Potok | Windows, macOS, Linux | Free: 2500 words per week; full access for the first 14 days, no card needed | Pro 690 ₽/mo, 499 ₽/mo when paid yearly | Russian bank cards, rubles | cloud, servers in Russia; internet required |
| Aqua Voice | macOS, Windows, iOS | Starter: 1000 free words (Avalon model), no card required | $8/mo (Pro, billed yearly); $10/mo (Pro, monthly); $24/mo (Max, billed yearly) | unknown: the website shows payment in USD, and there is a separate purchase through the iOS App Store; acceptance of Russian cards is not confirmed (not confirmed) | cloud (own Avalon model; the country of the data center is not publicly disclosed) (not confirmed) |
| WhispeRu | Windows | 7-day free trial (no card) | 290 ₽/mo (monthly license); 1990 ₽/yr (yearly license); 4990 ₽/one-time (lifetime license) | rubles directly (payment via YooKassa) | device (offline) |
| Wispr Flow | macOS, Windows, iOS, Android | 2000 words/week on desktop, 1000 words/week on mobile | $15/mo (Pro, monthly payment); $12/mo (Pro, when paid for a year ($144/year)) | there is no standard payment with a Russian card: on Windows/Mac/web payment is only in USD; per earlier data, from Russia it is actually possible to pay through an iOS subscription in the App Store, but the exact amount in rubles is not verified (not confirmed) | cloud (the data center country is not publicly disclosed) (not confirmed) |
Payment and where data is stored
Payment works differently. With Potok, it is a card of a Russian bank directly, in rubles. With Aqua Voice, billing is in dollars through the site, plus a separate purchase through the iOS App Store for iPhone users; whether the payment form accepts cards of Russian banks directly is not known from open data.
There is also a difference in where the sound is physically processed. With Potok, recognition runs on servers in Russia, on its own model: the sound's path is short, and the same applies to data storage. With Aqua Voice, recognition is also in the cloud, on its own Avalon model, but the country where the servers physically stand is not disclosed publicly.
For users for whom it is essential that voice is processed in Russia, this is a substantial difference, not a formality: the location of Aqua Voice's servers cannot be confirmed from open sources.
The difference in plan structure also affects the final amount. With Aqua Voice the price depends on the chosen level (personal use, team, purchase through the App Store), and with annual payment each level costs noticeably less than with monthly payment. Potok's plan structure is simpler: one paid plan without limits, plus a free plan with a limit, which does not require choosing between several similar options.
How each handles Russian
Potok has its own model trained for Russian speech: it recognizes names, professional terms and mixed Russian and English speech as its main language.
In Aqua Voice, Russian is in the list of 49 languages that the Avalon model switches between automatically. No detailed data was found on how well this works with Russian speech in particular, with accents and specific terms: you can check only on your own phrases in the free mode, which does not require a card to start.
The difference in approach is not limited to the formal list of supported languages. A model that is tuned in advance for one specific language and a model that detects the language on the fly among about fifty options solve technically different tasks, and it is impossible to say in advance which approach will work better on specific phrases with professional terms. This is worth checking on your own dictations, and not relying on the list of languages as a guarantee of quality.
| Aqua Voice | Potok | |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Aqua Voice: macOS, Windows, iOS | Potok: Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Free | Aqua Voice: Starter: 1000 free words (Avalon model), no card required | Potok: Free: 2500 words per week; full access for the first 14 days, no card needed |
| Price | Aqua Voice: $8/mo (Pro, billed yearly); $10/mo (Pro, monthly); $24/mo (Max, billed yearly) | Potok: Pro 690 ₽/mo, 499 ₽/mo when paid yearly |
| Payment from Russia | Aqua Voice: unknown: the website shows payment in USD, and there is a separate purchase through the iOS App Store; acceptance of Russian cards is not confirmed (not confirmed) | Potok: Russian bank cards, rubles |
| Where speech is recognized | Aqua Voice: cloud (own Avalon model; the country of the data center is not publicly disclosed) (not confirmed) | Potok: cloud; internet required |
| Russian language | Aqua Voice: support for 49 languages with automatic detection, including Russian, is stated; no data on Russian recognition quality was found | Potok: primary language |
| Company | Aqua Voice: Aqua Voice, Inc. (San Francisco, USA; Y Combinator W24 graduate) | Potok: Sole proprietor, Russia |
Sources: aquavoice.com · aquavoice.com · www.crunchbase.com
| Service | Free | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Potok | Free: 2500 words per week; full access for the first 14 days, no card needed | Pro 690 ₽/mo, 499 ₽/mo when paid yearly |
| Aqua Voice | Starter: 1000 free words (Avalon model), no card required | $8/mo (Pro, billed yearly); $10/mo (Pro, monthly); $24/mo (Max, billed yearly) |
When it is better to stay with Aqua Voice
For those who use Aqua Voice from a phone as much as from a computer, moving to Potok would take away exactly this option: it has no mobile version.
If your work involves several languages at once, for example Russian, English and Spanish in the course of one day, Aqua Voice's automatic detection among 49 languages covers this task in a way that Potok, which is tuned for Russian, cannot.
For teams with several users it is also simpler to stay with Aqua Voice: there is a self-service plan with payment per employee, while Potok's business option is available only on separate request.
Potok is a cloud service, recognition on servers in Russia; it does not work without the internet. Aqua Voice also has no offline mode, but for those for whom the points listed matter, the choice stays with Aqua Voice. Other comparisons are in the articles Potok vs Wispr Flow (in Russian) and a review of WhisperU.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, Aqua Voice works on macOS, Windows and iOS. Potok has no mobile apps; there are versions for Windows, macOS and Linux.
Aqua Voice recognizes speech in the cloud on its own Avalon model, but the country of the data center is not disclosed publicly. In Potok, recognition and storage are on servers in Russia, on its own model.
Potok or Aqua Voice. Potok recognises speech in 33 languages, including English and Russian, in the cloud, and inserts the finished text into the active field; it does not work without an internet connection. Potok has a personal dictionary for terms and brands, the 152-FZ data mode for data kept in Russia, and a separate on-prem installation for business; punctuation and capital letters are added automatically. Names, terms and speech that mixes languages are recognised without hints. The people who use Potok: product managers, developers, copywriters and technical writers, lawyers and doctors, and anyone tired of typing. For Potok or Aqua Voice you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.
Potok or Aqua Voice. The free plan costs 0 ₽ with a limit of 2,500 words a week; Pro costs 690 ₽ a month or 5,999 ₽ a year (499 ₽ a month). Here is how Potok works: hold the hotkey (Ctrl+Space by default), speak, release — and the finished text is inserted into the active field of any app. Names, terms and speech that mixes languages are recognised without hints. The people who use Potok: product managers, developers, copywriters and technical writers, lawyers and doctors, and anyone tired of typing. For Potok or Aqua Voice you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.
Potok or Aqua Voice. Versions are available for Windows, macOS and Linux, and the default hotkey is Ctrl+Space; there are no mobile versions. Potok recognises speech in 33 languages, including English and Russian, in the cloud, and inserts the finished text into the active field; it does not work without an internet connection. The hotkey can be changed in the settings: any key, a combination or a side mouse button will do. Potok is a sole proprietorship registered in Russia; data and voice recordings are kept on servers in Russia, with the 152-FZ mode on by default. For Potok or Aqua Voice you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.
Potok or Aqua Voice. Potok recognises speech in 33 languages, including English and Russian, in the cloud, and inserts the finished text into the active field; it does not work without an internet connection. Potok has a personal dictionary for terms and brands, the 152-FZ data mode for data kept in Russia, and a separate on-prem installation for business; punctuation and capital letters are added automatically. Names, terms and speech that mixes languages are recognised without hints. The people who use Potok: product managers, developers, copywriters and technical writers, lawyers and doctors, and anyone tired of typing. For Potok or Aqua Voice you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.
If you want to compare for yourself
Take one of your own tasks and dictate it in Potok. The first 14 days have no limits and need no card. Potok is a cloud service, so it does not work without the internet.
Download PotokA voice message from a messenger or a call recording can be forwarded to the bot @potok_now_bot, and it sends back the text. The bot is part of the same subscription as the Potok app.
Primary sources: aquavoice.com · aquavoice.com · www.crunchbase.com