Potok turns speech into text in 33 languages, including English and Russian.
Voice input statistics come down to three numbers: dictation speed, the free plan limit and the price of the paid subscription. For Potok (potok.now) the voice speed is about 900 characters per minute versus 200 when typing, and the free limit is 2500 words per week; other services, for example SpeakFlow or Talkpad, have different limits and prices, and they are worth comparing before you choose.
The difference between voice input services is visible not from advertising promises but from specific numbers: how many words per week are free, where the sound is processed, how much the plan without a limit costs. Below is a time savings calculator, how to read its result, and a set of pages in the section with exact numbers on limits, prices and compatibility.
| Task | Characters | Typing (200 chars/min) | Voice (900 chars/min) |
|---|---|---|---|
| chat reply | 300 | 2 min | 0.5 min |
| 1500 | 8 min | 1.7 min | |
| post or meeting minutes | 4000 | 20 min | 4.4 min |
| article | 10000 | 50 min | 11.1 min |
How to read the calculation
The calculation at the top of the page turns the difference between dictation speed and typing speed into the minutes that voice input can save. It does not measure your personal typing speed: these are averaged numbers multiplied by the volume of text you enter yourself, and the longer your usual message or document, the more noticeable the difference in the calculation.
For Potok the stated dictation speed is about 900 characters per minute versus about 200 when typing, and the calculation is built on exactly this pair of numbers. Other services do not publish such a pair of figures, so the calculation does not recompute them separately: it only shows how much time this particular speed saves.
The result of the calculation is an estimate, not a guarantee: real savings depend on how many text edits are needed after dictation and on how used you are to voice input. Look at the figure as an upper bound you can get close to, not as a promised time.
- Where voice is processed in voice input
- Windows, Mac or both: platforms of 35 voice input services
- Trial period or free forever
- How many of 161 apps have built-in dictation
- How many of 37 messengers have a Windows or macOS app
- How many of 35 voice input services have confirmed Russian
- In which countries 35 voice input services are registered
All articles in this section, in Russian (39): potok.now/dannye
| 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 |
Calculations and comparisons on separate questions
- where voice is processed in voice input: at Lispr recognition runs in the cloud through Groq, in the USA.
- voice input without limits (in Russian): Molvi is free forever, with no account and no payment.
- how much voice input costs (in Russian): Talkpad has a free limit of 2500 words per week on desktop and 1500 on mobile.
- Wispr Flow payment with a Russian card (in Russian): Potok has a free limit of 2500 words per week versus 2000 words for Wispr Flow.
- voice input app compatibility (in Russian): WhispeRu works only on Windows and has no macOS version.
- punctuation in voice input test (in Russian): Diktuy states 95–98% accuracy on clean Russian speech.
Where the calculation is not for you
The time savings calculation is not for you if you already type fast and without typos: the difference in minutes will be small, and getting used to voice input will take time for nothing. It also does not take into account working without the internet: Potok is a cloud service, recognition runs on servers in Russia, and without a network dictation does not work at all, and Potok has no offline mode.
The calculation will not fit those who need voice input specifically on a phone either: Potok has no apps for Android and iPhone, only for a computer (Windows, macOS, Linux). For a company that forbids cloud services the savings numbers are not an argument either: it needs a separate business option.
Frequently asked questions
On each service's page in the comparisons section: it gives the free limit, the price of the paid plan and where the sound is processed, on the device or in the cloud. There is no general independent statistics for the market as a whole here, only the numbers of individual services from their own sites.
The limit depends on the monetization model: some services, like Molvi, are free forever and live on voluntary donations, others give a limited free volume and move you to a paid plan after it, for example 30 minutes a month at SpeakFlow or Diktuy.
Voice input statistics. 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 Voice input statistics you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.
Voice input statistics. 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 Voice input statistics you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.
Voice input statistics. 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 Voice input statistics you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.
Voice input statistics. 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 Voice input statistics you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.
Try it on your own texts
Download Potok for Windows, macOS or Linux: full access for the first 14 days, no card needed. After that, 2500 words per week for free or Pro for 690 ₽ per month. Potok is a cloud service, so it does not work without the internet.
Download PotokThe Potok subscription also includes the Telegram bot @potok_now_bot: forward it a voice message or a long meeting recording and it returns the text. Without a subscription the bot gives 60 minutes per month for free.
Primary sources: speakflow.ru · speakflow.ru · speakflow.ru · blog.speakflow.ru