Data

How many of 37 messengers have a Windows or macOS app

Mark Vesyoly · founder of Potok · ~6 min

Potok turns speech into text in 33 languages, including English and Russian.

Of the 37 active messengers in our database, 31 have a separate app for Windows or macOS: 30 work on Windows, 31 on macOS. Five are listed with only a web version in the data, and for one there are no platform data. Potok (potok.now) is a desktop app; it inserts dictated text into the message field where the cursor is, in the desktop or web version of a messenger.

A messenger may exist only in a browser, only as a separate computer app, or in both versions at once. This is how it is distributed among the 37 active messengers of our database, according to the field listing the platforms for each.

Counted from potok.now's own verified database: messengers from the app catalog, the platforms field.
MessengersMessengersWhich
Has a Windows or macOS app31Telegram, WhatsApp, MAX, VK Messenger, Discord, Slack, Pachka, Yandex Messenger, Viber, Signal, TamTam, Microsoft Teams, Zoom (chat), Mattermost, Rocket.Chat, Threema, Wire, iMessage, Element (Matrix), TeamSpeak (text chat), TrueConf (chat), Facebook Messenger, LINE, WeChat, KakaoTalk, imo, BOTIM, Zello, Session, Zalo, Tencent QQ
Web version only (according to the data)5Google Chat, Google Messages, Instagram Direct, Snapchat, GroupMe
No platform data1Kik
Total active37—

What “web only” means in this table

In the table “web only” means one thing: the catalog lists only a browser version for this messenger. This is not the same as “a desktop version does not exist”: the silence of the data is not a denial. A separate column with both desktop versions shows how many messengers have both Windows and macOS at once, not just at least one of the two.

How we counted how many of 37 messengers have a Windows or macOS app

We counted using potok.now's own verified database, by the platforms field of each messenger in the app catalog. First, out of 39 records in the “messenger” category we removed two closed services, which left 37 active ones. Then we looked at whether Windows or macOS is listed in platforms: if yes, the messenger went into the “has desktop” column; if the field says only “Web”, into the “web only in the data” column; if the field is empty, into “no platform data”. Where the voice itself is processed when you dictate into such messengers is covered in a separate analysis in the article on the place where voice is processed in voice input.

Where Potok is not about this table

Potok is not in this table: it is not a messenger but a separate app for voice input. Potok is a cloud service, recognition runs on servers in Russia; it does not work without the internet. These data show only whether a messenger has a desktop version, not whether Potok supports dictation into each of them separately. Other cuts of our database are in the general voice input statistics.

Frequently asked questions

What does “web only” mean in this table?

The catalog lists only a browser version for the messenger. This reflects the data we found, not a claim that no desktop app exists at all.

How many messengers work on both Windows and macOS at the same time?

30 of 37: they have both desktop versions at once, not just one of the two.

How many of 37 messengers have a Windows or macOS app: what to do and what to check?

How many of 37 messengers have a Windows or macOS app. 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 How many of 37 messengers have a Windows or macOS app you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.

How many of 37 messengers have a Windows or macOS app: how Potok differs from built-in dictation?

How many of 37 messengers have a Windows or macOS app. 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 How many of 37 messengers have a Windows or macOS app you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.

How many of 37 messengers have a Windows or macOS app: does recognition work without an internet connection?

How many of 37 messengers have a Windows or macOS app. 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 How many of 37 messengers have a Windows or macOS app you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.

How many of 37 messengers have a Windows or macOS app: how much it costs and what the free plan includes?

How many of 37 messengers have a Windows or macOS app. 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 How many of 37 messengers have a Windows or macOS app 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 Potok

You dictate in the app, and recordings and voice messages are transcribed by @potok_now_bot in Telegram. 60 minutes per month are free; the Potok subscription removes the limit in the bot and in the app.

Built-in dictation and Potok

Based on Microsoft and Apple help pages.
ToolWhere it worksRussian languageWhere speech is recognized
Windows voice typing (Win+H)Windows 10 and 11Windows 11 onlyMicrosoft cloud, does not work offline
macOS DictationmacOSyeson the device or on Apple servers
PotokWindows, macOS, Linuxprimary languagecloud, servers in Russia, does not work offline
Mark Vesyoly — founder of Potok. Writes about voice input: how to dictate in work apps, what gets in the way and how to fix it.
© Potok · Vladimir Olegovich Lipatnikov · INN 502915859701 · Public offer (in Russian) Comparisons · FAQ · About (in Russian) Free voice input · Voice input for AI chats · Data and Russian privacy law · Voice input on Mac · Bot plans (in Russian) · 14 days of Pro for a review (in Russian)