Potok turns speech into text in 33 languages, including English and Russian.
For dictating text, use the Potok app (potok.now); for transcribing finished recordings, the Telegram bot @potok_now_bot. The app inserts dictated text into the field of any program on Windows, macOS and Linux, and the bot turns voice messages, video notes, audio and video into text. One subscription covers both; the bot gives 60 minutes per month for free.
The question “bot or app” comes up because Potok has two entry points with different jobs: in one case you speak and get text in a field, in the other you send a finished recording and get a transcript.
Two options: an app for dictation and a bot for recordings
- The Potok app is for when you need to dictate text now. Hold the hotkey (Ctrl+Space by default), speak, release, and the text is inserted into the active field of any program. There are versions for Windows, macOS and Linux.
- The bot @potok_now_bot is for when you already have a recording. It transcribes voice messages, video notes, audio and video and accepts links to YouTube, VK Video, RuTube, Instagram and TikTok. A short recording comes back as text in the chat, a long one as a file.
- Under the transcript the bot has buttons: Summary, Tasks and deadlines, Ask. Retelling and answering questions about the recording is done by the bot, not the app.
- There is one subscription: the dictation app and the Telegram bot @potok_now_bot for recordings and voice messages work under the same subscription.
What the app is and how it works is covered in more detail in the answer about the Potok app. If you need the built-in Windows 11 dictation, there is a separate article on how Win+H differs from Voice Access.
| 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 |
| Google voice input (Google Docs voice typing + Gboard) | Web (Google Docs, Chrome/Edge/Safari, current versions), Android (Gboard), iOS (Gboard) | free, built into Google Docs and the Gboard keyboard | — | not disclosed | cloud: in Google Docs, speech recognition is handled by the browser, which manages the speech-to-text service and determines speech processing, after which the text is sent to Google Docs (that is, a cloud service of the browser or Google is used, not local processing). In Gboard some advanced voice typing features for certain locales run on the device and are not sent to Google servers by default, but ordinary Gboard voice input is generally cloud-based |
| v2txt.ru | Windows, macOS | Start plan: 2000 words/week | 0 ₽/n/a (all of Pro is free until the end of 2026 (the regular Pro/Premium price after 2026 is not published on the website)) | rubles directly (Visa, Mastercard, Mir cards and T-Bank are accepted) | cloud (Russia) in online mode; offline mode processes on the device |
| Typeless | Windows, macOS, iOS, Android | 8000 words per week (Free plan); new users get a 30-day Pro trial, then move to Free if they do not pay | $12/mo (Pro billed yearly (effectively $144/yr)); $30/mo (Pro billed monthly) | Visa/Mastercard cards; whether Russian cards are accepted is not stated | cloud (the server country is not officially disclosed; the privacy policy only says 'processed in real time on our cloud servers') (not confirmed) |
| GigaType | Windows, macOS | free with no limits: open source under the MIT license (Copyright (c) 2026 Disrupt Builders), all features are available without payment | — | not needed: there are no paid plans | device (offline, Sber's GigaAM neural network) |
| Win+H (Windows voice typing) | Windows | free, built into Windows 10 and Windows 11 | — | not disclosed | cloud (Azure Speech services, Microsoft) — an internet connection is required |
| Molvi | Windows, macOS | free forever, no accounts and no payment | — | not needed: the product is free; voluntary donations are accepted via Telegram Tribute or by card on the website, amounts are not fixed | device (offline; best quality on an NVIDIA GPU, otherwise a fast model on the CPU) |
| 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) |
| Lispr | Windows, macOS | 60 minutes of dictation per week for free; the key features (push-to-talk, translation, dictionary, local history) always stay free, without an account | $7.99/mo (Pro, monthly); $79/yr (Pro, yearly (from $44.90 with regional discounts)) | unknown (not confirmed) | cloud (USA; recognition is done by Groq, Inc.) |
| Diktuy | Windows, macOS | 30 minutes of dictation per month, free forever | 239 ₽/mo (Profi (monthly equivalent when billed yearly)); 2870 ₽/yr (Profi (year, billed in full)); 479 ₽/mo (Max (monthly equivalent when billed yearly)) | rubles directly (not confirmed) | cloud (the data center country is not disclosed on the website) (not confirmed) |
| 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) |
How to choose between the app and the bot
Look at what you have as input. If you need to dictate an email, a note or a message, use the app. If you have a recording of a call, a lecture or a voice message, send it to the bot. If you have both, there is no separate choice to make: one subscription covers the app and the bot.
For large files the bot has a mini app: it opens with a button next to the input field in Telegram, where there is also an Upload button. The account, recordings and limit there are the same as in the bot.
When Potok is not the best option
The app cannot transcribe finished recordings; the Telegram bot @potok_now_bot is for that. The bot recognizes 100+ languages (the language is detected automatically) and has no translation into another language. There are no apps for Android and iPhone. There are no voice commands: Potok places punctuation and capital letters itself. Potok is a cloud service, recognition runs on servers in Russia, and it does not work without the internet. Those who dictate all day may run into the app's free limit.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. The app gives 2500 words per week for free on one device, the bot 60 minutes of recordings per month. The subscription removes the limit both in the bot and in the dictation app; the price is shown in the plans table on the page.
Yes. In a private chat with the bot you can forward a voice message from any chat, send a file, including as a document, or a YouTube, VK Video, RuTube, Instagram or TikTok link. In groups the bot accepts only voice messages, video notes and audio of up to 10 minutes.
Potok bot or 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 Potok bot or app you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.
Download Potok
Works with a single key in any program. 14 days of full access, then Free with 2500 words per week or Pro at 690 ₽/mo (499 ₽/mo paid yearly). 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: support.microsoft.com · support.apple.com