Potok turns speech into text in 33 languages, including English and Russian.
No: the Potok app (potok.now) listens to the microphone only while recording, not in the background. Recording works in two modes: while the hotkey is held, or between two presses. The audio recording and transcript are kept on servers in Russia. Free: 2500 words per week on one device.
No: the Potok app listens to the microphone only during recording.
Does Potok listen to the microphone all the time or only during recording
It listens to the microphone only during recording. Recording is started by the hotkey (Ctrl+Space by default) in one of two modes. In the Hold and speak mode, recording goes while the key is held: release it, and the text is inserted. In the Hands-free mode, press the key to start dictation and once more to stop it, or press Esc. There is also a Cancel recording key: it discards the current recording, and no text is inserted. System access to the microphone is needed: without it dictation does not work.
When the microphone is not listening
In the background the app does not listen to the microphone: the microphone listens only during recording. When the recording ends, the text is inserted where the cursor is. Potok places punctuation and capital letters itself. Recognition is in the cloud, runs on servers in Russia, and the audio recording and transcript are stored there too. Without the internet Potok does not recognize speech; if the audio was saved, the recording stays in the history, and it can be recognized again with the Re-transcribe button when the connection returns.
- Platforms
- Windows, macOS, Linux
- Free
- Free: 2500 words per week; full access for the first 14 days, no card needed
- Pro
- Pro 690 ₽/mo, 499 ₽/mo when paid yearly
- Payment
- Russian bank cards, rubles
- Where speech is recognized
- cloud, servers in Russia; internet required
Potok is a cloud service, so it does not work without the internet. Download: potok.now/download
Where Potok will not help
Potok is a cloud service: recognition runs on servers in Russia, and it does not work without the internet. There is no offline mode, no apps for Android and iPhone, and no voice commands either. If you need transcription of finished recordings, there is the Telegram bot @potok_now_bot for them, and there is one subscription, for the dictation app and for the bot for recordings and voice messages. Where the voice goes during dictation is covered in the article about Federal Law 152-FZ and voice input (in Russian), and how the bot differs from the app is in the answer about the bot and the app.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, system access to the microphone is needed: without it dictation does not work. The app listens to the microphone only while recording, not in the background.
Potok has a Cancel recording key: it discards the current recording, and no text is inserted. In Hands-free mode, recording can be stopped with one more press of the key or with the Esc key.
Does Potok listen to the microphone all the time or only during. 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 Does Potok listen to the microphone all the time or only during you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.
Does Potok listen to the microphone all the time or only during. 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 Does Potok listen to the microphone all the time or only during you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.
Does Potok listen to the microphone all the time or only during. 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 Does Potok listen to the microphone all the time or only during you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.
Does Potok listen to the microphone all the time or only during. 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 Does Potok listen to the microphone all the time or only during 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.
Built-in dictation and Potok
| Tool | Where it works | Russian language | Where speech is recognized |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windows voice typing (Win+H) | Windows 10 and 11 | Windows 11 only | Microsoft cloud, does not work offline |
| macOS Dictation | macOS | yes | on the device or on Apple servers |
| Potok | Windows, macOS, Linux | primary language | cloud, servers in Russia, does not work offline |
| 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 |
Primary sources: support.microsoft.com · support.apple.com