Potok turns speech into text in 33 languages, including English and Russian.
The bot's transcript shows the labels Speaker 1 and Speaker 2, not names, because the Potok bot does not know the speakers' names: it labels them only with numbers. Labeling is turned on on request. For free the bot transcribes 60 minutes per month.
In a bot transcript with speaker labeling, the speakers are marked as Speaker 1, Speaker 2. The bot @potok_now_bot has no names of speakers.
Why a transcript says speaker 1 and speaker 2 and not names
The bot labels speakers with impersonal labels, Speaker 1 and Speaker 2, and does not know names. The labeling has only numbers. The bot proofreads long recordings: punctuation, capital letters, obvious recognition errors, and it does not shorten or retell the text. It accepts voice messages, video notes, audio and video in private messages, and also files and links to YouTube, VK Video, RuTube, Instagram and TikTok.
Speaker labeling can be turned on, as can timestamps in the [mm:ss] form. More about labeling speakers is on the page about diarization and its role in transcribing meetings (in Russian).
| Service | Platforms | Free | Price | Payment from Russia | Where speech is recognized |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Potok bot and web version | Telegram (@potok_now_bot, mini app inside the bot) | 60 minutes per month | 7 days: 249 ₽, 30 days: 449 ₽, one year: 2 890 ₽; included in the Potok app subscription | Russian bank cards, rubles | cloud, servers in Russia; internet required |
| SaluteSpeech Bot (Sber) | Telegram | free; voice messages, audio and video notes | — | not disclosed | SaluteSpeech cloud (Sber) |
| Fireflies.ai | Web, iOS, Android, Chrome extension | limited storage and AI credits | — | not disclosed | not disclosed |
| Happy Scribe | Web | 10 minutes of AI transcription | $17/mo (Basic, monthly, 120 minutes); $29/mo (Pro, monthly, 600 minutes) | not disclosed | not disclosed |
| Audio2Text | Web, Telegram | 15 minutes per month | 295 ₽/mo (Basic, 500 minutes); 495 ₽/mo (Standard, 1000 minutes); 1245 ₽/mo (Expert, 5000 minutes) | rubles | not disclosed |
| Speech2Text.ru | Web | 3 hours on sign-up | — | not disclosed | not disclosed |
| Transkriptor | Web | 10 minutes on sign-up, limited to 2 min/day (according to the localized Russian site transkriptor.ru); the international site transkriptor.com states a free trial (up to 90 minutes according to secondary sources; the official pricing page could not be opened directly because it timed out) | 490 ₽/one-time (Start, 150 minutes (transkriptor.ru)); 790 ₽/one-time (Pro, 700 minutes (transkriptor.ru)); 1900 ₽/one-time (Premium, 2100 minutes (transkriptor.ru)) | yes, on the localized site transkriptor.ru: Visa/Mastercard/Mir bank cards with no fee, SBP via QR code with no fee, YooMoney with a 3% fee; payments are one-off (no subscription) and processed by the KASSA service. The international site transkriptor.com presumably bills in dollars; this is not confirmed directly (the pricing page timed out) | not disclosed |
| Voix (@RecogMyAudioBot) | Telegram | voice messages up to 15 minutes, video up to 6 minutes | — | not disclosed | not disclosed |
| Tactiq | Chrome extension | 10 meeting transcriptions per month | $12/mo (Pro, monthly) | not disclosed | not disclosed |
| KolerskyAI Whisper Bot | Telegram | the first 5 minutes | 69 ₽/15 minutes; 149 ₽/50 minutes; 490 ₽/200 minutes | rubles | not disclosed |
| Voicee (@Voicee_AI_Bot) | Telegram, Web | 45 minutes to start | 500 ₽/hour of recording (without a package; cheaper with packages) | rubles | not disclosed |
How to check labeling yourself
Send the bot a recording in which several people speak and turn on speaker labeling: the speakers will be marked as Speaker 1 and Speaker 2, and there will be no names. A short recording comes back as text in the chat, a long one as a file. All transcripts stay in My recordings and can be opened again. More about how a transcript is split by speakers is on the page about speaker labeling.
Where Potok is not the answer to this question
If you need real names in the text, the bot will not put them in: it knows only numbers. The Potok app for Windows, macOS and Linux is for dictation and does not transcribe a conversation recording; for recordings there is the bot @potok_now_bot. They share one subscription. Potok has no apps for Android and iPhone, no voice commands and no offline mode: recognition is cloud-based, runs on servers in Russia, and Potok does not work without the internet. The bot recognizes 100+ languages (the language is detected automatically).
Frequently asked questions
No. The bot labels speakers with impersonal labels, Speaker 1 and Speaker 2, and does not know names. The labeling has only numbers.
No, it can be turned on. Timestamps [mm:ss] can be turned on too. Until labeling is turned on, the transcript comes without the labels Speaker 1 and Speaker 2.
Why a transcript says Speaker 1 and Speaker 2, not names. 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 Why a transcript says Speaker 1 and Speaker 2, not names you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.
Why a transcript says Speaker 1 and Speaker 2, not names. 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 Why a transcript says Speaker 1 and Speaker 2, not names you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.
Why a transcript says Speaker 1 and Speaker 2, not names. 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 Why a transcript says Speaker 1 and Speaker 2, not names you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.
Why a transcript says Speaker 1 and Speaker 2, not names. 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 Why a transcript says Speaker 1 and Speaker 2, not names you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.
Try it on your own recording
Potok's Telegram bot transcribes a voice message, video note, audio or video, and its buttons make a summary and a task list. 60 minutes per month for free.
Open @potok_now_bot in TelegramPrimary sources: support.microsoft.com · support.apple.com
Transcribe a recording in Telegram
Voice messages, video notes, audio and video are transcribed by Potok's Telegram bot @potok_now_bot: forward it a voice message from any chat, or send a file or a YouTube, VK Video, RuTube, Instagram or TikTok link. A short recording comes back as text in the chat, a long one as a file; timestamps and speaker labels can be turned on. The buttons give a short summary, tasks and deadlines, an answer to a question about the recording and export to TXT, DOCX, PDF or SRT. Large files, up to 2 GB, are easier to upload in the bot's mini app, via the Upload button next to the input field. The bot recognizes 100+ languages (the language is detected automatically); 60 minutes per month are free.