Potok turns speech into text in 33 languages, including English and Russian.
WhispeRu is a voice input app for Windows that recognizes speech offline, right on the device, without contacting a server. The free trial lasts 7 days without linking a card; after that a paid license is needed, paid in rubles via YooKassa. Potok (potok.now) works differently: it is a cloud service with a free limit of 2500 words per week.
WhispeRu is a Windows app that turns voice into text without contacting a server: recognition runs right on the user's computer. The developer is a self-employed person from Russia, and payment is accepted directly in rubles, without intermediaries or foreign payment systems.
How WhispeRu works
Speech recognition in WhispeRu happens locally, on the device itself, offline: the sound is not sent to a remote server, and you can work where there is no internet or the connection is unreliable.
Before buying, a free trial is available: 7 days without linking a card, to judge the recognition accuracy and convenience on your own tasks. After the trial a paid license is needed: you can take a monthly subscription, a yearly subscription or pay once for a lifetime license, with no repeat payments. Payment is accepted directly in rubles via YooKassa, a familiar method for a Russian user that needs no card from another country.
Legally, WhispeRu is run by the self-employed Nikita Aleksandrovich Okulov; his taxpayer number is published on the developer's website in the public offer section, as the law on the self-employed in Russia requires.
| WhispeRu | Potok | |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | WhispeRu: Windows | Potok: Windows, macOS, Linux |
| Free | WhispeRu: 7-day free trial (no card) | Potok: Free: 2500 words per week; full access for the first 14 days, no card needed |
| Price | WhispeRu: 290 ₽/mo (monthly license); 1990 ₽/yr (yearly license); 4990 ₽/one-time (lifetime license) | Potok: Pro 690 ₽/mo, 499 ₽/mo when paid yearly |
| Payment from Russia | WhispeRu: rubles directly (payment via YooKassa) | Potok: Russian bank cards, rubles |
| Where speech is recognized | WhispeRu: device (offline) | Potok: cloud; internet required |
| Russian language | WhispeRu: not disclosed | Potok: primary language |
| Company | WhispeRu: Nikita Aleksandrovich Okulov, self-employed, INN 591606057897 | Potok: Sole proprietor, Russia |
Sources: whispe.ru · whispe.ru · whispe.ru
In Potok, recognition works differently: its own model trained for Russian speech runs in the cloud on servers in Russia. By its own test on the GolosTest benchmark, Potok has a WER of 2.1%, but there are no independent comparisons of recognition accuracy in Russian, so it is impossible to say whose recognition is better, WhispeRu's or Potok's: check it on your own phrases during each service's trial.
Who it suits
WhispeRu is worth considering if:
- you need voice input on Windows without internet access, since recognition is fully local;
- it matters to pay for the license directly in rubles, without cards from other countries or intermediaries;
- you want to try it for 7 days for free first, without linking a card in advance;
- you prefer a lifetime license to a recurring subscription;
- you do not need a version for macOS or Linux because your work computer runs Windows.
Limitations for a user in Russia
The main limitation is the platform: WhispeRu exists only for Windows, with no versions for macOS or Linux. It will not suit a Mac or Linux user at all; they will have to look for another tool.
The developer's website has no separate confirmed data on the recognition quality for Russian speech in particular; in our sources this field is empty, although the service itself targets the Russian market: rubles, YooKassa, a self-employed developer from Russia. You cannot judge accuracy in Russian in advance from open data, only from your own experience during the trial.
Since recognition runs locally, the app does not depend on the availability of foreign servers or payment systems; in this sense it is predictable for a user in Russia.
| 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 |
| WhispeRu | Windows | 7-day free trial (no card) | 290 ₽/mo (monthly license); 1990 ₽/yr (yearly license); 4990 ₽/one-time (lifetime license) | rubles directly (payment via YooKassa) | device (offline) |
When Potok does not replace WhispeRu
Potok will not replace WhispeRu for those who need a one-time license purchase and work entirely without the internet: WhispeRu recognizes locally and offers a lifetime license, while Potok is a cloud service, recognition runs on servers in Russia, and it does not work without the internet.
Potok will not suit Windows users who on principle do not want to send sound outside their computer either; that is what WhispeRu was made for. A direct comparison of these services is in the article WhispeRu and Potok, and other options are in the section voice input software.
Frequently asked questions
It is paid, by license: you can take it monthly, for a year or once for a lifetime, with no repeat payments. The exact amount depends on the chosen period; payment is in rubles directly.
No, recognition runs locally on the device, offline, without contacting a server. A network connection is not needed for the app's main work.
What WhispeRu is and how it works. 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 What WhispeRu is and how it works you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.
What WhispeRu is and how it works. 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 What WhispeRu is and how it works you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.
What WhispeRu is and how it works. 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 What WhispeRu is and how it works you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.
What WhispeRu is and how it works. 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 What WhispeRu is and how it works you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.
More questions
Yes, this is its main mode: recognition runs right on the device, and no network connection is needed for dictation itself.
It depends on how many years you plan to use the program: the exact numbers are in the fact card and comparison table on this page. The general rule is simple: the longer the period of use, the more a one-time purchase pays off compared with a monthly subscription.
Download the latest version from the official page potok.now/download and reinstall the app: an installer from a third-party site may have been modified. If that does not help, write to support: support@potok.now or on Telegram at https://t.me/ai23c.
Potok has no separate browser extension: it is a desktop app that works on top of any window and input field, including the browser, not a separate plugin.
First, 14 days of free full access without linking a card. After that, the free plan (2500 words per week, 1 device) or Pro for 690 ₽/mo (499 ₽/mo when paid yearly): unlimited use, a personal dictionary, snippets, priority support. For business, the price is on request, with on-prem hosting or servers in Russia and support for the 152-FZ personal data law.
No. Potok (potok.now) is a desktop app for voice text input on Windows, macOS and Linux: hold the hotkey, dictate, and the text is inserted into the active field. It has nothing to do with investment services or financial platforms with a similar name.
Check it in one evening
Install Potok, dictate what you usually type and compare. 14 days of full access, no card needed. Potok is a cloud service, so it does not work without the internet.
Download PotokYou 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.