Potok turns speech into text in 33 languages, including English and Russian.
A large audio file is easier to transcribe in the bot's mini app: a file up to 2 GB is uploaded by drag and drop, and if the connection drops, the upload resumes from where it broke. A short recording from the same file can also be sent straight to the Telegram bot @potok_now_bot, and the principle is the same. 60 minutes of transcription per month are free.
A large audio file is the case where sending the recording to Telegram in pieces is inconvenient, while the web version accepts it whole in one upload.
How to transcribe a large audio file, step by step
For a file of several hundred megabytes or more, it is easier to go through the browser:
- Open the web version of the Potok bot and sign in by email or through Telegram.
- Drag the audio file into the browser window, up to 2 GB; for video, a link to YouTube, VK Video or RuTube also works.
- If the connection drops in the middle of the upload, the upload resumes from where it broke, not from the beginning.
- Wait for the transcription and choose the text format: TXT, DOCX, Markdown, PDF, SRT or VTT.
- The same file, if it is shorter, can also be sent straight to the Potok Telegram bot @potok_now_bot. The principle of transcription is the same, and the account and recordings are shared.
What you get back for a large recording
The transcript of a large file does not come as a solid text without structure:
- the text itself as a file, because a long recording will not fit into a chat whole;
- punctuation and capital letters are added automatically and obvious recognition errors are fixed; the bot will not shorten or retell the text;
- the buttons “Summary”, “Tasks and deadlines”, “Ask”, “Other format” and up to five of your own buttons with a ready prompt for the text;
- ready export formats: TXT, DOCX, Markdown, PDF, SRT, VTT;
- the recording itself and its transcript stay in “My recordings”: you can open and download them again at any time without transcribing again.
When the bot will not fit a large file
A recording in another language works too, the bot understands 100+ languages (the language is detected automatically), but it does not translate. While a conversation or meeting is still going on, the bot is also powerless: it takes a finished recording and does not join a live call. The bot accepts links to Instagram (Reels and posts with video) and TikTok, as well as YouTube, VK Video and RuTube. And without the internet the bot does not work: it is a cloud service, and recognition runs on Potok's servers in Russia, not on the device itself.
If the file, on the contrary, is short and is just a voice message, the whole list of options is collected in the article the best bots for transcribing voice messages, and the broader comparison of transcription services adds apps to the bots.
| Service | Free | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Potok bot and web version | 60 minutes per month | 7 days: 249 ₽, 30 days: 449 ₽, one year: 2 890 ₽; included in the Potok app subscription |
| Kontur.Tolk | not disclosed | — |
| KolerskyAI Whisper Bot | the first 5 minutes | 69 ₽/15 minutes; 149 ₽/50 minutes; 490 ₽/200 minutes |
| Voicy (@voicybot) | free; on the Wit.ai engine, recordings of up to 50 seconds | — |
| SaluteSpeech Bot (Sber) | free; voice messages, audio and video notes | — |
| TurboScribe | 3 files a day, each up to 30 minutes | $20/mo (Unlimited, monthly) |
| Voicee (@Voicee_AI_Bot) | 45 minutes to start | 500 ₽/hour of recording (without a package; cheaper with packages) |
| 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 |
Frequently asked questions
In the bot's mini app you do not have to redo anything: if the connection drops, the file upload continues from where it stopped, not from the beginning.
How to transcribe a large audio file. 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 to transcribe a large audio file you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.
How to transcribe a large audio file. 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 to transcribe a large audio file you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.
How to transcribe a large audio file. 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 to transcribe a large audio file you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.
How to transcribe a large audio file. 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 to transcribe a large audio file 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: yandex.ru · vc.ru · speech2text.ru · audio-2-text.ru
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.