Potok turns speech into text in 33 languages, including English and Russian.
A voice note is turned into text by the Potok Telegram bot @potok_now_bot: send the recording in private messages, and it returns the text; a short note arrives at once, a long one as a file. If the note is a voice message from Telegram, the messenger also has a transcription button, but without Premium it is limited in number per week. The bot is free for 60 minutes per month.
A voice note is a quick way to dictate a thought on the go, but afterwards it still has to be read or forwarded as text. The easiest way is to send the recording to the Potok Telegram bot @potok_now_bot: it will transcribe it and send the ready text to the chat. If the note more often comes as a voice message in Telegram itself, the review of dictating text right in this messenger is on the page voice input in Telegram.
A voice note into text: steps through the bot
- Open the bot @potok_now_bot in Telegram and, if you are writing to it for the first time, press Start (the /start command).
- Send the voice note to the bot, as an attachment if it is saved as a file, or by forwarding if it is a voice message from a chat.
- Wait for the reply: the transcript of a short note arrives as text at once, of a longer one as a separate file.
- The export format, TXT or DOCX, is set in advance in the bot settings with the /settings command.
- In the same place, in /settings, timecodes and speaker markup are turned on, if there are several voices in the note.
- The ready text can be turned into notes at once with the Summary button: it collects the main points and the tasks by participants, if there are several.
Besides text: what else the bot sends
- along with the text the Summary button is available: a short summary of the note and the tasks by the participants of the conversation;
- the Tasks and deadlines button pulls out of the text separately who must do what and when;
- the Ask button answers a specific question about the content of the note, without retelling it whole;
- the Other format button gives the same text in Markdown, PDF, and also in the subtitle files SRT and VTT;
- if there are several voices and the markup was turned on in advance, the lines are labeled with the numbers Speaker 1, Speaker 2: the bot does not know names.
| 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 |
| Voix (@RecogMyAudioBot) | Telegram | voice messages up to 15 minutes, video up to 6 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 |
| Fireflies.ai | Web, iOS, Android, Chrome extension | limited storage and AI credits | — | not disclosed | not disclosed |
| SaluteSpeech Bot (Sber) | Telegram | free; voice messages, audio and video notes | — | not disclosed | SaluteSpeech cloud (Sber) |
| Voicee (@Voicee_AI_Bot) | Telegram, Web | 45 minutes to start | 500 ₽/hour of recording (without a package; cheaper with packages) | rubles | not disclosed |
| TurboScribe | Web | 3 files a day, each up to 30 minutes | $20/mo (Unlimited, monthly) | not disclosed | not disclosed |
| Transkribator (@gotranscribeai_bot) | Telegram, Max | 3 transcriptions per month | — | 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 |
| Kontur.Tolk | Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android | not disclosed | — | rubles | servers in Russia |
| KolerskyAI Whisper Bot | Telegram | the first 5 minutes | 69 ₽/15 minutes; 149 ₽/50 minutes; 490 ₽/200 minutes | rubles | not disclosed |
| 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 |
| Voix (@RecogMyAudioBot) | voice messages up to 15 minutes, video up to 6 minutes | — |
| Audio2Text | 15 minutes per month | 295 ₽/mo (Basic, 500 minutes); 495 ₽/mo (Standard, 1000 minutes); 1245 ₽/mo (Expert, 5000 minutes) |
| Fireflies.ai | limited storage and AI credits | — |
| SaluteSpeech Bot (Sber) | free; voice messages, audio and video notes | — |
| Voicee (@Voicee_AI_Bot) | 45 minutes to start | 500 ₽/hour of recording (without a package; cheaper with packages) |
| TurboScribe | 3 files a day, each up to 30 minutes | $20/mo (Unlimited, monthly) |
When the bot will not suit
A note that is not in Russian is not for this bot: it recognizes 100+ languages (the language is detected automatically), and there is no translation. Real names of speakers will not appear either: numbers Speaker 1, Speaker 2 are put in their place. The bot does not transcribe a live conversation on the fly, only an already finished recording. The bot accepts links to Instagram (Reels and posts with video) and TikTok, as well as YouTube, VK Video and RuTube. A broader overview of transcription services is in the comparison of transcription services. This is cloud processing: without the internet the bot will not start, everything is computed on servers in Russia.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, forwarding works the same as sending a file directly: the bot accepts both forwarded recordings and attached files.
Yes, all transcripts stay in the My recordings section: you can open it and check against the text at any time.
How to turn a voice note into text. 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 turn a voice note into text you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.
How to turn a voice note into text. 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 turn a voice note into text you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.
How to turn a voice note into text. 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 turn a voice note into text you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.
How to turn a voice note into text. 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 turn a voice note into text you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.
Transcribe your own recording
Forward a voice message, or send a file or a YouTube, VK Video, RuTube, Instagram or TikTok link to Potok's Telegram bot, and the text arrives in the same chat. 60 minutes per month for free.
Open @potok_now_bot in TelegramPrimary sources: core.telegram.org · www.ixbt.com · developers.sber.ru · t.me
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.