Potok turns speech into text in 33 languages, including English and Russian.
Telegram has its own transcription of voice messages and video notes: a transcription button right under the recording, a few times a week without Premium and as many as you like with Premium. If you need to transcribe other people's files, video links or get a ready summary, there is Potok's Telegram bot @potok_now_bot: its limit is shared, 60 minutes per month for free, not counted by the number of messages.
A voice message or video note in Telegram has a transcription button: without a Premium subscription it works a few times a week, with Premium there are no limits. If you need to transcribe a file someone sent, a video link or get a short summary, Potok's Telegram bot @potok_now_bot fits better. A broader overview of transcription services is in the comparison of transcription services.
What a Telegram transcription bot can do
The bot accepts links to Instagram (Reels and posts with video) and TikTok, as well as YouTube, VK Video and RuTube. The bot does not limit the number of messages; its limit is shared: in minutes of recordings per month, not in the number of transcriptions per week.
- a short recording comes back as text right in the chat, a long one as a file (TXT or DOCX, as chosen in the settings);
- the Summary button gives a short summary and tasks by speaker, which Telegram's built-in button does not do;
- the Tasks and deadlines button lists separately who does what and by when;
- the Ask button answers your own question about the text of the recording;
- timestamps and speaker labels, Speaker 1 and Speaker 2, are turned on in the /settings settings.
In groups the bot also transcribes voice messages, video notes and audio of up to 10 minutes if it is an administrator in the group.
| 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 |
| Tactiq | Chrome extension | 10 meeting transcriptions per month | $12/mo (Pro, monthly) | 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 |
| Voix (@RecogMyAudioBot) | Telegram | voice messages up to 15 minutes, video up to 6 minutes | — | not disclosed | not disclosed |
| Speech2Text.ru | Web | 3 hours on sign-up | — | not disclosed | not disclosed |
| Transkribator (@gotranscribeai_bot) | Telegram, Max | 3 transcriptions per month | — | not disclosed | not disclosed |
| Voicy (@voicybot) | Telegram | free; on the Wit.ai engine, recordings of up to 50 seconds | — | not disclosed | Wit.ai, Yandex SpeechKit or Google Speech; the user chooses the engine |
| Fireflies.ai | Web, iOS, Android, Chrome extension | limited storage and AI credits | — | not disclosed | not disclosed |
| Telegram voice message transcription | Telegram | without Premium, a few transcriptions per week; with Premium, no limit on their number | — | not disclosed | Telegram servers |
| Voicee (@Voicee_AI_Bot) | Telegram, Web | 45 minutes to start | 500 ₽/hour of recording (without a package; cheaper with packages) | rubles | 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 |
Who needs the bot rather than the built-in button
The bot comes in handy when the built-in Telegram button is not enough:
- the recording is not a voice message but a file (audio or video) or a YouTube, VK Video, RuTube, Instagram or TikTok link;
- a couple of transcriptions a week without Premium is not enough, and you do not want to subscribe;
- instead of the text itself you need a summary, a list of tasks by speaker or an answer to your own question about the recording;
- the recording came to a group chat rather than a private chat: the bot will accept it if it is an administrator in that group.
The difference between this kind of transcription and ordinary voice input of text is covered on the page transcription and voice input: what is the difference.
When the bot will not fit
If a couple of voice message transcriptions a week is enough or you already have Telegram Premium, it is simpler to use the transcription button right under the message in Telegram; Potok's bot is not needed here. A recording in another language works too, the bot understands 100+ languages (the language is detected automatically), but it does not translate. If you need the speakers' real names instead of the numbers Speaker 1, Speaker 2, the bot does not know them. The bot does not transcribe during a call, only a finished recording. The bot accepts links to Instagram (Reels and posts with video) and TikTok, as well as YouTube, VK Video and RuTube. Potok's bot is cloud-based: recognition runs on servers in Russia, and it does not work without the internet.
Frequently asked questions
The built-in button transcribes only voice messages and video notes and, without Premium, is limited by the number per week. The bot also accepts audio and video files and video links, and its limit is shared, in minutes per month, not in the number of messages.
Yes, if the bot is an administrator in the group: voice messages, video notes and audio of up to 10 minutes.
A Telegram bot for transcription. 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 A Telegram bot for transcription 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: 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.