Potok turns speech into text in 33 languages, including English and Russian.
The Potok Telegram bot @potok_now_bot turns a voice message into text: forward the message from any chat, and the bot sends back the transcription, as a short text or as a file for a long recording. 60 minutes a month are free. For large files there is the bot's mini app. For typing your own text by voice there is the Potok app.
A voice message is converted to text in different ways: with separate Telegram bots and web transcription services. One of the bots is the Potok Telegram bot @potok_now_bot. We collected eight options and looked at which have Russian, what the free limit is and where the ready text arrives. If the message came specifically in Telegram, there is a separate analysis of voice messages from Telegram.
Which services convert a voice message to text
- Otter.ai works in the browser, on iOS and Android, has a Chrome extension and desktop versions for Mac and Windows, plus integrations with Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet. The free plan gives 300 minutes of transcription per month with no end date, but Russian is not officially supported as a recognition language: only English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese and Chinese (simplified) are stated.
- Transkriptor is a web service, and Russian recognition is officially stated in its help. On the Russian website transkriptor.ru it gives 10 minutes free on registration, and further payment is accepted by a card of a Russian bank and through SBP (the Russian Faster Payments System).
- SaluteSpeech Bot from Sber is a Telegram bot that transcribes voice messages, audio and video notes for free and recognizes Russian and English.
- Voicy (@voicybot) is a Telegram bot whose recognition engine is chosen with the /language command; on the free Wit.ai engine a recording is limited to 50 seconds.
- Voicee (@Voicee_AI_Bot) is a Telegram bot and a web version, with 55 languages and translation into Russian stated, and it gives 45 minutes free on first use.
- KolerskyAI Whisper Bot is a Telegram bot on a multilingual model without a specified list of languages, and it gives the first 5 minutes free.
- Transkribator (@gotranscribeai_bot) works in Telegram and Max, recognizes Russian and gives 3 transcriptions a month free.
- Voix (@RecogMyAudioBot) is a Telegram bot with 7 languages stated, and it transcribes voice messages up to 15 minutes and video up to 6 minutes for free.
| 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 |
| TurboScribe | 3 files a day, each up to 30 minutes | $20/mo (Unlimited, monthly) |
| Audio2Text | 15 minutes per month | 295 ₽/mo (Basic, 500 minutes); 495 ₽/mo (Standard, 1000 minutes); 1245 ₽/mo (Expert, 5000 minutes) |
| Otter.ai | Basic: 300 minutes of transcription per month, up to 30 minutes per meeting, 3 imported files over the whole lifetime of the account, free forever | $16.99/mo (Pro, monthly billing, 1200 min/mo); $8.33/mo (Pro, billed yearly (the full year is charged at once)); $30/mo (Business, monthly billing) |
| Transkribator (@gotranscribeai_bot) | 3 transcriptions per month | — |
| Transkriptor | 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)) |
| KolerskyAI Whisper Bot | the first 5 minutes | 69 ₽/15 minutes; 149 ₽/50 minutes; 490 ₽/200 minutes |
How to choose a way for your recording
If the recording is short and in Russian, the fastest way is to forward the voice message to the @potok_now_bot bot: it sends a short message as text right in the chat and a long recording as a file. If you need a permanent free volume with no time limit, Otter.ai has 300 minutes a month with no end date, but its recognition is built for English and other non-Russian languages. If recognition must go through Sber's service, there is SaluteSpeech Bot. If it is important to choose the recognition engine yourself, in Voicy the /language command does this, although the free option is limited to short recordings. For translating a transcription into Russian from a foreign language, Voicee with its stated 55 languages is closer. Large files, up to 2 GB, are more convenient to upload to the bot's mini app than to forward to the bot in parts. A general comparison of categories of transcription services is in the article audio to text transcription: a comparison of services.
When the bot will not fit
A recording in another language works too, the bot understands 100+ languages (the language is detected automatically), but it does not translate. It also does not fit those who need speakers' names in the transcription: the bot tells them apart only as “Speaker 1”, “Speaker 2” by the order of lines, and does not know names. The bot also will not transcribe during a call: it works with an already sent recording and does not connect to Zoom or Telemost by itself, so a call must be recorded in the program itself and forwarded as a file. The bot accepts links to Instagram (Reels and posts with video) and TikTok, as well as YouTube, VK Video and RuTube. And most important: the Potok bot is cloud-based, recognition runs on servers in Russia, and it does not work without the internet.
Frequently asked questions
Yes: the @potok_now_bot bot transcribes voice messages for free, 60 minutes a month, and the limit renews on the 1st. For comparison, Transkribator gives 3 transcriptions a month, and Voicee gives 45 minutes on first use.
The model of the @potok_now_bot bot is trained for Russian speech, including terms. It also handles Russian mixed with English. Among the compared services, Otter.ai officially does not support Russian: only English, Spanish, French, German, Japanese and Chinese (simplified) are stated, while Transkriptor and SaluteSpeech Bot support Russian.
Voice message to 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 Voice message to text you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.
Voice message to 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 Voice message to text you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.
Voice message to 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 Voice message to text you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.
Voice message to 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 Voice message to text 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.