Potok turns speech into text in 33 languages, including English and Russian.
Voicy (@voicybot) is a free Telegram bot for transcribing voice messages. By default it runs on the Wit.ai engine, where a recording is limited to 50 seconds, but the engine can be changed with the /language command to Yandex SpeechKit or Google Speech. For longer recordings and whole meetings with a split by speaker there is the Potok bot @potok_now_bot, with 60 minutes of transcription free every month.
Voicy has an unusual feature among Telegram bots for transcription: you can choose the recognition engine yourself instead of getting one ready option. This explains why a short voice message is transcribed while a long one sometimes is not, and when it is simpler to take the Potok bot instead of Voicy.
| 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 |
| Otter.ai | Web, iOS, Android, Chrome extension, Desktop (Mac/Windows), integrations with Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet | 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) | not directly: dollar billing through international payment processors declines cards issued in Russia and Belarus (confirmed by independent Russian-language guides on dtf.ru and vc.ru; no official Otter.ai statement about blocking Russia was found, this follows from general payment system restrictions) | cloud, US servers (the company is registered in the USA); the exact data center is not disclosed on the pricing page |
| 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 |
| 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 |
How Voicy works and why it may not cope with a recording
By default Voicy recognizes voice on the Wit.ai engine, and it has a hard limit: the engine simply will not accept a recording longer than 50 seconds as a whole. Hence the frequent complaint “Voicy does not work”: the cause is usually not a breakdown of the bot but the selected engine. With the /language command inside the bot you can switch to Yandex SpeechKit or Google Speech, but what limits apply to them inside Voicy is not stated anywhere.
The terms of neighboring Telegram bots differ: SaluteSpeech Bot from Sberbank has no official limit in its description at all, but immediately states two languages, Russian and English; Transkribator limits free use to three transcriptions a month, but accepts files in the Max messenger too, not only in Telegram.
A completely different scale is that of web transcription services rather than bots. Otter.ai officially has no Russian recognition: only English and a few other languages, and the bills are in dollars, because of which cards of Russian and Belarusian banks are often declined by international payment systems. Transkriptor, for comparison, has Russian in its list of supported languages, and its Russian version transkriptor.ru takes payment by a Mir card (the Russian payment system) or through SBP (the Russian Faster Payments System) with no commission.
| 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 | — |
| Kontur.Tolk | not disclosed | — |
| 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) |
| 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)) |
| Notta | 120 minutes per month, up to 3 minutes per recording | $13.99/mo (Pro, monthly, 1800 minutes); $27.99/mo (Business, monthly) |
When not to trust a recording to the bot
A recording in another language works too, the bot understands 100+ languages (the language is detected automatically), but it does not translate. You also cannot wait for the text right during a call: the bot takes only an already finished, saved recording. Instead of the participants' names the reply will have numbers: “Speaker 1”, “Speaker 2” and so on. The bot accepts links to Instagram (Reels and posts with video) and TikTok, as well as YouTube, VK Video and RuTube. The Potok bot is cloud-based: recognition runs on servers in Russia, and it does not work without the internet.
Who the Voicy bot fits
- those who want to choose the recognition engine themselves: the /language command switches between Wit.ai, Yandex SpeechKit and Google Speech;
- those for whom short voice messages up to 50 seconds on the default engine are enough;
- those who look for a free transcription option right in Telegram without installing apps.
A whole meeting is a different task, not a single voice message: a split by speaker, a compressed summary and a list of tasks from the results of the conversation come in handy there. The Potok bot @potok_now_bot can do this, and for free, 60 minutes of transcription a month; more about it is in the overview of bots for transcribing voice messages. Other bots and services for the same purpose are collected in the comparison of transcription services.
Frequently asked questions
By default Voicy runs on the Wit.ai engine, where a recording is limited to 50 seconds. The engine can be switched with the /language command to Yandex SpeechKit or Google Speech, but what limits apply to them inside Voicy is not stated anywhere.
The bot itself is free: it charges nothing for transcription. The recognition engine inside it is switched with the /language command: Wit.ai, Yandex SpeechKit or Google Speech.
The Voicy bot (@voicybot). 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 The Voicy bot (@voicybot) you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.
The Voicy bot (@voicybot). 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 The Voicy bot (@voicybot) you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.
The Voicy bot (@voicybot). 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 The Voicy bot (@voicybot) you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.
The Voicy bot (@voicybot). 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 The Voicy bot (@voicybot) you dictate into the same field where you normally type, so there is no need to switch between apps.
Recording to text
Send a recording to Potok's Telegram bot or upload a file of up to 2 GB in the bot's mini app. The first 60 minutes of every month are free.
Open @potok_now_bot in TelegramPrimary sources: otter.ai · help.otter.ai · transkriptor.ru · support.transkriptor.com
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.