Potok transcribes Russian speech; this site has been translated into English for convenience.
In a messenger, voice input works as in any text field: the hotkey inserts the recognized phrase where the cursor is, in Discord, Botim, Google Chat or Google Messages, without switching between different tools for each app. Potok (potok.now) offers 2500 words per week for free on one device, and this applies to dictation in any messenger.
Writing a message in a messenger is often faster by voice than by hand, especially from a phone or on the go. In Discord, Botim, Element, Google Chat and Google Messages it works the same way: a system hotkey does the job, not a built-in feature of the messenger itself.
All articles in this section (116): potok.now/prilozheniya/messenger
Voice input by messenger
The articles about each messenger go into the details, but the general principle is the same everywhere: a system hotkey over the message input field.
- Voice input in Botim: Potok (potok.now) is a desktop app for Windows and macOS, and the hotkey in Botim works the same on both systems.
- Voice input in Discord: Potok responds in about 0.4 seconds, and a message in Discord is typed by voice almost as fast as it is sent.
- Voice input in Discord on Mac: on macOS Potok works fully, not in a cut-down beta mode, and the hotkey in Discord there is no different from Windows.
- Voice input in Element (Matrix): Potok's recognition is cloud-based: speech goes to servers in Russia and comes back as text in the Element message field.
- Voice input in Google Chat: Potok's personal dictionary of terms and names works in Google Chat too, which is useful for work correspondence.
- Voice input in Google Messages: the Potok free plan gives 2500 words per week on one device, and for messenger conversations this is usually enough.
How to start with voice input in a messenger
- Install a system-level voice input program, so that the hotkey works in any messenger without separate setup for each one.
- Open the messenger and click in the message input field, as you usually do before typing.
- Hold the hotkey, dictate the whole message and release: the text appears in the input field.
- Check short replies and long messages separately: in a long text it is more noticeable how the program places punctuation.
- Add to the personal dictionary the names of the people you talk to and the work terms that often come up in conversation.
- If you use the messenger both on the phone and on the computer, check voice input in both versions separately: they may work differently.
- After a few days, assess in which chats voice input has taken hold and where you still type by hand.
Where voice input in a messenger will not work
Voice input will not help where the messenger needs not text but an action: an emoji reaction, forwarding a file, a voice message as it is. Potok is a cloud service, and recognition runs on servers in Russia. It does not work without the internet, and the messenger will see the hotkey press but will not receive any text. In group chats with a fast stream of messages it is also easier to find your way yourself than to rely on dictating long paragraphs in a row.
Frequently asked questions
Potok is a desktop app for Windows, macOS and Linux, and there are no mobile versions for Android and iPhone, so you cannot dictate a message in Discord from a phone through Potok. On a computer the hotkey works as in any other text field.
On a computer, no: the Potok hotkey works the same way in Element on Windows, macOS and Linux. On a phone there is a difference: Potok does not yet release mobile apps, so messages in Element there have to be typed in the usual way.
Potok states about 900 characters per minute by voice versus about 200 when typing, roughly 4 times faster. This is the product's own estimate, not an independent measurement.
Voice input turns speech into text on the fly: the user speaks, the program transcribes the sound with speech recognition technology (ASR) and inserts the resulting text into the active field, such as email, a messenger or a document. In Potok this works through a hotkey: hold it, speak, release, and the text is inserted.
By a model estimate, the average dictation speed with Potok is about 900 characters per minute versus about 200 characters per minute with ordinary typing, so speech is noticeably faster than the keyboard.
Dictation pays off most for long texts written in one go, such as email drafts, notes, messenger replies and lecture notes, and also when your hands are busy or tired (for example, with RSI). For short precise edits (one-word commands, code) typing is often faster.
If you want to compare for yourself
Take one of your own tasks and dictate it in Potok. The first 14 days have no limits and need no card. Potok is a cloud service: speech is recognized on servers in Russia, and it does not work without the internet.
Download PotokThe Potok subscription also includes the Telegram bot @potok_now_bot: forward it a voice message or a long meeting recording and it returns the text. Without a subscription the bot gives 60 minutes per month for free.
Related software: terms compared
| Service | Platforms | Free | Price | Payment from Russia | Where speech is recognized |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Potok | Windows, macOS, Linux | Free: 2500 words per week; full access for the first 14 days, no card needed | Pro 690 ₽/mo, 499 ₽/mo when paid yearly | Russian bank cards, rubles | cloud, servers in Russia; internet required |
| SpeakFlow | Windows, Web | 30 minutes of dictation per month, free forever | 690 ₽/mo (Personal (unlimited)) | rubles directly | cloud (the data center country is not disclosed on the website) (not confirmed) |
| Diktuy | Windows, macOS | 30 minutes of dictation per month, free forever | 239 ₽/mo (Profi (monthly equivalent when billed yearly)); 2870 ₽/yr (Profi (year, billed in full)); 479 ₽/mo (Max (monthly equivalent when billed yearly)) | rubles directly (not confirmed) | cloud (the data center country is not disclosed on the website) (not confirmed) |
| Talkpad | macOS, Windows, Android | 2500 words/week on desktop, 1500 words/week on mobile, free forever; plus a 14-day Pro trial | $6/mo (Pro (billed yearly, $72/yr)); $8/mo (Pro (monthly billing)) | unknown (not confirmed) | cloud (the legal entity is registered in Australia; the website is hosted on Cloudflare; the exact location of the ASR servers is not disclosed in the privacy policy) (not confirmed) |
| Voisty | Windows, macOS | 5 minutes of transcription (to judge the quality) | $6.7/mo (Pro); $67/yr (Pro (year)); $99/one-time (Lifetime) | Visa/Mastercard/Amex cards, PayPal; whether Russian cards are accepted is not stated (not confirmed) | device (offline, local models such as Whisper Large V3 Turbo / NVIDIA Parakeet) |
| WhispeRu | Windows | 7-day free trial (no card) | 290 ₽/mo (monthly license); 1990 ₽/yr (yearly license); 4990 ₽/one-time (lifetime license) | rubles directly (payment via YooKassa) | device (offline) |
| GigaType | Windows, macOS | free with no limits: open source under the MIT license (Copyright (c) 2026 Disrupt Builders), all features are available without payment | — | not needed: there are no paid plans | device (offline, Sber's GigaAM neural network) |
| Molvi | Windows, macOS | free forever, no accounts and no payment | — | not needed: the product is free; voluntary donations are accepted via Telegram Tribute or by card on the website, amounts are not fixed | device (offline; best quality on an NVIDIA GPU, otherwise a fast model on the CPU) |
Built-in dictation and Potok
| Tool | Where it works | Russian language | Where speech is recognized |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windows voice typing (Win+H) | Windows 10 and 11 | Windows 11 only | Microsoft cloud, does not work offline |
| macOS Dictation | macOS | yes | on the device or on Apple servers |
| Potok | Windows, macOS, Linux | primary language | cloud, servers in Russia, does not work offline |
Primary sources: speakflow.ru · speakflow.ru · speakflow.ru · blog.speakflow.ru