Potok transcribes Russian speech; this site has been translated into English for convenience.
Spokenly is free forever on local models: they work offline with no word limit, but no special tuning for Russian is stated. Potok (potok.now) is a cloud service with its own Russian model, payment in rubles and servers in Russia. It does not work without the internet, and for free it gives 2500 words per week and 14 days of full access.
In short. Spokenly is free forever on local models: they work offline with no word limit, but no special tuning for Russian is stated. Potok (potok.now) is a cloud service with its own Russian model, payment in rubles and servers in Russia. It does not work without the internet, and for free it gives 2500 words per week and 14 days of full access.
Where the difference comes from: local models versus a cloud Russian model
Spokenly is built on the principle “choose your own engine”. Local models (Whisper, Parakeet) work free and forever: they recognize speech right on the computer, send nothing anywhere, and work without the internet and with no limits on volume. You can connect cloud engines from large providers with your own API key, and on Spokenly's side that is also free, you pay only the provider. Or you can take Spokenly's Pro plan for $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year, and then the cloud models go through it.
Potok is built more simply and more strictly: one mode, the cloud, always. The sound goes to a server in Russia and is recognized by its own model trained for Russian speech: with names, professional terms and the typical mix of Russian plus English words. The finished text comes back.
Where Spokenly is honestly ahead
I will start with where Spokenly is objectively stronger, because otherwise the comparison would not be honest.
Free with no limits, and that is true. Spokenly's local models have no word limit, no time-limited trial or card requirement. Potok has 2500 words per week for free, then Pro for 690 ₽ per month (499 ₽ per month when paid for a year). For those who dictate a lot and are not ready to pay at all, Spokenly clearly wins.
Fully offline. Local models work without a single network request: the sound physically does not leave the device. Potok has no offline mode in any version. This is a noticeable minus if the principle “data does not leave the computer” is important to you.
There is an iOS version. Both Potok and Spokenly work on Windows, macOS and Linux. Spokenly also has an iOS app, and Potok has no mobile version.
Flexibility in choosing an engine. You can connect any cloud provider with your own key. Potok has no such choice, there is one engine.
Where Potok is ahead
Russian as a specialty. Spokenly's local models are multilingual and serve dozens of languages equally. That is handy for those who speak several, but Spokenly does not state special tuning for the Russian language, its cases and its mix with English terms, and the site has no data on the quality of Russian specifically. Potok is built on its own model trained for Russian speech. No independent comparison with Spokenly on Russian has been made, so we do not claim “who is more accurate”.
No need to choose and set up an engine. In Spokenly, for the best result you have to work out what to choose, a local model or a cloud key, and quality and speed depend on the choice. In Potok there is nothing to choose: one model, always on.
It does not load the computer. Recognition runs on a server, so a weak or aging machine copes the same as a new one. Spokenly's local models compute on your hardware, and on an old laptop or a budget PC recognition can slow down noticeably.
Payment and jurisdiction. Potok accepts payment in rubles by a Russian card directly. Spokenly's Pro plan is a subscription in dollars; acceptance of Russian bank cards is not stated anywhere.
Table: Potok and Spokenly point by point
| Potok | Spokenly | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it is computed | Cloud (servers in Russia) | Locally (free) or the cloud with your own key / the Pro plan |
| Russian language | Its own specialized Russian model | Multilingual models, no tuning for Russian stated |
| Need to set up an engine | No, there is one engine | Yes: a choice between local and cloud models |
| Offline mode | No | Yes, fully offline on local models |
| Payment from Russia | Rubles, a Russian card | Dollars; acceptance of Russian cards not stated |
| Free | 2500 words/week | Local models: no limits, forever |
| Pro price | 690 ₽/month (499 ₽/month for a year) | $9.99/month, or $99.99/year |
| Platforms | Windows, macOS, Linux | macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS |
Who fits what
Spokenly fits if free use with no conditions and full offline privacy matter most, and you are ready to work out the engines yourself.
Potok fits if you need voice input tuned for Russian and its mix with English terms with no setup, payment in rubles and data under Russian jurisdiction, and the free 2500 words per week (or 14 days of Pro to try) cover your real load.
Potok is a cloud service, with recognition on servers in Russia; it does not work without the internet.
How to try it
Download Potok for Windows, macOS and Linux: the first 14 days of full access are free, no card needed.
Related: Potok or Talkpad, Potok or Voisty, voice input on macOS.
Frequently asked questions
It depends on the priority. Spokenly is free with no limits on local models, works offline and, unlike Potok, is available on iOS, but you have to work out the choice of engine, and it does not state tuning for Russian. Potok is in the cloud, with its own Russian model and payment in rubles, but with no offline mode and a limit of 2500 words per week on the free plan.
Yes, for local models: they work on the device with no word limit, no trial period and no card. The paid Pro plan ($9.99/month or $99.99/year) is needed for cloud models without your own API key.
You do not have to pay at all for local models. For the Pro plan Spokenly takes payment in dollars; acceptance of Russian bank cards is not officially stated anywhere.
Spokenly on local models is stronger: the sound physically does not leave the device. With Potok recognition is in the cloud, but the servers are in Russia, and there is a 152-FZ mode and an on-prem option for business.
Windows is in Spokenly's list of platforms. Local models compute on your computer, so recognition speed depends on the hardware, and on an old or budget PC it can be noticeably lower than on a new one.
690 ₽ per month with monthly payment or 499 ₽ per month when paid for a year at once (5999 ₽ per year). Pro includes unlimited words, a personal dictionary of terms, snippets by voice and priority support.
Download Potok
Works with a single key in any program. 14 days of full access, then Free with 2500 words per week or Pro at 690 ₽/mo (499 ₽/mo paid yearly). Potok is a cloud service: speech is recognized on servers in Russia, and it does not work without the internet.
Download PotokOne subscription, two tools: dictation in any program on your computer and @potok_now_bot in Telegram, which transcribes voice messages, audio and video.
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 |
| Task | Characters | Typing (200 chars/min) | Voice (900 chars/min) |
|---|---|---|---|
| chat reply | 300 | 2 min | 0.5 min |
| 1500 | 8 min | 1.7 min | |
| post or meeting minutes | 4000 | 20 min | 4.4 min |
| article | 10000 | 50 min | 11.1 min |
Primary sources: support.microsoft.com · support.apple.com