Set up voice input on a Mac: Dictation and alternatives

Potok transcribes Russian speech; this site has been translated into English for convenience.

System Dictation is built into macOS and is turned on in the Keyboard section of System Settings, but in Russian it often mixes up punctuation and cuts off long phrases. Potok (potok.now) is a separate app with the Ctrl+Space hotkey: a cloud Russian model, text inserted into any field and, in the Pro subscription, a personal dictionary. The first 14 days are full access for free.

Parameter	Potok
Price	14 days free, then Free 0 ₽ (2500 words/wk) or Pro 690 ₽/mo (499 ₽/mo for a year)
Platforms	Windows 10, Windows 11, macOS, Linux
Payment from Russia	yes, in rubles
Where the data is	servers in Russia
Offline	no, the internet is needed

macOS system dictation: how to turn it on

Open System Settings → Keyboard → Dictation and turn the switch on. On first launch macOS will offer to choose a language: pick Russian, otherwise recognition of Cyrillic will not work. The default hotkey is a double press of the Fn key, and you can replace it with your own shortcut in the same settings. The finished text appears right in the field where the cursor is, without switching windows.

Limits of system dictation in Russian

The built-in Dictation has no personal dictionary: it recognizes names, brands and professional terms as it happens to, and you cannot hint them in advance. Long phrases and a mix of Russian with English are a frequent cause of odd punctuation or a cut-off recording. You also cannot set up a separate hotkey for a specific app or save branded snippets: the feature set of system dictation is fixed.

Voice input with a separate app: how it differs

Separate apps like Potok work on top of any program: you hold the Ctrl+Space hotkey, say a phrase, release, and the text with punctuation lands where the cursor was, whether in email, notes or a chat. Dictation speed is about 900 characters per minute. The response is about 0.4 seconds, because recognition runs on servers in Russia. In the Pro subscription a personal dictionary and voice snippets let you hint your own terms and names in advance.

Potok is a cloud service, recognition runs on servers in Russia; it does not work without the internet.

Try Potok

Download Potok for Windows, macOS and Linux: the first 14 days are full access for free, no card needed.

Frequently asked questions

How do I turn on system dictation on a Mac?

Open System Settings → Keyboard → Dictation, turn the switch on and choose Russian. The default hotkey is a double press of Fn; the text is inserted into the field where the cursor is.

What is the difference between macOS Dictation and Potok?

macOS Dictation is free, and on a Mac with Apple Silicon it processes speech right on the device, but it has no personal dictionary or snippets. Potok is a cloud service with its own Russian model: the Ctrl+Space hotkey, text inserted into any field of any app and, in the Pro subscription, a personal dictionary.

How much does Potok cost?

The first 14 days are full access for free, no card needed. After that, Free at 2500 words per week or Pro at 690 ₽/mo (499 ₽/mo when paid for a year).

Does voice input in Potok need the internet?

Yes. Potok is a cloud service, recognition runs on servers in Russia; it does not work without the internet.

What is the best program for voice input on a Mac in Russian?

The built-in macOS Dictation supports Russian. Potok is a separate app with its own model trained for Russian speech, including terms and Russian mixed with English; the text is inserted into the active field of any app.

How do I turn on dictation on a Mac without a time limit?

There is nothing to turn on: according to Apple's help, you can dictate text of any length without a time limit. Dictation stops by itself only if no speech is heard for 30 seconds.

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 Potok

You dictate in the app, and recordings and voice messages are transcribed by @potok_now_bot in Telegram. 60 minutes per month are free; the Potok subscription removes the limit in the bot and in the app.

Built-in dictation and Potok

Based on Microsoft and Apple help pages.
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

Calculated from average typing and speaking speeds, not measured.
Task	Characters	Typing (200 chars/min)	Voice (900 chars/min)
chat reply	300	2 min	0.5 min
email	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