Software

What Lynote is and how it works

Mark Vesyoly · founder of Potok · ~7 min

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

Lynote is a web service for transcribing recordings and notes with AI: it transcribes audio, video and YouTube videos, and does not replace the keyboard with real-time dictation. Besides transcription it has an AI Detector and a Humanizer for working with text. Potok (potok.now) solves a different task, voice input with a hotkey straight into the active field, with a free limit of 2500 words per week.

Lynote is not a program for dictating text in real time but a web service for transcribing existing recordings: you upload audio, video or a YouTube link and get text. The website separately has an AI Detector, which checks text for signs of AI generation, and a Humanizer, which rewrites such text in more natural language. Everything works through a browser, and no installation is needed.

How Lynote works

Lynote's mechanism is transcription after the fact, not typing as you speak. The user uploads a finished file or a link (an audio recording, a video, a YouTube video), the service processes it in the cloud and returns a text transcript. This is a different process from dictation: there the text appears at once while you speak, here only after the recording has been made and uploaded.

The website states separately that content is processed on the service's servers and is not used for training models. This is a wording about data privacy, not about where the servers physically stand or in which country.

Besides transcription, Lynote has two tools with a different purpose: the AI Detector checks text for signs that it was written by AI, and the Humanizer rewrites such text so that it reads more naturally. Both functions work with finished text, not with voice, and are not directly related to the task of typing text by speech.

Support for more than a hundred languages is claimed, but the website says nothing separately about Russian, neither a confirmation nor an exclusion from the list. The pricing page also gives no exact limits on transcription for the free plan; only the limits for the Humanizer and the AI Detector are known.

Lynote and Potok: facts from the official websites.
LynotePotok
PlatformsLynote: Web (browser, all operating systems)Potok: Windows, macOS, Linux
FreeLynote: a free plan exists: Humanizer up to 300 words, AI Detector up to 500 words per check; transcription limits are not disclosed on the pricing pagePotok: Free: 2500 words per week; full access for the first 14 days, no card needed
PriceLynote: —Potok: Pro 690 ₽/mo, 499 ₽/mo when paid yearly
Payment from RussiaLynote: not disclosedPotok: Russian bank cards, rubles
Where speech is recognizedLynote: cloud processing (stated: content is processed on the service's servers and is not used to train models)Potok: cloud, servers in Russia; internet required
Russian languageLynote: "100+ languages" is stated, Russian is not explicitly mentioned and not separately confirmedPotok: primary language
CompanyLynote: not disclosedPotok: Sole proprietor, Russia

Sources: lynote.ai

Who Lynote suits

Lynote limitations

The main limitation is its purpose. Lynote does not replace real-time dictation: text does not appear as you speak, only after a finished recording is uploaded and processed. For those looking specifically for typing by voice on the fly, this service will not fit at all; it is a different product category.

The limits of the free plan are not transparent: only the limits for the AI Detector and the Humanizer are known, and the limit on transcription itself is not given on the pricing page.

The prices of paid plans are also hidden behind a region selection form or signing in to an account. The exact amount cannot be found before this step, and all that is known is that with yearly payment the discount may reach a significant share of the monthly price.

The legal entity responsible for the service is not named on the website. For personal notes this rarely matters, but for a company planning to take out a subscription officially, it is worth clarifying this before paying, not after. Payment by a Russian card directly is not confirmed anywhere either: the payment method for users from Russia is not described separately on the website.

Prices and terms are taken from the services' official websites.
ServicePlatformsFreePricePayment from RussiaWhere speech is recognized
PotokWindows, macOS, LinuxFree: 2500 words per week; full access for the first 14 days, no card neededPro 690 ₽/mo, 499 ₽/mo when paid yearlyRussian bank cards, rublescloud, servers in Russia; internet required
LynoteWeb (browser, all operating systems)a free plan exists: Humanizer up to 300 words, AI Detector up to 500 words per check; transcription limits are not disclosed on the pricing page—not disclosedcloud processing (stated: content is processed on the service's servers and is not used to train models)

When Potok is not a replacement for Lynote

Potok will not replace Lynote at all if the task is to transcribe an already recorded file: an interview, a lecture, a YouTube video. Potok recognizes only what you say right now and does not transcribe finished recordings; for that you need a service like Lynote.

Potok is a cloud service, recognition runs on servers in Russia, and it does not work without the internet, just like Lynote's cloud processing.

Potok also has no tools like the AI Detector and the Humanizer: it inserts the recognized text without analyzing or rewriting anything already finished. A broader overview of dictation programs is in the section voice input programs, and a review of one more service is in the article whisperu.

Frequently asked questions

Does Lynote transcribe YouTube videos?

Yes, the sources for transcription listed on the website include audio, video and links to YouTube videos. The text is produced from an existing recording, not dictated anew.

Can I dictate text by voice in real time through Lynote?

No, Lynote transcribes already finished recordings and does not turn speech into text as the conversation goes. For typing by voice in real time you need a different tool, for example Potok.

How do I confirm my email and sign in to Potok?

You can register with an e-mail and password or through Google. When you register with e-mail, a message with a confirmation link is sent to your mailbox; after following it you can sign in. The subscription and payment are visible in your account at potok.now/account.

Is there Potok for Android?

No, there is no Android version of Potok: the product works only on a computer: Windows, macOS and Linux. For Android there is Google's built-in voice input (Gboard) or the Samsung keyboard.

Potok does not open. What should I do?

Download the latest version from the official page potok.now/download and reinstall the app: an installer from a third-party site may have been altered. If that does not help, write to support: support@potok.now or in Telegram https://t.me/ai23c.

Is Potok an investment platform?

No. Potok (potok.now) is a desktop app for voice input of text on Windows, macOS and Linux: hold the hotkey, dictate, and the text is inserted into the active field. It has nothing to do with investment services or financial platforms with a similar name.

Check it in one evening

Install Potok, dictate what you usually type and compare. 14 days of full access, no card needed. 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.

Primary sources: lynote.ai · support.microsoft.com

Mark Vesyoly — founder of Potok. Writes about Russian voice input: how to dictate in work apps, what gets in the way and how to fix it.
© Potok · Vladimir Olegovich Lipatnikov · INN 502915859701 · Public offer Comparisons · FAQ · About Free voice input · Voice input for AI chats · Data and Russian privacy law · Voice input on Mac · Bot plans · 14 days of Pro for a review