What Voisty is and how it works

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

Voisty is a desktop app for Windows and macOS that recognizes speech right on the device, offline, with local models such as Whisper Large V3 Turbo and NVIDIA Parakeet. Only 5 minutes of transcription are free, to evaluate quality; after that comes a paid subscription or a one-time lifetime license. Potok (potok.now) works differently: it is a cloud service with a free limit of 2500 words per week.

Voisty is an app for Windows and macOS that turns voice into text right on the device, without contacting a server. The developer stresses offline processing: the audio does not leave the computer, and local models such as Whisper Large V3 Turbo and NVIDIA Parakeet recognize it.

How Voisty works

Voisty's basic mode is offline recognition: the app installs a local model on the computer and processes voice right there, without sending audio to a third-party server. Because of this, the program keeps working where there is no internet or the connection is unstable.

Only 5 minutes of transcription are free. That is enough to evaluate the accuracy and speed of recognition on your own texts, but not for everyday dictation. After that a paid plan is needed: a monthly subscription, a yearly subscription with a lower price per month, or a one-time lifetime license with no repeat payments.

The site states support for more than 90 languages, including Russian. But the developer does not publish separate data on how well the local models handle Russian speech specifically, with its stresses, terms and turns of phrase.

Sources: voisty.com · voisty.com

Who it suits

Voisty is worth considering if:

• you need voice recognition without internet access, since the basic mode works fully locally;
• a free limit of 5 minutes only for a trial is fine with you, and after that a paid plan;
• a one-time lifetime license or a readiness to pay by subscription is closer to you than looking for a free alternative;
• it matters to work on both Windows and macOS in one app;
• the lack of confirmed data on the recognition quality of Russian speech specifically is not critical.

Limits for a user from Russia

There is no information in open data about the legal entity behind Voisty, and it was not possible to find it out through the site. According to the site, Visa, Mastercard and Amex cards and PayPal are accepted, but accepting cards issued in Russia is not stated separately. This is worth checking at the payment step, before confirming the purchase.

Since recognition runs locally, the program's operation does not depend on the availability of foreign servers. In that sense it is predictable regardless of geopolitical restrictions. But it is hard to check the quality of the result for Russian in advance: the site lists Russian among the supported languages but does not publish open data on its accuracy.

When Potok is not a replacement for Voisty

Potok will not replace Voisty for those who need a one-time purchase without monthly payments and work entirely without the internet: Voisty recognizes locally and offers a lifetime license, while Potok is a cloud service, recognition runs on servers in Russia, and it does not work without the internet.

Potok also does not suit those who on principle do not want to send audio outside their device in any form. Voisty's local models are built for exactly that, and Potok has no such mode in any plan. A similar local tool is reviewed in the comparison with WhisperU, and other options are in the section voice input programs.

Frequently asked questions

Primary sources: voisty.com · voisty.com