As of November 2026, three Telegram bots that turn voice messages into text and describe themselves publicly are @TranscribeVoiceBot (ours: 30 minutes a day free, recordings up to 20 minutes and 20 MB, processed on our own server), @voicybot (private chats and groups, open source, 15,050 monthly users shown on t.me) and Stenograf, @egvoicebot (files up to 2 GB, according to its developer). The other two do not publish a free limit on their t.me pages. We have not tested the accuracy or speed of any of them, so this page does not rank them on that.
Facts checked:
Step-by-step guide: How to transcribe voice messages to text
Side by side
Three voice-to-text bots in Telegram, facts as of 12 November 2026
| @voicybot (Voicy) | @egvoicebot (Stenograf) | @TranscribeVoiceBot (ours) | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What it transcribes | Voice messages, video notes, audio and video | Voice, video, video notes and music | Voice messages, round video notes, audio and video files | |
| Groups | Works in groups; the README describes automatic transcription there and a «guest mode» (reply with @voicybot in a chat where it is not a member) | Works in private and group chats; how it behaves in groups is not stated by the bot | As an admin it transcribes every voice message and round video note automatically; without admin rights, reply to a recording with /text | |
| Free allowance | Not stated on t.me. The README describes an optional donation wall, off by default (up to 50 free transcriptions per user if it is switched on) | About 1 hour a day per user, according to the developer's log (self-reported, may have changed) | 30 minutes a day | |
| Channel subscription or payment | When we opened the bot on 12 November 2026, /start asked for no channel subscription or payment and showed no limits; with the optional donation wall on, the README says free use needs membership of a channel | Not stated by the bot | None | |
| Longest recording | Not stated by the bot | Files up to 2 GB, according to the developer's log (the bot uses its own Telegram API server) | 20 minutes and 20 MB | [1] |
| Where the speech is processed | Transcribes with Whisper; where it runs and what is kept is not stated by the bot | Built on Groq, a third-party service, according to the developer's log | On our own server with the open-source Whisper model; the recording and the text are not kept |
Which one to choose
- @TranscribeVoiceBot — you want stated limits (30 minutes a day; 20 minutes and 20 MB per recording), no channel subscription or payment, and speech processed on a server we run.
- @voicybot — you want the one with the most monthly users shown on t.me (15,050), an open-source project, or its guest mode in chats where the bot is not a member.
- Stenograf (@egvoicebot) — your recording is bigger than 20 MB or longer than 20 minutes: its developer states files up to 2 GB.
Where the others are ahead
@voicybot shows 15,050 monthly users on t.me, a far larger audience than we can claim, and it has a guest mode for chats where it is not a member. Stenograf takes files up to 2 GB and, per its developer's log, about an hour a day, against our 20 minutes, 20 MB and 30 minutes a day. If your recordings are large, that is a real advantage.
What this page does not say
We did not test accuracy or speed, so we make no claim about which bot transcribes better. Figures for @voicybot and @egvoicebot come from their public pages and the developer's log, not from our own use, and limits can change: check /start and /help in each bot. Telegram's built-in transcription is covered in Transcribe Telegram voice messages without Premium. Where the facts about the other bots come from (all read on 12 November 2026): t.me/voicybot, t.me/egvoicebot, github.com/backmeupplz/voicy, stardance.hackclub.com/projects/34509.
About the bot
Frequently asked questions
Which Telegram bot transcribes voice messages for free?
@TranscribeVoiceBot gives 30 minutes of transcription a day free. @voicybot and Stenograf (@egvoicebot) do not state a free limit on their t.me pages; Stenograf's developer mentions about an hour a day. Limits can change, so check each bot.
Do I need Telegram Premium to transcribe voice messages with a bot?
Not for @TranscribeVoiceBot. The t.me pages of the other two bots do not mention Premium. Telegram's own transcription is limited without Premium; see the comparison of the free options.
Which of these bots works in groups?
All three describe working in groups. @TranscribeVoiceBot transcribes automatically once it is an admin, @voicybot's README describes automatic group transcription, and Stenograf's page says only that it works in groups.
Can a bot transcribe a file bigger than 20 MB?
According to its developer, Stenograf (@egvoicebot) takes files up to 2 GB. @TranscribeVoiceBot accepts recordings up to 20 minutes and 20 MB.
Sources
- Telegram Bot API: local Bot API server, file size limits — https://core.telegram.org/bots/api#using-a-local-bot-api-server
Facts checked:
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