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SOVA

sova.ai

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Spec score 8.6 #50 of 257 in Chatbot Builders

What it is

SOVA is a free, open-source ecosystem for building conversational AI, including virtual assistants, chatbots, speech tools, and neural-network software. SOVA IDE provides tools to develop, test, and release assistants, with a knowledge base, dialog processor, and team development features. Its dialog language supports rules, variables, external database queries, and modular dialogue structures. ChatKit is a React component set for chat widgets, with file sending, media, message editing, search, and channel selection. SOVA ASR converts recorded or live speech to text, while SOVA TTS generates audio from text. The maker says these speech tools run locally and are licensed under Apache 2.0 for academic and commercial development. SOVA lists 28,853 hours of labeled Russian and English audio under CC-BY 4.0. Products can run offline, in Azure or AWS, or locally using Docker. SOVA Mobile for iOS and Android supports text and voice messaging, multiple assistants, and conversation history. The maker also directs enterprise inquiries to Sales.

Spec sheet

What it does
SOVA is an open-source ecosystem for creating conversational virtual assistants and chatbots for text and voice channels.Read 15 Oct 2026 · sova.ai
Purpose
SOVA is an open-source ecosystem for building conversational AI, including virtual assistants, chatbots, speech tools, and neural-network software.Read 7 Oct 2026 · sova.ai
Deployment
SOVA says its products can run offline, in Azure, AWS or Mail Cloud, and locally on Linux, iOS or Windows using Docker images.Read 15 Oct 2026 · sova.ai
Free plan
YesRead 22 Sep 2026 · sova.ai
API
The SOVA ASR repository exposes the recognizer as a REST API and documents POST requests to the /asr endpoint.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
Integrations
The maker says ChatKit has ready-made integrations with popular assistant-development platforms and online chats; the homepage lists SOVA DOS, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, and RASA as supported data sources.Read 7 Oct 2026 · sova.ai
Support
The maker directs users to documentation and its community for expert support and lists [email protected] for support inquiries.Read 7 Oct 2026 · sova.ai
Headquarters
Moscow, RussiaRead 28 Sep 2026 · sova.ai
ASR customization
The ASR project allows custom code and models, acoustic-model fine-tuning and alternative decoder configuration.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
ASR repository popularity
The SOVA ASR repository shows 170 stars and 23 forks on GitHub.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
Assistant development
SOVA IDE provides an environment to develop, test, and release virtual assistants, with a knowledge base, dialog processor, and team development features.Read 7 Oct 2026 · sova.ai
ChatKit
ChatKit is a React chat-widget library that can connect to chatbots, NLP systems, live chat services or messengers.Read 15 Oct 2026 · sova.ai
ChatKit features
ChatKit lists cards, sliders, buttons, links, file sending, emoji, media, message editing, ratings, read status, search and channel selection.Read 15 Oct 2026 · sova.ai
ChatKit integrations
The ChatKit repository lists dialog-language, Facebook, Telegram, Rasa and LiveTex modules.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
Company facts on LinkedIn
LinkedIn describes SOVA as a privately held information-technology company founded in 2018 with 51–200 employees and headquarters in San Francisco.Read 15 Oct 2026 · linkedin.com
Company history
The maker says its work studying artificial intelligence began in 1997; it does not state a company founding year on the About page.Read 7 Oct 2026 · sova.ai
Dataset
SOVA publishes 28,853 hours of labeled Russian and English audio in about 2.9 TB of WAV files.Read 15 Oct 2026 · sova.ai
Dataset licence
The dataset is distributed under CC BY 4.0, allowing commercial use, copying, redistribution and derivative works with attribution.Read 15 Oct 2026 · sova.ai
Deployment channels
multichannelRead 22 Sep 2026 · sova.ai
Developer ecosystem
The official GitHub organization shows 38 public repositories, including ASR, TTS, dataset, dialog processor, skills and IDE-server projects.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
Dialog language
The dialog language supports synonymous input variants, commands, operators, functions, variables, external-database queries and modular libraries.Read 15 Oct 2026 · sova.ai
Documentation
Support is directed to documentation for FAQs and to a community forum for expert help.Read 15 Oct 2026 · sova.ai
Enterprise
The maker directs questions about its Enterprise version, commercial development, consulting, and corporate education to Sales.Read 7 Oct 2026 · sova.ai
Founder
Stanislav Ashmanov is listed as founder and CEO.Read 15 Oct 2026 · sova.ai
Framework platforms
PuzzleLib supports Linux, Windows, Mac OS, iOS, and Android, and the maker lists NVIDIA and AMD GPUs plus Intel, AMD, and Elbrus CPUs.Read 7 Oct 2026 · sova.ai
GitHub activity
The official GitHub organization is verified for sova.ai and lists 117 followers.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
IDE
SOVA IDE provides interface customization, templates, dictionaries, assistant training and testing management.Read 15 Oct 2026 · sova.ai
Knowledge base
The IDE knowledge base stores information used to prepare assistant responses during training and retraining.Read 15 Oct 2026 · sova.ai
Licence
SOVA ASR and the official iOS and Android mobile repositories state Apache License 2.0 licensing.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
Limit: ChatKit licence documentation
The ChatKit README lists its licence section as coming soon even though the repository metadata displays Apache-2.0.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
Limit: commercial pricing
The contact page directs enterprise, commercial-development and consulting inquiries to sales rather than publishing a price.Read 15 Oct 2026 · sova.ai
Maker headquarters
The contact page lists Vereyskaya Street 29, building 134, Moscow, Russia 121357.Read 15 Oct 2026 · sova.ai
Maker history
SOVA's about page says the team's artificial-intelligence work began in 1997.Read 15 Oct 2026 · sova.ai
Maker legal name
The contact page identifies the operator as Virtual Assistant, LLC.Read 15 Oct 2026 · sova.ai
Mobile
SOVA Mobile is offered for iOS and Android and supports text and voice messaging, multiple assistants, and conversation history.Read 7 Oct 2026 · sova.ai
Mobile app
The mobile application supports text messaging, voice recognition, speech synthesis, multiple assistants, conversation history and customization from source code.Read 15 Oct 2026 · sova.ai
Mobile language limit
The official Android and iOS repository descriptions say the mobile application currently supports only Russian.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
Mobile repository status
The Android mobile repository is public, Apache-2.0 licensed, and shows 8 stars and 4 forks.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
Mobile requirements
The official mobile page states Android 6.0+, iOS 13.0+ and macOS 11.0+ on an Apple M1 Mac.Read 15 Oct 2026 · sova.ai
Praise: local control
SOVA's own materials emphasize local execution, offline operation and open-source modification as benefits.Read 15 Oct 2026 · sova.ai
Product suite
The ecosystem includes SOVA IDE, ChatKit, ASR/TTS, Dataset, Mobile App, Developer Kit, PuzzleLib and Store.Read 15 Oct 2026 · sova.ai
Rating on G2
4.4 out of 5 from 63 reviews, but the G2 page identifies the product as Sova Assessment Ltd.'s talent-assessment platform rather than SOVA.ai's conversational-AI ecosystem.Read 15 Oct 2026 · g2.com
Security claim
SOVA says offline-capable local execution avoids sending personal or customer data to cloud services.Read 15 Oct 2026 · sova.ai
Self-hosting
The ASR repository documents Docker Compose deployment, pretrained-model downloads, CPU or GPU builds and local service startup.Read 15 Oct 2026 · github.com
Speech
SOVA ASR converts recorded or real-time speech to text, and SOVA TTS generates audio from text.Read 7 Oct 2026 · sova.ai
Speech engines
The ASR stack uses Wav2Letter, CTC, KenLM and BERT punctuation; TTS uses modified Tacotron 2, WaveGlow and an NLP preprocessor.Read 15 Oct 2026 · sova.ai
Speech license and processing
SOVA ASR/TTS is licensed under Apache 2.0 for academic and commercial development and runs locally on the user's machine, according to the maker.Read 7 Oct 2026 · sova.ai
Speech processing
SOVA ASR/TTS is described as running locally so user data can remain on the user's machine.Read 15 Oct 2026 · sova.ai
Speech stack
SOVA ASR converts recorded or live speech to text, while SOVA TTS converts text into audio.Read 15 Oct 2026 · sova.ai
Team development
The IDE allows multiple users to develop an intelligent virtual assistant simultaneously.Read 15 Oct 2026 · sova.ai

Plans and prices

Free Free SOVA ecosystem access · virtual-assistant development Read 15 Oct 2026 · sova.ai
SOVA open-source products Free Maker describes the ecosystem as free and offers free downloads; enterprise version is available by contacting sales Read 7 Oct 2026 · sova.ai
Enterprise Priced on request Commercial development · consulting · corporate education Read 15 Oct 2026 · sova.ai

Every SOVA plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • SOVA IDE supports assistant development and team work
  • Dialog language includes rules and modular structures
  • Speech tools run locally, according to the maker
  • Labeled Russian and English audio dataset listed
  • Free open-source products

Limits

  • Enterprise version requires contacting Sales
  • Expert support is directed to documentation and community
  • SOVA Mobile is listed for iOS and Android

Who it suits

SOVA suits developers and teams building assistants, chat experiences, or speech applications. Its offline, cloud, and Docker deployment options serve teams with different deployment needs.

SOVA in depth

Read the full write-up

SOVA is an open-source ecosystem for building conversational AI, from virtual assistants and chat interfaces to speech tools and neural-network software. It is best suited to teams that want to build and deploy their own components across varied platforms. Its breadth is the draw; buyers who want one turnkey service or a defined enterprise support package should look elsewhere.

Overview

SOVA brings assistant development, chat components, speech recognition and synthesis, mobile apps, and neural-network software into one ecosystem. The multichannel setup can run offline, in cloud environments such as Azure and AWS, or locally with Docker. That flexibility gives teams choices about where to operate their systems, but also leaves them to decide which pieces fit their architecture. SOVA is a stronger match for builders with deployment requirements than for buyers seeking a single hosted chatbot service.

Key features

Assistant development

SOVA IDE combines a knowledge base, dialog processor, and team-development features for creating, testing, and releasing virtual assistants. Its dialog language supports rules, variables, external database queries, and modular dialogue structures. This provides tools for teams that need to shape conversation logic and connect it to data; it is less suited to organizations looking for a ready-made assistant with little development work.

Chat components and integrations

ChatKit is a React component set for building chat widgets, with file sending, media, message editing, search, and channel selection. The maker identifies SOVA DOS, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, and RASA as supported data sources. The component approach gives teams flexibility to build an interface around their needs, but assumes they can work with React rather than offering a finished chat product.

Speech and neural-network tools

SOVA ASR transcribes recorded or real-time speech, while SOVA TTS generates audio from text. Both are licensed under Apache 2.0 for academic and commercial development and run locally on the user's machine, a useful combination for teams that want local processing and commercial-use rights. The maker also offers 28,853 hours of labeled Russian and English audio under CC-BY 4.0, including commercial use and derivative works. PuzzleLib supports Linux, Windows, Mac OS, iOS, and Android, with NVIDIA and AMD GPUs and Intel, AMD, and Elbrus CPUs; that hardware range broadens its potential fit, though the framework is one more component for a team to integrate.

Mobile and deployment

SOVA Mobile for iOS and Android supports text and voice messaging, multiple assistants, and conversation history. SOVA products can run offline, in cloud providers including Azure and AWS, or locally using Docker on Linux, iOS, and Windows. Together, these options suit teams that need different operating environments; readers seeking a single prescribed hosting path may prefer a more focused service.

Pricing

SOVA open-source products: free. The free plan covers the open-source products, which the maker makes available for free download. The enterprise version is handled through Sales, so teams considering enterprise services, commercial development, consulting, or corporate education should discuss those needs directly rather than assume they are part of the free offering. The free plan's breadth is attractive to teams prepared to assemble and operate the components; it does not provide a published enterprise price or a defined support package.

Platforms

SOVA's listed platforms are Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, self-hosted, web, and Windows. The specific components span different systems: SOVA Mobile is for iOS and Android, while PuzzleLib supports Linux, Windows, Mac OS, iOS, and Android. The breadth is useful when a team needs to cover several environments, but it does not mean every component runs on every platform.

Who it's for

SOVA is a good fit for developers and organizations that want open-source building blocks for assistant dialogue, chat interfaces, speech processing, and deployment across cloud, local, or offline environments. Its local speech processing and commercial-use licensing make the ASR and TTS tools relevant to teams that want control over where speech is handled. Buyers who prioritize a packaged hosted service, or who need enterprise support terms established upfront, should compare more service-led alternatives.

Pros and cons

Pros: A broad open-source ecosystem covers assistant development, chat UI components, speech tools, mobile apps, and neural-network software, reducing the need to start each part of a conversational AI stack from scratch.

Pros: Offline, cloud, and local Docker deployment options give teams flexibility over where SOVA products run.

Pros: ASR and TTS run locally under Apache 2.0 for academic and commercial development, and the Russian- and English-language dataset permits commercial use and derivatives under CC-BY 4.0.

Cons: The ecosystem's components and development-oriented tools suit teams ready to design dialogue and build interfaces, not buyers looking for a turnkey chatbot.

Cons: Enterprise services and expert support follow Sales and community pathways, rather than a clearly defined support package in the free plan.

Cons: The ecosystem spans multiple platforms, but component support differs, so teams must match each product to their target environments.

Alternatives

Conversational AI Platforms and Chatbot Builders are useful starting points for comparing options across those categories. Choose LiveKit Agents instead if you want a freemium agent platform with Android, iOS, web, API, desktop, and self-hosted support; its Build plan includes 1,000 agent session minutes, five concurrent sessions, and one deployment at free. Voiceflow is a paid option with a free trial and a plan oriented toward agencies and partners, including multi-client workspace management and white-labeling.

IBM watsonx Assistant may suit teams seeking a freemium platform with API, self-hosted, and web support; its Lite plan allows five skills per instance, with unused skills subject to deletion after 30 days of inactivity. Amazon Lex is a paid, usage-based option with free-plan availability and text-request and speech-request pricing. Rapida AI offers a freemium alternative whose Launch plan supports one agent, requires users to bring their own speech and language models and SIP, and includes 10-day observability retention with community support.

Vapi is another paid option with a free starting plan and usage charges, including $0.05/min Vapi hosting and models passed through at cost. Neon AI may fit non-commercial projects under 1,000 users through its free Neon AI SDK. Pipecat is a free alternative with broad platform support and a usage-based Pipecat Cloud plan, including agent hosting priced per active or reserved minute.

Verdict

Choose SOVA if you want an open-source conversational AI ecosystem that combines assistant development, chat components, speech tools, and flexible deployment options. Its main advantage is the range of pieces and environments available under a free plan; its main trade-off is that teams must build around those components and pursue enterprise services or expert support through separate Sales and community pathways.

Verdict

SOVA brings assistant development, chat components, speech tools, and deployment options into one ecosystem. Teams seeking enterprise services or support should account for the maker’s Sales and community pathways.

Where Specifiction places it

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