Decision table
| Need | Pick | Price or limit (as listed 17 October 2026) | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Confidential business documents | DeepL | Individual EUR 7.49 a month billed annually, 3 files a month | Pay for Pro and its deletion terms |
| Free document translation | Google Translate | Free; files up to 10 MB, PDFs up to 300 pages | Fine for non-sensitive files |
| Translation inside your own app | Microsoft Translator | F0 tier: 2 million characters a month free | Start here before paying per character |
| Pay-per-use API at scale | Google Translate | Cloud API: first 500,000 characters free, then USD 20 per million | Predictable metered pricing |
| Ongoing localization program | Smartcat | From USD 1,200 a year | Pick it when you need memory and review steps |
The 4 tools on the same fields
DeepL
- Best for: consultants, legal and business teams translating contracts, reports and email.
- Main limitation: file translations are capped at 3 a month on Individual and 20 on Team, so heavy document users need Business.
- Price or plan limits: Individual EUR 7.49 a month (300,000 characters), Team EUR 24.99 per user (1,000,000 characters, 20 files), Business EUR 49.99 per user (unlimited characters, 100 files), all billed annually, as listed in euros on 17 October 2026.
- Data terms: Pro texts are deleted after delivery and are not used for training.
DeepL Individual cost EUR 7.49 a month billed annually with 300,000 characters, according to DeepL's Pro page checked 17 October 2026.
Google Translate
- Best for: travelers, students and anyone needing a free translation of a non-sensitive document.
- Main limitation: Google's document help page says text inside images and scanned PDF pages is not translated.
- Price or plan limits: the consumer app is free and accepts .docx, .pdf, .pptx and .xlsx files up to 10 MB, with PDFs of 300 pages or fewer. The Cloud Translation pricing page lists the first 500,000 characters a month free, then USD 20 per million.
- Data terms: use the Cloud API under a business agreement for anything sensitive.
Google Translate accepted documents up to 10 MB and PDFs of up to 300 pages, according to Google's help page checked 17 October 2026.
Microsoft Translator
- Best for: developers adding translation to websites, apps and support tools.
- Main limitation: it is a building block, so non-developers get the most from it through Microsoft's own apps rather than the API.
- Price or plan limits: Azure's Translator pricing page lists the F0 free tier at 2 million characters a month of standard translation and custom training. Pay-as-you-go tiers bill per character above that.
- Data terms: billed and governed through your Azure subscription, so your existing Microsoft agreement applies.
Microsoft Translator's free F0 tier included 2 million characters a month, according to Azure's pricing page checked 17 October 2026.
Smartcat
- Best for: marketing and product teams publishing the same content in many languages.
- Main limitation: pricing starts at an annual commitment, which is too much for occasional translation.
- Price or plan limits: Smartcat's pricing page lists Adapt from USD 1,200 a year, Accelerate from USD 24,000 and Anticipate from USD 60,000. Translation memory matches and repetitions are free on every plan.
- Data terms: glossary, style guide and translation memory stay in your workspace across 280+ languages and 80+ file formats.
Smartcat's Adapt plan started at USD 1,200 a year, according to Smartcat's pricing page checked 17 October 2026.
Where machine translation fails
Accuracy varies by language pair, so a tool that is excellent in Spanish can be unsafe in another language.
A study in the Journal of General Internal Medicine (abstract) had native speakers judge 400 Google Translate versions of common emergency department discharge instructions. Overall meaning was kept in 82.5% of translations. Spanish scored highest at 94%, Chinese 81.7%, Farsi 67.5% and Armenian 55%. The authors concluded Google Translate should not be relied on for patient instructions.
Treat that as a rule for every tool on this page:
- High-stakes text needs a human. Medical, legal and safety wording should go to a qualified translator.
- Check your weakest pair. Translate a known paragraph into each target language and have a native speaker review it.
- Lock terminology. Glossaries in DeepL and translation memory in Smartcat stop product names and legal terms drifting.
Personal data and GDPR
If you translate customer emails, HR files or contracts, you are sending personal data to a processor. Under Article 28 of the GDPR, a controller may use only processors that give sufficient guarantees, under a written contract. DeepL's privacy policy offers a data processing agreement for Pro customers and bars personal data on the free tier. Our AI tool privacy checklist lists the questions to put to any vendor.
How to choose
- Collect five real passages: an email, a contract clause, marketing copy, a technical paragraph and a table.
- Translate each into your two most important languages with two tools.
- Ask a native speaker to mark meaning errors, not just style.
- Test a file in the format you use most, and check layout survives.
- Read the data terms for the exact plan you would buy.
If you need to polish text in the same language rather than translate it, see our DeepL Write review and our QuillBot versus DeepL Write comparison. Our DeepL provider profile tracks the company's other products. To translate audio, start with our transcription tool rankings.
How we rank
We compared character and file limits, supported formats, data retention and training terms, API allowances and price, as listed on each vendor's pricing, help and privacy pages on 17 October 2026. Our ranking method explains how documented limits and data terms shape each verdict.
Frequently asked questions
Is DeepL free? Yes, DeepL has a free translator, but DeepL may process free texts to train its models and does not allow personal data on it. Paid plans start at EUR 7.49 a month billed annually.
Does DeepL use my documents for training? Not on Pro. DeepL's privacy policy says Pro texts are deleted after translation and are not used to improve its services.
How large a file can Google Translate handle? Up to 10 MB, in .docx, .pdf, .pptx or .xlsx format, with PDFs limited to 300 pages.
What is the cheapest translation API? Microsoft Translator's free tier covers 2 million characters a month, and Google's Cloud Translation covers the first 500,000 characters free.
Is Google Translate accurate enough for medical instructions? No. A 2021 study found it kept the meaning of 94% of Spanish discharge instructions but only 55% in Armenian.
Which translation tool is best for a localization team? Smartcat, which combines translation memory, glossaries and review steps across 280+ languages, from USD 1,200 a year.
Can I translate scanned PDFs with Google Translate? Not fully. Google says text in images and scanned pages is not translated in the output document.