When evaluating translation APIs, AWS Translate (Amazon Translate) often appears as a default option. But its pricing structure can be misleading, especially the temporary free tier that expires after 12 months. This post breaks down exactly what you will pay in 2026, how characters are counted, and how it compares to alternatives like Langbly. All figures are based on the official AWS Translate pricing page as of 24 September 2026.
The short version
AWS Translate costs $15 per 1 million characters for standard text translation. A free tier of 2 million characters per month is available, but only for the first 12 months after your first request. After that, you pay the standard rate from the first character. HTML tags are not counted if you use the correct format hint.
AWS Translate pricing breakdown
| Volume (characters per month) | Price per 1 million characters |
|---|---|
| First 2 million (first 12 months only) | $0 |
| All characters beyond the free tier, or all characters after 12 months | $15 |
There are no tiered discounts for higher volumes. The same $15/1M rate applies to real-time document translation (text and HTML).
The 12-month free tier trap
AWS offers 2 million free characters per month, but only during the first 12 months after you make your first translation request. After that, the free tier disappears entirely. You will pay $15 per 1 million characters from character one, with no ongoing free allowance. This is easy to overlook when budgeting for a production service, especially if your project starts small and grows past the one-year mark. Unlike some providers that offer a permanent free tier, AWS's free tier is strictly time-limited.
Character counting: what actually counts
Characters are counted including whitespace and spaces. A key difference from Google Translate API: HTML and XML tags do not count toward billing when you use the correct format hint (e.g., ContentType="text/html") in AWS Translate. In contrast, Google Translate API counts HTML tags as billable characters. This can make AWS Translate cheaper for translating HTML content, but only if you handle the format hint correctly.
AWS Translate vs Langbly: cost comparison
Langbly costs $5 per 1 million characters after the first 500,000 free characters per month. That free tier has no expiration date. The table below shows monthly costs for different volumes, assuming the AWS free tier is still active (first 12 months) or expired (after 12 months).
| Characters per month | AWS (within first 12 months) | AWS (after 12 months) | Langbly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000,000 | $0 | $15.00 | $2.50 |
| 5,000,000 | $45.00 | $75.00 | $22.50 |
| 20,000,000 | $270.00 | $300.00 | $97.50 |
| 100,000,000 | $1,470.00 | $1,500.00 | $497.50 |
Langbly is drop-in compatible with the Google Translate v2 API and has no base fee. The permanent free tier of 500,000 characters per month means you always have a buffer, unlike AWS's 12-month limit.
Frequently asked questions
Does AWS Translate charge for whitespace?
Yes. All characters, including spaces and line breaks, are counted.
Can I avoid paying for HTML tags in AWS Translate?
Yes. Use the ContentType="text/html" parameter. Tags are then excluded from character counting. Without this hint, tags are billed.
What happens after my AWS free tier ends?
You pay $15 per 1 million characters for every character you translate, with no further free allowance. There is no way to renew the free tier.
Does Langbly have a similar time limit on its free tier?
No. The 500,000 free characters per month are permanent. There is no expiry date.
Bottom line
AWS Translate's $15 per million rate and time-limited free tier make it more expensive than Langbly at every volume, both during and after the first 12 months. If you are translating HTML content, AWS's tag-exclusion rule can lower costs compared to providers that bill tags, but the base per-character rate is still three times Langbly's.