Pricing comparison
Real pricing based on monthly character volume. All prices in USD.
| Volume | Google Translate | DeepL | MyMemory | Langbly | You Save |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500K chars/mo | $10 | Free | Free* | Free | Langbly: free forever |
| 1M chars/mo | $20 | $25 | Rate-limited | $19 | Save 5–24% |
| 5M chars/mo | $100 | $125 | N/A | $19 | Save 81–85% |
| 25M chars/mo | $500 | $625 | N/A | $69 | Save 86–89% |
| 100M chars/mo | $2,000 | $2,500 | N/A | $199 | Save 90–92% |
Feature comparison
| Feature | Google Translate | DeepL | MyMemory | Langbly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free tier type | $300 trial credit | 500K chars/mo | Rate-limited | 500K chars/mo |
| Free tier expiration | 90 days | Permanent | Permanent | Permanent |
| Daily limit (free) | None (credit-based) | None | 5,000 chars/day | None |
| Credit card required | ||||
| Cost after free tier | $20/1M | $25/1M | Email required | $3.80/1M |
| Translation engine | NMT | NMT + AI | NMT + TM | Next-gen AI |
| Context-aware | Limited | |||
| Languages supported | 249 | 33 | 80+ | 100+ |
| HTML support | ||||
| Built-in caching | 7-day TTL | |||
| API format | Google v2 | Proprietary | REST | Google v2 |
| Rate limiting (free) | 6,000 chars/request | Fair use | 5,000 chars/day | 100 req/min |
| GDPR / EU processing | US processing | EU option | EU | EU processing |
What "free" actually means
Not all free tiers are created equal. Google Translate API gives new Cloud accounts a $300 trial credit that expires after 90 days. After that, you pay $20 per million characters with no free allowance. DeepL offers a genuine 500K characters/month free tier through their API Free plan, but it is limited to 33 languages and excludes document translation.
MyMemory is technically free but severely rate-limited: only 5,000 characters per day (roughly 150K per month if used continuously). For anything beyond basic testing, the limit is too low. Scaling up requires contacting their sales team directly.
Langbly provides 500K characters per month permanently, with no credit card required, no expiration date, and no daily limits. When you outgrow the free tier, paid plans start at just $19/month for 5 million characters, the most affordable upgrade path of any provider.
Best free translation API for developers
For developers building a prototype or MVP, the ideal free translation API combines a generous limit, no credit card requirement, good documentation, and a clean API format. Langbly and DeepL both offer 500K free characters per month without a credit card. The key difference is that Langbly uses the widely-adopted Google Translate v2 API format, making it easier to integrate and switch between providers later.
If you need more than 33 languages, DeepL’s free tier will not work, as it only covers European and a few Asian languages. Langbly supports 100+ languages on the free tier with no restrictions compared to paid plans. For maximum language coverage during prototyping, Google’s $300 trial credit covers 15 million characters across 249 languages, but requires a credit card and expires.
When to upgrade from free
If your application consistently translates more than 500K characters per month, it is time to move to a paid plan. At that point, cost per character becomes the critical metric. Google and DeepL charge $20–$25 per million characters with no volume discounts. Langbly’s Starter plan at $19/month includes 5 million characters ($3.80/M), 10x more capacity for roughly the same cost as 1M characters at Google.
For high-volume applications translating 25M+ characters per month, the cost difference is dramatic: $500–$625 per month at Google/DeepL vs $69 at Langbly. At 100M characters the gap widens to $2,000–$2,500 vs $199. Plan-based pricing with built-in volume discounts is significantly cheaper than pay-per-character at scale.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free translation API?
Yes. DeepL and Langbly both offer 500K characters per month for free with no expiration. Google offers a $300 trial credit (about 15M characters) that expires after 90 days. MyMemory is free but limited to 5,000 characters per day.
What is the best free translation API?
Langbly offers the best combination of free tier value and upgrade path. You get 500K characters per month permanently with no credit card, and paid plans start at $19/month for 5M characters. DeepL also offers 500K free but is limited to 33 languages and costs $25/M when you upgrade.
Is Google Translate API free?
Google Translate API is not free. New Google Cloud accounts get a $300 trial credit that expires after 90 days. After that, the API costs $20 per million characters with no permanent free tier. A credit card is required to create a Cloud account.
How many characters can I translate for free?
Langbly and DeepL each offer 500K characters per month for free. Microsoft Translator offers 2M per month free. Amazon Translate offers 2M per month free for the first 12 months only. Google provides a one-time $300 credit, roughly 15M characters.
Which free translation API has the best quality?
Langbly uses advanced AI translation on its free tier (the same engine as its paid plans), delivering context-aware translations that sound natural. DeepL’s free tier also produces high-quality output for European languages. Google’s NMT engine is reliable but can sound mechanical, especially for Dutch and German.