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: included every month |
| 1M chars/mo | $20 | $25 | Rate-limited | $2.50 | Save 88–90% |
| 5M chars/mo | $100 | $125 | N/A | $22.50 | Save 78–82% |
| 25M chars/mo | $500 | $625 | N/A | $122.50 | Save 76–80% |
| 100M chars/mo | $2,000 | $2,500 | N/A | $497.50 | Save 75–80% |
Feature comparison
| Feature | Google Translate | DeepL | MyMemory | Langbly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Included/evaluation usage | 500K/mo | Developer: 1M total | Rate-limited | 500K/mo |
| Free tier expiration | 90 days | Permanent | Permanent | Permanent |
| Daily limit (free) | None (credit-based) | None | 5,000 chars/day | None |
| Payment details required | ||||
| Cost after included usage | $20/1M | Check live Growth plan | Email required | $5/1M |
| Translation engine | NMT | NMT + AI | NMT + TM | Next-gen AI |
| Context-aware | Limited | |||
| Languages supported | 249 | 33 | 80+ | 100+ |
| HTML support | ||||
| Built-in caching | Up to 1 hour | |||
| 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 included allowances are created equal. Google Cloud Translation covers the first 500,000 characters each month through a $10 monthly credit, then charges $20 per million for standard NMT. DeepL retired API Free and API Pro; Developer now includes one million characters in total, while Growth is the recurring production plan.
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 includes the first 500K input characters each month. Payment details are required to activate API access. Additional usage costs $5 per million input characters with no base fee.
Best free translation API for developers
For developers building a prototype or MVP, the ideal evaluation option combines enough test volume, good documentation and a clean API format. DeepL Developer offers one million characters in total. Langbly includes 500K input characters each month but requires payment details to activate the API. Langbly uses the widely adopted Google Translate v2 format.
Compare current language lists rather than relying on old plan counts. Google also includes the first 500,000 Cloud Translation characters each month and may offer a separate introductory cloud credit to new accounts.
When to upgrade from free
If your application consistently translates more than the included allowance, compare the total monthly bill. Langbly costs $5 per million additional input characters after the first 500K, so one million total characters costs $2.50. Google costs $10 for the same total volume.
DeepL Growth combines a subscription, included usage and overage. Use its live plan price rather than the retired API Pro rate.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free translation API?
Langbly and Google both include the first 500,000 characters each month. DeepL Developer includes one million characters in total, not monthly. MyMemory offers rate-limited public access; verify its current limits.
What is the best free translation API?
Langbly includes the first 500,000 input characters each month and charges $5 per million additional input characters with no base fee. Payment details are required. DeepL Developer offers one million characters in total; check Growth for recurring production pricing.
Is Google Translate API free?
Google Cloud Translation covers the first 500,000 characters each month through a $10 monthly credit, then charges $20 per million for standard NMT up to one billion characters. A Google Cloud billing account is required.
How many characters can I translate for free?
Langbly and Google both include 500,000 characters each month. DeepL Developer includes one million characters in total. Check Microsoft and AWS live pricing for current allowances because cloud tiers change.
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.