Pricing comparison
Real pricing based on monthly character volume. All prices in USD.
| Volume | Google Translate | Langbly | You Save |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500K chars/mo | $10 | Free | 100% off |
| 1M chars/mo | $20 | $19 | Save 5% |
| 5M chars/mo | $100 | $19 | Save 81% |
| 25M chars/mo | $500 | $69 | Save 86% |
| 100M chars/mo | $2,000 | $199 | Save 90% |
Feature comparison
| Feature | Google Translate | Langbly |
|---|---|---|
| Price per 1M characters | $20 | $3.80–$1.99 |
| Free tier | $300 trial credit | 500K chars/mo (permanent) |
| Translation engine | NMT (2020 era) | Next-gen AI |
| Context-aware translation | ||
| Formality control | ||
| HTML preservation | ||
| Batch requests | ||
| Built-in caching | 7-day TTL | |
| API key security | Key in URL param | Bearer token header |
| Languages supported | 249 | 100+ |
| Google Translate v2 compatible | ||
| Custom locale rules (Dutch) | ||
| Annual discount | 20% off | |
| GDPR / EU processing | US processing | EU processing |
Google Translate API: the industry standard
Google Cloud Translation API has been the default choice for developers since it launched. The v2 (Basic) edition provides a straightforward REST endpoint that supports 249 languages at $20 per million characters. For many teams, Google Translate is the first translation API they integrate.
However, Google Translate’s technology has not fundamentally changed since its 2020 neural machine translation update. It has no formality control, no context awareness across sentences, and passes API keys as URL parameters, a security concern flagged by most auditors. There is also no built-in caching, meaning identical requests are billed repeatedly.
The free tier is misleading: Google offers a $300 trial credit for new Cloud accounts that expires after 90 days. Once it runs out, every character is billed at the full $20/M rate. There is no permanent free tier for the translation API.
Langbly: drop-in replacement, 90% cheaper
Langbly is built from the ground up as a Google Translate v2 compatible API. The request format, response structure, and endpoint paths match Google’s v2 specification exactly. This means you can switch from Google to Langbly by changing a single URL in your code. No request or response parsing changes needed.
Under the hood, Langbly uses advanced AI models optimized specifically for translation. This produces context-aware output that understands the meaning behind sentences, not just individual words. The result is more natural-sounding translations, especially for European languages like Dutch, German, and French where Google often sounds robotic.
Pricing starts at $19/month for 5 million characters ($3.80/M) and scales to $199/month for 100 million characters ($1.99/M). That’s 81–90% cheaper than Google, with a permanent free tier of 500K characters per month and no credit card required to get started.
Switching takes 5 minutes
Because Langbly implements the Google Translate v2 API specification, migration is trivial. You replace the base URL from translation.googleapis.com to api.langbly.com, swap your Google API key for a Langbly Bearer token, and your integration works as before. The request body, query parameters, and response JSON structure are identical.
Langbly also provides official SDKs for Python and JavaScript/TypeScript with auto-retry on rate limits, typed error classes, and exponential backoff built in. For teams using the Google client libraries, switching to Langbly’s SDK typically takes under an hour, including testing.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use Google Translate API for free?
Google Translate API does not have a permanent free tier. New Google Cloud accounts receive a $300 trial credit that expires after 90 days. After that, you pay $20 per million characters. Langbly offers a permanent free tier of 500K characters per month with no credit card required.
How much does Google Translate API cost?
Google Translate API v2 (Basic) costs $20 per million characters with no volume discounts. The v3 (Advanced) edition also costs $20/M but adds features like glossaries and batch translation. Langbly offers the same v2 API format at $3.80–$1.99 per million characters depending on your plan.
Is there a cheaper alternative to Google Translate API?
Yes. Langbly offers the same Google Translate v2 API format at 81–90% lower cost. Plans range from $19/month (5M characters) to $199/month (100M characters). Unlike Google, Langbly includes a permanent free tier, built-in caching, and context-aware AI translations.
Can I replace Google Translate API without changing my code?
Yes. Langbly is fully compatible with the Google Translate v2 API format. You only need to change the base URL and switch from a query parameter API key to a Bearer token header. The request body and response structure remain identical, so your existing parsing code works without changes.
What is the best translation API?
It depends on your priorities. Google Translate supports the most languages (249). DeepL is known for European language quality. Langbly combines advanced AI quality with Google v2 API compatibility and the lowest pricing, making it the best option for teams that want high quality at scale without vendor lock-in.