Google Translate review
8.8/10★★★★★Free translation in about 240 languages, with camera, offline and live conversations
- Best for
- Travellers and anyone who needs a free translator for almost any language
- Price
- Free
Free: All app features are free - Platforms
- Web, iOS, Android, Chrome extension, API
- Made by
- Google, Mountain View, USA
- App store ratings
- iOS 4.3★ (84K) · Android 4.3★ (9M)
What it is
Google Translate translates text, speech, images and conversations for free in more languages than any rival, and works offline in 59 of them. Since August 2025, Gemini powers Live translate for back-and-forth conversations in 70+ languages, plus a language-practice mode.
Latest: August 2025: Google added Gemini-powered Live translate in 70+ languages and a language-practice beta.
What the AI does
- Gemini-powered Live translate for conversations
- Instant camera translation (94 languages)
- Offline translation (59 languages)
- Tap to Translate inside other apps
- Language practice (beta)
Pros and cons
- Covers about 240 languages, far more than any rival
- Completely free, with offline and camera modes
- Won Which?'s native-speaker test of free apps
- Translations can be literal and stiff on longer texts
- Camera translation of menus can be confidently wrong
How it scores
The broadest, most capable free translator; DeepL sounds more natural on European language pairs.
Feature checklist · 5 of 9
- Translates 100+ languages (yes)
- Works offline (yes)
- Translates text in photos or through the camera (yes)
- Spoken conversation or speech translation (yes)
- Translates whole documents or files (no)
- Translates inside other apps or on websites (yes)
- Choose formality or translation style (no)
- Custom glossary for your own terms (no)
- Hands-free translation through earbuds (no)
Alternatives
See all Google Translate alternatives, ranked →
- DeepL 8.6/10Professionals and students who want natural-sounding translations, especially between European languages
- Naver Papago 8.3/10Travellers to Korea, Japan, China and Southeast Asia
- Microsoft Translator 8.1/10Microsoft 365 users who want a free translator that matches what they use at work
- Reverso 7.5/10Language learners and writers who want to check how a phrase is really used
Google Translate vs DeepLGoogle Translate vs Naver PapagoGoogle Translate vs Microsoft TranslatorGoogle Translate vs ReversoGoogle Translate vs Apple TranslateGoogle Translate vs Lara TranslateGoogle Translate vs iTranslateGoogle Translate vs Speak & TranslateGoogle Translate vs Timekettle
Sources
- Google Translate on Google Play
- Google Translate on the App Store
- New AI-powered live translation and language learning tools (Google)
- The best free translation apps (Which?)
- We tested the 8 best language translation apps for travelers in 2026 (Beebom)
- Translation apps ranked by their 1–3 star reviews, 2026 (Unstar)