privacyapps.ioPrivacy checkup

Private translation tools

10 apps, each with a privacy passport

Whatever you paste into a translator goes to whoever runs it, including contracts, medical notes and private messages. On-device translators process text locally; hosted ones differ in whether they store your text or use it for training.

Leaving one of these?

Google Translate

If you only try three

Privacy passport
Firefox Translations
Translation
Our pick
No tracking
Minimal
Open source
Yes
Only you can read it
On device
No account
Yes
Free
Yes
4 of 5 checks
- Mac
- Windows
- Linux
Translates web pages on your own computer
Privacy passport
RTranslator
Translation
Our pick
No tracking
Yes
Open source
Yes
Only you can read it
On device
No account
Yes
Free
Yes
5 of 5 checks
- Android
Offline conversation translation on your phone
Privacy passport
Kagi Translate
Translation
Our pick
No tracking
Not stated
Open source
No
Only you can read it
No
No account
Not stated
Free
Yes
1 of 5 checks
- Web
Cloud quality without logging your texts

All 10 translation tools

Passes

Works on

10 of 10 apps

Firefox TranslationsPick

App364

Page translation built into Firefox that runs language models on your own computer, so text never goes to a server.

Minimal tracking
Open source
Stays on device
No account
Free

Mac
Windows
Linux

RTranslatorPick

App10.5k

Open-source Android app for live spoken conversations between languages, with speech and translation done on the phone.

No tracking
Open source
Stays on device
No account
Free

Android

Kagi TranslatePick

Service

Web translator from the makers of Kagi Search covering many languages, free to use without an account.

Tracking not stated
Closed source
Provider can read it
Account not stated
Free

Web

DeepL

Service

High-quality translator from a German company; paid Pro plans delete your texts after translation.

Tracking not stated
Closed source
Provider can read it
Account optional
Free plan

Android
iPhone
Mac
Windows
Web

LibreTranslate

Self-hosted17.2k

Open-source translation engine and API you can run on your own server, with no ties to big tech services.

No tracking
Open source
On your server
No account
Free plan

Web

TranslateLocally

App639

Desktop app that translates text fully offline with small neural models, built on the same engine as Firefox.

No tracking
Open source
Stays on device
No account
Free

Mac
Windows
Linux

Translate You

App1.6k

Open-source Android translator with a clean interface that lets you choose which translation engine handles your text.

No tracking
Open source
Provider can read it
No account
Free

Android

Linguist

Browser extension1.1k

Browser extension for full-page and text translation that can use a built-in offline translator or your own engine.

No tracking
Open source
Stays on device
No account
Free

Mac
Windows
Linux

Apertium

Service115

Open-source rule-based translation platform with a free web translator, strongest for related and smaller languages.

Tracking not stated
Open source
No account
Free

Web

Argos Translate

App6.6k

Open-source offline translation library and desktop app with downloadable language packages that run locally.

No tracking
Open source
Stays on device
No account
Free

Mac
Windows
Linux

What to check in translation tools

1 Is the translation done on your device or on a server?
2 If hosted, is your text stored or used for training?
3 Does it work without an account?

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