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Translation · head to head

DeepL vs Gengo

DeepL logo

DeepL

Translation

AI-powered language translation

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Gengo logo

Gengo

Translation

Human translation marketplace and API, priced per word from $0.06, owned by Lionbridge since 2019

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only DeepL has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: DeepL pricing details not displayed on homepage; requires visiting separate pricing page; Gengo it is not a fit for specialised legal, medical or literary translation, since the crowdsourced model is built for higher-volume, lower-complexity content.
  • They diverge on capability: DeepL covers 30+ languages, Gengo covers Standard and Pro quality tiers.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which DeepL and Gengo actually diverge.

Attributes where DeepL and Gengo differ
AttributeDeepLGengo
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelfreemiumPer word
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Desktop, Mobile, ApiWeb
Founded2017Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Translation).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in DeepL

  • 30+ languages
  • Document translation
  • Glossary
  • Formal/informal toggle
  • Browser extension
  • API access
  • Desktop app
  • Web support

Only in Gengo

  • Standard and Pro quality tiers
  • Developer API
  • No minimum spend
  • Crowdsourced translator network
  • Bulk file upload
  • CMS and platform integrations

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

DeepL

  • ai tools managementnot Gengo
  • Workflow automationnot Gengo
  • Reportingnot Gengo

Gengo

  • An e-commerce seller translating product listings into multiple languages without a minimum spend requirementnot DeepL
  • A company integrating the Gengo API into a content pipeline to automatically route text for human translationnot DeepL
  • A support team needing occasional human-translated responses without committing to Unbabel’s enterprise minimumnot DeepL
  • A publisher needing straightforward, transparently priced human translation for shorter, lower-stakes contentnot DeepL

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

DeepL

  • Pricing details not displayed on homepage; requires visiting separate pricing page
  • Free tier limitations not specified on main site

Gengo

  • It is not a fit for specialised legal, medical or literary translation, since the crowdsourced model is built for higher-volume, lower-complexity content.
  • Quality consistency depends on which individual translator from the crowdsourced network is assigned, which can vary more than a dedicated agency relationship would.
  • Turnaround, while fast for its category, is still meaningfully slower than a machine translation API, since every job requires a human to complete it.
  • Since being acquired by Lionbridge in 2019, Gengo’s product direction is now set within a much larger localisation company’s priorities rather than as an independent business.
  • Per-word pricing, while transparent, is still substantially more expensive per unit of content than a machine translation API, so it is a poor fit for translating very large volumes of low-stakes content.

Pricing, plan by plan

DeepL

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 3 document translations
    • 5000 characters
  • Starter$8.99/month
    • 5 documents/month
    • Unlimited text
  • Advanced$28.99/month
    • 20 documents/month
    • Glossary

Gengo

On request
  • Standard$0.06/month
    • Human translation, $0.06 per word starting rate
    • No minimum spend or setup fee
  • Pro$undefined/month
    • Higher-quality tier, rate varies by language pair and content type
    • Human translation with additional review

Which should you pick?

Choose DeepL if

  • You need 30+ languages.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Desktop, Mobile, Api.
  • You also want document translation.
DeepL review

Choose Gengo if

  • You need standard and pro quality tiers.
  • You also want developer api.
Gengo review

Questions people ask

Is DeepL or Gengo better?
Neither clearly leads. DeepL starts at Free and Gengo at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, DeepL or Gengo?
DeepL has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for DeepL and On request for Gengo.
Does DeepL or Gengo run on more platforms?
DeepL runs on Web, Desktop, Mobile, Api. Gengo runs on Web.
Can I use DeepL for free?
Yes. DeepL has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Gengo starts at On request.
What is DeepL best used for?
DeepL is most often used for ai tools management, workflow automation, reporting. Of those, ai tools management and workflow automation are not what Gengo is typically brought in for.
What can DeepL do that Gengo cannot?
DeepL covers 30+ languages, Document translation, Glossary, Formal/informal toggle. Gengo covers Standard and Pro quality tiers, Developer API, No minimum spend, Crowdsourced translator network.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

DeepL: Does DeepL offer a free version?

Yes. DeepL offers free trial access and a free API key option, plus a paid DeepL Pro subscription tier and Enterprise solutions.

Source
Gengo: Is Gengo machine translation or human translation?

Human translation. It should be compared with Unbabel, not with Google Translate, Microsoft Translator or Amazon Translate, which are machine translation APIs.

DeepL: How many languages does DeepL support?

DeepL supports translation into 100+ languages including popular pairs like English-Chinese, English-French, and Chinese-English.

Source
Gengo: Is there a minimum spend?

No, Gengo publishes per-word pricing with no minimum spend or setup fee, unlike Unbabel’s enterprise-gated rate structure.

DeepL: Does DeepL support voice translation?

Yes. DeepL Voice enables real-time voice translation in virtual meetings and in-person conversations for instant collaboration.

Source
Gengo: Who owns Gengo?

Lionbridge, a larger localisation and AI data services company, acquired Gengo in January 2019.

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