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Translation · head to head

Google Translate vs Localazy

Google Translate logo

Google Translate

Translation

Free consumer translation app and website, backed by the paid Cloud Translation API priced per million characters

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Localazy logo

Localazy

Translation

Localisation platform priced per source string, where adding target languages costs nothing extra

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Google Translate the free consumer app and the metered developer API are commercially separate products despite sharing branding, which confuses buyers evaluating cost for an integration project.; Localazy the price ladder is stepped rather than continuous, so a project that grows from 2,500 to 2,600 source keys jumps a whole bracket rather than paying slightly more.
  • They diverge on capability: Google Translate covers Text translation, Localazy covers Per source key pricing.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Google Translate and Localazy actually diverge.

Attributes where Google Translate and Localazy differ
AttributeGoogle TranslateLocalazy
Pricing modelPer million charactersPer month by source key count
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, ChromeWeb, API, Linux, macOS, Windows

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), 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 Google Translate

  • Text translation
  • Real-time conversation mode
  • Camera translation
  • Document upload
  • Cloud Translation API
  • Custom models (AutoML Translation)

Only in Localazy

  • Per source key pricing
  • Shared translation memory
  • Framework SDKs
  • Figma plugin
  • CLI and GitHub Actions
  • Language CDN

What people use each for

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

Google Translate

  • An individual traveller or student using the free consumer app with no volume constraintsnot Localazy
  • A developer embedding translated user-generated content into an app, paying per million characters translatednot Localazy
  • A company needing occasional bulk document translation and using the per-page document API pricingnot Localazy
  • A business training a custom domain-adapted model for specialised terminology using AutoML Translationnot Localazy

Localazy

  • A mobile or web application that ships in twenty or more locales, where per-word pricing would multiply the bill by every added marketnot Google Translate
  • An indie developer or small studio that needs a genuinely free tier rather than a fourteen day trialnot Google Translate
  • Teams that want strings pulled from Figma so copy is localised before the interface is built rather than afternot Google Translate
  • Continuous localisation in a build pipeline through the CLI and GitHub Actions, with runtime delivery through the CDNnot Google Translate

Where each one falls short

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

Google Translate

  • The free consumer app and the metered developer API are commercially separate products despite sharing branding, which confuses buyers evaluating cost for an integration project.
  • API costs scale linearly with content volume, so a high-traffic application can accumulate significant monthly spend even at $20 per million characters.
  • Custom model training pricing starts as high as $80 per million characters at low volumes, a steep premium over the standard NMT rate for domain adaptation.
  • Machine translation output for low-resource language pairs or specialised terminology often still needs human post-editing, so the API alone does not replace professional translation for anything customer-facing at high stakes.
  • There is no bundled human-in-the-loop quality tier; a business needing verified accuracy has to pair the API with a separate service such as Unbabel or Gengo.

Localazy

  • The price ladder is stepped rather than continuous, so a project that grows from 2,500 to 2,600 source keys jumps a whole bracket rather than paying slightly more.
  • Single sign-on, audit logs, an SLA, priority support and audit trails are all Enterprise-only, and Enterprise is the one tier with no published price, so the moment a security review lands you leave the transparent pricing behind.
  • Counting by source key penalises content models where every paragraph is a separate key, so a documentation site or a marketing site can consume brackets far faster than an application with the same amount of text.
  • Human translation is sold in the platform but its rates only become visible after you have signed up, and whether Localazy takes a margin on that work is not disclosed anywhere public.
  • It is a company of roughly twenty people with no disclosed investors and no published legal entity details, which is a real continuity question for anyone putting a multi-year product localisation pipeline through it.

Pricing, plan by plan

Google Translate

Free
  • Google Translate (consumer)Free
    • Free web, mobile and browser extension use
    • No published usage cap for personal use
  • Cloud Translation API (NMT)$20/month
    • $20 per million characters translated
    • First 500,000 characters per month free, recurring
  • Cloud Translation API (Translation LLM)$10/month
    • $10 per million characters input, $10 per million output
  • Document translation$0.08/month
    • $0.08 per page for DOCX, PPT and PDF translation

Localazy

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 200 source keys
    • Unlimited seats and languages
    • All essential localisation features
  • Professional$34/month
    • 1,000 source keys
    • 408 USD per year billed annually, 41 USD if billed monthly
    • Scales to 1,500 keys at 43 USD and 2,500 keys at 61 USD
  • Autopilot$78/month
    • 3,500 source keys
    • 936 USD per year billed annually, 94 USD if billed monthly
    • Scales to 5,000 keys at 104 USD and 7,500 keys at 139 USD
  • Business$175/month
    • 10,000 source keys
    • 2,100 USD per year billed annually, 210 USD if billed monthly
    • Scales to 25,000 keys at 263 USD, 50,000 at 350 USD and 100,000 at 438 USD

Which should you pick?

Choose Google Translate if

  • You need text translation.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, Chrome.
  • You also want real-time conversation mode.
Google Translate review

Choose Localazy if

  • You need per source key pricing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, API, Linux, macOS, Windows.
  • You also want shared translation memory.
Localazy review

Questions people ask

Is Google Translate or Localazy better?
Neither clearly leads. Google Translate starts at Free and Localazy at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Google Translate or Localazy?
Google Translate starts at Free and Localazy at Free.
Does Google Translate or Localazy run on more platforms?
Google Translate runs on Web, iOS, Android, Chrome. Localazy runs on Web, API, Linux, macOS, Windows.
Can I use Google Translate for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Google Translate best used for?
Google Translate is most often used for an individual traveller or student using the free consumer app with no volume constraints, a developer embedding translated user-generated content into an app, paying per million characters translated, a company needing occasional bulk document translation and using the per-page document api pricing, a business training a custom domain-adapted model for specialised terminology using automl translation. Of those, an individual traveller or student using the free consumer app with no volume constraints and a developer embedding translated user-generated content into an app, paying per million characters translated are not what Localazy is typically brought in for.
What can Google Translate do that Localazy cannot?
Google Translate covers Text translation, Real-time conversation mode, Camera translation, Document upload. Localazy covers Per source key pricing, Shared translation memory, Framework SDKs, Figma plugin.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Google Translate: Is the consumer Google Translate app really free with no limits?

Yes, for personal use there is no published cap or charge; usage limits only apply to the metered developer API.

Localazy: What exactly is a source key?

One segment of text in your source language, such as a button label or a short paragraph. The same key translated into ten languages still counts as one key, and languages are unlimited on every plan.

Google Translate: How much does the developer API cost?

$20 per million characters for standard neural machine translation, after a recurring 500,000-character monthly free allowance.

Localazy: Is the free plan a trial?

No, the 200 key free plan is permanent and includes unlimited seats and languages. Separately, new signups get a fourteen day trial of the Business plan.

Google Translate: Can I train it on my own terminology?

Yes, through AutoML Translation custom models, priced separately and starting at $80 per million characters at low volumes.

Localazy: How does it compare with per-word pricing?

It stops scaling with locale count. If you ship in three languages the difference is small; if you ship in thirty, per-key pricing is structurally cheaper rather than marginally so.

Localazy: Can I get single sign-on?

Only on Enterprise, which is quoted rather than published. There is no mid-tier SSO option.

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