Comparison

DeepL vs Google Translate vs Papago

A side-by-side look at three AI translation services, drawn from their index records.

At a glance

Three machine-translation products. DeepL is known for document/quality-focused pairs; Google Translate for breadth of languages; Papago for Korean and other East Asian pairs.

Scrolling keeps every product column reachable

DeepL vs Google Translate vs Papago
Dimension	DeepL	Google Translate	Papago
Company	DeepL SE	Google	Naver
Category	Translation & Language	Translation & Language	Translation & Language
Business model	Freemium	Free	Freemium
Licence	—	—	—
Pricing	A free tier with limits is available; DeepL Pro plans add unlimited text, document volume, security guarantees, and API capacity. Pricing ↗	Google Translate is free for consumers; programmatic use goes through the paid Google Cloud Translation API, billed per character. Pricing ↗	Papago apps, web, and extensions are free; some features require the paid Papago Plus plan, and developers pay for the Papago Translation API through Naver Cloud Platform. Pricing ↗
Documentation	Documentation ↗	Documentation ↗	—
Launched	2017-08	2006-04	2016-08
Availability	Global	Global	Global
Strength emphasis	Document / EU pairs Not independently verified — Editorial characterisation written to compare the products; no single vendor page states it in these words.	Language coverage Not independently verified — Editorial characterisation written to compare the products; no single vendor page states it in these words.	Korean / East Asia Not independently verified — Editorial characterisation written to compare the products; no single vendor page states it in these words.
Company	DeepL SE Source ↗ From the product record	Google Source ↗ From the product record	Naver Source ↗ From the product record
Pricing model	Subscription from €7.49/month Source ↗ Verified 2026-10-10	Pay-per-character with a monthly credit Source ↗ Verified 2026-10-10	Free with a paid Plus plan Not independently verified — Papago Plus is named in the product's own interface and navigation, but its price page could not be read on 2026-10-10 (the /plus path returns 404), so no amount is recorded.
Documented API	Yes — developer docs Source ↗ Verified 2026-10-10	Yes — Cloud Translation API Source ↗ Verified 2026-10-10	Not readable Not independently verified — The Naver Cloud Papago translation API guide returned 403 on 2026-10-10, so this cell is not asserted either way.
Updated	2026-10-10	2026-10-10	2026-10-10

Fields taken from the product records use the record dates shown. Sourced claims are labelled per product: verified against the linked page on the date shown, taken from the product record without re-checking, or not independently verified.

Quick answer

DeepL, Google Translate, Papago can be used free of charge to start.

Where they differ — the rows worth reading first: Business model, Launched.
Identical on the record: Licence, Where it runs, Works offline, Runs on.

When to choose each

DeepL — When document translation and European language pairs are the main job.
Google Translate — When you need the widest language coverage, including camera and conversation modes.
Papago — When Korean or other East Asian pairs are central, including Naver’s consumer apps.

Each tool on the record

DeepL

DeepL is made by DeepL SE. The record lists it as Freemium, first recorded in 2017, and fit for Translation, Questions over your own documents. Its values below carry their own source and date.

DeepL is listed under Translation & Language: AI tools for machine translation and language learning.

Company: DeepL SE
Category: Translation & Language
Business model: Freemium
Licence: proprietary
Launched: 2017-08
Availability: Global
Tasks it fits: Translation, Questions over your own documents
How you use it: Web app
Runs on: Web
Where it runs: Vendor cloud
Works offline: Not recorded
Commercial use: Not recorded

Pricing on the record: A free tier with limits is available; DeepL Pro plans add unlimited text, document volume, security guarantees, and API capacity.

Sources on the record: Official website, DeepL Translator (Wikipedia), DeepL AI Platform: Translation, Voice & API, Official pricing, API documentation.

Not recorded for DeepL: Works offline, Commercial use. An empty field is reported as unknown rather than guessed.

Google Translate

Google Translate is made by Google. The record lists it as Free, first recorded in 2006, and fit for Translation. Its values below carry their own source and date.

Google Translate is listed under Translation & Language: AI tools for machine translation and language learning.

Company: Google
Category: Translation & Language
Business model: Free
Licence: proprietary
Launched: 2006-04
Availability: Global
Tasks it fits: Translation
How you use it: Web app
Runs on: Web
Where it runs: Vendor cloud
Works offline: Not recorded
Commercial use: Not recorded

Pricing on the record: Google Translate is free for consumers; programmatic use goes through the paid Google Cloud Translation API, billed per character.

Sources on the record: Official website, Google Translate (Wikipedia), Cloud Translation documentation, Cloud Translation pricing.

Not recorded for Google Translate: Works offline, Commercial use. An empty field is reported as unknown rather than guessed.

Papago

Papago is made by Naver. The record lists it as Freemium, first recorded in 2016, and fit for Translation. Its values below carry their own source and date.

Papago is listed under Translation & Language: AI tools for machine translation and language learning.

Company: Naver
Category: Translation & Language
Business model: Freemium
Licence: proprietary
Launched: 2016-08
Availability: Global
Tasks it fits: Translation
How you use it: Web app
Runs on: Web
Where it runs: Vendor cloud
Works offline: Not recorded
Commercial use: Not recorded

Pricing on the record: Papago apps, web, and extensions are free; some features require the paid Papago Plus plan, and developers pay for the Papago Translation API through Naver Cloud Platform.

Sources on the record: Official website, Naver Corporation, Official pricing.

Not recorded for Papago: Works offline, Commercial use. An empty field is reported as unknown rather than guessed.

Frequently asked questions

Which of these has been available longest?

Google Translate — first recorded in 2006.

Which of these can I start using for free?

Free to start: DeepL, Google Translate, Papago.

Which of these is open source?

None of these is open source; every tool in this comparison is proprietary.

Which of these works offline?

None of these is recorded as working offline.

Which of these has a public API?

A public API is recorded for DeepL, Google Translate, Papago.

Which platforms do these run on?

Recorded platforms — DeepL: Web · Google Translate: Web · Papago: Web.

Can any of these be self-hosted or run locally?

None of these is recorded as self-hosted or local; all run as a hosted service.

Which is most accurate?

Accuracy is pair- and domain-specific. This index does not publish scores; check samples in your language pair.

Can I use them for confidential documents?

Consumer paste boxes and enterprise no-log plans differ. Read each vendor’s data terms; paid plans may offer stronger processing agreements.

Is Papago Plus pricing comparable here?

No. Papago Plus is named in the product's own interface, but its price page could not be read on 2026-10-10, so the table gives no figure rather than an estimate.

How to use a comparison

Start from the task, not the brand: filter the index by what you need to get done.
Check the evidence: a value marked “verified” names the source page and the date it was checked.
Prefer the vendor’s own page for the final decision: prices and limits change without notice.

Related guides

AI translation tools

Sources and record dates

Record dates describe index updates, not independent product tests. Check linked documentation for current features and pricing.