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Side-by-side comparison · Writing & Translation

DeepL vs Google Translate vs Grammarly

Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.

DeepL

4.2

From $10.49/mo

Best overall

Google Translate

4.5

From Pay per character

Grammarly

4.3

From $12/member/mo

Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.

At a glance

Pick it if: Businesses that sell, support or write in more than one language, and anyone who regularly translates documents.

Best overallBest value

Pick it if: Anyone who needs a quick, free translation, from travellers reading a menu to small businesses answering an overseas customer.

Pick it if: Anyone who writes emails, documents and messages at work and wants mistakes caught and tone checked before they hit send.

Overview

AttributeDeepLGoogle TranslateGrammarly
In one lineTranslates text, whole documents and live conversations, with natural-sounding results.Free translation of text, documents, photos and conversations in 240+ languages.Fixes grammar, clarity and tone in your writing, wherever you type.
Pricing modelFreemiumFreeFreemium
Starting price$10.49/moPay per character$12/member/mo
Free plan Yes Yes Yes
Works with Claude Code Yes Yes No

Rating breakdown

Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.

AttributeDeepLGoogle TranslateGrammarly
Overall rating4.24.5Winner4.3
Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
5.0
5.0
5.0
FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together.
4.5
4.5
4.5
Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them.
4.0
3.5
4.0
Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan.
3.5
5.0
3.5
Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over.
4.0
4.5
4.5

Feature comparison

A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.

AttributeDeepLGoogle TranslateGrammarly
Access & platform
Free plan Yes Yes Yes
Mobile app Yes Yes Yes
Desktop app Yes No Yes
Browser extension Yes Yes Yes
API access Yes Yes–
Teams & business
Team workspace Yes No Yes
Enterprise plan or SSO Yes Yes Yes
Connects to other apps Yes Yes Yes
Open source or self-hosted No No No
AI abilities
Works with your files Yes Yes–
Understands images Yes Yes–
Makes images No No No
Makes video No No No
Writes code No No No
Runs agents or automations No No–
Learns your brand or style Yes No Yes
Works in many languages Yes Yes–
Capabilities score12/ 179/ 178/ 17

Pricing

Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.

AttributeDeepLGoogle TranslateGrammarly
Plans

Free

Free

Occasional emails and short text.

Google TranslateOur pick

Free

Everyone.

Free

Free

Basic spelling and grammar checks.

IndividualOur pick

$10.49/mo, or $8.74/mo billed yearly

One person translating most weeks.

Cloud Translation API

Pay per character, with a free monthly allowance

Developers adding translation to an app or website.

ProOur pick

$12/member/mo billed yearly, or about $30 monthly

Anyone who writes a lot at work, alone or in a team.

Team

$34.49/user/mo, or $28.74/user/mo billed yearly

Small teams sharing glossaries.

Enterprise

Custom

Large organisations with security needs.

Business

$68.99/user/mo, or $57.49/user/mo billed yearly

Teams translating all day.

Enterprise

Custom

Large organisations with security reviews.

Which plan to pickStart on Free. If you translate documents or customer emails every week, Individual on a yearly plan is the sweet spot and stops DeepL keeping your text. Move to Team only when several people need the same glossary.Use the free app and website. Only look at the Cloud Translation API if you're building translation into your own website or system.Free is enough for typo-catching. If you write for clients or customers every day, Pro on yearly billing is good value; paying monthly costs more than double.

Key features

AttributeDeepLGoogle TranslateGrammarly
Standout features
  • Text translation
  • Document translation
  • Glossaries and style rules
  • DeepL Write
  • DeepL Voice
  • Apps and API
  • Text and documents
  • Camera translation
  • Conversation mode
  • Live translate in headphones
  • Offline languages
  • Practice mode
  • Live checking everywhere
  • Clarity and rewrites
  • Tone detection
  • AI writing assistant
  • Plagiarism and AI detection
  • Team style guides

Pros and cons

AttributeDeepLGoogle TranslateGrammarly
Pros
  • More natural translations than Google Translate in most European languages
  • Documents keep their formatting after translation
  • Glossaries keep your terms consistent
  • Paid plans don't store or train on your text
  • A European company, which matters to businesses avoiding US tools
  • Completely free for everyday use
  • More languages than any other translator
  • Camera, conversation and offline modes in one app
  • Gemini has made phrasing more natural
  • Translates whole documents and websites
  • Works live in almost every app you type in
  • Free plan is useful for everyday spelling and grammar
  • Tone feedback helps with tricky messages
  • Team style guides keep company writing consistent
  • Yearly Pro price is reasonable for daily use
Cons
  • Free plan is small: 50,000 characters and one file a month
  • Weaker on Japanese, Chinese and Korean than a good chat assistant, and newer languages are uneven
  • Many complaints about renewal charges, refused refunds and slow support, so diarise the end of any trial
  • Long-time users report it got slower and less literal in 2026, sometimes rewording the meaning, so legal text still needs a human
  • Glossary and file limits are tight on the cheaper plans
  • Business writing often needs polishing before it goes to a customer
  • DeepL usually sounds more natural in major European languages
  • Long documents can lose formatting
  • Avoid pasting confidential information into the free version
  • Free plan no longer includes sentence rewrites and caps AI prompts at 100 a month
  • Monthly billing costs more than double the yearly rate
  • Accepting every suggestion can strip your own voice
  • Strongest in English only
  • Withdrew its "Expert Review" feature in 2026 after a lawsuit over using authors' identities

Who each one is for

AttributeDeepLGoogle TranslateGrammarly
Best for
  • Translating Word, PowerPoint and PDF files with layout kept
  • Customer emails in another language
  • Keeping product terms consistent with glossaries
  • Live translated meetings
  • Polishing English as a second language
  • Quick translations of emails and messages
  • Reading signs and menus with your camera
  • Talking with someone in another language
  • Translating a document or web page
  • Rare languages other tools don't cover
  • Proofreading emails and documents as you type
  • Checking tone before a tricky message goes out
  • Writing at work in English as a second language
  • Keeping a team's writing style consistent
  • Plagiarism checks on content
You'll find it used by
  • Exporters and importers
  • Customer support teams
  • Agencies
  • Translators
  • Legal and HR teams
  • Travellers
  • Small businesses
  • Students
  • Customer support teams
  • Language learners
  • Office staff
  • Sales and support teams
  • Non-native English writers
  • Students
  • Marketers

Questions people ask

Which is better, DeepL, Google Translate or Grammarly?

Google Translate scores highest overall in our ratings (DeepL 4.2/5, Google Translate 4.5/5 and Grammarly 4.3/5). DeepL is best for Translating Word, PowerPoint and PDF files with layout kept and customer emails in another language. Google Translate is best for quick translations of emails and messages and reading signs and menus with your camera. Grammarly is best for proofreading emails and documents as you type and checking tone before a tricky message goes out.

Which is cheaper, DeepL, Google Translate or Grammarly?

DeepL: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $10.49/mo. Google Translate: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at Pay per character. Grammarly: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $12/member/mo.

How we compare

Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability.

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