QuillBot
Writing & Translation
Rewords, fixes grammar and summarises text, with an AI checker and humaniser built in.
Writing & Translation
DeepL
Translates text, whole documents and live conversations, with natural-sounding results.
4.2our ratingNo community reviews yet. Add yours
FreemiumFrom $10.49/moWorks with Claude Code
Quick take
- The translator to use when the result will be read by a customer. It sounds more natural than Google Translate, especially in European languages.
- Whole documents come back with their formatting intact, which ChatGPT and Claude still can't match.
- Free covers 50,000 characters and one file a month. Individual is $8.74 a month billed yearly ($10.49 monthly) for 300,000 characters and no training on your text.
- For Japanese, Chinese and Korean, or text full of slang, a chat assistant often does better. Test your own language pair first.
- Some long-time users say quality slipped in 2026 after DeepL moved fully to its newer AI models and cut a quarter of its staff. It's still the safer pick for European languages, but spot-check important work.
What is DeepL?
DeepL is a translator. Paste text or drop in a Word, PowerPoint or PDF file and it comes back in another language with the layout kept. It covers more than 100 languages for text, and DeepL Write fixes grammar and tone in English, German, French and a few others. DeepL Voice translates spoken conversations and online meetings live, with subtitles or a translated voice.
Pick it over Google Translate when the words will be read by a customer: translations sound more natural, especially between English and European languages, and paid plans don't keep or train on your text. ChatGPT and Claude can translate too, and are often better at Japanese, Chinese and slang where context matters, but they don't keep a PowerPoint's formatting or enforce a glossary of your product terms.
The catch: the free plan is only 50,000 characters and one file a month, the newer languages are uneven, and DeepL's support gets poor reviews for billing and refunds. Always have a fluent speaker check anything legal or public-facing.
Who's using it, and who it's for
- Exporters and importers
- Customer support teams
- Agencies
- Translators
- Legal and HR teams
Businesses that sell, support or write in more than one language, and anyone who regularly translates documents.
Key features
Text translation
Paste text and get a natural translation in 100+ languages, with formal or informal tone where the language has it.
Document translation
Upload Word, PowerPoint, PDF and other files and download them translated with the layout kept.
Glossaries and style rules
Tell it how to translate your brand and product terms so every document stays consistent.
DeepL Write
Fixes grammar and rewrites for tone and clarity in English, German, French and a handful of other languages.
DeepL Voice
Live translated captions and voice for meetings and face-to-face chats in 30+ languages, now included for 30 minutes a month on paid plans.
Apps and API
Desktop and mobile apps, browser extension, Office add-ins, an API and an official MCP server for Claude.
How we rate it
4.2overall, out of 5
Our rating, from using the tool ourselves. Each score is out of 5.
- Ease of use
- 5.0
- Features
- 4.5
- Output quality
- 4.0
- Value for money
- 3.5
- Speed & reliability
- 4.0
How quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
How completely it covers the job it's built for, and how well the pieces fit together.
How good the results are before you fix them.
What you get for the price, including the free plan.
How fast it is and how often it falls over.
Community rating
No community reviews yet. Be the first to leave one.
DeepL pricing
Free
Free
Occasional emails and short text.
- 50,000 characters a month
- 1 file translation a month, up to 5 MB
- 1 small glossary
- Our pick
Individual
$10.49/mo, or $8.74/mo billed yearly
One person translating most weeks.
- 300,000 characters a month
- 3 file translations a month
- Full-page translation and 30 minutes of DeepL Voice
- Your text is not stored or used for training
Team
$34.49/user/mo, or $28.74/user/mo billed yearly
Small teams sharing glossaries.
- 1,000,000 characters per user a month
- 20 file translations a month, with bulk upload
- Shared glossaries and style rules
- Team admin, analytics and SSO
Business
$68.99/user/mo, or $57.49/user/mo billed yearly
Teams translating all day.
- Unlimited characters under fair use
- 100 file translations a month
- Translation memory
- DeepL Write Pro included
Enterprise
Custom
Large organisations with security reviews.
- Custom limits
- Bring your own key and 99.9% uptime
- Dedicated account team
Which plan should you pick?
Start 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.
Prices in USD unless noted, checked 21 October 2026. Vendors change plans often, so confirm on their site before you buy.
Best use cases
Ways DeepL can slot into your week.
- 1
Translate a quote or proposal
Upload the Word or PDF file and send back a version in the client's language with your layout untouched.
- 2
Answer overseas customers
Paste their email, read it in English, draft your reply and translate it back in a formal tone.
- 3
Keep product names consistent
Set up a glossary so your product names and key phrases are always translated the same way.
- 4
Run a meeting across languages
Use DeepL Voice so each person reads live captions in their own language.
- 5
Translate from Claude
Connect the DeepL MCP server so Claude can translate files and text with your glossaries mid-task.
How it fits your tech stack
It plugs into the tools you already use: Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace, a browser extension, desktop and mobile apps, and an API your developer can connect to a help desk or website. Keep a chat assistant for rewriting and context, and use DeepL for the final translation of files.
Connects to
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Outlook
- PowerPoint
- Google Workspace
- Google Chrome
- Claude
Pros and cons
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
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
DeepL alternatives
The closest alternatives to DeepL in the library, best rated first.
- QuillBot4.1/5· best for rewording a sentence or paragraphDeepL vs QuillBot
- Sudowrite3.6/5· best for outlining a novel from an ideaDeepL vs Sudowrite
Why it made the list
It is one of the most visited AI sites in the world, and its translations need less fixing than Google's in the major European languages.
Not sure DeepL is the one?
Put it next to a similar tool and see the differences side by side.
DeepL FAQ
How much does DeepL cost?
There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $10.49/mo. Prices checked 21 October 2026 against DeepL's pricing page.
Is DeepL free?
Yes, DeepL has a free option. Start 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.
What is DeepL best for?
DeepL is best for Translating Word, PowerPoint and PDF files with layout kept, customer emails in another language and keeping product terms consistent with glossaries. Businesses that sell, support or write in more than one language, and anyone who regularly translates documents.
What are the best DeepL alternatives?
The closest alternatives are QuillBot and Sudowrite. QuillBot is best for rewording a sentence or paragraph.
Community reviews
Nobody has reviewed DeepL here yet. If you use it, your take helps everyone else choose.
More tools in Writing & Translation
ChatGPT
AI Assistants & LLMs
OpenAI's all-rounder: chat, images, voice, web search and agents in one app.
Claude
AI Assistants & LLMs
Anthropic's chat assistant, at its best on careful writing and long documents.
Sudowrite
Writing & Translation
A writing app for novelists that plans, drafts and edits fiction in your style.