Verdict
Google Translate is free with no paid tier, and Which? found it the best all-round free translator in a 2025 test with native speakers, though its conversation mode often failed to spot which language was being spoken. Since March 2026 it can speak live translations into any pair of headphones on iPhone and Android, which Apple's version cannot match without AirPods. Text goes to Google's servers and is saved to the Google account when signed in.
Best for
Holidays, menus, signs and quick chats in almost any language
Skip if
Translating confidential documents, or polished European-language writing where DeepL does better
Key facts
- Made by
- Google LLC
- Based in
- United States
- Launched
- 2006
- Works on
- iPhone, Android, Web
- In the UK
- Yes
- Free plan
- Everything is free, including camera, conversation, offline language packs and live headphone translation
What it does
- translates text typed, spoken or handwritten
- translates signs and text through the camera
- translates conversations between two languages
- works offline with downloaded languages
- translates whole documents and web pages
- translates copied text from any app
Ratings
What people say
Travellers in user reviews still treat it as the default that works, especially for photos of signs and packaging, while others say it translates too literally and a few have moved to ChatGPT or Gemini for context. Store stars (4.2 on both stores) sit well above Trustpilot's 2.0 from 143 reviews, where complaints focus on accuracy and the microphone cutting off.
“Have used Google translate app many places. Works exactly as you'd hope. Great for taking photo of sign, food packaging or whatever and translating that.”
Individual user review, 28 January 2026 · source
“Google translate in general gives me better results than the translation function on my iPhone.”
Individual user review, 20 September 2026 · source
“I have used google translate before but it normally translate into other words.”
Individual user review, 20 September 2026 · source
“i got the airpods 5 on release day because i was so excited about the live translation feature Google Translate can do the same thing Faster and more accurate and with any headphones.”
Post on X, 18 September 2026 · source
“google translate is dead n maybe for the better tested the new GPT live updates for translation this week and I’m never opening g translate again”
Post on X, 18 July 2026 · source
Press reviews
- Which? 2025-07-17
"Broadly the best choice. It speaks your language, gets the gist of conversations across"; 243 languages and offline packs, but conversation mode was unreliable at detecting languages.
- Tom's Guide 2026-01-16
Overall winner against ChatGPT Translate because it offers more languages and can translate images, documents and websites.
- MacRumors 2026-03-26
Live Translate now works on iPhone through any wireless headphones in 70+ languages; unlike Apple's on-device version it runs in the cloud.
Privacy
- Trains on your data
- unclear for the consumer app; Google's privacy policy says it uses interactions with its AI products and public web data to develop and train models, and names Translate among products trained on public data. Google only promises no training for the paid Cloud Translation API
- Opt-out
- No Translate-specific training opt-out. Signing out keeps history on the device only; turning off Web & App Activity stops new history being saved to the account
- Retention
- Signed-in history is kept in My Activity until deleted, with an auto-delete option; deletion can be done by entry, range or all time
- Incidents
- none Translate-specific found in web searches (2026-10-10); a Feb 2026 report on Hacker News showed the Gemini-based mode could be steered by prompt injection
- Age limit
- 13+ to manage a Google Account in the UK; App Store rating 4+
Official videos
- The latest updates to Google Translate 2026-09-04
- Introducing Gemini's speech-to-speech translation capabilities 2025-12-12
FAQ
Is Google Translate free?
Yes. There is no paid plan for the app or website. Camera translation, conversation mode, offline packs and live translation through headphones are all free.
Does Google Translate work offline?
Yes, for downloaded languages. Which? noted that many of its 243 languages can be downloaded for offline use.
Can Google Translate translate through headphones?
Yes. Live Translate plays spoken translations through any wireless headphones in more than 70 languages. It reached iPhone in March 2026, and Google listed the UK among the countries getting it.
Google Translate vs DeepL?
Which? found DeepL more accurate for speech in its 2025 test, but it covers far fewer languages and had no conversation mode then. Google Translate is the safer all-round choice for travel.
Does Google keep my translations?
When signed in with Web & App Activity on, translations are saved to the Google account and can be deleted in My Activity. Signed out, history stays on the phone.
Scores are based on published evidence, not lab tests. How we score.
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