Free ModernMT alternatives: 5 apps ranked by verified data

Facts checked Nov 8, 2026AppBreakup editorialHow we rank

5 of the 6 ModernMT alternatives we track can be used for free (free, open source, or with a free plan). DeepL, Microsoft Translator and Lara Translate rank highest, with facts last verified Nov 8, 2026.

ModernMT has been discontinued. New sign-ups are closed and the service sunsets by the end of 2026, replaced by Lara, according to ModernMT's own site.

Quick comparison

#	App	Pricing	Verified price	Open source	Platforms	Verified facts	Score
1	DeepL	Free plan + paid	€7.49/month billed annually (Individual)	No	Web, Windows, macOS +3	7 of 7	79.8
2	Microsoft Translator	Free	—	No	Web, Windows, iOS +1	4 of 4	68.9
3	Lara Translate	Free plan + paid	$9.99 a month billed annually (Pro)	No	Web	6 of 6	68.8
4	LibreTranslate	Open source	—	Yes	Web, Self-hosted	4 of 4	65.4
5	Google Translate	Free	$20 per million characters (standard tier)	No	Web, iOS, Android +1	5 of 5	61.8

1. DeepLTop pick
Best for: People and teams who want fluent translations of documents and email in widely spoken languages
Free plan + paidWeb, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Browser extension
79.8
score / 100
Why switch from ModernMT
High-quality MT with glossaries, a document translator and a widely used API.
Pros
Translations often read more naturally than other engines
Translates whole Word, PowerPoint and PDF files with layout kept
Glossaries and formality controls for consistent terminology
Paid plans exclude your texts from model training
Cons
Supports fewer languages than Google or Microsoft
Free tier limits text length and file translations
Advanced team features need the pricier plans
Visit DeepL Details and reviews
How this score is calculated
Editorial fit ×0.387
Reviews ×0.363
Clicks (90 days) ×0.15100
Freshness ×0.15100
Votes ×0.150
0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula
Is DeepL a good ModernMT alternative?
Verified facts
7 of 7 verified
Starting price
€7.49/month billed annually (Individual)
Checked Nov 8, 2026deepl.com(opens source in a new tab)
Team price
€24.99 per user/month billed annually
Checked Nov 8, 2026deepl.com(opens source in a new tab)
Free trial
30 days
Checked Nov 8, 2026deepl.com(opens source in a new tab)
Individual character limit
300,000 characters/month
Checked Nov 8, 2026deepl.com(opens source in a new tab)
Mobile apps
iOS and Android
Checked Nov 8, 2026deepl.com(opens source in a new tab)
Team plan
€24.99 per user/month billed annually
Checked Nov 8, 2026deepl.com(opens source in a new tab)
Business plan
€49.99 per user/month billed annually
Checked Nov 8, 2026deepl.com(opens source in a new tab)
2. Microsoft Translator
Best for: Microsoft 365 users and developers who want translation tied into Office, Teams and Azure
FreeWeb, Windows, iOS, Android
68.9
score / 100
Why switch from ModernMT
Azure-based MT with custom models trained on your own parallel data.
Pros
Built into Office, Outlook, Edge and Teams
Multi-device conversation for group translation
Generous free tier on the Azure API
Offline language packs in the mobile apps
Cons
Standalone apps feel less maintained than Google's
Custom models and document translation need Azure setup
Quality varies noticeably between language pairs
Visit Microsoft Translator Details and reviews
How this score is calculated
Editorial fit ×0.369
Reviews ×0.363
Clicks (90 days) ×0.1563
Freshness ×0.15100
Votes ×0.150
0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula
Is Microsoft Translator a good ModernMT alternative?
Verified facts
4 of 4 verified
Offline mode
Yes, offline translation packs
Checked Nov 8, 2026microsoft.com(opens source in a new tab)
API free tier
2 million characters/month
Checked Nov 8, 2026azure.microsoft.com(opens source in a new tab)
Conversation translation
Yes, real-time
Checked Nov 8, 2026microsoft.com(opens source in a new tab)
Free API trial
Free monthly text translation subscription
Checked Nov 8, 2026microsoft.com(opens source in a new tab)
3. Lara Translate
Best for: Professionals who want context-aware AI translation with explanations and CAT tool plugins
Free plan + paidWeb
68.8
score / 100
Why switch from ModernMT
The official successor from the same company, with TM migration and Trados and memoQ plugins.
Pros
Explains translation choices and accepts context
Handles documents, images and audio
Free plan and free API quota
Plugins for Trados and memoQ
Cons
Young product with a smaller ecosystem
Free plan has a modest character limit
Migration from ModernMT may need rework for API users
Visit Lara Translate Details and reviews
How this score is calculated
Editorial fit ×0.3100
Reviews ×0.363
Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
Freshness ×0.15100
Votes ×0.150
0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula
Is Lara Translate a good ModernMT alternative?
Verified facts
6 of 6 verified
Free plan
Yes, 60,000 characters a month
Checked Nov 8, 2026laratranslate.com(opens source in a new tab)
Pro price
$9.99/month billed annually
Checked Nov 8, 2026laratranslate.com(opens source in a new tab)
Free API
Up to 10,000 characters/month
Checked Nov 8, 2026laratranslate.com(opens source in a new tab)
Languages
203 for text
Checked Nov 8, 2026laratranslate.com(opens source in a new tab)
Starting price
$9.99 a month billed annually (Pro)
Checked Nov 8, 2026laratranslate.com(opens source in a new tab)
Team plan
From $29.99 a month billed annually
Checked Nov 8, 2026laratranslate.com(opens source in a new tab)
4. LibreTranslate
Best for: Developers and privacy-focused teams who want a free, self-hosted translation API
Open sourceSelf-hostableWeb, Self-hosted
65.4
score / 100
Why switch from ModernMT
Open-source MT API you can host yourself at no licence cost.
Pros
Runs entirely offline on your own hardware
Simple REST API supported by many self-hosted apps
No per-character costs when self-hosted
AGPL licence with an active community
Cons
Translation quality trails commercial engines
Fewer supported languages
Needs a decent server for acceptable speed
Visit LibreTranslate Details and reviews
How this score is calculated
Editorial fit ×0.357
Reviews ×0.363
Clicks (90 days) ×0.1563
Freshness ×0.15100
Votes ×0.150
0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula
Is LibreTranslate a good ModernMT alternative?
Verified facts
4 of 4 verified
License
AGPL-3.0
Checked Oct 25, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
Self-hosting
Yes, offline capable
Checked Oct 25, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab)
Translation engine
Argos Translate
Checked Nov 8, 2026libretranslate.com(opens source in a new tab)
Hosting options
Self-hosted or managed hosting
Checked Nov 8, 2026docs.libretranslate.com(opens source in a new tab)
5. Google Translate
Best for: Travellers and everyday users who need quick, free translation in almost any language
FreeWeb, iOS, Android, Browser extension
61.8
score / 100
Why switch from ModernMT
Broad language coverage and a cheap, well-documented cloud translation API.
Pros
Very wide language coverage, including rarer languages
Camera, voice and conversation modes in the mobile apps
Offline language packs for travel without data
Free with no account needed
Cons
Output can be literal or miss tone in longer texts
No glossaries, translation memory or team controls in the free app
Document translation on the web is limited in formats and size
Visit Google Translate Details and reviews
How this score is calculated
Editorial fit ×0.377
Reviews ×0.363
Clicks (90 days) ×0.150
Freshness ×0.15100
Votes ×0.150
0 counted reviews, 0 up and 0 down votes. Full formula
Is Google Translate a good ModernMT alternative?
Verified facts
5 of 5 verified
Offline mode
Yes, downloadable languages
Checked Nov 8, 2026translate.google.com(opens source in a new tab)
Camera translation
Yes
Checked Nov 8, 2026translate.google.com(opens source in a new tab)
Website translation
Yes, by URL
Checked Nov 8, 2026translate.google.com(opens source in a new tab)
API free allowance
500,000 characters/month
Checked Nov 8, 2026cloud.google.com(opens source in a new tab)
API price
$20 per million characters (standard tier)
Checked Nov 8, 2026cloud.google.com(opens source in a new tab)

Quick comparison

1. DeepLTop pick

Pros

Cons

Verified facts

2. Microsoft Translator

Pros

Cons

Verified facts

3. Lara Translate

Pros

Cons

Verified facts

4. LibreTranslate

Pros

Cons

Verified facts

5. Google Translate

Pros

Cons

Verified facts