Pot

Open-source desktop app for translating selected text and screenshots with many engines.

Updated Nov 1, 2026 · AppBreakup editorial · Windows, macOS, Linux

Pot has been discontinued. No longer maintained, according to the Pot website, which points users to the developer's newer app, Manggo.

Is Pot free?

Yes, free and open source

License:: GPL-3.0

Checked on Pot's site Nov 1, 2026

Switch from Pot to

All 4

DeepL
Starting price: €7.49/month billed annually (Individual)
Microsoft Translator
Free
Immersive Translate
Starting price: $14.99 a month (Pro)

Verified facts: 5 of 5
Alternatives ranked: 4
Approved reviews: 0
Visits sent from here: 0

About Pot

Pot is a cross-platform desktop translator that works on whatever you select: highlight text in any app and a popup shows translations from several engines side by side, or capture a region of the screen and it recognises the text with OCR before translating it. It supports the common translation services as well as AI models such as ChatGPT and ChatGLM, can read results aloud, and saves words to a vocabulary list. A plugin system adds extra translation, OCR, text-to-speech and word-list services, including an offline English-Chinese dictionary with about three million entries and offline OCR engines. It was popular with Chinese and English speakers who wanted a free, open-source alternative to Bob or Easydict that also worked outside macOS. Pot is released under GPL-3.0 and ran on Windows, macOS and Linux, but it is no longer maintained and the GitHub repository is archived, so it won't receive fixes for new OS versions or API changes. Existing users looking to move on are the main audience for this page.

Best for: Existing users who still rely on it for select-to-translate and OCR, while planning a replacement.

What works

Translate selected text or screenshots from any app
Compares many engines, including AI models, side by side
Plugins add offline dictionaries and offline OCR
Free and open source

Why people leave

No longer maintained, and the repository is archived
Most engines need your own API keys
Documentation and community are mainly in Chinese

Pot vs DeepL, Microsoft Translator and Immersive Translate

From each app's listing and the prices verified on its own site. A dash means we haven't verified it yet.

Attribute	Pot	DeepL	Microsoft Translator	Immersive Translate
Pricing	Open source	Free plan + paid	Free	Free plan + paid
Verified price	—	€7.49/month billed annually (Individual)	—	$14.99 a month (Pro)
Free plan	Free app	Yes	2 million characters/month	Yes
Open source	Yes	No	No	No
Self-hostable	No	No	No	No
Platforms	Windows, macOS, Linux	Web, Windows, macOS, iOS, Android, Browser extension	Web, Windows, iOS, Android	Web, Browser extension, iOS, Android

Top Pot alternatives

See all 4

1
DeepL
Desktop app with a shortcut to translate selected text, and high-quality output for European languages.
83.8
2
Microsoft Translator
Free apps with image and conversation translation, backed by a large provider.
68.9
3
Immersive Translate
Actively developed and supports many engines including AI models, mostly in the browser.
64.8
4
Google Translate
Free, with camera and image text translation on mobile and broad language coverage.
61.8

Why people left Pot

In reviewers' own words, from reviews of the apps they moved to. These are their opinions, not ours.

No switching stories yet. If you moved away from Pot, review the app you switched to and tell us why.

Reviews

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Pot: common questions

What is Pot?

Pot: Open-source desktop app for translating selected text and screenshots with many engines. Best for existing users who still rely on it for select-to-translate and OCR, while planning a replacement. Available for Windows, macOS and Linux.

Is Pot free?

Yes. Pot is free, open-source software.

Is Pot open source?

Yes. The source code is on GitHub at pot-app/pot-desktop.

What platforms does Pot run on?

Pot is available for Windows, macOS and Linux.

What are the best alternatives to Pot?

The highest-ranked Pot alternatives right now are DeepL, Microsoft Translator and Immersive Translate. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.

Pot vs DeepL: what's the difference?

Pot is free and open source; DeepL is free with paid plans. Pot is open source and DeepL is not. Only Pot runs on Linux. Only DeepL runs on Web, iOS, Android and Browser extension.

See all 4 Pot alternatives

Pot facts

5 of 5 verified

Maintenance status: No longer maintained; Checked Nov 8, 2026pot-app.com(opens source in a new tab); “Pot is no longer maintained”
License: GPL-3.0; Checked Nov 1, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab); “License: GPL-3.0 (GNU General Public License v3.0).”
Repository status: Archived; Checked Nov 1, 2026github.com(opens source in a new tab); “Status: archived.”
AI translation: ChatGPT and ChatGLM interfaces; Checked Nov 8, 2026pot-app.com(opens source in a new tab); “Multiple API Supports all common translation interfaces, as well as AI translation interfaces such as ChatGPT and ChatGLM!”
Offline dictionary: 3 million English-Chinese entries via plugin; Checked Nov 8, 2026pot-app.com(opens source in a new tab); “Offline Dictionary 3 million entries offline English-Chinese dictionary, provided by plugin!”