Private and open-source alternatives to Microsoft Translator
5 translation rated against the same public privacy criteria as Microsoft Translator (Bing Translator), with our picks first.
Why look for an alternative?
- Open source: no. Closed source.
- No trackers or telemetry: no. Microsoft collects usage and diagnostic data and uses data about users for personalized advertising.
- No ads or data sales: no. Free service from Microsoft, which uses data about users of its services for personalized advertising.
- Independent audit: no. No independent audit of the consumer translator is published.
- Security headers: partial. Grade B (70/100+)
- Works offline: partial. The mobile apps can download offline translation packs. Online translation is the default.
- Text not kept: no. Submitted text and audio are processed to improve Microsoft's products, with random samples kept after de-identification. No opt-out is described.
See the full Microsoft Translator rating.
The alternatives
TranslateLocally Grade B
Open-source desktop app that translates text on the device with downloadable neural models from the Bergamot project, originally built at the University of Edinburgh. Browser extensions are also available.
Based in the United Kingdom (Five Eyes). TranslateLocally scores 87 out of 100 (grade B) on the translation criteria. It meets 5 of 6 criteria: open source, no trackers or telemetry, no ads or data sales, works offline and text not kept.
Apertium Grade B
Free and open-source rule-based machine translation platform, focused on related and lesser-resourced languages. Usable on apertium.org or installed locally for offline translation.
Apertium scores 77 out of 100 (grade B) on the translation criteria. It meets 4 of 6 criteria: open source, no ads or data sales, works offline and text not kept.
LibreTranslate Grade C
Open-source machine translation API built on Argos Translate that can be self-hosted. A hosted instance at libretranslate.com offers a free web translator and paid API keys.
Based in the United States (Five Eyes). LibreTranslate scores 67 out of 100 (grade C) on the translation criteria. It meets 5 of 10 criteria: open source, no trackers or telemetry, no ads or data sales, works offline and text not kept.
Firefox Translations Grade C
Built-in Firefox feature that translates web pages on the device with local machine translation models, without sending text to a cloud service.
Based in the United States (Five Eyes). Firefox Translations scores 63 out of 100 (grade C) on the translation criteria. It meets 3 of 6 criteria: open source, works offline and text not kept.
Kagi Translate Grade F
Translation service from Kagi Inc. that uses large language models from several providers to translate text, documents and web pages. Free to use on the web and in mobile apps.
Based in the United States (Five Eyes). Kagi Translate scores 38 out of 100 (grade F) on the translation criteria. It meets 2 of 10 criteria: no trackers or telemetry and no ads or data sales.