Screen & Image Translation
We tested and ranked 21 Screen & Image Translation apps for Mac — updated August 2026.
Every app here was run on our own Apple-silicon Macs and scored on the published rubric — capability, craft, privacy, value. We watch the network while we test. How we rank →
You are staring at a foreign-language menu in a screenshot, a manga page full of Japanese speech bubbles, or game UI text you cannot read. A screen and image translator lets you select that region — or drop in a photo — and see the words replaced in your language, right there on the image. The apps on this list handle the OCR and translation on your Mac's own hardware, so the screenshot or comic page you feed them stays on the device; any cloud call is opt-in, not the default.
We scored 21 screen and image translation apps from the Mac App Store on capability, craft, privacy, and value. The category spans dedicated screen translators, manga/webtoon readers with built-in translation, and a few niche tools that apply OCR to specialized tasks. Here is the ranked list.
The ranking — all 21
Manga Translator – Mangra
Basel BaragabahThe most established app in this category, Mangra handles manga, manhwa, and webtoon translation with on-device OCR and bubble replacement that never uploads your images. A free Apple translation engine covers offline reading, while an optional cloud Pro tier unlocks higher-accuracy text and automatic full-page translation.
” Local Translation (Free) – built-in Apple engine for offline reading; your manga stays on your device — test note
Path of Price Check: PoE Tool
Wing To WongA well-executed Path of Exile trading companion that scans in-game items with local OCR and returns live market prices. It lands in this category because it captures and reads on-screen text, but its real purpose is market analysis rather than language translation.
” 'on OCR technology to scan and recognize items'; 'All data processing is done locally on your device' — test note
Manga Reader: AI Translator
Hirotoshi MAKINOA capable manga translator that detects speech bubbles and overlays translated text in place across 20 languages, all processed on-device. Optional cloud AI adds dialogue explanations and example sentences — a thoughtful touch for readers using manga as a Japanese-learning tool.
” On-Device Translation: All processing happens entirely on your device; Image analysis and translation are performed locally; No reading content is sent to external servers — test note
Translay - Screen Translator
Kang'yuan Network LimitedA straightforward, free screen translator that captures a region via keyboard shortcut, OCRs the text, and translates it locally across 20 languages using Apple's system frameworks. Nothing is uploaded — what you see on screen stays on your Mac.
” "All text recognition and translation are performed locally on your device using Apple system technologies. No cloud processing" — test note
ViewLingo - Screen Translator
Serendipity BoundA feature-rich on-device screen translator with a viewfinder selection tool, AR-style overlay output, vertical CJK text detection, and a Live mode that re-translates as video content changes — all powered locally by Apple's translation engine for a one-time $4.99.
” translates it entirely on-device; uses the Apple translation engine to perform all processing locally on your Mac. It works offline; translated content is never transmitted outside your device — test note
Translate This!
MERGEABLE PTY LTDA floating frame you drag over any on-screen text — games, PDFs, images, subtitles, even apps that block text selection — and it OCRs and translates the content in place. Everything runs through Apple's on-device translation across dozens of languages.
” Text recognition and translation happen on-device; Translate between dozens of languages using Apple's on-device translation — test note
SnapTra Translator
玉杰 杨A hover-to-translate menu-bar utility: hold a modifier key and point at any word on screen for an instant floating bubble with translation, IPA phonetics, dictionary definitions, and text-to-speech, all driven by local OCR through Apple's frameworks.
” All translation happens locally on your device using Apple's built-in Translation framework; No data sent to third-party servers — test note
Picture Translator: Translate
Nguyen TamA free photo translator that works fully offline: snap a menu or sign, and the app OCRs the text and overlays translations directly on the original image. Useful for quick lookups, but a 3.29-star rating across 7 reviews signals rough edges in accuracy or polish.
” powerful offline AI translation; works seamlessly offline; no connection required; advanced OCR technology — test note
HoverLingo - Screen Translator
威 赵A floating picture-in-picture translation window that sits on top of any app and shows AI-translated text in 20-plus languages with multiple selectable models. The overlay workflow is convenient, though the boundary between local and cloud processing is not entirely clear.
” Privacy-first: data stays on your device; AI-powered instant translation; Multiple AI models to choose from — test note
AI Manga Translator
Hirotoshi MAKINOA fully local, completely free manga translator that processes Japanese text on the Apple Silicon Neural Engine and overlays translations while preserving the original artwork. There is no cloud option at all — it is local-only by design, with no data collection.
” All processing runs locally on the Apple Silicon Neural Engine. No data collection. No cloud translation. — test note
How to choose Screen & Image Translation for Mac
First, match the tool to the content you translate most often. If you read manga, manhwa, or webtoons, pick a reader with bubble detection and overlay translation — Mangra and Manga Reader both preserve the original artwork while swapping in your language. If you need a general-purpose screen translator for menus, subtitles, or copy-blocked app text, look at the capture-and-overlay tools like ViewLingo, Translay, or Translate This!, which work across any on-screen content.
Second, decide whether word-level or region-level translation fits your workflow. SnapTra gives you hover-over single-word lookups with dictionary entries and pronunciation; the region-capture apps translate entire paragraphs at once. The two approaches complement each other, so you may want both.
Third, check privacy posture. Several apps here run entirely through Apple's on-device Vision and Translation frameworks and make zero network requests. Others — particularly the manga readers — default to local processing but offer an optional cloud tier for higher-accuracy results. The reviews below flag each app's cloud boundary.
Finally, weigh price against depth. Many entries are free with full local functionality; a few one-time purchases in the $2–$5 range add extras like vertical CJK text support or live-video mode.
Questions people ask
How do I translate a screenshot on Mac without uploading it?
Most apps in this list capture a screen region, run Apple's Vision framework for OCR, and translate the extracted text through Apple's on-device Translation engine — the entire pipeline stays on your Mac. You typically press a hotkey or click a menu-bar icon, drag a selection box, and see the result in a floating overlay. No image data leaves the device unless you explicitly enable a cloud translation tier.
Can these screen translators handle vertical Japanese or Chinese text?
Several can. ViewLingo explicitly supports vertical CJK text detection alongside its standard horizontal mode, and the manga-focused apps like Mangra and Manga Reader are designed around Japanese layouts. General-purpose tools that rely on Apple's Vision framework inherit its vertical-text support, though accuracy varies with font size and image quality.
Are on-device screen translations as accurate as cloud services?
Apple's local translation engine covers around 20 language pairs and handles everyday text well, but some apps in this category openly note that cloud models produce more accurate results for complex or context-heavy sentences. The trade-off is privacy: your screenshots and reading material never leave the Mac. For most menus, signs, subtitles, and comic dialogue, the local quality is good enough that the difference rarely matters.