Text & Document Translation
We tested and ranked 50 Text & Document 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 need to translate a PDF your colleague sent over, paste foreign-language text into a report, or just figure out what a menu says — and you'd rather the words never leave your Mac. The apps in this category handle typed text, clipboard contents, and whole documents across languages, running the actual translation on-device instead of sending your content to a remote server. We evaluated 50 Mac apps that offer some form of local text or document translation, scoring each on capability, craft, privacy, and value. What you'll find ranges widely: Apple's own Translate app with its offline language packs, dedicated LLM translators running open models like Gemma and TranslateGemma on Apple Silicon, format-preserving Office document translators, and hybrid tools that can work offline but also route through cloud services when you allow it. Some handle only plain text; others preserve every bold, table, and footnote in a Word file. A few need 16 GB of RAM for their models; others work on any Mac with a downloaded language pack. The list below ranks them by our scorecard so you can match the right tool to what you actually translate.
The ranking — all 50
Translate
Apple Inc.Apple's built-in translator covers text, voice, conversation, and camera input with a genuine offline mode for downloaded languages — free and deeply OS-integrated, though a 2.3-star rating hints at rough edges in everyday use.
” On-device mode — Enable a fully offline experience in Translate and for downloaded languages — test note
Locally Translate
Element Labs IncRuns a dedicated translation model on Apple's MLX framework, delivering offline translation across 50-plus languages without any login or data collection — a strong privacy story backed by Apple Silicon optimization.
” Translate completely offline with state-of-the-art AI translation model directly on your iPhone; Powered by Apple MLX; 100% Offline — test note
Translator Offline
Evgeniy LabunchakA practical offline translator for 30-plus languages with downloadable language packs and PDF export, but a hybrid under the hood: some translation routes silently phone out to Google's cloud.
” "works even without a network connection"; "Download the language once — and use it offline"; offline mode — test note
Translate AI- Voice Translator
Maxima AppsCovers 200-plus languages across text, voice, and camera with a genuine offline subset for 50-plus languages, but the core AI engine is cloud-based — this is a cloud translator with an offline fallback rather than a local-first tool.
” Offline Translation – Translate text in 50+ languages even without internet access — test note
Bobr Translate
Denis KleptsovTranslates Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents into 36 languages entirely on your Mac, preserving bold, fonts, tables, charts, and notes — a genuinely rare format-preserving offline Office translator accelerated by Metal.
” 100% on your Mac. No cloud; translation happens on-device using Apple Silicon (Metal) acceleration; downloaded once... stored on disk for offline use — test note
GemmaTrans
Yawei TanPuts Google's open-source Gemma large language model in your menu bar for fully offline select-and-translate — highlight text in any app, press a hotkey, and a streaming popup delivers the result without a single network request.
Rosettica
智敏 焦Runs TranslateGemma 4B on Apple's MLX framework fully on-device, with multi-target streaming that outputs several languages at once, OCR-based input for translating images, and a Mac-as-server mode that lets other devices borrow your translation engine.
” TranslateGemma running on-device; Powered by TranslateGemma 4B on Apple's MLX framework, Rosettica runs fully on-device; translation works entirely offline — test note
BabelBox
万飞 陈Runs Tencent's Hy-MT1.5 neural machine translation model locally through llama.cpp, covering 37 languages across 1,332 translation directions with format-preserving DOCX and Markdown export — a serious document translator rather than a demo.
” Powered by the Tencent Hy-MT1.5 model running entirely on your Mac... via llama.cpp; 100% local processing — your data never leaves your Mac — test note
Sidekick Translate
Ascenso Labs LLCA systemwide translator whose conversation mode can run on Apple's offline engine, keeping all translation history on-device only — plus tone and dialect controls that let you choose between formal and casual registers or regional variants.
” "switch to Apple's powerful on-device translation for a private, and fully offline experience" — test note
Mini Translate - Offline
Alejandro PachecoA one-dollar, no-subscription translator powered entirely by Apple Intelligence — type, speak, or point your camera, and everything processes on-device across 13 languages with zero tracking or data collection.
” Translate text instantly using Apple Intelligence. Works completely offline; Everything happens on your device using Apple Intelligence — test note
How to choose Text & Document Translation for Mac
Start with what you're translating. If it's quick snippets — a sentence from a webpage, a chat message — a menu-bar or hotkey translator like GemmaTrans or Locally Translate keeps you in flow without switching apps. If you need to translate entire Word, Excel, or PowerPoint files with formatting intact, Bobr Translate and BabelBox are the rare tools that preserve bold, tables, and charts through the process. For PDFs, look at apps that pair OCR with translation so scanned documents aren't a dead end.
Next, check the privacy model. Fully offline apps like Locally Translate and GemmaTrans make zero network calls — your text stays on your Mac unconditionally. Hybrid apps such as Translator Offline or Sidekick Translate offer an offline mode but route some translations through cloud services; read the fine print on which language pairs stay local. If you handle confidential documents, a pure on-device tool removes the ambiguity.
Language coverage spans from 13 to over 200. More isn't always better: a cloud-backed 200-language app may send your text out, while a 36-language offline tool keeps it local. Match coverage to the languages you actually use.
Finally, weigh the hardware ask. LLM-based translators like GemmaTrans need 16 GB of RAM and a multi-gigabyte download. Apple-framework translators and lightweight neural models run on more modest machines. Prices range from free to a few dollars one-time — subscriptions are uncommon here.
Questions people ask
Can I translate a PDF fully offline on my Mac?
Yes — several apps here handle documents without a connection. Bobr Translate processes Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files on-device with formatting preserved. BabelBox translates across 37 languages via a local neural model and exports to DOCX or Markdown. For PDF-specific work, Doco Translate preserves page layout and OCRs scanned pages using local models through Ollama or LM Studio. Download the model once, then everything stays on your Mac.
Are local Mac translators accurate enough to replace cloud services like DeepL?
It depends on the language pair and your tolerance for rough edges. LLM-based options like GemmaTrans and Rosettica run capable open models — Gemma and TranslateGemma 4B — that handle common pairs well, though they may trail cloud services on rare languages or highly nuanced text. For everyday email, documents, and web content, the top local translators here produce usable output while keeping your text entirely on-device.
Do these translation apps work without any internet at all?
Most apps in this list can translate without a live connection once you download their language pack or model. Fully offline tools like Locally Translate, GemmaTrans, and Bobr Translate never phone home after initial setup. Hybrid apps — Translator Offline, Sidekick Translate, Rosettica — offer an offline path but may route certain language pairs or premium features through the cloud, so check which mode you're using.