DeepL API vs Microsoft Translator
Free API comparison
| DeepL API | Microsoft Translator | |
|---|---|---|
| Category | Language and text | Language and text |
| API key | Needed, free | Needed, free |
| Pricing | The DeepL API Free plan gives 500,000 characters per month with a free account (it uses its own server, api-free.deepl.com); DeepL API Pro is paid per character. | Free tier of 2 million characters per month with an Azure account; paid above that. |
| From the browser | Not stated | Yes (CORS) |
| Formats | JSON | JSON |
| Interface | REST, MCP | REST |
| Provider | developers.deepl.com | learn.microsoft.com |
| Last checked | Working on October 31st, 2026 | Working on November 1st, 2026 |
| MCP server | Yes, official | No |
Which one to choose
Microsoft Translator has the larger free tier, 2 million characters a month with an Azure account, and covers more than 100 languages, with transliteration and dictionary lookups. DeepL gives 500,000 characters a month on its free plan, for more than 30 languages, with formality settings and glossaries. Choose Microsoft for volume and many languages, DeepL for its translations in the languages it covers.
Each service's own page has its full description, a code example and what visitors report: DeepL API, Microsoft Translator.