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Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

Google Translate vs Translate Now

Google Translate 4.3★ · Free + IAP 75
Winner Google Translate
Translate Now 4.7★ · Free + IAP 40

Google Translate is the clear winner due to its free core functionality, superior feature set, and more reliable performance compared to Translate Now, which is plagued by high subscription costs and a bait-and-switch monetization model.

Full reviews: Google Translate · Translate Now

Google Translate offers a comprehensive and mostly free translation experience, despite recent complaints about UI changes and live translation issues. Translate Now, while praised for accuracy by some, is severely hampered by its extremely high weekly subscription fees and aggressive monetization tactics, leading many users to feel scammed.

Head to head

Features edge: Google TranslateR3R11R16R20
Google Translate Google Translate offers a wide range of features including conversation mode, camera translation, and offline capabilities, though users report recent issues with live conversation, camera clarity for small text, and a desire for more specific language variations R3R11R16. Some users appreciate features like synonyms and noun gender suggestions R20.
Translate Now Translate Now offers basic text translation, and some users find its translations quick and accurate . However, many advanced features like voice and picture translation are locked behind a paywall . Users also miss features like text-to-speech for typed translations and pinyin for Chinese, which Google Translate provides .
Ease of Use edge: Google TranslateR2R3R22R30
Google Translate Google Translate has generally been considered easy to use, but recent updates have introduced frustration, with users complaining about moved reverse translation, more steps for switching languages, and an overly aggressive auto-detection in conversation mode R2R3R22R30. Some find the new interface childish and spaced out .
Translate Now Translate Now is described as easy to use by some . However, the constant prompts for subscription and the difficulty in unsubscribing make the user experience frustrating for many R82. Some also report lag when using the microphone and the removal of speech speed options .
Reliability edge: Google TranslateR3R4R9R10
Google Translate Google Translate's reliability has declined with recent updates. Users report issues with conversation mode cutting off speakers, live translation being delayed or not working, camera translation failing, and incorrect or unnatural AI-sounding translations R3R4R10R19. Some translations are noted as not fully correct, especially for specific dialects or technical terms R9R12.
Translate Now Translate Now receives mixed reviews on reliability. Some users find it fast and accurate , while others report that live translation is broken or says 'no connection' even on Wi-Fi . There are also reports of keyboard glitches and the app not working on Mac .
Price/Value edge: Google TranslateR17R29R50R66
Google Translate Google Translate is free with optional in-app purchases, offering significant value for its comprehensive features. While some users express minor frustrations, the core functionality is available without cost R17R29R50.
Translate Now Translate Now is heavily criticized for its exorbitant pricing, with users reporting charges of $9.99 per week, or $40-60 per month, for basic features R66R70R76R82. Many feel it's a scam, a bait-and-switch, or that the price is absurd for a translation app, especially when compared to streaming services .
Support tieR4R85
Google Translate Google Translate users report receiving generic 'thank you for your feedback' messages when reporting errors and issues, indicating a lack of direct, helpful support R4.
Translate Now Translate Now users report difficulty reaching customer support and no resolution for unauthorized charges R85.
Pick Google Translate if

you need a free, feature-rich translator with robust language support and generally reliable performance, despite some recent UI and live translation glitches R17R29R50.

Pick Translate Now if

you are willing to pay an extremely high weekly subscription for a potentially fast and accurate text translation, and you don't mind a limited free tier .

Evidence note: Translate Now's lifetime rating is significantly higher than Google Translate's, but recent reviews for Translate Now are overwhelmingly negative due to its aggressive and expensive subscription model, suggesting a free-vs-paid asymmetry where initial positive reviews may have been for a different pricing structure or by users who didn't encounter the paywall immediately. Google Translate's recent negative reviews focus on usability and reliability issues, not pricing.

Frequently asked

Is Translate Now free to use?
No, Translate Now is not free; while it may offer a very limited free trial, most features require a subscription that costs around $9.99 per week, or $40-60 per month, which many users consider a scam R66R70R76R82.
What are the main complaints about Google Translate?
The main complaints about Google Translate revolve around recent updates that have made the app harder to use, with issues like moved reverse translation, overly aggressive auto-detection in conversation mode, delayed or non-functional live translation, and camera translation problems R2R3R19R21.
Does Google Translate offer specific language dialects?
Users of Google Translate have expressed a desire for more specific language dialects, such as different types of Spanish (Spain, Latin American, Mexico, Chile, Argentina) and differentiation between British and American English, as the app currently does not consistently provide these options R11R12.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R3] Google Translate 3/5 · US Great tool, but Conversation Mode is broken. Bring back manual control!: The auto-detection in Conversation Mode is too aggressive. When sharing one phone with a friend, the app constantly cuts me off and blasts out translations while I'm still talking. It causes a confusing overlap of audio that ruins the conversation. Please bring back the manual recording controls and give us an option to disab
  2. [R11] Google Translate 5/5 · US I love learning Spanish, but…: I love learning this for Spanish languages, but it won’t let me know what kind of Spanish I wanna use, like for example, Spanish (Spain), Spanish (Latin American), Spanish (Mexico), Spanish (Chile), and Spanish (Argentina). It just randomly does it for me. I don’t understand this at all. So next time you do the update in the future, can you put like all the AI Spanis
  3. [R16] Google Translate 1/5 · US Stopped working: It stopped translating from camera photos!!! · translated
  4. [R20] Google Translate 5/5 · US Gender of nouny: Please give either the article or gender of nouns. Thank you
  5. [R2] Google Translate 4/5 · US I don’t understand why they moved the reverse translation.: It’s no longer simple to use; I don’t understand the change.
  6. [R22] Google Translate 2/5 · US They made the app worse and harder to use: You used to be able to switch back and forth between the original language and translation with a touch of a button. Now they have added extra steps, and made it harder. Nice job.
  7. [R30] Google Translate 3/5 · US New Translation Button Missing: Where's the new translation button?! That's the most basic functionality. Please don't tell me it was a Product decision to remove the button 😭
  8. [R4] Google Translate 1/5 · US Error: All I get is “I didn’t understand the audio”. I write to Google to get an answer and all I receive is a “thank you for your feedback” message.
  9. [R9] Google Translate 3/5 · US Useful but not fully understood: Though the translator works but not all of them are are correct For instance pero means but not yet
  10. [R10] Google Translate 1/5 · US Ai made it worse: It used to be decent. Now it just gives unnatural ai sounding translations that doesn’t translate word for word your original input.
  11. [R17] Google Translate 5/5 · US OVERPOWERED: This is the best translator to ever exist and NOTHING can change my mind. This app has been useful to me more times than I can count. If yall could add Navajo that would be excellent, but other than that, THE BEST EVER!!!!
  12. [R29] Google Translate 5/5 · US Very useful: So besides the app being very useful I have four languages that hopefully can get on the list and they are- 1.Ingush: Similar to Chechen, closest relative to Chechen. 2.Adyghe: Spoken in Adyge Republic in Russia. 3.Gagauz: Spoken in southern Moldova, but is almost extinct, it is a Turkic language. 4.Dargin: Spoken in Russia, Dagestan. And these are the four languages that hopefull
  13. [R50] Google Translate 5/5 · US Better: This for me is VERY BETTER Than any other translation app
  14. [R66] Translate Now 3/5 · US Read carefully: Although quite functional, but $15 a week is absurd. The intertwining of ChatGTP gives a myriad of useful translations, but for $60 a month the app should mow my lawn and wash the dishes. Aunque es bastante funcional, $15 a la semana es absurdo. La interconexión de ChatGTP ofrece una multitud de traducciones útiles, pero por $60 al mes la aplicación debería cortar mi césped y lav
  15. [R85] Translate Now 1/5 · US Hard to use and no customer service provided after having a problem: I only used this app once in a while. Didnt like it much since they don’t have a lot of features and not that easy to use. One day I checked my bank account and saw some transactions that’s like a subscription fee. I didn’t know that I had a subscription with this app, they charged me every week $9.99 for about 2 months. I tried
  16. [R70] Translate Now 1/5 · US $9.00 a WEEK????: I’m sorry, what???!?? This is a joke right?!? Who’s paying $9.00/week for a translator app??? Who would do that?? With 350+K favorable reviews, you would like us all to believe that HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE are paying $50 A MONTH for a TRANSLATION APP…??? And if you read the negative reviews, the company response justifies the expense saying it’s going toward “future devel
  17. [R76] Translate Now 2/5 · US To Dame Expensive: $9.99 a week = $40 a month; that is way to Dame Expensive.
  18. [R82] Translate Now 1/5 · US $40 per month: *WARNING* : It did not say clearly and plainly in the App Store that this program costs $9.99 per week which comes to about $520 per year. I gave it 1 star because it works. But I removed 4 stars because it nearly scammed me. You get only 3 days to “try” it before it starts sipping away at your bank account. *UNINSTALLED!!!* さようなら Goodbye! _Arrivederci!_ 再见 Adios! Auf Wieder
  19. [R19] Google Translate 1/5 · US Line is garbage: Live translate never works
  20. [R21] Google Translate 3/5 · US Update: This is the first review I’ve ever left and I had to do it. Google translate was amazing but after this latest update it is absolutely unusable. I don’t know what happened but the app functions horrible now. If you’re trying to live translate it is so delayed or doesn’t even translate anymore. Just awful
  21. [R12] Google Translate 3/5 · US Ok but not reliable: Especially for English because it can't differentiate between British and American. I have to retranslate because I don't know British words. Google should fix this.

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store