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

Google Translate vs Speak & Translate

Google Translate 4.3★ · Free + IAP 75
Winner Google Translate
Speak & Translate 4.5★ · Free + IAP 55

Google Translate is the better choice for most users due to its free core functionality and superior reliability, despite recent updates causing some user frustration.

Full reviews: Google Translate · Speak & Translate

Google Translate offers a robust, free translation experience with a wider range of features, though recent updates have introduced usability and reliability issues for some users. Speak & Translate, while praised for accuracy and speed by some, is heavily criticized for its aggressive subscription model and frequent performance problems like slow loading and crashing.

Head to head

Features edge: Google TranslateR3R11R16R20
Google Translate Google Translate offers a wide array of features including conversation mode, camera translation, and the ability to save translations, though some users report issues with these features, such as the conversation mode being too aggressive or camera translation failing R3R16R58. Users also desire more specific language options (e.g., types of Spanish) and the addition of article/gender for nouns R11R20.
Speak & Translate Speak & Translate provides speech and text translation, with some users finding it useful for long and complicated conversations R65. However, it lacks voice input for many languages R70 and some users wish for features like Pinyin R92.
Ease of Use edge: Google TranslateR2R3R22R36
Google Translate Google Translate has been criticized for recent updates making the app harder to use, with changes to reverse translation and added steps R2R22. The auto-detection in conversation mode is seen as too aggressive, interrupting users R3R43. Some users also find the interface looks 'childish' and spaced out R36.
Speak & Translate Speak & Translate is described as intuitive and easy to use by some , but many users report significant issues with slow loading times and the app freezing or crashing . The app also frequently prompts for reviews, which users find annoying R66R69R73.
Reliability edge: Google TranslateR9R10R18R19
Google Translate Google Translate's reliability has decreased for some users, with reports of the microphone not working sometimes R18, live translate failing R19, and the app stopping randomly during conversations R43R58. Some users also note that translations are not always correct or natural-sounding R9R10.
Speak & Translate Speak & Translate suffers from frequent reliability issues, including long loading times, freezing, and crashing . Voice input is often reported as not working or not recognizing speech . Accuracy is also a concern for some, especially for Spanish .
Price/Value edge: Google TranslateR17R50R85R88
Google Translate Google Translate is a free app with optional in-app purchases. Users generally appreciate its utility and value, often calling it 'the best translator' R17R50.
Speak & Translate Speak & Translate is heavily criticized for its pricing model. While it offers a free tier, users report that almost no functionality is available without a paid subscription R88. Many users feel misled by the 'free' designation, only to find it requires a subscription, sometimes as high as $10 a week or $100 a year, with some reporting unexpected charges R85R92R102R103.
Support tieR4R66R69R73
Google Translate Users report dissatisfaction with Google Translate's support, receiving generic 'thank you for your feedback' messages when reporting errors R4.
Speak & Translate There is no specific feedback on Speak & Translate's customer support, but users express frustration with the app's persistent review requests and subscription issues R66R69R73.
Pick Google Translate if

You need a free, feature-rich translator with generally reliable core functionality, including conversation and camera translation, and are willing to tolerate occasional glitches or recent UI changes R17R50R3R16.

Pick Speak & Translate if

You prioritize a potentially fast and accurate translation for long conversations and are willing to pay a subscription, provided you can overcome the app's loading and stability issues R65.

Evidence note: Recent reviews for Google Translate show a negative skew due to updates, while Speak & Translate's negative reviews are heavily focused on its pricing model and performance issues.

Frequently asked

Is Speak & Translate truly free?
No, Speak & Translate is not truly free; while it offers a free tier, users report that almost no functionality is available without a paid subscription, with costs potentially reaching $10 a week or $100 a year R88R92R102R103.
Which app is better for live conversation translation?
Google Translate's conversation mode is a key feature, though some users find its auto-detection too aggressive and report issues with it stopping prematurely or providing incorrect translations R3R43R58. Speak & Translate is praised by some for its efficiency in translating complicated conversations, but others report its voice input is unreliable and slow R65.
Do these apps support less common languages?
Google Translate users have requested the addition of specific languages like Navajo, Ingush, Adyghe, Gagauz, and Dargin, indicating a desire for broader language support R17R29. Speak & Translate users have noted that many languages, such as Persian, are not available in voice mode R70.

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 snapshots!!! · 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. [R36] Google Translate 3/5 · GB Looks so childish!: Google Translate is a great app, incredibly useful and easy to use. Yep. We all know that. And I am glad I can now adjust the speech speed. But WHY does it now look so babyish?? I hadn't updated it for ages and the older version had smaller text, closer together. Perfectly easy to understand, basic layout that allowed quite a lot of info to show on the screen without needing to
  8. [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
  9. [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.
  10. [R18] Google Translate 3/5 · US It’s ok: When I try to use the microphone to say what I want translated it only works sometimes. Also I want it to translate Hebrew but that’s not one of the languages that it offers.
  11. [R19] Google Translate 1/5 · US Line is garbage: Live translate never works
  12. [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!!!!
  13. [R50] Google Translate 5/5 · US Better: This for me is VERY BETTER Than any other translation app
  14. [R85] Speak & Translate 1/5 · US Bait and Switch: Did not realize this was automatically going to create a subscription and charged me $9.99 plus tax per week for almost two months. Unfortunately I did not realize as it was subtracting from my Apple balance which I do not monitor that closely. Reached out to Apple to refund who has provided little/no help so far. Read the other reviews! I expect more from this company and App
  15. [R88] Speak & Translate 1/5 · US you cant do anything without paying: you literally cant do anything in this app if you dont pay for a subscription. NOT EVEN TEXT. google translate is better than this because at least you can translate something without needing to pay a monthly subscription. dont get this app
  16. [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.
  17. [R66] Speak & Translate 3/5 · US Review Request with each use?: Why does the app ask for a review every time you open the app?
  18. [R69] Speak & Translate 3/5 · US It is ok: I am asked to rate too often The app does better on writing than speaking You are forced to do reviews - it is very annoying. It beats nothing. I guess I have to say something nice it or I can’t get off this screen. It is better than other translator apps I have tried.
  19. [R73] Speak & Translate 1/5 · US No mas: Quit asking for a review!!
  20. [R92] Speak & Translate 5/5 · US Okay: Wish it had the ping ying keeps asking me to rate which is annoying
  21. [R102] Speak & Translate 3/5 · GB Well: I was great but I can find other translating apps that can have the same offer for free instead of having a subscription
  22. [R103] Speak & Translate 1/5 · US This is not free at all.: Apps with a seven day free trial should say “free trial” not “get”. After seven days this app cost $10 a week and of course you’re required to put your credit card in to start the free trial, but this is only after you’ve spent some time setting up the app
  23. [R43] Google Translate 1/5 · US Getting worse: This app is getting worse each update. I can no longer use the live conversation feature as it wants to stop before the person is done speaking. Also getting more words incorrect now. I used to depend on this app a lot, but now it’s time to find something more reliable
  24. [R58] Google Translate 1/5 · US Listening issues: They need to improve the app to not stop the listening option until the person is finished speaking. For both regular translating and the live conversation editor, it would stop randomly and translate when the person wasn’t even finished with what they’re saying. I feel like it should not pause and translate until the person finishes speaking. It also provides completely incorrec
  25. [R65] Speak & Translate 5/5 · US Fast and good for long conversations: I was skeptical at first, but having tried it with my Spanish-speaking loved one it makes life very easy in translating very complicated conversations in in a very efficient way
  26. [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
  27. [R70] Speak & Translate 1/5 · US Voice input languages are not available: Persian and many more languages are not available in voice mode not benifited

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