Best offline translator apps for Mac

If you need a translator app for Mac that works with no internet connection, three of the options below can do that after a download: macOS itself, plus two apps, Plae and Interpreter: Quick Translate. DeepL for Mac cannot. DeepL's own troubleshooting page says the desktop app needs an internet connection. Google Translate on the web is a site you open in a browser. Google documents offline language packs for the Translate app on a phone or tablet, not for that website.

This is a comparison of what each publisher says. It is not a ranked list, and it does not score translation quality.

Quick answer

What each publisher says about offline use on a Mac. Price model is free, paid, free + in-app purchases, or free + paid plans. No prices are listed.
App	Works offline?	Voice input	Languages	Where it runs	Price model
macOS built-in translation	Yes, after you download languages	Not in Apple's Mac guide	Whichever languages you download	On-device, or Apple servers	free
DeepL for Mac	No	Not in the Mac feature list	DeepL's published language list	Cloud	free + paid plans
Google Translate (web)	No	Yes, in the browser	Over 200, in Google's app help	Cloud	free
Plae	Yes, after a language or model download	Not listed	19 or 55, depending on the engine	On-device	paid
Interpreter: Quick Translate	Yes. The product page says the iPhone translation needs no internet. The App Store lists the Mac app as on-device.	Yes	38	On-device	free + in-app purchases

DeepL's Mac download is described as free, and DeepL also sells paid plans. This page does not list those prices. Plae's FAQ says the Mac App Store purchase is one-time, not a subscription. This page does not list that price either.

What "offline" means on a Mac

There are two different mechanisms. One keeps a translation model on the Mac and runs it there. The other sends the text to a service and waits for a reply. A menu-bar app can still be a cloud app. A website is a cloud app for as long as the page has to load and submit text.

Apple's Mac guide is the clearest statement of the on-device path. You download each language in System Settings, under General, then Language & Region, then Translation Languages. After that, translation can run with no connection. Apple also says offline translations may be less accurate than translations processed on Apple's servers. If you turn on On-Device Mode, the Mac keeps doing the translation locally even when the network is up. Siri and Safari always process translations online, so those two surfaces are not the offline path.

The language or model has to be on the Mac before the network can drop. This page does not treat those downloads as the same size.

macOS built-in translation, DeepL, Google Translate, and Plae

macOS built-in translation

Not an app. Select text, right-click, choose Translate. Works offline once languages are downloaded.

Apple's Mac guide describes translation as a system feature, not a separate App Store app. You select text in a document, email, message, or some third-party apps, Control-click, and choose Translate. You can also translate text in an image with Live Text, replace the selection with the translation, copy the translation, or play it aloud.

The guide does not document dictation into Translate. Playback is output, not voice input. Apple does not put a language count on that page. The practical limit is the set you download, plus the Siri and Safari exception above. It is included with macOS, so the price model is free.

DeepL for Mac

DeepL's desktop page lists text translation, text improvement, glossaries, file translation, saved translations, screen capture, and shortcuts across apps. Troubleshooting says the Mac app needs macOS 14 and an internet connection. Saved translations on Mac can sit on the device. That is storage, not offline translation. Dictation is documented for the mobile apps, not in the Mac feature list, so this page does not state Mac voice input. DeepL publishes a language list and says not every language supports glossaries, tone, or alternatives. The download is described as free, login as optional, and paid plans exist. Prices are not repeated here.

Google Translate on the web

Google Translate on a Mac is the website. Google's offline help is for the Translate app on Android, and a Google post says the iOS app has offline packs too. Neither describes an offline mode for the website. On a computer, Google's help says you allow the microphone, choose both languages, click the microphone, speak, and click Stop. Chrome is fully supported. Safari and Edge have limited support. Microphone input does not detect the language for you. You can click Listen to hear a result. Google's iPhone and iPad help says the app covers over 200 languages and that the website exists too. This page uses that figure and does not state a separate website count. Those help pages do not show a price, so the model here is free.

Plae

Plae is a menu-bar app. Its site says you press a shortcut, Command-Shift-T by default, type, and press Return. A presentation mode can show the translation full screen. The site describes three engines, all on the Mac: Apple Translation, which Plae says covers 19 languages; Apple Intelligence, which Plae says covers more languages and needs Apple Intelligence turned on; and a built-in model Plae says covers 55 languages.

Plae's FAQ says that once the language pair or the model is downloaded, the app does not need an internet connection and does not connect to the internet. It requires macOS Sequoia 15.0 or later. Apple Intelligence translation, in that FAQ, requires macOS Tahoe (26) or later. The built-in model is a separate download, in three sizes the FAQ ties to 8 GB, 16 GB, and 24 GB of memory. The site describes typing and does not list voice input. The FAQ says the Mac App Store purchase is one-time, not a subscription, so the price model is paid.

Interpreter: Quick Translate by Tecmanic

Tap the mic and start talking. The translation shows up while you're still speaking. It runs on Apple's on-device Translation framework, so on iPhone it works with no internet connection. It detects the language automatically, and you can swap languages or copy the translation with one tap. Dozens of languages, on iPhone, iPad and Mac. Requires iOS, iPadOS or macOS 26.4 or later.

Download Interpreter: Quick Translate on the App Store.

Which one to pick

Text stays on the Mac: Apple's On-Device Mode, Plae, or Interpreter: Quick Translate. DeepL for Mac and Google Translate on the web send the text off the machine.
A file: DeepL's Mac feature list includes file translation, and it needs the internet. Apple's built-in tool translates text you select, including Live Text in an image. It is not described as a file upload.
Voice: Interpreter: Quick Translate documents dictation. Google Translate on the web documents a microphone, with the browser limits above. Apple's Mac guide, DeepL's Mac feature list, and Plae's site do not document voice input.
No purchase: Apple's built-in translation and Google Translate on the web. DeepL's Mac download is free, with paid plans available. Interpreter: Quick Translate is a free download with in-app purchases. Plae is paid.

With no network, and only selected text to translate, Apple's built-in translation is already on the Mac once the languages are downloaded. For a separate window with dictation in the languages listed on the Tecmanic page, use Interpreter: Quick Translate. It runs on Mac, iPhone, and iPad.

FAQ

Does Mac's built-in translation work offline?

Yes, after you download languages. Apple's Mac guide says to open System Settings, go to General, then Language & Region, then Translation Languages, and download each language. Offline translations may be less accurate than translations processed on Apple's servers. Siri and Safari always process translations online. On-Device Mode keeps translation on the Mac even when you are online.

Is DeepL available offline?

No. DeepL's desktop troubleshooting page says you need to be connected to the internet to use the DeepL desktop app. That includes DeepL for Mac. The minimum system it lists for Mac is macOS 14.

Is there an offline translator app?

Yes. Interpreter: Quick Translate uses Apple's on-device Translation framework once its languages are downloaded, and the Mac version is on the App Store. The Mac's built-in translation also works offline on a Mac after you download languages.

What's the most private translator for Mac?

The private options in this list are the ones that translate on the Mac. Apple's On-Device Mode processes translations on the Mac. Plae's FAQ says your text never leaves the computer. Interpreter: Quick Translate uses Apple's on-device translation. Its product page says translation runs on the device, and the App Store listing includes the Mac app. DeepL for Mac requires an internet connection. Google Translate on the web runs in the browser, so the text goes to Google's service.