Drag a file. Hold Shift. Done.
Drag any file on your Mac and hold Shift to explain it out loud, translate it, read it aloud, add a receipt to your expenses or a booking to your calendar.
Why switch
Why look for a DeepL alternative for documents?
DeepL translates whole files: Word, PowerPoint, PDF and more, from its website or its free Mac app. The free account translates 1 file a month, up to 5 MB, and the file it gives back can't be edited (DeepL's file formats). The cheapest paid plan, Individual, allows 3 files a month; on DeepL's page for Germany it's €7.49 a month billed yearly, at the time of writing. Its privacy policy says the free version may use what you upload, for a limited time, to train its models.
People look elsewhere when:
- One free file a month isn't enough, and three on the paid plan isn't much more.
- The free translation comes back locked, so they can't fix a word.
- They don't want a document with personal details used to train a model.
- It's a photo of a letter or a scanned page, not a clean file.
We make Koi, one of the apps below, so read this with that in mind. Everything about the others comes from their own sites, checked on October 18, 2026. We leave out general chat assistants and stick to tools made for documents.
The picks
6 DeepL alternatives for translating documents on Mac
1. Koi
Best for: Any file in your language with one drag, no monthly file count
Drag a PDF, a Word file, slides or a photo of a page, hold Shift, and drop it on Translate in the wheel that opens round your pointer. It comes back as a page of Koi's own in your language, a page of the file at a time, ready to edit, export to Word or PDF, or share. Pictures and scanned pages are read on your Mac first; only the words go to Koi's AI, which keeps none of them.
There's no count of files a month: it's part of Koi, on every plan. Pro is $20 a month, or $192 a year, after a 3-day free trial that needs a card. Lifetime is paid once, from $59. The same wheel can explain the letter out loud on a call, or read it to you.
The tradeoff is real: Koi keeps the paragraphs, lists and headings, not the file's exact layout. A form with boxes and columns comes back as plain text. When the layout must match, use DeepL or Reverso.
2. Google Translate
Best for: Free whole-file translation in the browser
Google Translate's website translates .docx, .pdf, .pptx and .xlsx files up to 10 MB, and PDFs up to 300 pages, free. Text inside pictures and scanned pages isn't translated, and it doesn't work on small screens.
3. Microsoft Word
Best for: People who already pay for Microsoft 365
In Word for Mac, Review, Translate, Translate Document opens a translated copy in a new window, and Excel and PowerPoint do the same. It needs Microsoft 365 (Personal is $99.99 a year, per Microsoft) or Office 2021 or 2024, and an internet connection.
4. Reverso Documents
Best for: Keeping the layout, with an editor to fix each line
Reverso translates PDF, Word, PowerPoint, Excel and text, keeps the layout, and lets you review each segment before exporting. Free is about 5 pages; Premium is €6.49 a month billed yearly, with OCR for scans (its pricing). It runs in Europe and says documents aren't used for training.
5. DocTranslator
Best for: Huge files and odd formats
DocTranslator handles PDF, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, InDesign, text and images in 108 languages, keeping the layout. Its free plan still charges by the word, $0.005, with files kept 24 hours; Pro is $19.99 a month for files up to 1 GB.
6. macOS Translate
Best for: Free and on your Mac, for a paragraph
Select text anywhere, Control-click it and choose Translate. It works in documents, email, web pages and pictures, and On-Device Mode keeps it on your Mac. It translates what you select, not a whole file.
Side by side
The alternatives at a glance
| App | Free | Keeps the layout | Scans and photos |
|---|---|---|---|
| Koi | No, $20/month after a trial | No | Yes |
| DeepL | 1 file a month, not editable | Yes | Images in beta |
| Google Translate | Yes, 10 MB | Yes | No |
| Microsoft Word | No, Microsoft 365 | Yes | Not stated |
| Reverso Documents | About 5 pages | Yes | Paid plans |
| DocTranslator | Pay per word | Yes | Yes |
| macOS Translate | Yes | Selected text only | Yes |
Keep exploring
Live captions in your language, on any call
See what others say on Zoom, Meet or Teams in your language, translated on your Mac while Koi records the call. macOS 26 or later, nothing sent to translate.
Flashcards, study notes and a tutor, on your Mac
Koi's study tools for Mac: flashcards with spaced repetition, study notes from a PDF, Word file or slides, recorded lectures, and a Study mode that teaches.
Speak your language, get English text on your Mac
How to speak your own language and get English text on a Mac: Apple's free dictate-then-translate steps, and dictation that types English as you talk.
Support
Frequently asked questions
One file a month, up to 5 MB, and the translated file can't be edited (checked October 18, 2026).
With Koi, yes: drag it with Shift held and drop it on Translate. Pages are read on your Mac first, then translated into a page you can edit.
No. It keeps paragraphs, lists and headings as a page of its own, exportable to Word or PDF. For an exact layout, DeepL, Reverso or Google Translate do better.