iTranslate has a free tier with online text and voice translation. Offline mode, voice-to-voice conversations, website translation, and verb conjugations are locked behind iTranslate Pro at $5.99/month or $49.99/year. The 7-day free trial requires a credit card and auto-renews unless canceled. TapSay's offline mode is included in the phrases) — no card required.

What is the best free alternative to iTranslate?

For offline travel translation specifically: TapSay (PWA, 119 languages, no subscription, no app install). For general-purpose free translation with offline mode: Google Translate with downloaded language packs. For iOS users: Apple Translate. iTranslate's main paid features (offline mode, conversation mode) are available free elsewhere.

Does iTranslate work offline without paying?

No. iTranslate's offline mode requires an active iTranslate Pro subscription ($5.99/month or $49.99/year). You can use online translation in the free tier, but the moment you lose WiFi or mobile data, the app becomes useless unless you've subscribed.

How do I cancel iTranslate Pro?

iTranslate subscriptions are managed through Apple App Store or Google Play subscriptions, not through the iTranslate app itself. iOS: Settings → Apple ID → Subscriptions → iTranslate → Cancel. Android: Play Store → menu → Subscriptions → iTranslate → Cancel. You'll keep Pro features until the end of the billing period.

How does TapSay's free tier compare to iTranslate's free tier?

TapSay free: 45 pre-translated travel phrases across 12 categories, fully offline in any browser, no signup, no card. iTranslate free: unlimited online text translation in 100+ languages, but no offline mode and limited voice features. TapSay wins for travelers offline; iTranslate wins for general online translation needs.

Why is iTranslate's offline mode behind a paywall?

Offline neural translation models are large (40–100MB per language) and expensive to maintain across 40+ languages. iTranslate monetizes the storage and engineering investment through Pro. TapSay sidesteps this by being a curated phrasebook (693 hand-translated phrases) instead of a translation engine — total app size under 5MB even with all 119 languages bundled.

TapSay vs iTranslate (2026): Free Offline Translator vs $5.99/mo Pro

Side-by-side: pricing, offline, and free tier

What you care about	TapSay	iTranslate
Cost of offline mode	phrases) or $1/day for full library	$5.99/month or $49.99/year (Pro only)
App install required	No — runs in any phone browser	Yes — App Store / Play Store
Account / signup	Never	Required for Pro features and free trial
Credit card to start	No	Required for 7-day Pro trial (auto-renews)
Free tier offline	45 phrases, fully offline	Online translation only
Languages (offline)	119 (all bundled, <5MB)	~40 (Pro, ~50MB per pack)
Languages (total)	119	~100
Free-form text translation	No (curated phrasebook)	Yes
Voice translation	Audio playback only	Yes (Pro for offline)
Camera / OCR translation	No	Yes (Pro)
Privacy: data on device	Yes (no data leaves device)	No (sent to iTranslate servers)
Time to first phrase from "I need a translator"	~10 seconds	~7 minutes (install + signup + card + pack download)

The pricing trap most iTranslate users don't notice

iTranslate's free tier looks generous — unlimited text translation in 100+ languages. But the moment your situation actually requires a translator (offline at the airport, in a foreign cab, in a market with no signal), you discover that everything that matters offline is locked behind Pro: offline mode, voice-to-voice conversations, website translation, verb conjugations.

The 7-day free trial requires a credit card and auto-renews to $5.99/month or $49.99/year. App Store and Play Store policies make canceling work — but you have to remember, do it in the right place (Settings → Subscriptions, not the iTranslate app itself), and time it before the renewal date. iTranslate's own subscription page is honest about this; users routinely aren't.

If you genuinely need iTranslate's offline neural translation for free-form text, $72/year may be worth it. If you mostly need to communicate basic travel phrases — directions, food, emergencies, hotel check-in — you're paying for a feature you'll use 4–5 times a year.

Where TapSay wins

1. Cost

phrases. $3.54 for a 3-day trip pass, $7.82 for 7 days, $13.52 for 14 days. One-time purchase. No subscription, no renewal, no card required for the free tier. A 14-day TapSay pass costs less than a single month of iTranslate Pro.

2. No app install

iTranslate is a 70MB app on the App Store. TapSay is a Progressive Web App — open tapsay.me/app in Safari or Chrome, the entire 119-language library caches in 5 seconds, you're done. No install confirmation, no Apple ID password, no Play Store account.

3. All 119 languages offline by default

iTranslate Pro requires you to download offline packs language-by-language (~50MB each). If you forgot to download Vietnamese before your flight, you're out of luck. TapSay bundles all 119 languages from the start — including Swahili, Tagalog, Wolof, Khmer, Lao, Amharic — many of which iTranslate doesn't even offer offline.

4. Privacy

iTranslate sends your queries to its servers when online (necessary for free-tier translation). TapSay's data never leaves your device because there's nothing to send — the phrasebook is static. If you're translating private content (medical conditions, legal questions, personal messages), this is the difference between "your translation is on a server somewhere" and "your translation never existed outside your phone."

Where iTranslate wins

1. Free-form translation

Type "Where can I find a kosher restaurant near the cathedral?" — iTranslate translates it. TapSay does not, because TapSay is a curated phrasebook, not a translation engine. If you frequently need to translate arbitrary sentences, iTranslate (or Google Translate) is the better tool.

2. Voice-to-voice conversation mode

iTranslate Pro's voice mode lets two people speak alternately, with translations played aloud. Genuinely useful for sit-down conversations. TapSay does not have this.

3. Camera translation

Point iTranslate at a menu and it translates. Point TapSay at a menu and nothing happens — TapSay doesn't have OCR. For reading signs, menus, and documents, iTranslate (or Google Translate) is essential.

4. Polished iOS / Android UI

iTranslate has been iterating on its native app since 2009. The interface is genuinely beautiful. TapSay is a 12-month-old PWA built by one founder — it's clean and fast, but iTranslate's design polish is hard to match.

Should you pick TapSay or iTranslate?

Pick TapSay if: you mostly need offline travel phrases, you don't want a subscription, you don't want to install an app, you care about privacy, you travel to countries with limited connectivity, or you've already paid for iTranslate Pro and aren't using it enough to justify the cost.

Pick iTranslate if: you need free-form translation of arbitrary text or voice, you frequently use camera translation for menus and signs, you want a single app for both online and offline use, or you specifically need voice-to-voice conversation mode.

Or use both: TapSay free tier (no signup, no install) as your travel phrasebook, plus iTranslate or Google Translate for the unexpected free-form needs.

Frequently asked questions

Is iTranslate worth $5.99 per month?

Worth it if you use offline mode, voice conversations, or camera translation regularly (more than ~5 times per month). Probably not worth it if you only need a translator on occasional trips — you can get equivalent travel-phrase functionality from TapSay for free, or from Google Translate (offline packs) for free.

What's a good free alternative to iTranslate Pro?

For offline travel phrases: TapSay (PWA, no install, 119 languages). For free-form offline translation: Google Translate with downloaded packs. For iOS users: Apple Translate's downloadable languages. None of these require a subscription or credit card.

Does TapSay have voice translation like iTranslate?

TapSay plays audio of each phrase in the local language so the other person can hear correct pronunciation. It does not have voice-to-voice conversation mode (where two people speak alternately). For that, iTranslate Pro or Microsoft Translator are better choices.

Can I import iTranslate's saved phrases into TapSay?

No — TapSay's phrase library is static and pre-curated. You can't import or add custom phrases. This is a deliberate tradeoff: every phrase in TapSay is human-verified for travel context, so quality is consistent. iTranslate lets you save arbitrary translations, which is more flexible but lower-quality on average.

Why isn't TapSay on the App Store like iTranslate?

TapSay is a Progressive Web App — it runs in any phone browser without an app store. Decision made deliberately: PWAs avoid the 30% Apple/Google revenue cut, can be updated instantly without app review, and don't require users to install anything. The tradeoff is no App Store visibility — which is why you may have arrived here from a Google search.

Try TapSay's offline mode in 10 seconds (free, no card)

45 free phrases across 12 categories. Open in your browser, switch to airplane mode, and watch it keep working. No signup, no Apple ID, no auto-renewing subscription.

Try TapSay Free →

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