Microsoft Translator vs Amazon Translate
A side-by-side look at pricing plans, free tiers, features, pros and cons, updated for 2026. Microsoft Translator starts at See pricing page and Amazon Translate starts at See pricing page. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
At a glance
Best for
Pricing model
Starting price
Free plan
Made by
Based in
Rating
Key features
- Text and document translation
- Offline mobile translation
- Photo text translation
- Multi-device conversations
- Live captions
- Translator API
- Real-time text translation
- Batch document translation
- Word and HTML file support
- Custom terminology
- Active Custom Translation
| Feature | Microsoft Translator | Amazon Translate |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Neural translation apps and API for text, speech and conversations | Neural machine translation API for text and documents on AWS |
| Category | Writing | Writing |
| Pricing model | Freemium | Freemium |
| Starting price | See pricing page | See pricing page |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Made by | Microsoft | Amazon Web Services |
| Based in | United States | United States |
| Rating | No ratings yet | No ratings yet |
| Key features |
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Pricing compared
Microsoft Translator starts at See pricing page and Amazon Translate starts at See pricing page. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
Free plan
Cheapest paid plan
Top plan
Free trial
4 plans
Free Tier
Free
- 2 million characters per month
- First 12 months only
- Standard text translation
Standard Translation
$15 / 1M characters
- Text and batch translation
- Real-time text and HTML documents
Word Document Translation
$30 / 1M characters
- Real-time .docx translation
- Keeps document formatting
Active Custom Translation
$60 / 1M characters
- Adapts output to your parallel data
- 500K free characters for 2 months
Prices in USD, checked Nov 5, 2026 or later. Plans change often, so confirm on each tool's site before you buy.
Pros and cons
Microsoft Translator
- Free consumer apps
- Offline language packs on mobile
- Free API tier for developers
- API billing runs through an Azure account
- Pricing details sit on separate Azure pages
- Quality varies across less common languages
Amazon Translate
- Simple per-character pricing
- Scales to very large volumes
- Fits existing AWS pipelines
- Requires an AWS account and setup
- Free tier only lasts 12 months
- Custom translation costs four times more
Which one should you choose?
Choose Microsoft Translator if you want:
- Free consumer apps
- Offline language packs on mobile
- Free API tier for developers
Watch out: api billing runs through an azure account.
Choose Amazon Translate if you want:
- Simple per-character pricing
- Scales to very large volumes
- Fits existing AWS pipelines
Watch out: requires an aws account and setup.
Microsoft Translator vs Amazon Translate FAQ
What is the difference between Microsoft Translator and Amazon Translate?
Microsoft Translator: Neural translation apps and API for text, speech and conversations. Amazon Translate: Neural machine translation API for text and documents on AWS. Both are writing tools.
Is Microsoft Translator or Amazon Translate cheaper?
Microsoft Translator starts at See pricing page and Amazon Translate starts at See pricing page. Check both pricing pages for current plans.
Do Microsoft Translator and Amazon Translate have free plans?
Microsoft Translator: Yes. Amazon Translate: Yes.
Who makes Microsoft Translator?
Microsoft Translator is made by Microsoft, based in United States.
Who makes Amazon Translate?
Amazon Translate is made by Amazon Web Services, based in United States.
Which should I choose, Microsoft Translator or Amazon Translate?
Choose Microsoft Translator if you value free consumer apps and offline language packs on mobile. Choose Amazon Translate if you value simple per-character pricing and scales to very large volumes.