Translation & Localization
DeepL Pro & API
EU-Made Report an error0–5 in half steps. 5 means the rubric's top anchor is met on the evidence.
by DeepL SE · www.deepl.com
Compare with Google Cloud Translation → Report an error on this page Is this your product? →
Link to this page
Add ?theme=dark to the image address for dark backgrounds.
The badge shows the category and the month of the latest evaluation, and EU-Made where
that is the product’s provenance. It never shows a score.
DeepL Pro & API at a glance
- Vendor
- DeepL SE
- Headquarters
- Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 1 Nov 2026
- Data hosting
- Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 1 Nov 2026
- Free plan
- Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 1 Nov 2026
- Panel verdict
- The AI panel rates DeepL Pro & API 2.5/5, the mean of 6 judges. DeepL Pro & API is DeepL SE's own neural translation engine, sold as translator seats and a metered API. how scores are made
- As of
- Vendor pages captured 1 Nov 2026; evaluated by the panel 2 Nov 2026. all sources
Read this page as one judge. Each weighs the same scores by what they care about.
The panel's verdict
DeepL Pro & API is DeepL SE's own neural translation engine, sold as translator seats and a metered API. The bench scores it strongest on content confidentiality, where the five non-zero judges run 7 to 8: Pro texts are stated never to be used for model training and to be deleted after processing, with a 72-hour encrypted debug-storage cap and deletion 90 days after the agreement ends. Weakest is workflow and review, where those five judges all sit at 4 — they found no public information on review or approval stages, automated QA checks or inviting translators and agencies. Pricing transparency scores 7 across the same five, with Individual, Team and Business published at €7.49, €24.99 and €49.99 per user/month billed annually. The widest split is the e-commerce-marketer judge, who scored 0 on every criterion while the others run 4 to 8. The captured pages also give different statements on where processing sits: the privacy policy states translation runs exclusively on DeepL's infrastructure in the EEA, while the license terms reserve processing on third-party cloud infrastructure with DeepL determining the location.
Speaks for it
- Pro texts are stated to be deleted after processing and never used for model training, with debug storage capped at 72 hours and requested stored content deleted 90 days after the agreement ends
- ISO 27001, SOC 2 Type II and BSI C5 Type 2 are stated, with a downloadable data processing agreement and audit verdict
- Seat prices and tier limits are published — Individual €7.49, Team €24.99, Business €49.99 per user/month billed annually — with API usage metered at €22.00 per 1,000,000 extra characters
- An own engine covers 126 published languages with per-language features, grammatical glossary adaptation and document translation that preserves layout for Word, PowerPoint, PDF and InDesign, scanned PDFs included
- A documented REST API handles translation-memory import and export, including TMX imports up to 1 GB through signed uploads
Held against it
- Workflow and review scores sit at 4 for the five non-zero judges, with no public information on review or approval stages, automated QA checks, per-language roles or inviting translators and agencies
- We found no public information on software localisation formats such as XLIFF, PO or YAML, or on a CLI, SDKs, Git sync or webhooks, which held the app developer's integrations score to 4
- Portability and exit scores run 4 to 6: TMX is the stated only export format for translation memories, and we found no public information on glossary export as TBX or CSV or on a self-hosted edition
- The free API tier reserves the right to store content perpetually, and free-service texts are processed to train neural networks
- The captured pages give different statements on where processing sits — exclusively on DeepL's own infrastructure in the EEA per the privacy policy, versus a reserved right to process on third-party cloud infrastructure with DeepL determining the location in the license terms
Best for
- You need confidential translation of contracts, manuals and other office documents, and want written deletion, no-training and encryption commitments backed by ISO 27001, SOC 2 Type II and BSI C5 before drafts leave your building
- You want to budget from published prices — per-seat tiers with stated character, file-translation and glossary limits, plus unit-priced API usage at €22.00 per 1,000,000 extra characters
- Your content is office and media files — Word, PowerPoint, Excel, PDF, InDesign, scanned PDFs, images — whose layout you need preserved
- You want a vendor registered in Cologne whose privacy policy states document translation is processed exclusively on DeepL's own infrastructure in the EEA
Avoid if
- You need review or approval stages, automated terminology or placeholder checks, and external translators working inside the product — we found no public information on these
- Your pipeline is software localisation with string files, Git sync, CI or over-the-air delivery, since the documented formats are office- and media-heavy, with Contentful JSON the only software format named
- You need a fully documented exit — glossary export in TBX or CSV, project and history export, or a self-hosted edition — since the documented exit path is the translation memory in TMX
- You would run sensitive content through the free tiers, where the API tier reserves perpetual storage of content and free-service texts are processed to train neural networks
The scores
| Criterion | Panel median |
|---|---|
| Machine translation & AI quality | 3.5 of 5 |
| Translation memory, terminology & review workflow | 2 of 5 |
| Integrations, file formats & developer tools | 3 of 5 |
| Confidentiality of translated content | 4 of 5 |
| Data export, portability & self-hosting | 2.5 of 5 |
| European sovereignty | 3.5 of 5 |
| Pricing transparency | 3.5 of 5 |
Machine translation & AI quality
panel disagrees
Show reasoningHide reasoning
How this is scored
What the machine translation does and how well it is controlled: the languages and language pairs covered, the engine (own neural or LLM model, or a choice of third-party engines such as DeepL, Google, Microsoft or an LLM), glossaries and formality applied during translation, document translation that keeps the layout (Word, PowerPoint, PDF, InDesign), custom or adaptive models trained on the customer's own translations, automatic quality estimation or scoring, and published evaluations of translation quality.
0 — No machine translation of any kind, and no way to connect an engine.
3 — Machine translation is offered or one engine can be connected; languages, glossary use and quality controls are basic or not described.
5 — Machine translation for the major European and world languages with the list published, glossaries applied during translation, a formality or tone setting, document translation that keeps formatting for common office formats, and either an own engine or a choice of several named engines.
8 — Custom or adaptive models that learn from the customer's translation memory or corrections, automatic quality estimation per segment with a threshold that routes weak segments to human review, LLM-based translation with style guides and context, engine selection per language pair stated, and a published quality evaluation with its method.
10 — Translation quality that an organisation can measure and steer: evaluations against named benchmarks or blind human review published with their method, quality estimation calibrated and explained, custom models with their training data and isolation documented, and every machine-translated segment traceable to the engine, model version and glossary that produced it.
The Localization Manager
Their own neural engine covers a published list of 126 languages with glossaries applied during translation, a formal-or-informal tone setting, and document translation that keeps the original layout for Word, PowerPoint, PDF and even InDesign and image files. Adaptive translation confined to our own account, style rules with custom instructions, and a glossary generator that works from at least 1,000 sentence pairs of our past translations push toward the next level. We found no public information on per-segment quality estimation or a published quality evaluation with its method, and the engine is DeepL's own rather than a choice of engines per language pair. 2 3 4 9 11 12 13
The App Developer
Their own engine covers 126 published languages with per-language feature support queryable through the languages endpoint, glossaries with grammatical adaptation and do-not-translate terms, a formality setting, style rules and custom instructions, and document translation that keeps formatting for Word, PowerPoint, PDF and even InDesign. The glossary generator digests your own sentence pairs and adaptive translation stays scoped to your account, which edges toward real customisation, but quality is only claimed through unnamed blind tests and I found no public information on per-segment quality estimation or a published evaluation method. 2 3 4 9 11 12
The In-House Document Translator
This is close to the whole answer for my contracts and manuals: an own engine with a published list of 126 languages and per-language features, glossaries that enforce house terminology with grammatical adaptation and do-not-translate terms, a formal/informal setting, and file translation that keeps the layout of Word, PowerPoint and PDF — scanned PDFs included — plus InDesign, images and Excel. What holds it back: I found no public information on automatic quality estimation that would route weak segments to review, and the blind-test quality claim comes without a published method. 2 3 4 9 11 12
The Data Protection Officer
DeepL's own engine covers 126 published languages with a per-language matrix for glossaries, formality, translation memory and style rules, and document translation preserves layout for Word, PowerPoint, Excel, PDF, InDesign and image files. Glossaries adapt terminology grammatically, support priority ordering and non-translated terms, a generator can build them from past translation files, and an account-scoped adaptive capability is stated never to train models. We found no public information on automatic quality estimation per segment or a published translation-quality evaluation with its method; the blind-test superiority claim appears without one. 12 4 9 11 3 2 13
The E-Commerce Marketer
Every language my shop needs — German, English, French, Italian, Dutch, Spanish — is on the published list of 126 languages, with regional variants for French, German and Spanish. Glossaries are genuinely useful for product names: grammatical adaptation in context, priority ordering when several are active, terms marked not to be translated, plus formality settings, style rules and custom instructions, and document translation keeps the layout across Word, PowerPoint, Excel, PDF, HTML, InDesign and image files, with an account-scoped adaptive feature that never feeds other customers. It sits below the top because the quality claim rests on blind tests without a published method, and I found no public information on per-segment quality scoring or routing of weak segments to human review. 2 3 4 9 12 13
The Skeptic
Own engine, 126 languages with a published per-language feature matrix, glossaries that adapt terminology grammatically and can restructure whole sentences, formality plus style rules and custom instructions, and document translation that keeps layout across Word, PowerPoint, PDF and InDesign, scanned PDFs included. Account-scoped adaptive translation, customer training data confined to the customer, and a glossary generator built from the customer's own sentence pairs point upward; what holds it down is that we found no public information on quality estimation or scoring, and the blind-test quality claim carries no published method. 12 4 2 11 3 9 10
Translation memory, terminology & review workflow
panel disagrees
Show reasoningHide reasoning
How this is scored
How translation is managed as an ongoing process: translation memory with fuzzy matches, a termbase or glossary managed centrally, style guides, review and approval stages, automated QA checks (placeholders, tags, length, terminology, punctuation), an in-context or visual editor, screenshots and context for translators, tasks and deadlines, roles per language, and ordering or inviting human translators and agencies inside the product.
0 — No management of translations at all; text goes in and comes out with nothing stored or reviewed.
3 — Translations can be edited or a glossary kept; translation memory, review stages and QA checks are basic or not described.
5 — A translation memory reused across projects, a central glossary, at least one review or approval stage, automated QA checks for placeholders and terminology, comments and screenshots for context, and roles that limit translators to their languages.
8 — Configurable multi-step workflows with automation rules, an in-context or visual editor for apps or websites, QA checks configurable per project with blocking rules, style guides applied by the AI, translation memory and termbase shared across projects with penalties and priorities, vendor or agency management with ordering inside the product, and progress and cost reporting per language.
10 — A translation process an enterprise runs on: workflows per content type with conditional routing on quality scores, linguistic quality assessment with a named framework (MQM or similar), termbase with approval workflow and forbidden terms, full revision history per segment, and productivity and quality metrics per translator and vendor.
The Localization Manager
A team-shareable translation memory (TMX upload, reuse of similar past translations) sits beside centrally managed, mergeable glossaries with priority ordering, style rules and shareable style profiles — the terminology backbone I need is genuinely there. But we found no public information on review or approval stages, automated quality checks that stop a broken placeholder before it ships, per-language roles, or inviting translators and agencies with cost and progress per vendor; the pages instead show CAT tool integration for the paid API, so any review workflow would live outside DeepL. 2 4 10 13 14 16
The App Developer
Translation memory is real and API-driven — TMX upload, sharing, activation in the translator, and reuse of past translations of similar texts — and glossaries can be merged, prioritised across teams and created with forbidden terms. The review side is where an ongoing localisation process lives, though, and I found no public information on review or approval stages, automated placeholder or terminology checks, roles per language, or inviting translators and agencies into the product. A "Translation Flow" capability is named on the translator page without workflow detail, and connecting CAT tools is supported on the paid API for teams needing a fuller review process elsewhere. 4 11 13 14 16 20
The In-House Document Translator
As an engine rather than a managed process it does what I want without forcing a TMS on me: a translation memory uploaded as TMX, shared with the team and reused for similar texts, a glossary manager with shared glossaries, merging and priority order, plus team administration and a claimed workflow feature. I found no public information on review or approval stages, automated checks on placeholders or terminology, or inviting translators and agencies, so it stays low on a scale built around review workflow. 1 2 4 11 13 14
The Data Protection Officer
A translation memory can be uploaded as TMX, shared with the team, activated in the translator and reused on similar texts, and glossaries are managed centrally with sharing and merging. We found no public information on review or approval stages, automated QA checks, comments and screenshots, per-language roles, or inviting translators and agencies inside the product; the CAT-tool connection runs through the paid API and workflow building is described only in outline. 13 14 4 10 16 11
The E-Commerce Marketer
Translation memories can be uploaded as TMX, shared with the team, activated in the translator and reused so the same product description is not translated twice, glossaries are managed centrally and shared across teams, and clicking a word in the web translator to pick a better product name is exactly the manual fix I need. However, I found no public information on review or approval stages, automated checks for placeholders or terminology, comments and screenshots for context, or translators restricted to specific languages; the described workflow capability is stated only in general terms. Workable for a shop without a translator on staff, but thin as a managed process. 4 11 13 16 17
The Skeptic
Translation memories upload as TMX, are shared with the team and switched on in the translator; glossaries are central, shared, merged and priority-ordered, with analytics and role-based permissions alongside. But this is an engine with memory, not a review pipeline: we found no public information on review or approval stages, automated QA checks, in-context editing, per-language roles or ordering translators — the terms instead let customers connect external CAT tools to the paid API. 13 14 4 1 16 10 17
Integrations, file formats & developer tools
panel disagrees
Show reasoningHide reasoning
How this is scored
How content gets in and out: the file formats supported (XLIFF, PO, JSON, YAML, Android XML, iOS strings and xcstrings, Office documents, InDesign), a REST API and CLI, SDKs and over-the-air updates for apps, Git repository sync (GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket) and CI pipelines, connectors for CMS, shop and design tools (WordPress, Contentful, Shopify, Figma), browser and office add-ins, webhooks, and a JavaScript snippet or proxy for website translation.
0 — No documented way to get content in or out except typing or pasting by hand.
3 — File upload and download or a basic API; formats, repository sync and connectors are basic or not described.
5 — A documented REST API, a list of supported file formats covering the common software and document formats, sync with at least one Git host or CI, and connectors or plugins for several named CMS, shop or design tools.
8 — A CLI and SDKs for named platforms, over-the-air updates for mobile or web apps, Git sync with branching, webhooks, connectors for the main CMS, shop, design and support tools, office or browser add-ins, a public status page, and API limits documented.
10 — Integration that scales across an organisation: an API covering every function of the product with versioning and SDKs, an app or connector framework third parties build on, continuous localization in CI with pull requests opened automatically, and every connector documented with its limits and the fields it syncs.
The Localization Manager
The REST API is documented in detail, down to translation-memory endpoints with signed upload URLs and explicit status codes, and connectors cover Zendesk, Adobe Experience Manager, SharePoint, Google Drive, OneDrive, Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, AWS Marketplace and browser extensions for Chrome, Edge and Firefox. Document and office formats are well covered (PDF, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, HTML, SRT, TXT, InDesign), with Contentful JSON the only software format named. We found no public information on XLIFF, PO, YAML, Android or iOS string formats, Git repository sync, a CLI, SDKs, webhooks or a public status page — a gap for me since my product strings are JSON and strings files, not slide decks. 3 5 11 15 16 19 20
The App Developer
The REST API is properly documented and versioned — translation memory import and export are described down to status codes, signed upload URLs and a gigabyte size cap — and the connector list is broad: Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Adobe Experience Manager, Zendesk, SharePoint, Google Drive, an AWS Marketplace listing, browser extensions for Chrome, Edge and Firefox, and an MCP integration for ChatGPT, Claude and Cursor. For a developer like me the gap is the formats and the pipeline: everything documented is document-oriented (Word, PowerPoint, PDF, HTML, SRT, Excel, InDesign, Contentful JSON), and I found no public information on software localisation formats like XLIFF, PO, JSON keys, YAML, Android XML or iOS strings files, nor on a CLI, SDKs, Git-host sync, webhooks or over-the-air delivery. 3 9 11 15 19 20
The In-House Document Translator
Files in and out is my world: PDF, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, HTML, TXT, SRT, JPG, PNG and InDesign with formatting preserved, Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace add-ins, Chrome, Edge and Firefox extensions, Google Drive, SharePoint, Zendesk and Adobe Experience Manager connectors, and a documented REST API — including translation-memory import and export endpoints with their limits spelled out. I found no public information on a CLI, SDKs, Git synchronisation, CI pipelines or webhooks, which a software team would miss more than I would. 3 5 9 11 15 16 19 20
The Data Protection Officer
The REST API is documented in detail, with the authentication scheme, status codes, a 1 GB translation-memory import ceiling and a deprecated legacy languages endpoint, and covers document formats including Word, PowerPoint, Excel, HTML, SRT, TXT, PDF, JPG, PNG, InDesign and Contentful JSON. Browser extensions for Chrome, Edge and Firefox, Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace add-ins, Google Drive, SharePoint, Adobe Experience Manager and Zendesk connectors, AWS Marketplace and an MCP integration for ChatGPT, Claude and Cursor are all named. We found no public information on a CLI, SDKs, over-the-air delivery, Git synchronization, CI pipelines or webhooks. 19 20 12 3 11 5 15 9
The E-Commerce Marketer
The REST API is documented in real detail — including translation-memory import and export endpoints with their limits and error codes — and there are named connectors for Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Zendesk, Adobe Experience Manager, Google Drive and SharePoint, plus browser extensions and an AWS Marketplace listing. Files are supported across office formats, PDF, HTML, SRT, InDesign and Contentful JSON. For a shop system like the one my store runs on, I found no connector documented, and I found no public information on Git or CI sync, SDKs, a CLI or webhooks. 3 5 11 15 16 19
The Skeptic
A documented REST API with its own authentication scheme, a deprecation notice and granular status codes, plus named connectors for Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, Zendesk, Adobe Experience Manager, Google Drive and SharePoint, CAT-tool integration, MCP connections to ChatGPT, Claude and Cursor, and browser extensions for Chrome, Edge and Firefox. The gaps a developer will hit early: we found no public information on Git repository sync, CI pipelines, SDKs, a command-line tool, webhooks or over-the-air delivery, and the format list leans office- and media-heavy (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, PDF, InDesign, SRT) with Contentful JSON as the only software-format nod. 6 19 20 11 5 15 3 10
Confidentiality of translated content
panel disagrees
Show reasoningHide reasoning
How this is scored
What happens to the text a customer translates: whether source and target texts are stored and for how long, deletion after translation, whether customer content is used to train the vendor's or a third party's models, which machine translation and LLM providers a TMS sends text to and whether that can be restricted or switched off, encryption in transit and at rest, single sign-on, roles and audit logs, and certifications (ISO 27001, SOC 2) with their scope. Where the text is processed is scored under sovereignty.
0 — Customer texts are stored indefinitely and used for the vendor's own purposes, or no statement on data handling exists at all.
3 — The product is described as secure or GDPR-compliant and a privacy policy exists; retention of translated texts, model training and third-party engines are basic or not described.
5 — A documented statement that customer texts are not used to train models, retention or deletion of translated texts stated, the third-party engines or LLM providers named, encryption in transit and at rest, single sign-on on a business tier, and a data processing agreement offered.
8 — Texts deleted immediately after translation or after a retention period the customer sets, third-party AI processing switchable per project or account, zero-retention terms with the named LLM providers, audit logs, granular roles, ISO 27001 or SOC 2 certification stated with its scope, and a private or dedicated deployment option.
10 — Confidentiality that can be verified: an on-premise or customer-controlled deployment, customer-managed encryption keys, every subprocessor that sees content listed with its role, independent audit reports available, and every data flow of a translation request documented end to end.
The Localization Manager
For Pro, texts are stored only as technically needed and deleted after the service, never used to train their models — with a 72-hour debugging exception and deletion of customer-requested storage 90 days after the agreement ends — plus bring-your-own-key encryption, audit logs, role-based permissions, SSO over SAML and OpenID Connect, ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II with its scope stated, and a data processing agreement forming part of the terms. The free tiers read differently: free-service texts feed model training and the free API reserves perpetual storage of content, so the paid plans are where these guarantees live. We found no public information on a private or dedicated deployment option. 1 4 7 9 10 17
The App Developer
For Pro subscribers the pages state texts are never used to train DeepL's models and are deleted after the service is performed, with storage only as technically needed, a 72-hour encrypted debug exception, and customer-requested stored content deleted 90 days after the agreement ends; TLS and advanced encryption, bring-your-own-key encryption, SSO over SAML and OpenID Connect, audit logs and role-based permissions are all stated. ISO 27001, SOC 2 Type II with a stated scope, BSI C5 Type 2 and HIPAA compliance are listed, a data processing agreement sits in the Trust Centre, and the audit verdict is downloadable. Caveats: the free tier does train on uploaded content and the free API tier reserves the right to store content perpetually, and I found no public information on a private or dedicated deployment option. 1 4 7 9 10 11 17
The In-House Document Translator
The written promise I need before a draft contract leaves the building is on their pages: for Pro subscribers texts are stored only as technically needed and deleted afterward, never used to train their models, with a stated 72-hour debugging exception and deletion 90 days after contract end where storage was requested. Add TLS encryption, bring your own key, SSO with OIDC and SAML, MFA, audit logs, role-based permissions, ISO 27001 and SOC 2 Type II with its scope named, a BSI C5 attestation and a downloadable data processing agreement; I found no public information on a dedicated deployment, and the free developer API reserves perpetual storage, which I would simply not use for contracts. 1 4 7 9 10 17 18
The Data Protection Officer
For Pro, texts are stated never to be used for model training and to be deleted after the agreed services, with debug storage capped at 72 hours, requested stored content deleted 90 days after the agreement ends, and TLS encryption, BYOK, SSO over SAML and OIDC, MFA, role-based permissions and audit logs documented; ISO 27001, SOC 2 Type II with its scope and BSI C5 Type 2 are stated and a data processing agreement is an integral part of the terms. Two reservations: the free consumer service processes texts to train neural networks and prohibits personal data there, and the free API Developer tier reserves the right to perpetually store content. We found no public information on a dedicated or private deployment option. 1 9 10 7 4 11 17 18
The E-Commerce Marketer
Pro texts are never used for model training and are deleted after processing, with only a narrow 72-hour debugging exception, and the engine is DeepL's own, so no third-party machine translation provider sits in the chain. TLS and advanced encryption, bring-your-own-key, audit logs, granular roles, SSO over SAML and OIDC, ISO 27001, SOC 2 Type II with its scope stated and BSI C5 are all documented, and the data processing agreement is downloadable from the Trust Centre. What keeps it from the top: I found no public information on a private or dedicated deployment option, and the free API tier reserves a right to perpetual storage of content — a reason to stay on paid plans. 1 7 9 10 17
The Skeptic
For the paid tiers the pages are unusually specific: texts deleted after processing, never used to train DeepL's models, a 72-hour cap on encrypted debug storage, 90-day deletion of any requested storage after the agreement ends, TLS and BYOK encryption, SSO over SAML and OIDC, audit logs, role-based permissions, and ISO 27001, SOC 2 Type II and BSI C5 Type 2 with a downloadable audit verdict and a published data processing agreement. Two caveats I would read twice before signing: the free API tier reserves the right to store content perpetually and the free translator trains its networks on user texts, and the voice path names ElevenLabs as a subprocessor. 1 9 10 7 17 4 11
Data export, portability & self-hosting
panel disagrees
Show reasoningHide reasoning
How this is scored
Whether translation assets stay the customer's and can leave with them: export of translation memory and termbase in open formats (TMX, TBX, XLIFF, CSV), export of all projects and files, import from another TMS, an API that can read every asset, the return or deletion of data on termination, open-source code and a self-hosted or on-premise edition.
0 — Translations cannot be exported; they exist only in the vendor's interface or engine.
3 — Translated files can be downloaded; export of translation memory and glossary, import and termination terms are basic or not described.
5 — Translation memory exportable as TMX and glossary as TBX or CSV, all project files downloadable, import of translation memory and glossaries from another tool, and an API that reads translations and keys.
8 — Complete export of every asset (memory, termbase, files, comments, history) in open formats, a documented migration path from named competitors, the data returned or deleted on termination under stated terms, and a self-hosted or on-premise edition with its own documentation.
10 — The customer owns the assets end to end: open-source code under a named licence that runs fully self-hosted with feature parity stated, a complete export another tool can import without loss, and the deletion of every copy on termination documented.
The Localization Manager
Translation memories export as TMX through a documented background-job API and import the same way — TMX is stated as the only supported format in either direction — and account deletion is self-service, with customer-requested stored content deleted 90 days after the agreement ends. We found no public information on glossary export in TBX or CSV, a bulk export of all projects and files, or any self-hosted or on-premise edition, so the exit path today runs through the translation memory alone. 9 10 19 20
The App Developer
The translation memory can leave: export runs as a background job producing a TMX file (stated as the only export format), import takes TMX up to 1 GB through a signed-upload flow, and content stored at the customer's request is deleted 90 days after the agreement ends. Glossaries can be created from file uploads and a generator that digests TMX or TSV, but I found no public information on exporting a glossary in an open format such as TBX or CSV, on a documented migration path from named competitors, or on any self-hosted or open-source edition. 4 10 19 20
The In-House Document Translator
My memory can leave as a TMX export through the API and come back the same way, translated documents come back as files, stored content is deleted 90 days after the agreement ends, and the account can be deleted in the settings. I found no public information on exporting glossaries in TBX or CSV, on a documented migration path from another tool, or on a self-hosted edition, so the exit is solid but not complete. 9 10 19 20
The Data Protection Officer
The translation memory exports as TMX through an asynchronous API job and imports up to 1 GB, accounts can be deleted self-service, and requested stored content is deleted 90 days after the agreement ends. We found no public information on glossary export in TBX or CSV, bulk export of projects and history, a documented migration path from other tools, or a self-hosted edition. 19 20 9 10
The E-Commerce Marketer
Translation memories export and import as TMX through the API — the export runs as a background job with a short-lived download link — glossaries can be built from uploaded files, and any content DeepL was asked to keep is deleted 90 days after the agreement ends. TMX is the only format on both the export and import side, and I found no public information on exporting glossaries, complete projects, comments or history, or on a self-hosted edition. My translation memory would travel with me; the terminology lists look like a manual job. 4 10 19 20
The Skeptic
The translation memory exports as TMX through an asynchronous API job with a short-lived download URL, imports from TMX files up to 1 GB, and content stored at the customer's request is deleted 90 days after the agreement ends — that much is documented. The rest is not: we found no public information on exporting glossaries or termbases as TBX or CSV, exporting projects with comments and history, or any self-hosted edition, so the memory leaves as TMX and how the glossaries leave is an open question. 19 20 10 4
European sovereignty
panel opinion
panel disagrees
Show reasoningHide reasoning
How this is scored
Who the contracting entity and the parent company are, where texts are translated, stored and processed, and who the subprocessors are (hosting, machine translation engines, LLM providers, CDN for over-the-air delivery, support and payment tools). Independently sourced by the sovereignty pipeline; translated texts often hold personal data and trade secrets, so the whole chain counts, including the engines a TMS calls. A self-hosted edition the customer runs on its own European servers counts as the customer's chain, whatever the vendor's seat.
0 — Non-EU vendor and contracting entity, hosting unstated, subprocessors unnamed, and no data processing agreement offered.
3 — A privacy policy and a data processing agreement exist, but hosting location is unstated or non-EU and the subprocessors are not listed.
5 — EU hosting available and an EU contracting entity or EU representative, but parts of the chain (machine translation or LLM providers, CDN, support, payment) run through non-EU providers without a stated safeguard.
8 — EU hosting on named infrastructure, EU contracting entity, subprocessors listed with their locations including the engines and LLM providers, a data processing agreement published, and security certifications (ISO 27001, SOC 2) stated — or a self-hosted edition documented that keeps every text on the customer's own servers.
10 — Sovereign end to end and evidenced: European ownership, entity, hosting, engine and every subprocessor, or a self-hosted open-source edition with no call home, data export and deletion documented, and certifications published with their scope rather than implied.
The Localization Manager
DeepL SE is registered in Cologne (Amtsgericht Köln, HRB 104617), carries ISO 27001, SOC 2 Type II and BSI C5 Type 2 certifications, publishes a data processing agreement as part of its terms, and names subprocessors with addresses: Stripe in Dublin, Payrails in Berlin, Usercentrics in Munich, Cloudflare in San Francisco, Apryse for the in-house PDF translation SDK and ElevenLabs for backup voices. The captured pages give differing indications on where content runs — the privacy policy states document translation is processed exclusively on DeepL's infrastructure in the EEA, while the terms reserve processing on third-party cloud infrastructure with DeepL determining the location. With a US CDN and PDF SDK in the chain and no location given for two subprocessors, this is a strong European seat that stops short of a fully evidenced end-to-end chain. 8 9 10 11 17
The App Developer
The contracting entity is DeepL SE in Cologne with a German commercial register entry and VAT ID, the privacy policy states document translation is processed exclusively by DeepL on its own infrastructure in the EEA, and the machine translation engine is DeepL's own, so no foreign MT provider sits in the chain. Subprocessors are named with addresses — Cloudflare in San Francisco for CDN, Stripe in Dublin and Payrails in Berlin for payments, Usercentrics in Munich for consent, Apryse for the PDF SDK — alongside ISO 27001, SOC 2 Type II and BSI C5 stated with the data processing agreement published. One caveat: the Pro licence terms reserve processing on third-party cloud infrastructure with the location determined by DeepL, so the captured pages give different statements on where content may run. 8 9 10 11 17
The In-House Document Translator
DeepL SE is registered in Cologne, the privacy policy states that translation runs exclusively on DeepL's own infrastructure in the EEA, the data protection officer sits in Germany, and ISO 27001, SOC 2 Type II and BSI C5 are attested alongside a published data processing agreement. The captured pages give different indications on processing location — the licence terms also permit third-party cloud infrastructure with DeepL determining the location — and named subprocessors include US firms such as Apryse for the PDF SDK and Cloudflare, so I stop just short of full marks. 8 9 10 11 17
The Data Protection Officer
DeepL SE is registered in Cologne with a German VAT ID and an external data protection officer, and the privacy policy states document translation is processed exclusively on DeepL's infrastructure in the EEA, while the terms reserve processing on third-party cloud infrastructure with DeepL determining the location, so the captured pages give different emphases on where processing sits. Subprocessors are named, Cloudflare in San Francisco for CDN, Stripe Payments Europe in Dublin and Payrails in Berlin for payment, ElevenLabs for backup voices and Apryse Systems for the PDF SDK, the last two without a stated location, and the translation engine itself is DeepL's own. A data processing agreement is offered and ISO 27001, SOC 2 Type II with scope and BSI C5 Type 2 are published; we found no public information on a self-hosted edition. 8 9 10 11 7
The E-Commerce Marketer
DeepL SE is the contracting entity, registered in Cologne with a German VAT ID, and the privacy policy states documents are translated exclusively on DeepL's own infrastructure in the EEA — reassuring for a Munich shop. Subprocessors are named with addresses, including Stripe in Dublin, Payrails in Berlin and Cloudflare in San Francisco for the website CDN, and ISO 27001, SOC 2 Type II and BSI C5 certifications plus a published data processing agreement all appear on the vendor's own pages. The one line I would want clarified before signing: the license terms reserve processing on third-party cloud infrastructure with DeepL determining the location of data processing. 8 9 10 11 17
The Skeptic
DeepL SE is registered in Cologne, translation runs exclusively on DeepL's own infrastructure in the EEA, a data processing agreement is published, and ISO 27001, SOC 2 Type II and BSI C5 Type 2 are stated. But the captured pages give different pictures of processing location — the privacy policy says EEA while the license terms reserve DeepL's right to process on third-party cloud infrastructure at locations it determines — and the chain names Cloudflare's San Francisco CDN, ElevenLabs backup voices and Apryse's PDF SDK, the latter two without a stated location. 8 9 10 7 4 11
Pricing transparency
panel disagrees
Show reasoningHide reasoning
How this is scored
Whether a buyer can compute the real annual cost from public pages alone: price per tier by characters, words, keys, hosted words or seats, what happens when the volume exceeds the tier, the number of users, projects and languages included, which features (machine translation volume, AI credits, SSO, integrations, API access) cost extra, the free tier and its limits, the self-hosted edition and its support, minimum term and setup.
0 — No public prices at all; every customer is a sales call.
3 — A starting price or a free tier exists, but how cost scales with volume, seats or features is unclear.
5 — Tiers are public with their price per volume band and main inclusions, but at least one commonly needed piece (overage, extra seats, machine translation or AI volume, SSO, connectors) is unpriced or "on request".
8 — Every tier priced publicly with its scaling rule (characters, words, keys, seats), overage handling stated, add-ons and AI credits priced, the self-hosted edition's cost or licence stated, minimum term and VAT treatment stated.
10 — Complete price computability: annual cost derivable for a given volume, seat count and feature set, with every add-on, setup, support and overage fee and the cancellation and data-return terms published.
The Localization Manager
Seat prices are public per tier — Individual €7.49, Team €24.99, Business €49.99 per user/month billed annually — with included characters, file translations and glossary counts listed, and the API side is unit-priced: €23.80 per month billed annually plus €22.00 per 1,000,000 extra characters, €1.96 per extra speech-to-text hour and €3.93 per extra speech-to-speech hour, with 20 % annual discount and VAT stated as included. Enterprise is custom pricing only and the fair usage policy behind "unlimited characters" is not quantified, and the captured pages give different indications on SSO — plan pages list it for teams of 50+ users while the SSO page says contact sales — so the complete annual cost for a large organisation still needs a sales call. 1 10 16 18
The App Developer
Seat prices are published — €7.49, €24.99 and €49.99 per user per month billed annually for the translator tiers, Enterprise on request — and the API tiers are unusually computable: a free Developer tier with a one-time credit of 1 million characters, Growth at €23.80 per month billed annually plus €22.00 per 1,000,000 extra characters, with VAT treatment and a 20% annual discount stated. What keeps me from fully budgeting: "unlimited" characters sit under a fair usage policy whose bounds are not quantified, the File Translation Add-On appears without a price, the SSO page says contact sales even though SSO is listed in the Team plan, and I found no public information on a minimum term. 1 10 16 18
The In-House Document Translator
I can compute my yearly cost from public pages alone: Individual at €7.49 per user per month billed annually through Business at €49.99, with per-seat limits on characters, file translations and glossaries spelled out, the Write Pro add-on at €6.99 per user per month, API usage at €22.00 per extra million characters with included volumes published, 20% off annual billing, and VAT treatment stated. Enterprise is custom-priced on request and the fair usage policy behind the unlimited characters is not quantified, which is what keeps it from the top. 1 10 16 18
The Data Protection Officer
Seat prices are public, €7.49, €24.99 and €49.99 per user/month billed annually for Individual, Team and Business, with each tier's character, file-translation and glossary limits, and the API tiers publish €23.80 per month billed annually plus €22.00 per 1,000,000 extra characters, €1.96 per extra speech-to-text hour and €3.93 per extra speech-to-speech hour, the Write Pro add-on at €6.99 per user/month billed annually, VAT treatment, the annual-billing saving of 20 % and accepted payment methods. The captured pages give different signals on SSO, listed as a Team feature in one capture and contact sales in another, Enterprise pricing is custom, and the fair-usage policy behind unlimited characters is not detailed. We found no public information on the minimum contract term or the price of the File Translation Add-On. 1 16 18 10
The E-Commerce Marketer
I can nearly compute my real annual cost from public pages alone: Individual at €7.49, Team at €24.99 and Business at €49.99 per user/month billed annually, the Write Pro add-on at €6.99 per user, and the API Growth plan at €23.80 per month plus €22.00 per extra million characters, all with VAT included and a stated 20 % saving on annual billing. Volumes per tier — characters per user, file translations, glossaries, seats, and monthly caps on the API — are listed, so a growing catalogue does not silently double my bill on Business, which shows unlimited characters. Two caveats: that "unlimited" sits under a fair usage policy whose limits are not defined, and Enterprise is contact-sales only. 1 10 16 18
The Skeptic
Seat prices for Individual, Team and Business (€7.49, €24.99 and €49.99 per user/month, billed annually) are published with character and file-translation limits, and the API side is fully metered: a one-time free credit of 1 million characters, Growth at €23.80 per month billed annually plus "€22.00 / 1,000,000 extra characters", the Write Pro add-on at €6.99 per user/month, and VAT treatment and trial auto-conversion stated. What a buyer cannot compute: Enterprise is custom pricing through sales, "unlimited characters" rests on an undefined fair usage policy, and we found no public information on minimum terms or the monthly-billing price of the Pro tiers. 1 16 10 9
European sovereignty — proven facts
0 of 6 dimensions provenBuilt only from facts shown on the vendor's own pages. A dimension we could not prove is left open, not scored as zero.
| Legal entity | Not determined | — | uncited Report an error |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hosting location | Not determined | — | uncited Report an error |
| Hosting options | Not determined | — | uncited Report an error |
| Open source | Not determined | — | uncited Report an error |
| Data processing agreement | Not determined ⚠ unverified | — | uncited Report an error |
| Transfer impact assessment | Not determined | — | uncited Report an error |
Questions about DeepL Pro & API
Is DeepL Pro & API European?
Yes. whats-best.ai classifies DeepL Pro & API as EU-Made.
Where does DeepL Pro & API store data?
Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 1 Nov 2026.
Does DeepL Pro & API have a free plan?
Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 1 Nov 2026.
What are the best alternatives to DeepL Pro & API?
As of 2 Nov 2026, the panel rates SimpleLocalize (3.5/5), LILT (3.5/5) and Phrase Localization Platform (3.5/5) highest among the other 12 Translation & Localization products evaluated. Ratings that look equal are rounded to half stars; the order uses the unrounded rating, then the name. The highest-rated European alternative is SimpleLocalize (EU-Made). Ratings are the AI panel’s opinion, formed from public evidence: how scores are made. The full list, with European products first: DeepL Pro & API alternatives.
Where this could be wrong
- Evidence ages. The oldest capture behind this page is from 1 Nov 2026. Vendors change pricing and policies without notice; every fact reflects its source as of the capture date shown in the registry.
- Weak sourcing — Data processing agreement. Not confirmed on the vendor’s own pages as captured.
- AI can misread a source. Extraction and judgement are automated; a citation guarantees traceability, not infallibility. If something here is wrong, say so — no account needed, every report is decided within 5 business days, and accepted corrections are published.
What we left out
A claim that does not survive our checks costs us the claim, not the page. This is what was taken off this one.
- 20 product facts could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and were left out of this page and of the panel’s material. Know more? Tell us
- 9 integrations facts could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and were left out of this page and of the panel’s material. Know more? Tell us
- 4 support facts could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and were left out of this page and of the panel’s material. Know more? Tell us
- 2 compliance facts could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and were left out of this page and of the panel’s material. Know more? Tell us
- 2 data facts could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and were left out of this page and of the panel’s material. Know more? Tell us
- 1 legal fact could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and was left out of this page and of the panel’s material. Know more? Tell us
- 1 pricing fact could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and was left out of this page and of the panel’s material. Know more? Tell us
- 1 subprocessors fact could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and was left out of this page and of the panel’s material. Know more? Tell us
- 1 sovereignty dimension could not be confirmed on the vendor’s own pages and is shown as unknown. Know more? Tell us
Sources (20)
The pages every claim on this page was read from — each one checked, dated, and kept verifiable.
- 1 Vendor homepage (with pricing) www.deepl.com Checked 1 Nov 2026 Details →
- 2 Features page www.deepl.com Checked 1 Nov 2026 Details →
- 3 Features page (document translation) www.deepl.com Checked 1 Nov 2026 Details →
- 4 Features page (glossary) www.deepl.com Checked 1 Nov 2026 Details →
- 5 Integrations page www.deepl.com Checked 1 Nov 2026 Details →
- 6 API documentation developers.deepl.com Checked 1 Nov 2026 Details →
- 7 Security / trust page (data security) www.deepl.com Checked 1 Nov 2026 Details →
- 8 Legal notice www.deepl.com Checked 1 Nov 2026 Details →
- 9 Privacy policy www.deepl.com Checked 1 Nov 2026 Details →
- 10 Terms of service (with data processing terms) www.deepl.com Checked 1 Nov 2026 Details →
- 11 Machine translation & AI quality — found from sitemap www.deepl.com Checked 1 Nov 2026 Details →
- 12 Machine translation & AI quality — found from sitemap developers.deepl.com Checked 1 Nov 2026 Details →
- 13 Translation memory, terminology & review workflow — found from sitemap www.deepl.com Checked 1 Nov 2026 Details →
- 14 Translation memory, terminology & review workflow — found from sitemap www.deepl.com Checked 1 Nov 2026 Details →
- 15 Integrations, file formats & developer tools — found from sitemap www.deepl.com Checked 1 Nov 2026 Details →
- 16 Integrations, file formats & developer tools — found from sitemap www.deepl.com Checked 1 Nov 2026 Details →
- 17 Confidentiality of translated content — found from sitemap www.deepl.com Checked 1 Nov 2026 Details →
- 18 Confidentiality of translated content — found from sitemap www.deepl.com Checked 1 Nov 2026 Details →
- 19 Data export, portability & self-hosting — found from sitemap developers.deepl.com Checked 1 Nov 2026 Details →
- 20 Data export, portability & self-hosting — found from sitemap developers.deepl.com Checked 1 Nov 2026 Details →