Is DeepL Free? The Free Version's Limits, Checked

For most people translating the odd email or paragraph, the free version is plenty. The limits start to bite when you translate documents for work. Here's exactly where the line sits, using DeepL's own plans page as of October 2026.

DeepL free version vs DeepL Pro

Feature	Free version	Individual	Team
Characters per month	50,000	300,000	1,000,000 per user
File translations per month	1	3	20
Max file size	Up to 5 MB	Up to 30 MB	Up to 30 MB
Glossaries	1	1	5
Glossary entries per language pair	5	5	1,000
Saved translations	1	1	10

Business and Enterprise go further, with unlimited characters under a fair usage policy, 100 file translations a month on Business and custom limits on Enterprise.

What 50,000 characters a month looks like

Characters include spaces and punctuation, so they run out faster than you'd think. A typical English word plus its space is around six characters, which puts 50,000 characters at roughly 8,000 words a month. That's a lot of emails, but it's only a handful of long reports. If you translate client documents, the one-file-a-month limit is usually the one you'll hit first.

How much DeepL Pro costs, as of October 2026

DeepL's plans page shows prices in your local currency. When I checked it in October 2026 it displayed euro prices for Germany, with VAT included and billed annually:

• Individual: €7.49 a month.
• Team: €24.99 per user a month.
• Business: €49.99 per user a month.
• Enterprise: custom pricing.
• Write Pro add-on: €6.99 per user a month.

Prices in dollars or pounds will differ, so check the page in your own country. Individual and Team come with a 30-day free trial, and DeepL says trials aren't available if you've had a DeepL trial before.

The privacy point most people miss

The free version is fine for public text. For anything confidential, read DeepL's FAQ. It says that for Pro subscribers, DeepL stores your original text and the translation only as long as it needs to provide the service, deletes it afterwards, and never uses it to train its AI models. That promise is made for Pro. If you're translating contracts, HR documents or client data, that's the strongest reason to pay, more than the extra characters.

How to use DeepL free

1. Go to the DeepL translator in your browser, or install the desktop or mobile app.
2. Paste your text, choose the target language and copy the result.
3. For a document, upload it as your one free file for the month (up to 5 MB).
4. Add the DeepL extension for Chrome, Firefox or Edge to translate inside Gmail and Google Docs.

DeepL vs Google Translate if you don't want to pay

If the free caps are too tight, Google Translate is the obvious free fallback. I've compared the two in DeepL vs Google Translate, and my guide to whether Google Translate is free covers its limits.

What the paid DeepL plans add beyond limits

It isn't only bigger numbers. Team adds bulk file translation, shared style rule lists, team administration, analytics and reporting. Business adds unlimited characters under a fair usage policy, translation memory, unlimited glossaries, user provisioning and domain capture. Single sign-on is listed for teams of 50 or more users, so a small team won't get it just by paying for Team.

Paying for and cancelling DeepL Pro

• DeepL accepts credit and debit cards, SEPA Direct Debit for euro bank accounts, and bank transfer on larger annual Team, Business and Enterprise invoices.
• It doesn't accept PayPal, according to its FAQ.
• Upgrades take effect straight away, with what you've already paid credited pro rata.
• Downgrades and cancellations take effect at the end of your billing period, so you keep Pro features until then.
• To cancel, open the Subscription tab in your DeepL account and click Cancel subscription.

How file translations work on a DeepL team plan

If you buy Team or Business for several people, DeepL's FAQ says there are two ways to share the monthly file allowance. The whole team can share the total, with no limit per person, or an administrator can set a limit for each member, the same number for everyone. Sharing the pool suits a team where one person does most of the document work. Per-member limits stop one person using the whole month's allowance in the first week.

The browser extensions work on paid plans too. Log in to the DeepL extension for Chrome, Firefox or Edge and your Pro and Write Pro features follow you into Gmail, Google Docs and Google Slides.

My verdict: is DeepL free?

Yes, and the free version is good enough for everyday translation. Upgrade only if you hit the 50,000-character or one-file monthly cap, need more glossary entries, or translate confidential material and want DeepL's Pro promise that your text won't be used for training. As of October 2026 Individual starts at €7.49 a month billed annually on DeepL's German page, with a 30-day trial first.

Learning a language? Vocabulary cards come from a study app checked in this Knowt guide.

Frequently asked questions

Is DeepL free to use?

Yes. DeepL has a free version with 50,000 characters a month, one file translation a month up to 5 MB and one glossary.

What's the DeepL free character limit?

DeepL's comparison table lists 50,000 characters per month for the free version, against 300,000 on Individual.

How much is DeepL Pro?

As of October 2026 DeepL's German page showed Individual at €7.49 a month and Team at €24.99 per user a month, billed annually with VAT included.

Does DeepL Pro have a free trial?

Yes. Individual and Team have a 30-day free trial, but not if you've had a DeepL trial before.

Does DeepL use my text for training?

DeepL's FAQ says Pro subscribers' text is deleted after processing and never used to train its models. That promise is made for Pro.

How do I cancel DeepL Pro?

Go to the Subscription tab in your DeepL account and click Cancel subscription. It ends at the close of your billing cycle.