Google Translation Hub Shut Down. What Are the Best Alternatives?

If you're landing on this page, you probably already know: Google Translation Hub is gone. Google quietly deprecated the service in mid-2022, and by late 2022 it was fully shut down. The web-based tool that let teams upload documents for batch translation simply stopped being available.

That left thousands of content teams, localization managers, and marketing departments scrambling for alternatives. Some migrated to Google's Cloud Translation API. Others moved to DeepL or built custom workflows. Many are still looking for something that fills the gap without breaking the budget.

This article covers what Translation Hub actually was, why Google killed it, and three alternatives worth considering in 2026. We'll compare pricing, features, and show you how to get batch translation working again.

What Was Google Translation Hub?

Translation Hub was a web-based tool built on top of Google Cloud Translation. It launched in 2019 and was designed for enterprise teams who needed to translate documents at scale without writing code.

The key features were:

• Document upload with format preservation (DOCX, PPTX, PDF)
• Batch processing of multiple files at once
• Glossary support for consistent terminology
• Quality review workflow with a side-by-side editor
• Custom model training via AutoML Translation

It was essentially a simplified interface on top of the Cloud Translation API, targeted at non-technical users. Think content managers, marketing teams, and documentation writers.

Why Did Google Shut It Down?

Google never published a detailed explanation. The deprecation notice cited a "strategic shift" and encouraged users to use the Cloud Translation API directly or explore partner solutions.

Reading between the lines, a few things likely contributed:

• Low adoption. Translation Hub required a Google Cloud account and billing setup, which created friction for the non-technical audience it targeted.
• Competition from dedicated tools. Platforms like Smartcat, Lokalise, and Crowdin offered more polished document translation workflows with better collaboration features.
• Focus on API revenue. Google's Cloud Translation API generates significantly more revenue than a free-tier web tool ever would.

Whatever the reason, the result is the same: if you relied on Translation Hub, you need an alternative.

Three Translation Hub Alternatives Compared

Let's look at the three most practical alternatives for teams that were using Translation Hub. Each approaches the problem differently.

1. Google Cloud Translation API

The most obvious successor. Google's own Cloud Translation API gives you programmatic access to the same translation engine that powered Translation Hub.

Pricing: $20 per million characters. No permanent free tier for translation (the $300 new-account credit expires in 90 days).

Strengths:

• If you were already on Google Cloud, the migration is straightforward
• Same underlying translation engine
• AutoML Translation for custom models (if you were using that feature)
• Document translation API for DOCX, PPTX, PDF

Drawbacks:

• No web interface for non-technical users
• Expensive at scale ($2,000/mo for 100M characters)
• Requires a full GCP project setup
• The v2 API has no formality or style controls

2. DeepL API

DeepL has built a strong reputation for translation quality, especially for European languages. Their API supports both text and document translation.

Pricing: $25 per million characters (API Pro). The free tier gives you 500,000 characters/month but with limited features.

Strengths:

• Strong quality for European language pairs
• Document translation (PDF, DOCX, PPTX)
• Formality parameter for some languages
• Glossary support

Drawbacks:

• Most expensive option at $25/1M characters
• Limited language support (33 languages vs. 100+ for Google)
• No Google Translate API compatibility (requires code rewrite)
• EU data processing only (no regional options)

3. Langbly

Langbly is a translation API that's format-compatible with Google Translate v2. If your code calls the Google Translate API, you can switch to Langbly by changing one URL. No code rewrite needed.

Pricing: $1.99 to $3.80 per million characters depending on plan. Permanent free tier of 500,000 characters/month.

Strengths:

• 81-90% cheaper than Google Translate and DeepL
• Drop-in replacement for Google Translate v2 API (same request/response format)
• Context-aware translations with higher quality for many language pairs
• Inline glossary support
• Formality control
• EU data residency option (dedicated EU infrastructure)
• Permanent free tier, no credit card required

Drawbacks:

• Newer platform compared to Google and DeepL
• Response time is slightly higher than NMT-based engines (a trade-off for better quality)

Pricing Comparison at a Glance

Which Alternative Should You Choose?

The right choice depends on what you were using Translation Hub for.

If you need document translation (DOCX, PPTX, XLSX): All three platforms support document translation via API. Langbly handles DOCX, PPTX, XLSX, ODT, SRT, HTML, and TXT files while preserving formatting.

If you need batch text translation via API: Langbly offers the best value. It's 81-90% cheaper than Google and works as a drop-in replacement, so migration takes minutes instead of days.

If you're already deep in the Google Cloud ecosystem: Staying with Google Cloud Translation is the path of least resistance, but you'll pay significantly more per character.

If quality for European languages is your top priority: Test both DeepL and Langbly with your actual content. Quality varies by language pair and domain. DeepL is strong for formal European content. Langbly's context-aware approach often performs better for marketing copy, UI strings, and conversational text.

How to Migrate from Google Translate API to Langbly

If you were using Translation Hub's API integration (or if you're currently using the Google Cloud Translation API), here's how to switch to Langbly in four steps.

Step 1: Get Your Langbly API Key

Sign up for a free account. You'll get an API key from the dashboard immediately. No credit card, no Google Cloud project setup.

Step 2: Change the Base URL

Replace the Google endpoint with Langbly's. The request and response format stays identical.

# Before (Google)
response = requests.post(
    "https://translation.googleapis.com/language/translate/v2",
    headers={"Authorization": "Bearer GOOGLE_TOKEN"},
    json={"q": "Hello world", "target": "nl"}
)

# After (Langbly)
response = requests.post(
    "https://api.langbly.com/language/translate/v2",
    headers={"Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_LANGBLY_KEY"},
    json={"q": "Hello world", "target": "nl"}
)

Step 3: Update Authentication

Google uses either an API key as URL parameter (?key=KEY) or an OAuth token. Langbly uses a Bearer token in the Authorization header. If you were using the URL parameter approach, you'll need to move the key to the header.

Step 4: Test and Deploy

Run your existing test suite. The response format is identical, so your parsing code should work without changes. Start with the free tier (500K chars/month) to validate quality before upgrading.

Batch Translation with Langbly

One of Translation Hub's most popular features was batch processing. While Langbly doesn't have a document upload UI, you can batch translate text programmatically. Pass an array of strings in a single API call:

import requests

response = requests.post(
    "https://api.langbly.com/language/translate/v2",
    headers={"Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"},
    json={
        "q": [
            "Welcome to our platform",
            "Your order has been confirmed",
            "Contact support for help"
        ],
        "target": "de",
        "source": "en"
    }
)

data = response.json()
for translation in data["data"]["translations"]:
    print(translation["translatedText"])

For JavaScript:

const response = await fetch(
  "https://api.langbly.com/language/translate/v2",
  {
    method: "POST",
    headers: {
      "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY",
      "Content-Type": "application/json"
    },
    body: JSON.stringify({
      q: [
        "Welcome to our platform",
        "Your order has been confirmed",
        "Contact support for help"
      ],
      target: "de",
      source: "en"
    })
  }
);

const data = await response.json();
data.data.translations.forEach(t => console.log(t.translatedText));

What About the September 2026 Translation Hub Deadline?

While Translation Hub itself shut down in 2022, there is a related deadline worth knowing about. Google has deprecated several translation-related features and APIs over the past few years as part of consolidating their Cloud Translation offering. If you are still using legacy translation endpoints or deprecated AutoML Translation features, check your Google Cloud console for any deprecation notices with specific deadlines.

The broader trend is clear: Google is focusing on its paid API products and moving away from free or subsidized translation tools. Planning your migration sooner rather than later avoids last-minute pressure.

Conclusion

Google Translation Hub is not coming back. But the good news is that better, cheaper alternatives exist today. If you need document translation, Google Cloud Translation and DeepL have you covered. If you need a cost-effective text translation API that works as a drop-in replacement for Google Translate v2, Langbly saves you 81-90% with zero code changes.

Try Langbly free with 500K characters/month. No credit card, no cloud project setup, no strings attached.