67 apps translate text, voice and whatever the camera sees, from 65 developers, two in the $250k+ band and nine more at $50–250k. iTranslate Translator has led since February 2019 and adds 5,862 ratings a month on top of 526,947. Thirteen apps launched in the last 18 months for 2% of the niche's review pace and one holds $50–250k. The one star reviews keep naming the free alternative: Google Translate comes up 56 times across eight leaders.
Appaloma readings · AI translators · 2026-09-01
- OpeningFewer newcomersOpen when a quarter or more of the niche launched in the last 18 months
- Demand100Revealed by rating velocity across the niche, 0–100
- Crowding70How much of the niche the top apps already hold, 0–100
- Apps6721 researched over $20k a month
- New13launched in the last 18 months, holding 2% of the niche's review pace
- Floor$1.4M+a month, adding the band floors of 67 researched apps
What the niche is
Type a sentence, speak into the phone or hold the camera over a menu and read it back in another language. The buyer cannot read the sign in front of them or shares no language with the family on the call, and 21 of the 67 apps clear $20k a month.
It sits in Translation apps at the general purpose end: one subscription covers text, voice, photo and live conversation, and 50 of the 67 listings promise the camera. The 39 AI English tutor apps run the same voice loop to correct the speaker instead of translating for them, and 16 clear $20k a month. The 78 homework AI apps run the same camera step over a worksheet and answer the question, and 17 of them clear $20k a month.
Who leads
| App | Since | Ratings | Stars | Prices | Band | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  iTranslate TranslatorMosaic S.r.l. | Feb 2019 | 526,947 | 4.7 | $9.99–$99.99 | $250k+ |
| 2 |  Translate Now - AI TranslatorAir Apps Systems | Mar 2018 | 358,084 | 4.7 | $9.99–$69.99 | $250k+ |
| 3 |  Speak & Translate - TranslatorMosaic S.r.l. | Feb 2014 | 257,722 | 4.5 | $7.99–$29.99 | $50–250k |
| 4 |  Translator Guru: Voice & TextGM UniverseApps Limited | Apr 2019 | 53,965 | 4.6 | $4.99–$49.99 | $50–250k |
| 5 |  Live Translator - AI TranslateDigitalSail (HK) Limited | Feb 2025 | 18,254 | 4.6 | $7.99–$99.99 | $50–250k |
| 6 |  Translate AI Pocket TranslatorHeavy Plumb Apps, SOCIEDAD LIMITADA | Jun 2018 | 10,133 | 4.5 | $6.99–$79.99 | $50–250k |
| 7 |  Translator - Translate BoxXung Le | Nov 2015 | 8,452 | 4.6 | $4.49–$19.99 | $50–250k |
| 8 |  Translator*Appios Bilisim | Dec 2019 | 2,803 | 4.4 | $9.99–$59.99 | $50–250k |
| 9 |  Translate One: AI TranslatorTung To Dinh | Nov 2024 | 2,331 | 4.7 | $6.99–$14.99 | $50–250k |
| 10 |  Language Translator ·Brain Craft Ltd | Jun 2020 | 2,025 | 4.6 | $9.99–$39.99 | $50–250k |
| 11 |  Translate - Text Speak & PhotoShenyang Nian Xue Technology Ltd. | Mar 2017 | 1,818 | 4.6 | $3.99–$34.99 | $50–250k |
| 12 |  Translator GO: AI TranslateMATdev | Jun 2021 | 20,089 | 4.4 | $6.99–$64.99 | $20–50k |
Band: our researched estimate of peak monthly revenue, published only for apps we have researched one by one. Every app in the catalog sits above the $5k a month floor.
iTranslate Translator launched in February 2019 and holds 526,947 ratings at 5,862 a month in the $250k+ band, one of 38 apps from Mosaic S.r.l. It charges $9.99 a week, $12.99 a month and $99.99 a year, the highest year in the top 14.
Translate Now - AI Translator goes back to March 2018 and holds 358,084 ratings at 3,561 a month in the same band, one of 15 apps from Air Apps Systems, and it charges $9.99 a week beside $19.99 a month and $69.99 a year. Mosaic runs a second leader, Speak & Translate - Translator, the oldest of the 14 at February 2014, which holds 257,722 ratings and runs at 2.1x its own earlier pace, the fastest riser.
Live Translator - AI Translate, the newest of the 14 at February 2025, holds 18,254 ratings at 1,013 a month at $50–250k and is the only app DigitalSail (HK) Limited publishes. Shenyang Nian Xue Technology Ltd. publishes one app, Translate - Text Speak & Photo, which holds $50–250k on 1,818 ratings and writes its $3.99 month and $34.99 year in Chinese.
Translator Guru: Voice & Text from GM UniverseApps Limited launched in April 2019 and holds 53,965 ratings at 615 a month at $50–250k. Translate One: AI Translator holds the same band on 2,331 ratings while Talk & Translate AI Translator from MobiSystems, Inc. sits a band lower on 12,550, so ratings do not order the bands.
Twelve of the 14 shipped an update in 2026. Translator - Translate Box from Xung Le stopped in December 2023 and Language Translator · from Brain Craft Ltd in October 2021, and both keep $50–250k, two of the 10 dormant apps.
How they make money
Nine of the 14 leaders charge by the week, $4.99 at Translation Voice Translator up to $14.99 at Translate Now, and six of them price it between $6.99 and $9.99. Translator GO: AI Translate lists seven separate weeks from $6.99 to $10.99, one with three free days at the top price.
Nine charge by the month, $3.99 at Translate - Text Speak & Photo and $4.49 at Translate Box up to $29.99 at Translate AI Pocket Translator. Ten sell a yearly plan, $9.99 at Translate Box up to $99.99 at iTranslate and Translation Voice Translator, and five price the year between $29.99 and $59.99.
Translate Box lists a $19.99 Premium Version without saying how long it runs and tells buyers they can pay once instead of subscribing, which two apps do.
Translator Guru lists seven plans from $4.99 to $49.99 as Premium, Full Access and Unlimited without saying how long any of them runs. Translate AI Pocket Translator puts a term on one plan of ten, a $29.99 month, and sells the other nine from $6.99 to $79.99 as Pro, Full Offer and Family Plan.
The angles that get installs
- keyboard that translates4 apps
- translate from the Apple Watch3 apps
- spoken translation plays in your earbuds3 apps
- buy it once and keep it for life2 apps
- point at an object, learn its name2 apps
- pay once per page pack or per language2 apps
Fifty of the 67 apps sell the camera: point it at a sign or a menu and read the English. Nothing else runs in more than four apps: a keyboard that translates as you type runs in four, and three each translate from the Apple Watch, play the translation in your earbuds, check grammar before sending and download a language pack so roaming costs nothing.
Three angles sit outside all that: two apps stand in as the interpreter for a doctor's appointment or a school call, two charge per page pack or per language instead of a subscription, and two point at an object to teach its name.
What the one star reviews keep saying
“This app advertises conjugations on most verbs. They do not exist in the app. It’s basically like using Google Translate but you pay for it. I’m deleting immediately.”iTranslate Translator, 2026-08-10
“google translate” recurs in 8 of the top 12 apps“Do not sign up for any free trials or subscriptions with this app. They offer a free trial for 3 days and charge you $4.99 for the 1 week subscription anyway. Deleted the app. Will no longer use. Their support button on ”Translate Now - AI Translator, 2026-08-10
“doesn't work” recurs in 8 of the top 12 apps“Using this for Spanish and English translation and the translations of simple words are often so far off I don’t know how this app has gotten so big. Definitely regretting paying for a year of it.”iTranslate Translator, 2026-06-03
“don't know” recurs in 8 of the top 12 apps“App works fine, but it asks me for a review every time I logon – infuriating!”iTranslate Translator, 2026-07-21
“every time” recurs in 7 of the top 12 apps“well, just downloaded the free trial, the cantonese translation is completely inaccurate. tried several different phrases and all translated wrong.”iTranslate Translator, 2026-07-27
“free trial” recurs in 6 of the top 12 apps“Waste of money why are you charging me this I said I pull 17 whatever I got and you charging for this app for no reason I got a iPhone. I’m not paying for this doesn’t worth it sorry.”Translate Now - AI Translator, 2026-07-31
“waste money” recurs in 6 of the top 12 apps“Did not work very well in Japan. Also, the camera to text was problematic. You couldn’t zoom in so the text was blurry at times. It definitely didn’t work with the mic option from Japanese to English translation. Not wor”iTranslate Translator, 2026-05-25
“didn't work” recurs in 6 of the top 12 apps
Phrases that recur in one and two star reviews across 9 of the niche's top 12 apps.
Nine of the 14 leaders pool their one star reviews and four complaints run through them.
It does what Google Translate does and bills for it. "Google translate" runs 56 times in eight apps and "free google" 12 times in five. An iTranslate reviewer paid for verb conjugations the listing promised, found none and called the app Google Translate with a price on it in August 2026.
The translation is wrong. "Doesn't work" runs 52 times in eight apps, "waste time" 21 times in five and "didn't work" 19 times in six. One reviewer ran Cantonese phrases through the free trial and got every one back wrong, and another in Japan could not zoom into blurry text.
The charge lands anyway. "Free trial" runs 38 times in six apps, "waste money" 30 times in six and "credit card" eight times in five. Translate Now charged one reviewer $4.99 for the week during a three day trial, and another cancelled iTranslate and got a bill a month later.
Paying does not stop the asking. "Every time" runs 18 times in seven apps from people the app asks to rate it at every launch, and "time try" eight times in five from one who bought a year and still meets the subscribe screen.
What works, from the five star side
"Good good" runs 25 times in eight apps and "excellent excellent" eight times in six with no feature attached. "Best translator" runs nine times in six and "best ever" six times in five, from travellers and people with relatives abroad. "Muy bueno" runs 18 times in six apps and "muy buena" nine times in four, so Spanish speakers are a visible slice of every leader. The rating prompt reaches the five star side, where one review praises the app and says it keeps asking to be rated.
New in the last 18 months
- Live Translator - AI TranslateFeb 2025 · 18,254 ratings · $50–250k
- Translate AI - Live TranslateJan 2025 · 3,200 ratings · $20–50k
- AI Language Translator +Jul 2025 · 337 ratings · $5–10k
- AI Translator: Photo & VoiceSep 2025 · 335 ratings · $20–50k
- Translate All - Text&PhotoJun 2025 · 221 ratings · $10–20k
- TranslateAll: Live TranslatorMay 2026 · 199 ratings · $5–10k
- Translator Now: AI TranslateJan 2026 · 198 ratings · $5–10k
- Translator App: AI TranslateAug 2025 · 130 ratings · $10–20k
Thirteen apps launched in the last 18 months for 2% of the review pace, and eleven are past 100 ratings: one at $50–250k, two at $20–50k, three at $10–20k and five at $5–10k. Live Translator - AI Translate holds that top band, a February 2025 launch at 18,254 ratings and the fourth fastest review pace among the 14 leaders. AI Translator: Photo & Voice from QAS DOO reached $20–50k on 335 ratings twelve months after launching, and Translate Now – Voice & Camera reached $10–20k on 113 ratings in nine months.
Six leaders run cached ad creative. Translate Now runs a Spanish hook about earbuds translating the reply live, and one of its one star reviewers watched that commercial, sat between two people speaking another language and got nothing. Language Translator · promises you will not need to hire an interpreter and has shipped nothing since October 2021.
What to copy and what to avoid
Copy: the week between $6.99 and $9.99, where six of the nine leaders with a weekly plan sit.
Copy: the downloadable language pack, which three apps sell while "doesn't work" runs 52 times in eight leaders, some from people using these apps abroad.
Avoid: the trial that charges before it ends. "Free trial" draws 38 one star mentions in six leaders and "credit card" eight in five, and one reviewer paid $4.99 during three free days.
Avoid: the rating prompt at every launch, 18 one star mentions in seven leaders and a complaint that turns up inside five star reviews.
Our read: 56 one star mentions of Google Translate in eight leaders sit against two apps holding $250k+ on a $9.99 week and a $19.99 month. A comparison to a free app does not stop the payment, so the argument sits on the price list.
Our read: the two dormant leaders keep $50–250k with nothing shipped since December 2023 and October 2021, while five of the eleven entrants past 100 ratings sit at $5–10k. Maintenance is not what separates the bands, and six of the 14 leaders run paid creative.
FAQ
Is the translator app market saturated?
No. 67 apps from 65 developers, 13 launched in the last 18 months, and 21 clear $20k a month as of September 2026. One reached $50–250k on 18,254 ratings and two more reached $20–50k.
Which translator apps make the most money?
iTranslate Translator and Translate Now - AI Translator hold the $250k+ band as of September 2026, on 526,947 and 358,084 ratings. Nine more sit at $50–250k, and Speak & Translate - Translator leads those on 257,722 ratings.
How do translator apps make money?
Nine of the 14 leaders sell a weekly plan at $4.99 to $14.99 and six of them price it between $6.99 and $9.99. Nine charge by the month from $3.99 to $29.99 and ten sell a yearly plan from $9.99 to $99.99.
Are paid translator apps better than Google Translate?
Their own one star reviewers say no, 56 times across eight leaders, plus "free google" 12 times in five. The paid apps add packaging: 50 of the 67 listings promise camera translation and three sell an offline pack.
What should a new translator app do differently?
Say how long every plan runs: one leader leaves the term off all seven of its plans and another puts it on one plan of ten, while "free trial" draws 38 one star mentions in six apps. Let the free days run before the charge, where "credit card" runs eight times in five leaders. Drop the rating prompt that draws 18 one star mentions in seven leaders.