Revayo vs Google Translate
A Google Translate alternative
that runs as a Mac app.
Google Translate knows 240+ languages and costs nothing, but it runs in a browser tab. It has no Mac app, no global hotkey, no choice of translation model, and no way to keep your text off Google's servers. Revayo Translate is a native Mac app that covers those gaps.
The honest version
For a photo of a menu or a whole web page, use Google Translate; Revayo doesn't do those. Revayo is for text you translate at your desk. Press ⌥⌘T and the clipboard is translated by the model you picked. The cost per request is shown in cents, and your text goes to your provider, or with a local model, nowhere.
Side by side.
| Revayo Translate | Google Translate | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $14.99 once + your own API usage | Free |
| Languages | 112 | 240+ |
| Native Mac app | Yes — macOS 14+ | No — web and mobile only |
| Global hotkey | Yes — ⌥⌘T translates the clipboard from anywhere | No |
| Translation engine | Your pick — OpenAI, Claude, OpenRouter, Ollama, any compatible endpoint | Google's, fixed |
| Runs fully on your Mac | Yes — via a local Ollama model | No — offline packs exist on mobile only |
| Images, speech, web pages | No — text only | Yes — camera, handwriting, full sites |
| Custom tone & instructions | Editable prompt — ask for formal, casual, or "like a local" | No |
| Cost visibility | Tokens and dollar cost logged per translation | Free — the product economics live elsewhere |
| Where your text goes | Straight to the provider you chose — or nowhere, if local | Google's servers, handled under Google's privacy policy |
Google Translate details taken from translate.google.com as of July 3, 2026. If something's changed since, tell us at [email protected] and we'll fix it.
Runs on your Mac, not in a browser tab
With Google Translate you switch to the browser, find the tab, paste, copy the result, and switch back. Revayo is a native app. Copy any text, press ⌥⌘T, and the translation appears on screen. You can also select text in any app and use the Translate with Revayo entry in the macOS Services menu.
Choose the translation model
Google Translate is fast and literal, which works for a phrase like "where is the station" but less well for a joke, a contract clause, or a message where tone matters. Large language models tend to handle idioms, register, and context better. In Revayo you choose which model runs each translation: a frontier model for difficult text, a smaller model for volume. You can also give instructions for how to translate, such as keeping it formal, casual, or preserving slang. Google Translate has no such option.
Where your text goes
Text you type into Google Translate is processed under Google's privacy policy. Revayo has no account, no analytics, and no servers of its own. Requests go from your Mac directly to the provider you configured, under your own key. To avoid the network entirely, run a model in Ollama and translate with Wi-Fi off. The privacy policy is one page.
Where Google Translate is genuinely better
- Coverage. 240+ languages, including many that no LLM handles well yet. For something like Chuvash or Dzongkha, Google is likely your only option.
- Beyond text. Camera translation, handwriting, speech, and whole websites. Revayo does none of that; it translates text only.
- Free. No key, no setup, no usage meter. For occasional use, that's hard to beat.
Which one is for you?
Pick Revayo if you…
- translate many times a day and want it a keystroke away
- care how naturally the translation reads
- want to pick the model, or run one locally
- would rather not send your text through Google
Stay with Google Translate if you…
- need languages outside Revayo's 112
- translate photos, speech, or entire web pages
- translate a few times a month and don't want to set up an API key
Questions people actually ask.
Google Translate is free. Why pay anything at all?
The cost is small: $14.99 once for the app, then your own API usage. A dollar of credit on a cheap model covers a few thousand short translations, and a local Ollama model costs nothing. For that you get a native app with a global hotkey, a model you choose, and text that doesn't pass through Google.
Is LLM translation actually better?
For tone, idioms, slang, and anything that needs context, usually yes. For a single word or a street sign, both do the job. The difference is easiest to see on your own texts, especially messages you would actually send to someone.
Does Revayo translate web pages or images?
No. It handles text you type, paste, or send with the hotkey. For a photo of a menu or a full web page, Google Translate is the right tool.
Can I keep translations completely private?
Yes. Point Revayo at a local model in Ollama and the text never leaves your Mac. With a cloud provider, requests go straight from your machine to that provider, under your own key and their terms.
Try Revayo
instead of a browser tab.
Native macOS app, version 14 or later. $14.99 once. A global hotkey instead of a browser tab.
Download for macOS