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Apertium

A rule-based translation toolchain with offline desktop apps

Visit apertium.org

Our verdict

#4 of 4 in Self-hosted machine translation · For a pair with written rules

Pros

  • The rules are the product, so a pair can be inspected
  • Simpleton UI and installed packages, plus an Android app
  • The wiki calls the platform free and open source

Cons

  • The FAQ says neural and statistical translation are not accepted
  • Windows core install goes through WSL
  • Simpleton UI only installs pairs that are on the website

Who should skip:Anyone who needs a neural model.

Read the full review →

Rankings and alternatives

Self-hosted machine translation scores

Evaluated Nov 8, 2026 Evidence ↓
  • Time to first translation 4

    4/5 means: A Docker image, a pip package, or a named desktop program with a short install

    Packages exist for several Linux distributions, Windows, and macOS. The install wiki calls Apertium Simpleton UI the easiest path for Windows and Mac. Installing the core on Windows 10 or newer goes through WSL.

  • Stays on your machine 4

    4/5 means: An offline-capable server you run, or offline apps plus a public demo site

    Simpleton UI and the Android app are offline. The Android note says not every released pair is supported yet. The project also runs a website, which is a separate hosted demo from the packages.

  • Languages 3

    3/5 means: A stated list of stable pairs, or downloadable models with no published total

    The wiki says 51 pairs have released versions and are considered stable. The FAQ says statistical and neural translation are not included.

  • Calling it from software 3

    3/5 means: Native messaging, or a toolchain another program can call

    The README describes a toolchain of language-agnostic tools, not an HTTP API. Simpleton UI installs translator packages for the pairs on the website.

  • What keeps running 3

    3/5 means: A language runtime, model files, and a separate interface package

    A source build needs lttoolbox, libxml2, and ICU. The install wiki says deep work is easier on Ubuntu or a similar Debian system. Simpleton UI is the path that avoids that for Windows and Mac.

Pricing

  • Self-hosted Free The wiki calls it a free and open-source platform. No paid plan is stated there.

From the vendor’s pricing page, checked Nov 8, 2026. That page is authoritative.

Evidence and sources

Self-hosted machine translation scores

Time to first translation 3 quotes
  • “Apertium provides binaries for several platforms, including Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, CentOS, OpenSUSE, Windows, and macOS.”
    github.com/apertium/apertium · checked
  • “Windows (10 or newer): Use WSL. First follow https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/install-win10 then continue with Install Apertium core using packaging”
    wiki.apertium.org/wiki/Installation · checked
  • “The easiest solution for Windows and Mac users is Apertium Simpleton UI. You can install translator packages from within that program (though only the pairs that are on the website, not the "in development" pairs).”
    wiki.apertium.org/wiki/Installation · checked
Stays on your machine 2 quotes
  • “https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.apertium.android – Simple offline translations for Android (not all released pairs supported yet), see Apertium Android”
    wiki.apertium.org/wiki/Installation · checked
  • “The easiest solution for Windows and Mac users is Apertium Simpleton UI. You can install translator packages from within that program (though only the pairs that are on the website, not the "in development" pairs).”
    wiki.apertium.org/wiki/Installation · checked
Languages 2 quotes
  • “The following 51 pairs have released versions and are considered to be stable:”
    wiki.apertium.org/wiki/Main_Page · checked
  • “We do not currently include any statistical or neural machine translation tools or methods. We are often asked if contributions can be made with statistical or neural systems, but for now they cannot.”
    wiki.apertium.org/wiki/Frequently_Asked_Questions · checked
Calling it from software 2 quotes
  • “The easiest solution for Windows and Mac users is Apertium Simpleton UI. You can install translator packages from within that program (though only the pairs that are on the website, not the "in development" pairs).”
    wiki.apertium.org/wiki/Installation · checked
  • “It facilitates the creation of consistent and transparent machine translation systems by relying on deterministic linguistic rules rather than statistical or neural models.”
    github.com/apertium/apertium · checked
What keeps running 5 quotes

Facts

License 1 quote
  • “This project is licensed under the GNU General Public License v2.0. See the COPYING file for details.”
    github.com/apertium/apertium · checked
Runs on 2 quotes
  • “Apertium provides binaries for several platforms, including Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, CentOS, OpenSUSE, Windows, and macOS.”
    github.com/apertium/apertium · checked
  • “https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.apertium.android – Simple offline translations for Android (not all released pairs supported yet), see Apertium Android”
    wiki.apertium.org/wiki/Installation · checked
Needs 2 quotes

Other quotes

Not cited by a score or fact 1 quote

Pricing

wiki.apertium.org/wiki/Main_Page · checked