Alternative to Google Translate
Google Translate alternative for writing chat messages
Google Translate's Chrome extension translates text you highlight or right-click, and Chrome translates whole pages on its own, so reading a message in another language costs nothing. Writing the reply is where it stops: you translate your draft somewhere else and paste a literal translation back. BetterSend does that step inside Slack, Teams, WhatsApp Web, Gmail and eight more sites, and in the desktop apps: write in your own language, pick one of 13 tones, and the message comes back in natural English. The free plan has 50 actions a month and needs no card.
By Rubens Jr, Founder of BetterSend
What changed at Google Translate
- Translating whole pages moved out of the extension and into Chrome itself. The extension now translates text you highlight or right-click, according to its Chrome Web Store listing.
- Since Chrome 138 the browser also has a Translator API that runs on the device, so websites and extensions can translate text without sending it to a server.
- On the Chrome Web Store the extension reports 39 million users and is rated 3.0 out of 5 from 44,900 reviews, as of October 2026.
- Microsoft Teams translates messages you receive, and Slack does too on its Business+ and Enterprise+ plans. Neither translates the reply you are writing.
What BetterSend gives you for free
- 50 AI actions a month, every month, with no trial that runs out and no card. Each Improve, Translate or Explain is one action.
- 3 tones (Professional, Friendly, Fix Grammar) and 10 free uses of the Pro tones, to try the others on real messages.
- Write in Portuguese, Spanish or any other language and get natural English back, in one click.
- Translate and Explain on the messages you receive, in 44 languages.
- The desktop app for Mac and Windows puts the same button in the Slack, Teams, WhatsApp and Discord apps, on the same free plan.
- Your message is sent only when you click, never stored and never used to train models.
Where Google Translate is still the better choice
- It is free, needs no account and has no monthly limit.
- It translates any text on any site, in far more languages, and its app also translates speech, camera text and documents.
- To get the gist of one message, highlighting it is the fastest way there is.
- It has apps for iPhone and Android. BetterSend has no mobile app.
Switch in three steps
- 1
Add BetterSend to Chrome and sign in with your email. The free plan needs no card.
- 2
Open Slack, Teams, WhatsApp Web or Gmail, write the draft in your own language and press Improve.
- 3
For the apps installed on your computer, get BetterSend for Mac or Windows.
Common questions
Is Google Translate good enough for work messages?
For reading, usually yes. For writing, a literal translation keeps the word order and formality of your own language and often sounds stiff or too direct in English, with no tone to choose. BetterSend rewrites the draft as a native speaker would send it.
Does BetterSend translate the messages I receive too?
Yes. Each message gets Translate and Explain, in 44 languages. Explain says what an idiom or a short reply means, so you answer the message that was actually sent.
Do I have to write in English first?
No. Write in your own language, even mixed with English words, and press Improve. The result comes back in English, or in another language you pick.
What does BetterSend cost?
The free plan has 50 AI actions a month and 3 tones, with no card. Pro is $4.99 a month or $39.99 a year with all 13 tones.
Sources
- Google Translate extension on the Chrome Web Store (version 2.0.18) (checked 2026-10-29)
- Chrome for Developers: the Translator API (checked 2026-10-29)
- Microsoft Support: translate a message in Microsoft Teams (checked 2026-10-29)
- Slack Help Center: guide to AI features in Slack (checked 2026-10-29)
- BetterSend (checked 2026-10-23)