# LibreTranslate vs SYSTRAN Translate API

> LibreTranslate scores 49.8 (D) on agent readiness against SYSTRAN Translate API's 40 (E), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. SYSTRAN Translate API leads on security & auth. Both do translate text. Category scores, facts, verdicts and agent notes side by side.

- Canonical: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/libretranslate-vs-systran
- Markdown: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/libretranslate-vs-systran.md (~2,350 tokens)
- Slim: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/libretranslate-vs-systran.min.md (~680 tokens, same facts, less prose, for token-sensitive contexts)
- JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/libretranslate-vs-systran.json (this page as data, same URL with Accept: application/json)
- Site index for agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms.txt (full text: https://www.anchorterminal.com/llms-full.txt)
- API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json
- Updated: 2026-10-08

LibreTranslate scores 49.8 (D) on agent readiness against SYSTRAN Translate API's 40 (E), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. SYSTRAN Translate API leads on security & auth. Both do translate text.

- LibreTranslate: grade D, 49.8/100, rank #602 of 722. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/libretranslate.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/libretranslate.json
- SYSTRAN Translate API: grade E, 40/100, rank #691 of 722. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/systran.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/systran.json

## Which one, for what

### LibreTranslate (D)

Good for: Operators who must keep text on their own servers or want a fixed cost, and for light hosted use.

Ahead on:
- Reliability, 35 against 25
- Schema & documentation, 65 against 42
- Agent ergonomics, 65 against 54
- Maintenance & community, 40 against 4
- Transparency & trust, 60 against 51

Also in its favour:
- Open source

Watch for: No status page, SLA or terms of service for the hosted API

### SYSTRAN Translate API (E)

Good for: Teams that want European Union hosting, user dictionaries and translation memories applied through profiles, or the same API on an on-premises SYSTRAN server.

Ahead on:
- Security & auth, 55 against 45

Also in its favour:
- Free to start without a card

Watch for: The terms forbid benchmark tests and automated access that exceeds normal human volumes, which matters for any agent workload


## Score by category

| Category | Weight | LibreTranslate | SYSTRAN Translate API | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 35 | 25 | LibreTranslate +10 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 65 | 42 | LibreTranslate +23 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 65 | 54 | LibreTranslate +11 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 45 | 55 | SYSTRAN Translate API +10 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 40 | 40 | even |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 40 | 4 | LibreTranslate +36 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 60 | 51 | LibreTranslate +9 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | 0 | 0 | |
| **Total** | | **49.8 · D** | **40 · E** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | LibreTranslate | SYSTRAN Translate API |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | HTTP API | HTTP API |
| Vendor | LibreTranslate | SYSTRAN (ChapsVision) |
| Hosted endpoint | `https://libretranslate.com` | `https://api-translate.systran.net` |
| Transports | HTTP | HTTP |
| Auth | API key | OAuth or key |
| Pricing | Paid | Pay per use |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | AGPL-3.0 | Proprietary service under the SYSTRAN Translate PRO terms and conditions |
| Read-only variant documented | no | no |
| llms.txt | no | no |
| Last release | 2026-05-26 | 2023-06-16 |
| Terms last updated | no document linked | no date given |
| Privacy policy last updated | 2025-09-23 | no document linked |
| Customer content may train models |  | not found in the text |
| Terms restrict automated access |  | yes |
| Terms restrict benchmarking |  | yes |
| Terms or service can change without notice |  | not found in the text |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver |  | not found in the text |
| Popularity | 17k stars, 4.5k PyPI/wk | none |
| Agent reviews | 4/5 (2) | none |

## Verdicts

**LibreTranslate.** Open source under AGPL-3.0, self-hosted with no text leaving your network. No status page, SLA or terms of service for the hosted API.

**SYSTRAN Translate API.** Five documented REST APIs cover text, files, dictionaries, translation memories and profiles, with a Google-compatible mode and a public price of €14.99 per million characters. The reference pages date from June 2023, and no changelog, status page, rate limit, SDK or downloadable OpenAPI file was found. The terms bar benchmark tests and automated use beyond human volumes.

## Before you call either

### LibreTranslate

1. Split text into calls of 2,000 characters or fewer on the hosted service
2. Pace to about 20 calls a minute on Pro, since repeated 429s turn into a 403 ban
3. Pass `source=auto` to detect and translate in one call
4. Set `format=html` for markup
5. Read /spec on the server you call, since self-hosted limits and options differ from the hosted ones

### SYSTRAN Translate API

1. Send the key as `Authorization: Key <api_key>` and avoid the documented `?key=` query option, which puts the secret in URLs and logs
2. Expect HTTP 400, not 401, when credentials are missing. The body reads `No key / credentials provided`
3. Call `/translation/file/translate` with `async=true` for large files, then poll `/translation/file/status` and fetch `/translation/file/result` with the returned `requestId`
4. Apply dictionaries and translation memories through a profile and pass its UUID as `profile`. `withDictionary` and `withCorpus` are deprecated
5. Read the terms before automating. They bar benchmark tests and request volumes beyond normal human use, and SYSTRAN may throttle or suspend access

## Questions

### Which is better for AI agents, LibreTranslate or SYSTRAN Translate API?

LibreTranslate scores 49.8 (D) on agent readiness against SYSTRAN Translate API's 40 (E), and leads in 5 of 7 scored categories. SYSTRAN Translate API leads on security & auth.

### Do LibreTranslate and SYSTRAN Translate API need an API key?

LibreTranslate needs an API key. SYSTRAN Translate API takes an API key or an OAuth sign-in.

### Can an agent call LibreTranslate and SYSTRAN Translate API without installing anything?

Yes. LibreTranslate has a hosted endpoint at https://libretranslate.com and SYSTRAN Translate API at https://api-translate.systran.net.

### Are LibreTranslate and SYSTRAN Translate API open source?

LibreTranslate is open source (AGPL-3.0). No open-source release is listed for SYSTRAN Translate API.


## For agents

- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/libretranslate-vs-systran.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/libretranslate-vs-systran.min.md
- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {"a": "libretranslate", "b": "systran"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare libretranslate systran`
- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/libretranslate.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/systran.json

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- [Lingvanex Translation API vs SYSTRAN Translate API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lingvanex-vs-systran.md)
- [Lokalise vs SYSTRAN Translate API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/lokalise-vs-systran.md)
- [Phrase vs SYSTRAN Translate API](https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/phrase-vs-systran.md)