Explore drop-in alternatives to Google Translate

Since the original Google Translate "Website Translator" widget was deprecated, several AI-driven companies have built modern, more reliable "drop-in" versions. These tools don't just translate text; they scan your rendered HTML, detect new content automatically, and replace it in the DOM—often with much higher accuracy than Google’s legacy tool.

Here are the best replacements for a web app environment in 2026.

1. Weglot: The Most Direct Replacement

Weglot is the industry standard for "no-code" translation. Like the Google widget, you add a small snippet of JavaScript to your header, and a language switcher appears on your app.

• How it works: It detects every string in your HTML (including dynamic content) and swaps it for a translated version stored on their servers.

• The AI Edge: You can choose your "engine" (DeepL, OpenAI, or Microsoft). This solves the "reliability" issue because you aren't stuck with one provider’s mistakes.

• Key Advantage: It offers a Visual Editor. You can navigate your web app in "edit mode," click on a poorly translated button, and fix the text manually.

2. ConveyThis: The Best Value Alternative

ConveyThis is very similar to Weglot but is often cited as a more budget-friendly "drop-in" for apps that have a high volume of words but need the same simple setup.

• Integration: A single line of code. It handles the SEO side (hreflang tags) automatically, which Google's widget never did well.

• Reliability: It supports over 200 languages and allows you to "lock" certain technical terms (like your brand name or UI-specific jargon) so the AI never mis-translates them.

3. Smartcat AI Widget: For Enterprise Apps

If your web app is complex or handles sensitive data, Smartcat’s widget is a powerful replacement.

• Dynamic Content: It excels at translating content that is rendered via JavaScript (React, Vue, etc.) after the initial page load—a common failure point for cheaper widgets.

• The AI Edge: It uses "Adaptive AI," meaning it learns from your manual corrections. If you fix a translation once, the widget "remembers" and applies that correction across the entire app.