Quick Comparison
| Helvetra | DeepL | |
|---|---|---|
| Pro Price | CHF 4.99/mo | €8.99/mo |
| Free Tier | 20K chars/month | 50K chars/month |
| Languages | 6 (Swiss focus) | 31+ |
| Swiss German | Yes | No |
| Data Location | Switzerland | EU (Germany) |
| Best For | Swiss languages & privacy | European language quality |
Introduction
DeepL has built a well-deserved reputation as one of the best translation tools available. Its translations often read more naturally than competitors, especially for European languages. When DeepL launched, it genuinely raised the bar for machine translation quality.
So why would anyone choose Helvetra over DeepL? Not because we claim to be better at everything, we're not. But because we solve different problems. If you work primarily with Swiss languages, care deeply about data sovereignty, or need Swiss German, Helvetra offers something DeepL simply can't. Let's break down the honest differences.
Where DeepL Wins
Translation Quality for European Languages
DeepL's neural network produces remarkably natural-sounding translations, particularly between major European languages like German, French, English, and Spanish. In blind tests, users often prefer DeepL's output over Google Translate and other competitors. The translations feel less mechanical and capture nuance better.
This quality comes from years of focused development and massive training datasets. For straightforward German-English or French-Spanish translation, DeepL is genuinely excellent. We won't pretend otherwise.
Document Translation
DeepL handles entire documents, Word files, PowerPoints, PDFs, while preserving formatting. Upload a 50-page report and get it back translated with layout intact. Helvetra currently focuses on text translation only. If you regularly need to translate formatted documents, DeepL's document handling is a significant advantage.
Developer API
DeepL offers a robust API for developers who want to integrate translation into their applications. The documentation is solid, and the service is reliable. Helvetra doesn't currently offer an API (though it's on our roadmap). If you're building software that needs translation capabilities, DeepL is the practical choice today.
Broader Language Coverage
DeepL supports 31+ languages compared to Helvetra's 6. Need Japanese, Portuguese, or Polish? DeepL has you covered. Helvetra focuses exclusively on Swiss languages: German, French, Italian, English, Swiss German, and Romansh. This is intentional, we'd rather do six languages excellently than thirty adequately.
Bottom line: DeepL is a premium translation tool that deserves its reputation. For European language quality, document translation, and API access, it's an excellent choice.
Where Helvetra Wins
Swiss German Translation
DeepL doesn't support Swiss German. Neither does Google Translate, Microsoft Translator, or any other major translation service. Helvetra is the only tool that can translate to and from Swiss German, with support for regional dialects including Zürich, Bern, Basel, Aargau, and more.
If you need to translate a Mundart message from a colleague, communicate with Swiss German-speaking family members, or localize content for Swiss audiences, we're your only option. Swiss German is genuinely challenging, it varies significantly by region and has no standardized written form, but we're actively improving our dialect support.
Swiss Data Sovereignty
DeepL is a German company, which means your data is subject to EU regulations and stored in EU data centers. That's better than US-based services, but it's not Swiss. For Swiss businesses, professionals, and privacy-conscious individuals, the difference matters.
Helvetra processes all translations in Switzerland using Swiss AI (Apertus) on Swiss infrastructure (Infomaniak). Your text never leaves Switzerland. Swiss privacy law applies. For sensitive business communications, legal documents, or personal correspondence, this is more than a technicality, it's peace of mind.
Simpler, Affordable Pricing
DeepL's pricing starts at €8.99/month for the Starter plan, which gives you 200K characters. Want more? The Advanced plan is €29.99/month. Need unlimited? That's €59.99/month. The free tier is generous (50K characters/month) but the jump to paid is steep.
Helvetra+ costs CHF 4.99/month and gives you 500,000 characters, that's more than DeepL's €29.99 Advanced plan at roughly one-sixth the price. No complex tier structure, no feature gating. Just one straightforward plan for people who translate regularly.
Focused Simplicity
DeepL has grown into a feature-rich platform with glossaries, formality settings, document translation, team features, and API access. If you need those features, they're valuable. But if you just want to translate text quickly and privately, all that complexity is noise. Helvetra does one thing: translate text for Swiss languages. No account required for basic use, no upsell pressure, no features you'll never touch.
Bottom line: If Swiss German support, Swiss data sovereignty, or affordable pricing for heavy use matters to you, Helvetra was built specifically for your needs.
The Quality Question
Let's address this directly: is Helvetra's translation quality as good as DeepL's? For standard European language pairs, DeepL has a head start, years of development and massive training data. But quality depends on what you're translating and for whom.
DeepL's strengths
- •Polished output for major European language pairs
- •Better handling of complex sentence structures
- •More natural-sounding prose translations
Helvetra's strengths
- •Swiss German capability (DeepL: none)
- •Optimized for Swiss context and terminology
- •Improving rapidly with user feedback
The honest truth: for a German-French business email, both tools produce good results. DeepL might edge ahead on literary prose. But for anything involving Swiss German or Swiss-specific context, Helvetra is your only real option, and we're working hard to close any quality gap in other areas.
Pricing Breakdown
Translation tools vary wildly in how they charge. Here's a direct comparison of what you get for your money:
DeepL Pricing
- •Free: 50,000 characters/month
- •Starter: €8.99/mo (200K chars)
- •Advanced: €29.99/mo (500K chars)
- •Ultimate: €59.99/mo (unlimited)
Helvetra Pricing
- •Free: 20,000 characters/month
- •Helvetra+: CHF 4.99/mo (500K chars)
- •No complex tiers or feature gating
DeepL's free tier is more generous (50K vs 20K characters). But if you translate regularly and need a paid plan, Helvetra+ offers the same character limit as DeepL Advanced at one-sixth the price. The question is whether DeepL's additional features, document translation, API access, glossaries, are worth the premium for your use case.
Which Should You Choose?
Choose DeepL if:
- →You need document translation with preserved formatting
- →You're integrating translation into software via API
- →You work with languages beyond German, French, Italian, and English
- →Quality for complex literary or technical prose is paramount
Choose Helvetra if:
- →You need Swiss German translation (we're the only option)
- →Data sovereignty matters, Swiss servers, Swiss law
- →You want affordable pricing for high-volume translation
- →You prefer simplicity over features you won't use
- →You want to support Swiss technology over Big Tech
The Bottom Line
DeepL is an excellent translation tool. Its quality for major European languages is industry-leading, and features like document translation and API access are valuable for professional users. If you need those capabilities, it's worth the premium.
Helvetra exists for a different purpose: to serve Swiss users who need Swiss German support, want their data to stay in Switzerland, or simply want an affordable, focused translation tool without the complexity. We're not trying to replace DeepL for everyone, we're building the best option for users whose needs align with our strengths.
The right choice depends on your priorities. Now you have the information to decide.