Yandex.Translate is a web service by Yandex that helps you translate words, full texts, images, web pages, and documents between many languages. It launched in 2011.
It uses self-learning machine translation models (statistical + neural) to improve accuracy over time. You can access it via browser, mobile app, or integrate via API for automated translation.
Key features & how it works
Text & web page translation
Type or paste text, choose source/target language, and get instant AI translation. You can also enter a URL to translate full web pages.
Image & camera translation
Point your camera at a sign or image, and Yandex will detect text and translate it in real time. Handy when travelling.
Document translation
Upload Word, PDF, Excel, PowerPoint files and Yandex.Translate handles the conversion into target language while preserving layout.
Offline mode in app
For some languages (e.g. English, Russian, Turkish), you can download language packs and use AI smart translation offline in mobile app.
API / developer integration
Use the Yandex Translate API (via Yandex Cloud) to embed translation into apps, websites, and services.
The API charges per character submitted (including spaces). Language detection (when separate) also counts toward character usage.
Pricing & cost details
Yandex.Translate does not offer a fixed “free plan” for the API pricing is usage-based.
In the Russia region, translation and language detection cost about $4.101665 per 1 million characters (without VAT).
In general across regions, for heavy volumes Yandex has been reported to charge about $15 per million characters for the first tiers, scaling down for very large use.
So for example, translating 5 million characters might cost ~$20-$75 depending on region and discounts.
You pay only for characters used, not idle time.
Traffic & usage metrics
Yandex.Translate (translate.yandex.com) draws tens of millions of visits.
According to SimilarWeb, its desktop traffic is dominated by direct access (~66 %) and about 25 % via organic search. Its top keyword is “yandex translate” (≈168,400 monthly searches).
Competitor DeepL is frequently listed among similar sites by traffic similarities. For the broader Yandex domain, yandex.com sees ~227 million visits monthly (April 2025) per SEMrush.
On social media, Yandex across all platforms (Twitter, VK, YouTube, etc.) has a combined following in the millions (exact consolidate number not publicly pinned).
Pros
- Supports many languages (≈98) including niche ones.
- Affordable for large translation volumes because of per-character pricing.
- Good at translating between English, Russian, Turkish (stronger in those).
- Offers translation of images, docs, web pages all in one tool.
- Offline support in app for a subset of languages.
Cons
- For less common language pairs, quality can drop.
- No guaranteed free API tier (you pay as you use).
- Layout preservation in docs is not always perfect.
- Separate language detection (if done separately) adds cost.
- Some regions may incur higher pricing or VAT.
How to make the most of it
Use it for content localization, multi-language blogs, app AI best translation. When using the API, batch your text to reduce per-character overhead.
Cache translated results to avoid repeated costs. Check translation output manually (especially technical or creative text). Use offline mode when travelling to avoid data usage.
Summary
Yandex.Translate is a solid, all-round translator tool that covers text, docs, images, web pages. It shines when you have heavy translation needs and want predictable per-character cost.
Its pricing model is fair for scale, though light users may find limited free options elsewhere. Its neural translation gives good quality especially in languages close to Russian.
It’s a handy tool to embed via API, use in apps, or just AI translate on the fly in browser or phone.
