MurmelaMurmela or DeepL?
DeepL is a cloud translation service with a web translator, a Mac app and document translation in several formats. Murmela translates on your Mac in nine languages, without a server. They differ in quality, languages and formats, and in where your text goes. Which difference matters more depends on what you are translating.
Choose DeepL if…
Translation quality is what you are paying for, or you need DOCX, PPTX or PDF files translated with the layout intact. DeepL is the reference for quality in European languages, and Murmela does not claim to match it; its language list is also longer than Murmela's nine. Its site lists glossaries, style rules, translation memory, click-a-word alternatives for every user, and DeepL Write for editing. Free gives you 50,000 characters a month. Individual is EUR 7.49 a month for 300,000 characters and three document translations; Team and Business are EUR 24.99 and EUR 49.99 a month. On the paid plans, DeepL's data-security page says the text is deleted after delivery and not used for training, and the servers are in the EEA.
If the text is not confidential, or a data-processing agreement with DeepL satisfies your obligations, DeepL is the better translator.
Choose Murmela if…
The text cannot leave your Mac: a client's contract, a patient's letter, a source's interview, anything under an NDA or professional secrecy. Murmela runs the translation model on your Mac, so there is no server, no account, and no terms about what you may paste. The free version translates pasted text and your dictation in nine languages and both directions; Pro adds whole documents (.txt and .md, about 60 pages at a time), alternatives for any word, and a rewrite with the word you chose. It works on a plane and in an office that blocks cloud AI tools.
The honest trade: nine languages, plain-text documents only, no glossary or translation memory, quality that does not match DeepL on every sentence, and a model download of about 10 GB for the best results (16 GB of memory) or a compact model for 8 GB Macs.
Where the two differ.
What each product's own pages say, in October 2026. No row is a score; several of them are reasons to pick DeepL.
| Murmela | DeepL | |
|---|---|---|
| Where your text is processed | On your Mac. The app works with Wi‑Fi off. | On their servers in the EEA, on every plan. There is no offline mode. |
| Account | None. | Required. |
| Your text on the free plan | Nothing leaves your Mac, on any plan. | Used for training. Their terms forbid personal data in the free service. |
| Your text on paid plans | The same: nothing leaves your Mac. | Deleted after delivery and not used for training. The full IP address is kept for the contract term; saved glossaries and translation memories are stored on their servers; a data-processing agreement is requested by email. |
| Languages | Nine, in both directions: English, German, French, Spanish (Spain and Argentina), Italian, Brazilian Portuguese, Dutch and Polish. | More than nine. Their current list is on their site. |
| Documents | Plain text (.txt and .md) with Pro, about 60 pages at a time. | DOCX, PPTX, PDF, HTML and TXT, with the layout kept. Three files a month on Individual. |
| Alternatives and style | Click any word for alternatives and rewrite the sentence with your pick (Pro). A formal, informal or automatic register. | Click-a-word alternatives for every user; glossaries, style rules and translation memory; DeepL Write. |
| The Mac app | The whole app runs on the Mac, dictation included. | A Mac app (macOS 14 or later) that sends text to their service, with a copy-twice shortcut. |
| Price | Free for dictation and pasted text. Pro $19 once with a year of updates; Lifetime $49 for the first 500 founders, then $99; three Macs. | Free: 50,000 characters a month. Individual EUR 7.49 a month (300,000 characters, three files). Team EUR 24.99 and Business EUR 49.99 a month. |
Checked on October 14, 2026 on DeepL's Pro, privacy, data security and Mac app pages. Plans and features change. If something here is wrong or out of date, write to hello@murmela.com and it will be corrected.
Try Murmela. It's free.
Apple silicon · macOS 11 or later · about 230 MB
Signed and notarized by Apple. Automatic updates, which you can switch off.
Memory: 8 GB runs dictation and the compact translation model. 16 GB runs the best translation model. 18 GB or more runs VibeVoice, the most accurate engine for files.
Pro $19 once · Lifetime $49 $99 for the first 500 · 30-day refund