A free translator app for Mac that works offline
Kalila is a free translator for the Mac menu bar: select text in any app and press ⌃⌥T, or click its icon and type. It translates on your Mac with Apple's on-device engine, works with Wi-Fi off once a language is downloaded, and never sends your text to a server. It needs macOS 26.4 or later on a Mac with Apple Silicon.
Updated:
Version 0.2.3 · macOS 26.4 or later · Apple Silicon
What to look for in a translator for Mac
- It works offline. A translator that works with Wi-Fi off translates on your Mac, so it doesn't need to send your text anywhere.
- It's there in every app. A global shortcut for selected text saves you copying, switching apps, pasting and switching back.
- It explains single words. For a single word you want meanings and examples, not just a translation.
- It doesn't ask who you are. No account, no sign-up wall, no daily quota.
- It's a real Mac app. ⌘C, ⌘V and ⌘Z work, Esc closes, Return translates at once.
Get started in a minute
- Download Kalila, open the disk image and drag Kalila to Applications.
- Open it: its icon appears in the menu bar. Choose your language and the one you translate into most.
- The first time you translate a pair, Kalila offers to download it. After that the pair works offline.
- Select text anywhere and press ⌃⌥T. Allow Accessibility access once when macOS asks.
What you get
- Translation as you type in a window from the menu bar, with the language detected for you and a Paste button.
- Dictionary cards for single words in 32 languages: translations by part of speech, meanings, examples translated into your language, and pronunciation in phonetic symbols. Kept on your Mac.
- Pronunciation using your Mac's built-in voices, with a matching voice for each language.
- Translate and Replace with Kalila in the Services menu puts the translation in place, in most apps.
- History you can search, a phrasebook you can export to CSV, and flashcards that bring your words back after one, three and seven days, then at longer intervals.
- Updates that install themselves, signed by Stillbyte LLC.
Kalila next to an online translator
| Kalila for Mac | A cloud translator | |
|---|---|---|
| Your text sent over the internet | Never | Every time |
| Works offline | Yes | No |
| Shortcut in any Mac app | Yes, ⌃⌥T | Usually not |
| Languages | 26 | Often 100 or more |
| Documents and photos | Text only | Often PDFs, office documents and photos |
| Price and account | Free, no account | Free tier, account for more |
A large cloud translator covers more languages and file types and can do better on long, nuanced text. Kalila covers everything in between: quick translations in any app that stay on your Mac.
Questions
What is the best free translator for Mac?
The one that fits how you work. If you want translation in every app, offline, with nothing sent to a server and no account, Kalila does exactly that for free. For whole scanned documents and photos, an online service does more.
Does Kalila work on Intel Macs?
No. Kalila needs a Mac with Apple Silicon (M1 or later) and macOS 26.4 or later.
Which languages does Kalila for Mac translate?
The 26 languages of Apple's on-device translation, including English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Arabic, Russian and Ukrainian. In the browser, kalila.app/translate covers 58.
How much space do the languages take?
Apple's translation languages are managed by macOS in System Settings › General › Language & Region › Translation Languages, where you can remove them. Kalila's dictionary packs are small: about 1 to 9 MB per language.
Is Kalila really free?
Yes, with no ads, no account and no limits. The translation runs on your Mac, so it costs us nothing per word.
Related
- How to translate on a Mac
- Translate selected text with a keyboard shortcut
- A dictionary with translations on your Mac
- Translate offline