Verdict
Papago is free and covers just 14 languages, but reviewers testing it in Korea and Japan found its menu, handwriting and conversation translations more natural than Google's. Offline text translation only works for Korean, English, Japanese and Chinese, and camera and voice need a connection. Naver's privacy policy says personal data, including images and voice, is used for AI development with no clear way to opt out.
Privacy note. NAVER's policy uses usage records and image/voice data for AI development with no opt-out found (policy.naver.com/policy/privacy_en.html); App Store label lists tracking identifiers.
Best for
Trips to Korea, Japan or China, and fans following Korean posts
Skip if
Travel outside East Asia, or translating anything private
Key facts
- Made by
- NAVER Corp.
- Based in
- South Korea
- Launched
- 2016
- Works on
- iPhone, Android, Web
- In the UK
- Yes
- Free plan
- All consumer features are free, including text, image, voice, conversation, handwriting, website translation and offline text packs
What it does
- translates typed text across 14 languages
- translates text in photos
- translates speech and two-way conversations
- translates whole websites and documents
- works offline for text translation
Ratings
What people say
Most English-language talk about Papago on X comes from K-pop fans translating idols' messages, who often call it better than auto-translate or ChatGPT for Korean, while others post its worst mistranslations. user reviews travel threads in 2026 rarely mention it, and the UK App Store count (231) is too thin to use, though Google Play GB shows 4.48 from 178,018.
“as an alternative to using the auto translate option you should just screenshot n use papago instead! i know it's a bit tedious but it's better than posting mistranslated stuff.”
Post on X, 16 August 2026 · source
“using papago to translate kr to en is better for comprehension AND for the environment than ch*tgpt”
Post on X, 27 April 2026 · source
“Hey friends...Papago is better at translating lol.”
Post on X, 29 July 2026 · source
“this is the worst case of bad papago translations yet”
Post on X, 3 August 2026 · source
“dear papago, please get better at translating. thank you!”
Post on X, 13 August 2026 · source
Press reviews
- WhistleOut 2026-03-03
Best among translation apps for Korean, Mandarin, Japanese and Vietnamese, with useful handwriting input; 'probably not the app' for France or Spain.
- Beebom 2026-02-19
One of the most reliable options for East or Southeast Asia, but fewer languages than rivals and best with a connection.
- Stripes Korea 2026-01-26
The translator of choice in Korea because it understands Korean grammar and word order; walks through conversation, image and offline modes.
Privacy
- Trains on your data
- yes, per NAVER's privacy policy: service usage records and image/voice information are used to improve services and 'for AI technology development applied across NAVER Services'. The App Store label lists user content and identifiers as linked to the user, and identifiers as used for tracking
- Opt-out
- No Papago-specific training opt-out found in NAVER's privacy policy; the app works without a NAVER login
- Retention
- NAVER says personal information is destroyed when membership ends or the purpose is fulfilled, unless law requires longer; no Papago-specific period stated
- Incidents
- none Papago-specific found in web searches (2026-10-10); NAVER was fined 40.2 million won in 2020 for an unrelated AdPost data leak
- Age limit
- UK App Store rating 17+; Google Play PEGI 3
FAQ
Is Papago better than Google Translate for Korean?
Reviewers mostly say yes. WhistleOut and Stripes Korea both found it more natural for Korean, and DroidLore found it read handwritten Japanese menus better than Google in Kyoto.
Is Papago free?
Yes. The app and website are free with no subscription. Papago Plus is a separate business product.
Does Papago work offline?
Only for text, and only for Korean, English, Japanese and Chinese, according to DroidLore's 2026 test. Camera and voice translation need an internet connection.
How many languages does Papago support?
14, according to its App Store listing, including Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese, Spanish, French, Vietnamese, Thai, Indonesian, Russian, German, Italian and Arabic.
Does Papago work in the UK?
Yes. It is on the UK App Store and Google Play in the UK, and works without a NAVER account.
Scores are based on published evidence, not lab tests. How we score.
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