For confidential business documents that need exact formatting preserved, Delos Trad (GDPR-compliant sovereign servers) or DeepL (best European-language quality) are the safest picks. If you already pay for Microsoft 365, Word's built-in translator handles simple documents at no extra cost. For anything non-confidential and informal, Google Translate is free and good enough. The real dividing line in this category isn't translation quality — it's what happens to your document once you upload it, and how well the layout survives the round trip.
Pricing for the premium tools clusters between €6.49 and €24.99/month, while the free options (Google Translate, Word for 365 subscribers) cost nothing extra but come with tradeoffs in privacy or formatting fidelity.
The short answer
If your documents are confidential — contracts, HR files, anything with a compliance requirement — Delos Trad is the standout: it preserves layout exactly across Word, PDF, and PowerPoint, supports custom business glossaries, and runs on GDPR-compliant sovereign servers. If translation quality for European language pairs matters more than data sovereignty specifically, DeepL (€7.49–€24.99/month) is the long-standing quality leader, with custom glossaries and a 20-file/month cap on team plans. If you're already inside Microsoft 365, Word's native Translator handles simple formatting at no additional cost — the easiest option if your needs are basic. Reverso Documents (€6.49–€19.99/month) adds collaborative review on top of GDPR-compliant European servers, useful if multiple people need to check a translation together. And for anything informal or non-confidential, Google Translate is free and fine.
| Tool | Best for | Pricing | Key strength |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delos Trad | Confidential business documents | Not disclosed in pricing tiers above | Exact layout preservation, custom glossaries, GDPR sovereign servers |
| DeepL | European language quality | €7.49–€24.99/month | Custom glossaries, strong translation quality |
| Microsoft Word | Simple, no extra cost | Included in Microsoft 365 | Native translation, no separate tool needed |
| Reverso Documents | Team collaboration | €6.49–€19.99/month | Collaborative review, GDPR-compliant European servers |
| Google Translate | Free, informal use | Free | No cost, wide language coverage |
Delos Trad
Delos Trad's core pitch is fidelity and compliance together: it preserves document layout exactly across Word, PDF, and PowerPoint files, supports custom business glossaries so industry-specific terminology translates consistently, and runs on GDPR-compliant sovereign servers — meaning your documents don't leave a jurisdiction with strict data protection guarantees.
Pros: exact formatting preservation across the most common business document formats; sovereign server hosting is a real advantage for regulated industries; custom glossaries keep terminology consistent across documents. Cons: more specialized (and likely pricier) positioning than general-purpose tools like DeepL; the compliance focus matters less if you're not handling sensitive data. Who it's for: businesses translating confidential or regulated documents that need both layout accuracy and data sovereignty guarantees.
DeepL
DeepL has built its reputation on translation quality, particularly for European language pairs, and that reputation carries into its document translation product. At €7.49–€24.99/month, it includes custom glossaries for consistent terminology, though team plans cap out at 20 files a month.
Pros: widely regarded as the quality leader for European languages; custom glossary support; formatting preservation on premium tiers. Cons: 20-file/month cap on team plans could be limiting for high-volume users; not specifically built around data sovereignty the way Delos Trad is. Who it's for: anyone prioritizing translation accuracy for European languages over other considerations like compliance or collaboration.
Microsoft Word
If you're already a Microsoft 365 subscriber, Word's built-in Translator feature costs nothing extra and handles document translation without leaving the app you're already using. It's the simplest option on this list by a wide margin.
Pros: no additional cost for existing 365 subscribers; no new tool or workflow to learn. Cons: built for simple document formatting, not the complex layout preservation that Delos Trad or DeepL offer; no custom glossary or sovereignty features. Who it's for: 365 users with straightforward translation needs who don't want to pay for or learn a separate tool.
Reverso Documents
Reverso Documents (€6.49–€19.99/month) supports Word, PDF, Excel, and HTML, runs on GDPR-compliant European servers, and adds a feature the others don't emphasize: collaborative review, so a team can check and refine a translation together rather than one person working alone.
Pros: broadest file format support (including Excel and HTML) of the premium tools; collaborative review is a genuine differentiator for team workflows; GDPR-compliant European hosting. Cons: not positioned as the top choice for pure translation quality the way DeepL is; pricing sits in a similar range to DeepL without a clearly distinct value proposition beyond collaboration. Who it's for: teams that need more than one person reviewing or refining translations before they're finalized.
Google Translate
Google Translate (and similar tools like Doc Translator) is free and handles a wide range of languages, but it's explicitly best suited to non-confidential, informal translation — quick understanding of a document rather than a polished, formatting-preserved business translation.
Pros: completely free; broad language coverage; fastest way to get a rough translation. Cons: not built for formatting preservation on complex business documents; no compliance or data sovereignty guarantees suitable for confidential material. Who it's for: anyone translating something informal or non-sensitive where speed and cost matter more than polish.
How to choose
The first question is confidentiality. If the document contains anything sensitive — contracts, HR records, financial data — rule out Google Translate immediately and choose between Delos Trad and Reverso Documents, both of which are GDPR-compliant; Delos Trad if exact layout fidelity and custom glossaries matter most, Reverso if you need multiple people reviewing the translation together. If confidentiality isn't a concern but translation quality is, DeepL's reputation for European languages makes it the safer default. And if your needs are genuinely simple — a document or two, formatting that doesn't need to be pixel-perfect — Word's built-in translator (if you're already a 365 user) or Google Translate (if you're not) will save you from paying for a dedicated tool you don't need.
Cost differences across the paid tools are modest (€6.49–€24.99/month), so once confidentiality and quality requirements have narrowed the field to one or two candidates, testing both against a real document is worth doing before committing to a subscription. For related productivity tooling, see our guide to the best AI email assistants.
Source: The best AI tools for document translation in 2026: Delos Trad, DeepL, Word, and the alternatives
Wortins tracks the AI industry daily, from new tools to the biggest funding rounds. See today's briefing.