Which free translation models can you use commercially?
checked 2026-10-08 5 entries from the Tools Atlas
By Tori, last checked 2026-10-08. Each entry below was read against its own page or licence. The verdicts are written for someone who wants to use a tool in something they sell or publish; a skip is often about a licence or a heavy setup, not about quality.
At a glance
| Name | Licence | Cost | Rules check | Atlas verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NLLB-200 | CC-BY-NC-4.0 (non-commercial) | Free software. | Allowed | Skip it |
| MADLAD-400 | Apache-2.0 | Free software. | Allowed | Use it |
| EuroLLM-9B | Apache-2.0 | Free software. | Allowed | Use it |
| TranslateGemma | Gemma Terms of Use (gated; read them before you bundle the files in anything you pass on) | Free software. | Allowed | Use it |
| VideoLingo subtitle translation method | Apache-2.0 | Free software. | Careful, rules apply | Copy the idea, skip the tool |
One by one
NLLB-200 Skip it
Translates between 200 languages, but its licence is CC-BY-NC-4.0, which is non-commercial. Use MADLAD-400 or TranslateGemma instead.
Licence. CC-BY-NC-4.0 (non-commercial). Cost. Free software.
- Source page, read 2026-10-08
MADLAD-400 Use it
A free model for hundreds of languages, small enough for a processor or a small graphics card (a compressed file is about 1.65 GB). Apache-2.0. It has not been assessed for production use and comes with a caveat about toxic text in its web-crawl training data, so check the output. Argos Translate (MIT, runs on a processor) is a second fallback.
Licence. Apache-2.0. Cost. Free software.
- Source page, read 2026-10-08
EuroLLM-9B Use it
A language model built for European languages (24 of them), which you can run through Ollama or llama.cpp to translate scripts and pages. Apache-2.0.
Licence. Apache-2.0. Cost. Free software.
- Source page, read 2026-10-08
TranslateGemma Use it
Google's translation models for 55 languages, run through your own Ollama. The 12B size is 8.1 GB, so run it after speech-to-text rather than alongside it. The licence is Google's Gemma Terms of Use, which are gated and not an open-source licence: have the terms read before you bundle the files in anything you pass on.
Licence. Gemma Terms of Use (gated; read them before you bundle the files in anything you pass on). Cost. Free software.
- Source page, read 2026-10-08
VideoLingo subtitle translation method Copy the idea, skip the tool
Not a tool to install but a method worth copying: split subtitles by meaning, build a glossary first, translate, then reflect and adapt, and retry when the model returns broken output. It is what makes translated subtitles look professional. Use it on your own videos only.
Licence. Apache-2.0. Cost. Free software.
- Source page, read 2026-10-08
How to choose
You will sell or publish the translations: choose an Apache-2.0 model (MADLAD-400 or EuroLLM-9B) and you can skip the licence reading.
You need the widest language list with strong quality and are happy to read terms: TranslateGemma.
You work only in European languages: start with EuroLLM-9B.
Whatever you pick, have a person who reads the target language check a sample before you publish.
Questions
Is NLLB-200 free for commercial use?
No. It is released under CC-BY-NC-4.0, a non-commercial licence.
What is the best free NLLB-200 alternative?
For a plain commercial licence, MADLAD-400 (Apache-2.0). EuroLLM-9B (Apache-2.0) is another, for European languages.
Can I bundle TranslateGemma in my own product?
Read Google's Gemma Terms of Use first. They are gated and are not an open-source licence.
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