Kagi Translate
Kagi has launched a free web-based translation service that claims higher quality than Google Translate and DeepL, with support for over 240 languages and in-page website translation. Commenters are intrigued by its use of multiple LLMs and strong performance on some edge cases, but question the rigor of its benchmarks, note inconsistent quality and apparent censorship in certain languages, and highlight usability issues such as page reloads, Cloudflare bot checks, and lack of dynamic content handling. Many users also express concern that Kagi is stretching its limited resources across too many adjacent products—like maps and a browser—instead of concentrating on improving its core paid search offering.
Translation quality and benchmarks
- Some users are impressed, citing better handling of specific ambiguities (e.g., “Orgel” vs internal organs, Pig Latin, Romanized Arabic) and certain timing expressions where Google fails.
- Others report poor or stilted output in Afrikaans, Turkish and Cantonese, with Google or DeepL doing better and more idiomatic translations.
- Several comments highlight refusal/censorship instead of literal translation for profanity or sensitive content; this is seen as a significant negative, especially when not clearly indicated.
- Multiple people question the “better than Google/DeepL” claim and ask for rigorous benchmarks (e.g., BLEU scores, dataset sizes). Past Kagi benchmarks are criticized as too small.
Language support and copying concerns
- Users diff the language lists and find minor mismatches with Google (e.g., Crimean Tatar, Santali variants, Inuktut, Tshiluba).
- The near-identical lists lead to speculation that Kagi largely copied Google’s language menu.
Implementation details
- Kagi states it uses a combination of LLMs and selects the best output.
- Commenters speculate this likely means routing between existing large models (Qwen, Llama, OpenAI, Gemini, Claude) rather than fine-tuning their own.
UX, features, and limitations
- Lacks “translate as you type” and feels slower than DeepL; Kagi says live translation will come, likely as a paid feature.
- Webpage translation only handles initial HTML, not content added later via JavaScript; iframes and x-frame-options often block page mode.
- Users want: explicit context/tone controls (formal/casual, gender, T-V distinction), pronunciation hints (e.g., for Japanese), multiple variants (like Bing), an API, Android app integration, and better single-word handling.
Access, captchas, and bots
- Cloudflare Turnstile frequently misclassifies humans, blocking both Translate and the feedback forum; this frustrates paying users.
- Some argue Cloudflare is a necessary cost-control measure for a free, compute-heavy service, but others note Google avoids similar friction.
Kagi’s broader product strategy
- Several users appreciate Kagi search but feel Translate, Maps, and the browser are “quarter-baked” and dilute focus.
- Others accept this as a resource tradeoff in a user-funded, long-term plan, but suggest clearer “beta” labelling and setting expectations, especially for weaker offerings like Maps.