Kagi Translate returns as freemium service with new $8/month individual plan

Kagi has brought back its popular translation service, Kagi Translate, roughly three months after abruptly cutting off free access over rising operational costs. The company announced that Kagi Translate is relaunching under a freemium model, with anyone holding a Kagi account able to continue using the service for free within a limited monthly allowance. The allowance resets on the first day of each month, and the company apologized for having ended unrestricted free access so suddenly in June, describing the new structure as a sustainable middle ground that keeps the service accessible without compromising translation quality.

The relaunch introduces a standalone Individual subscription priced at $8 per month, which unlocks all features including website, document, text, dictionary, and proofreading tools, plus up to $8 in AI usage per billing period under Kagi's Fair Use Policy. Existing subscribers on Starter, Professional, Family, and Team plans will retain their current Translate access through October 12, 2026, after which they will transition to the free tier unless they upgrade to the Individual plan or Kagi Ultimate, which continues to include Translate unchanged. Once the unified Fair Use system rolls out, usage across Kagi Translate and Kagi Assistant will count toward a shared allowance — Kagi estimates the limits cover roughly 1.3 million source-text characters on Standard mode, around 900 pages, or 125,000 characters on Best Quality, which consumes significantly more resources.

Notably, website translation in Fast mode remains free for everyone, including signed-out visitors, preserving the ability to share translated links with anyone. The new freemium experience launches on the web first, with a mobile app update to follow once Kagi works through Apple App Store and Google Play requirements. The reversal caps a turbulent stretch for a product Kagi admits grew far faster than anticipated, success that ultimately made it, in the company's words, “considerably more expensive to operate”.