Comparison
Fily vs DeepL
Both translate documents with AI. They take different paths. Here's the honest comparison so you can pick the right one.
DeepL delivers high-quality machine translation through a clean interface. Document Translation (Pro tier) accepts DOCX, PPTX, PDF, and TXT and returns translated files quickly. It's the best raw MT engine in the consumer space.
Fily is not a raw MT engine. It's a pipeline that runs AI translation plus glossary enforcement, tag preservation, TM respect, forbidden-term replacement, and 8 more QA steps. Backed by a human Account Manager.
If you need a sentence or a casual document translated fast, DeepL wins on simplicity. If you need a CAT-tool file delivered ready-for-client with audit trail and accountability, Fily wins on substance.
Side-by-side
| Capability | Fily | DeepL |
|---|---|---|
| Workflow model | Pipeline with 12-step QA | Raw machine translation |
| AI engine | Frontier LLM + cache | DeepL proprietary NMT |
| Translation quality (raw MT) | Very high | Very high (DeepL) |
| File formats supported | 15+ incl. SDLXLIFF, MQXLIFF, TXLF, RTF, scanned PDF, audio | DOCX, PPTX, PDF, TXT, HTML |
| CAT tool support (SDLXLIFF, MQXLIFF, TXLF) | Native, dedicated pipelines | |
| Translation memory respect | Hard pass-through 100/101 | |
| Glossary | Enforced (forbidden replaced, preferred verified) | Glossary editor (term suggestions) |
| Tag preservation in CAT files | Tag count repair, validation | N/A — no CAT files |
| Scanned PDF (OCR) | Dual-backend OCR with auto-fallback | PDF only (native) |
| Audio / video translation | ||
| Subtitles (SRT) | ||
| QA pipeline | 12 dedicated steps, auditable report | None — raw MT output |
| QA report deliverable | HTML attached to every job | |
| Dedicated Account Manager | Email support | |
| Compliance | HIPAA-ready, GDPR, on-prem | DeepL Pro GDPR-compliant, EU servers |
| API | REST + webhooks | DeepL API |
| Free tier | Limited demo | DeepL Free + Pro Starter |
| Pricing model | Per word | Monthly subscription + character cap |
When DeepL is the right choice
- You need to translate a paragraph, an email, or a casual document quickly.
- You're a non-translator professional who wants high-quality MT without configuration.
- Your work involves plain text or office documents without CAT-tool formats or strict terminology.
- You want integration via API into a custom workflow where you'll handle QA downstream.
- Subscription pricing fits your volume better than per-word.
When Fily is the right choice
- You're a professional translator or LSP with CAT-tool files (SDLXLIFF, MQXLIFF, TXLF) where tag preservation matters.
- You need glossary enforcement that mutates output, not just suggestions.
- Your client requires an auditable QA report attached to each delivery.
- Your work includes scanned PDFs, audio, subtitles, or other formats DeepL doesn't handle.
- You need HIPAA-ready handling or on-prem deployment.
- You want human accountability — an Account Manager who knows your account and can intervene.
- You're a buyer who wants delivered files, not a tool to translate inside.
The philosophical difference
DeepL is excellent raw machine translation. If raw MT quality on plain documents is what you're optimizing for, DeepL is hard to beat.
Fily is a translation pipeline. The AI step inside uses a frontier LLM — comparable quality. The value is what surrounds it: glossary enforcement, TM respect, tag handling, 12 QA passes, audit reports, and a human AM.
We use DeepL ourselves to draft this kind of comparison page. We wouldn't use it to deliver a SDLXLIFF batch to a healthcare client.
See for yourself.
Upload the same file to both. Compare what comes back.