Libretranslate vs Polytranslator

In-depth architectural comparison of the Libretranslate and Polytranslator MCP servers. Compare execution transports, security boundaries, tool capabilities, quality scores, and ready-to-paste client installation snippets for Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, and VS Code.

Which MCP Server Should You Choose?

Choose Libretranslate when:

• You need dedicated capabilities in the Translation Services domain.
• You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
• Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).

Explore Libretranslate Details

Choose Polytranslator when:

• You need dedicated capabilities in the Translation Services domain.
• You prefer remote streaming HTTP/SSE transport architecture.
• Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).

Explore Polytranslator Details

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	Libretranslate Translation Services	Polytranslator Translation Services
Summary	LibreTranslate MCP — open-source machine translation (BYO endpoint)	Translate PDFs, scans, Word, PowerPoint, Excel and EPUB in 474+ languages, keeping the layout.
Category & Scope	Translation Services	Translation Services

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

Ready-to-Paste Client Configurations

Paste either (or both) of these JSON server blocks into your client config file (e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json).

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "libretranslate": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@pipeworx/mcp-libretranslate"
      ]
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "polytranslator": {
      "url": "https://www.polytranslator.com/api/mcp"
    }
  }
}

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