RuneManga vs Google Lens for translating manga
Google Lens or RuneManga for manga and manhwa: a quick general-purpose translation or a re-lettered page. What each one does, costs and sends.
Short answer
Google Lens is free, built into the Google app and Chrome, and covers far more languages. It is built for any image, from menus to signs, not for comic pages: there is no chapter upload and no re-lettered page to download. Use Lens to understand a line quickly; use RuneManga when you want the page itself back in your language.
| Feature | RuneManga | Google Lens |
|---|---|---|
| WebApp upload | Yes. Add images, a folder, a ZIP, a CBZ or a PDF (50 to 500 pages at once depending on the plan, 20 MB each), correct the result in Edit mode, and download single pages, a ZIP or one PDF. | No chapter upload. In the Google app you can translate a photo or a screenshot from your gallery, one at a time. |
| Browser extension | Yes, in the Chrome Web Store (Chrome, Brave, Opera) and Edge Add-ons; a Firefox version is in review. It translates pages right on the sites you read: an R button per page, Auto mode while you scroll, show original, Translate an area, Edit image and a ZIP of the page's translations. | Nothing to install: in Chrome on a computer you can open an image in Google Lens from the right-click menu, where Translate is one of the options. |
| Languages | From Japanese, Korean, Chinese, English and six more languages (or auto-detect) into 89 languages, including English, Spanish, Portuguese, Turkish and French. Arabic and Thai output is experimental. | More than 100 languages, according to Google. |
| Bubble-aware typesetting | Yes. Lettering in speech bubbles, caption boxes and text on the art is erased, the background filled in and the translation fitted in its place. Sound effects stay as drawn. Edit mode, in the WebApp and the extension, lets you move, restyle and rewrite the text. | Not built for speech bubbles. Lens is a general-purpose image translator, and how the translation is shown depends on the device. |
| Colorize | SoonPlanned, not available yet. The colorizer is in development. | No. |
| Translation engine | RuneLingua, our own AI translator for manga dialogue, on every plan, Free included. A few languages it does not cover well yet use another translation service. You can also connect your own AI key (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google Gemini, DeepSeek, xAI or OpenRouter). | Google's own translation. |
| Pricing | Credits, 1 per page. Free at $0: 20 credits a day, claimed on the site, plus 30 once at sign-up that never expire. Supporter ($2.99, 1,000 a month), Pro ($4.99, 2,500) and Ultimate ($9.99, 5,000) are on sale now, with packs of 1,000, 2,500 or 6,000 credits that never expire. | Free. |
| Privacy and retention | Pages are processed on RuneManga's servers; only the text found on the page goes to the translation engine. Jobs are deleted about an hour after they finish and are not used for training. | The image is sent to Google and handled under Google's privacy policy and your Google account settings. |
| Sign-up needed | Yes for the WebApp: a free sign-in with Google, Discord or an emailed link, no card. | Not for basic use. |
When RuneManga is the better fit
- You want to read a whole chapter, not check one line.
- You want the translation set inside the bubbles, with the old lettering erased and the background filled in.
- You want to download the translated pages as PNGs or one ZIP.
- You prefer that only the text, not the image, reaches the translation engine.
When Google Lens is the better fit
- You want a quick idea of what a sign, a note or a single bubble says.
- You read from or into a language RuneManga does not support.
- You are on your phone and want to point the camera at a printed page.
Questions
Which translator does RuneManga use?
RuneLingua, our own AI translator, on every plan, Free included. Only the text found on the page goes to the translator; the image itself stays on RuneManga's servers.
Is Google Lens enough for manga?
For a line or two, often yes. For reading a chapter, a tool that re-letters the page is easier on the eyes.
Can Lens translate a whole chapter at once?
Not as a batch. You translate one image at a time.
Sources
- Google Lens: product page
- Google Search Help: translate text with Lens
- TechCrunch: Google Lens comes to Chrome (2022)
Facts checked on October 29, 2026 from each tool's own pages and store listings. Something out of date? Write to [email protected].