Introduction
What Karpa is, and why it exists.
What is Karpa?
Karpa is a privacy-first AI translation app that runs on your machine. Instead of sending your text to a remote cloud service, Karpa uses local AI models (LM Studio, Ollama) or connects to the provider of your choice, so your data stays under your control.
It is the modern open-source alternative to cloud translation services like Google Translate or DeepL. Free forever.
Why Karpa?
| Feature | Karpa | Cloud Services |
|---|---|---|
| Privacy | ✅ Your choice: local or trusted provider | ❌ Data sent to servers |
| Internet Required | ✅ Works offline with local providers | ❌ Always required |
| Cost | ✅ Free forever (bring your own key) | ❌ Usually paid or metered |
| Speed | ✅ Instant on local models | ❌ Network latency |
| Data stored | ✅ Nothing leaves your device | ❌ Logged and profiled |
Supported Providers
| Provider | Type | API Key |
|---|---|---|
| LM Studio | Local, runs on your machine | No |
| Ollama | Local, runs on your machine | No |
| OpenAI | Cloud, GPT-4o family and more | Yes |
| Anthropic | Cloud, Claude models | Yes |
| Google Gemini | Cloud, Gemini Flash and Pro | Yes |
| OpenRouter | Cloud, 200+ models behind one API | Yes |
| Custom | Any OpenAI-compatible endpoint | Optional |
Features at a glance
- Complete Privacy: all translations happen locally or through a provider you trust. There is no Karpa server.
- Multi-Provider: switch between LM Studio, Ollama, OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, OpenRouter, or a custom endpoint at any time.
- 27 Languages with auto-detect: English, Turkish, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Arabic, Dutch, Polish, Swedish, Vietnamese, Thai, Hindi, Czech, Romanian, Ukrainian, Greek, Hungarian, Danish, Finnish, Indonesian, Bengali.
- Text & File Translation: translate plain text or files (
.txt,.md,.json,.csv,.srt,.js,.ts,.py,.html,.css,.xml, and other text formats), then download the result. - Translation Tones: Standard, Formal, Casual, or Technical.
- History & Favorites: every translation is auto-saved; star the ones you want to keep.
- Progress & Cancellation: real-time progress bar with chunk tracking and a cancel button for long translations.
- Notifications: desktop notifications with an optional sound when a translation finishes.
- Text-to-Speech: listen to translations aloud.
- Theming: Light, Dark, or System theme, plus an AMOLED-friendly option. Interface available in English, Turkish, German, French, and Spanish.
- Data Backup: export and import your history, favorites, and settings as JSON.
- Desktop App: native desktop app built with Tauri. Installers for Windows, macOS, and Linux. No browser needed.
- Docker Support: Docker Compose, Docker pull from GHCR, or build your own image.
Tech stack
| Category | Technology |
|---|---|
| Framework | Next.js |
| UI Library | React |
| Language | TypeScript |
| Styling | Tailwind CSS v4 |
| Components | shadcn/ui + Radix UI |
| Animations | Framer Motion |
| Desktop | Tauri (Rust) |
| AI Backend | LM Studio, Ollama, OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, OpenRouter, Custom |
Ready to get started? The Quick Start guide gets you translating in minutes.