iTranscreen vs PiP Translate: Two Ways to Translate Your iPhone Screen
If you have searched the App Store for a screen translator that works on iPhone, you have met iTranscreen. It is one of the few apps that translates what is on your screen while you stay in the game or the manga reader, and it has been doing it for years. We make the other one in this comparison, PiP Translate, so read this knowing where we stand. We have tried to describe iTranscreen the way its own App Store listing and its public reviews describe it, as of September 2026, and to be plain about where it is the better pick.
What both apps have in common
Both exist because of the same iOS rule: an iPhone app is not allowed to draw a floating button or overlay on top of another app, which is how Android screen translators work. Both get around it the same way. You start an iOS screen broadcast, the app reads the text on your screen, and the translation is shown without you having to screenshot anything or leave the app you are in.
So the basics are shared:
- No screenshots, no app switching.
- Works over games, comics, video and apps that have no language setting.
- You start and stop the screen broadcast yourself from iOS.
- Both are free to download, with paid plans for regular use.
How iTranscreen approaches it
iTranscreen’s listing describes floating translations, Shortcuts support, full-screen recognition and a choice of translation engines. Reviews add detail: people trigger it from a Shortcut or a double tap, and several mention choosing the area of the screen to translate, which suits a game whose text always appears in the same box. Its Chinese listing names thirteen supported languages: the major European ones plus Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Thai and Vietnamese.
That gives it three real strengths:
- Area selection. If you only ever want the dialogue box translated, you can point it at the dialogue box.
- Engine choice. You can pick which translation engine handles the text.
- Shortcuts. It fits into iOS automation if you like building your own triggers.
How PiP Translate approaches it
PiP Translate (listed on the App Store as PiP Screen Translate) uses the one system surface that iOS lets float over other apps: the Picture in Picture window. After you start the broadcast, a PiP window sits on top of your game or reader and shows the same screen with the text translated. It updates as you scroll and tap. You drag it to any corner, pinch to resize it, or swipe it off the edge when you want it out of the way.
Its differences:
- A second window, not an overlay. The translation shows up in the floating window, next to the original. It is not drawn over the text in the app itself. If you want text replaced in place, that is not what PiP Translate does.
- Nothing to trigger. There is no button to press per screen and no area to set up. It reads the whole visible screen continuously.
- 100+ languages. Pick the source language yourself: auto-detect exists, but a wrong guess comes back untranslated.
- Manga Mode for Japanese, Korean and Chinese sources.
- Text recognition runs on the phone. Only the recognized text is sent for translation.
It does not have area selection, Shortcuts triggers or a choice of engines. If those matter to you, that is a point for iTranscreen.
Side by side
| iTranscreen | PiP Translate | |
|---|---|---|
| Needs screenshots | No | No |
| How translation appears | Floating translation, triggered or automatic | A floating Picture in Picture copy of the screen, continuous |
| Choose an area to translate | Yes | No, whole screen |
| Shortcuts trigger | Yes | No |
| Choice of translation engine | Yes | No |
| Languages | Thirteen listed | 100+ |
| Manga-specific mode | Manga is a listed use case | Yes, Manga Mode |
| How you pay | Coin balance, packs and memberships, per its reviews | Subscription, no coins or per-translation credits |
The pricing difference, carefully
This is the part reviewers talk about most, so it deserves precision. Public reviews of iTranscreen in several countries describe a coin balance that translations draw down, with coin packs and memberships on sale, and some reviewers say their coins ran out partway through a chapter or an event. Other reviewers, in other regions, describe a monthly membership they consider good value. Plans differ by country and change over time, so check its current App Store page rather than taking our word for it.
PiP Translate is simpler to describe: it is a subscription. There are no coins and no per-translation credits, so a long reading session costs the same as a short one. It is free to download, and unlimited translation needs Pro. We do not quote prices here because they vary by country; the App Store page shows yours.
If you translate in short bursts, a balance you top up occasionally may suit you. If you read for an hour at a time, a flat subscription is easier to live with.
Which one to pick
- You want only one region of the screen translated, or you like Shortcuts automation: iTranscreen.
- You want to choose the translation engine yourself: iTranscreen.
- You read or play for long stretches and do not want to think about a balance: PiP Translate.
- Your source language isn’t on its list: PiP Translate.
- You read a lot of manga, manhwa or webtoons: try both on a chapter you already know. Fonts vary so much between series that your own test beats any comparison table. Our notes on reading manga before the translation exists cover what to expect.
Both apps share the limits that come with reading a live screen: the translation trails what you see by a second or two, stylized fonts and tiny text are harder, and zooming in helps. Some streaming apps block screen capture for protected video, and then neither app has anything to read.
Whichever you choose, you are done with the screenshot loop, which is the real upgrade. If you are coming from Android, the same logic explains why there is no Bubble Screen Translate for iPhone. Prefer the translation drawn over the text, one tap per screen? See tap to translate on iPhone.
PiP Translate is on the App Store. iTranscreen is a trademark of its developer; this comparison is based on its public App Store listing and reviews and is not endorsed by them.