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Get a DeepL API Key

Step-by-step guide to obtaining a DeepL API key for use with MAITO, including Free and Pro plan options

Pangaia Software • • 6 min read

To use DeepL translation with MAITO, you need a DeepL API key. This guide walks you through getting one.

Why Do I Need an API Key?

A DeepL API key allows MAITO to communicate with DeepL’s translation service. Think of it as a password that MAITO uses to access DeepL on your behalf.

One-Time Setup

You only need to enter your API key once during initial setup. MAITO stores it for you and uses it automatically for all translations.

DeepL Plans Comparison

DeepL offers two pricing tiers:

Free Plan

  • Cost: €0 per month
  • Monthly Limit: 500,000 characters
  • Overage: Access pauses until next month
  • Best For: Light users, testing MAITO, occasional translations

Pro Plan

  • Base Cost: €4.99 per month
  • Usage Cost: €0.00002 per character (~€20 per million characters)
  • Monthly Limit: Based on your budget
  • Best For: Heavy users, professional translators, business use

MAITO Advantage

Unlike DeepL’s regular free tier (limited to text snippets and 3 non-editable documents), MAITO lets you use your entire 500,000 character allowance across text, documents, and websites - with full editing capabilities!

Step 1: Sign Up for DeepL API

  1. Visit the DeepL API signup page
  2. Click Sign up for free (for Free plan) or choose Pro
  3. Enter your email address and create a password
  4. Verify your email address

DeepL API signup page

DeepL API vs DeepL Pro

Make sure you sign up for DeepL API (not regular DeepL Pro). The API service is specifically for applications like MAITO. Regular DeepL Pro subscriptions don’t work with MAITO.

Step 2: Access Your Account

After creating your account:

  1. Go to DeepL login page
  2. Enter your credentials
  3. Log in to your account dashboard

Step 3: Find Your API Key

Once logged in:

  1. Go to Account page
  2. Navigate to your API keys & limits tab
  3. Click Create key +
  4. Enter a name for your key (optional) in the overlay
  5. Click the blue Create key button
  6. Click the Copy icon next to your API key
  7. The key is now in your clipboard, ready to paste into MAITO

DeepL API creation page

DeepL API creation overlay

DeepL API creation completed

Keep Your Key Secret

Your API key is like a password - never share it publicly. Anyone with your key can use your DeepL quota.

Your API key will look something like this:

a1b2c3d4-5e6f-7g8h-9i0j-k1l2m3n4o5p6:fx

Free vs Pro Keys

Free plan keys end with :fx and use the domain api-free.deepl.com Pro plan keys don’t have a suffix and use the domain api.deepl.com

MAITO automatically detects your plan type!

Step 5: Enter Key in MAITO

During Onboarding

If you’re setting up MAITO for the first time:

  1. Choose DeepL Cloud Translation in the onboarding wizard
  2. Paste your API key in the DeepL API Key field
  3. MAITO will automatically detect Free vs Pro
  4. Click Next to validate your key
  5. Complete the setup

MAITO onboarding DeepL key entry

In Settings (Existing Installation)

If MAITO is already installed:

  1. Click the gear icon (⚙️) to open Settings
  2. Navigate to the Translation tab
  3. Select DeepL Cloud Translation
  4. Click Apply Selected Engine
  5. Enter your API key in the API Key field
  6. MAITO will validate and save your key
  7. Click Apply

MAITO onboarding DeepL key entry

MAITO onboarding DeepL key entry

Verifying Your API Key

MAITO automatically validates your API key when you enter it. You’ll see:

✅ Success: “API key validated successfully”

  • Your key works correctly
  • MAITO is ready to translate

❌ Error: “Invalid API key” or “Authentication failed”

  • Double-check you copied the complete key (including :fx for Free plans)
  • Verify you’re using a DeepL API key (not regular DeepL Pro)
  • Ensure your account is active

Monitoring Your Usage

MAITO helps you track your DeepL usage:

For Free Plan Users

  • MAITO displays your monthly character usage
  • Shows remaining characters before limit
  • Warns you when approaching the 500,000 limit
  • Access automatically pauses when limit reached (resets next month)

DeepL usage tracking for Free plan

For Pro Plan Users

  • MAITO estimates translation costs in real-time
  • Shows cost per translation before you commit
  • Tracks monthly spending
  • No character limits (pay-as-you-go)

DeepL usage tracking for Pro plan

Character Counting

DeepL counts characters in the source text (the text you’re translating). The translated output doesn’t count toward your usage.

Switching Between Free and Pro

If you upgrade or downgrade your DeepL plan:

  1. Your API key remains the same
  2. MAITO automatically detects the plan change
  3. Usage tracking updates accordingly
  4. No configuration changes needed

Troubleshooting

”Invalid API Key” Error

Possible causes:

  • Incomplete key copied (missing characters or :fx suffix)
  • Wrong API type (using regular DeepL Pro instead of API)
  • Account not activated
  • Network connectivity issues

Solution:

  1. Log into your DeepL account and verify the key
  2. Copy the complete key again
  3. Check your internet connection
  4. Verify your DeepL API account is active

”Quota Exceeded” Error

For Free Plan:

  • You’ve used all 500,000 monthly characters
  • Wait until next month for quota reset
  • Or upgrade to Pro plan

For Pro Plan:

  • Check your payment method is valid
  • Verify your account has sufficient credit
  • Contact DeepL support if issues persist

”Cannot Reach DeepL API” Error

  • Check your internet connection
  • Verify firewall isn’t blocking MAITO
  • Confirm DeepL service status
  • Try again in a few minutes

Switch to Local Translation

If you encounter DeepL issues, you can temporarily switch to Local AI translation which works completely offline. See our guide on Switching Translation Engines.

What’s Next?

Now that you have your DeepL API key configured:

Need Help?

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