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Translation · head to head

Crowdin vs Gengo

Crowdin logo

Crowdin

Translation

Simple, transparent pricing. Start free and scale as you grow.

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Gengo logo

Gengo

Translation

Human translation marketplace and API, priced per word from $0.06, owned by Lionbridge since 2019

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Crowdin has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Crowdin pricing based on hosted words (words × target languages) makes per-unit costs variable; Gengo it is not a fit for specialised legal, medical or literary translation, since the crowdsourced model is built for higher-volume, lower-complexity content.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Crowdin and Gengo actually diverge.

Attributes where Crowdin and Gengo differ
AttributeCrowdinGengo
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionPer word
Free tierYesNo

Identical on both: platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Translation).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Crowdin

Nothing recorded that Gengo does not also cover.

Only in Gengo

  • Standard and Pro quality tiers
  • Developer API
  • No minimum spend
  • Crowdsourced translator network
  • Bulk file upload
  • CMS and platform integrations

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Crowdin

  • Software localization and translation managementnot Gengo
  • Multi-language content distribution via CDNnot Gengo
  • Open source project localizationnot Gengo
  • Professional translation service integrationnot Gengo
  • Machine translation and AI content generationnot Gengo

Gengo

  • An e-commerce seller translating product listings into multiple languages without a minimum spend requirementnot Crowdin
  • A company integrating the Gengo API into a content pipeline to automatically route text for human translationnot Crowdin
  • A support team needing occasional human-translated responses without committing to Unbabel’s enterprise minimumnot Crowdin
  • A publisher needing straightforward, transparently priced human translation for shorter, lower-stakes contentnot Crowdin

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Crowdin

  • Pricing based on hosted words (words × target languages) makes per-unit costs variable
  • Individual plan pricing not published; requires contacting sales
  • 14-day trial limited to Team plan only; enterprise trial is 30 days
  • Annual billing only available for enterprise plans

Gengo

  • It is not a fit for specialised legal, medical or literary translation, since the crowdsourced model is built for higher-volume, lower-complexity content.
  • Quality consistency depends on which individual translator from the crowdsourced network is assigned, which can vary more than a dedicated agency relationship would.
  • Turnaround, while fast for its category, is still meaningfully slower than a machine translation API, since every job requires a human to complete it.
  • Since being acquired by Lionbridge in 2019, Gengo’s product direction is now set within a much larger localisation company’s priorities rather than as an independent business.
  • Per-word pricing, while transparent, is still substantially more expensive per unit of content than a machine translation API, so it is a poor fit for translating very large volumes of low-stakes content.

Pricing, plan by plan

Crowdin

Free
  • Free TierFree
    • CDN: up to 1M requests and 10GB data transfer
    • 14-day free trial of Team plan available
    • Open source program: free license for non-profits

Gengo

On request
  • Standard$0.06/month
    • Human translation, $0.06 per word starting rate
    • No minimum spend or setup fee
  • Pro$undefined/month
    • Higher-quality tier, rate varies by language pair and content type
    • Human translation with additional review

Which should you pick?

Choose Crowdin if

  • You want to start without paying.
Crowdin review

Choose Gengo if

  • You need standard and pro quality tiers.
  • You also want developer api.
Gengo review

Questions people ask

Is Crowdin or Gengo better?
Neither clearly leads. Crowdin starts at Free and Gengo at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Crowdin or Gengo?
Crowdin has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Crowdin and On request for Gengo.
Does Crowdin or Gengo run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Crowdin for free?
Yes. Crowdin has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Gengo starts at On request.
What is Crowdin best used for?
Crowdin is most often used for software localization and translation management, multi-language content distribution via cdn, open source project localization, professional translation service integration. Of those, software localization and translation management and multi-language content distribution via cdn are not what Gengo is typically brought in for.
What can Crowdin do that Gengo cannot?
Gengo covers Standard and Pro quality tiers, Developer API, No minimum spend, Crowdsourced translator network.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Crowdin: Does Crowdin offer a free version?

Yes, Crowdin provides a free tier with up to 1M CDN requests and 10GB data transfer per month. 14-day free trial available for Team plan after registration.

Source
Gengo: Is Gengo machine translation or human translation?

Human translation. It should be compared with Unbabel, not with Google Translate, Microsoft Translator or Amazon Translate, which are machine translation APIs.

Crowdin: How is Crowdin pricing calculated?

Crowdin pricing is based on hosted words, calculated as number of words times number of target languages. Example: 500 words in 10 languages equals 5,000 hosted words.

Source
Gengo: Is there a minimum spend?

No, Gengo publishes per-word pricing with no minimum spend or setup fee, unlike Unbabel’s enterprise-gated rate structure.

Crowdin: What trial options does Crowdin offer?

Crowdin provides a 14-day free trial of the Team plan and a 30-day free trial for enterprise plans. Open source and academic licenses are also available.

Source
Gengo: Who owns Gengo?

Lionbridge, a larger localisation and AI data services company, acquired Gengo in January 2019.

Crowdin: Does Crowdin offer a money-back guarantee?

Yes, Crowdin offers a 30-day money-back guarantee if canceling within 30 days of signup. Unlimited translators and proofreaders are included on all paid plans.

Source
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