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Translation · head to head

Gengo vs Lokalise

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
Lokalise logo

Lokalise

Translation

New packages to fuel your revenue growth

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Lokalise has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: 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.; Lokalise there is no free tier; the entry Explorer plan starts at $144 per month
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Gengo and Lokalise actually diverge.

Attributes where Gengo and Lokalise differ
AttributeGengoLokalise
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelPer wordsubscription
Free tierNoYes

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 Gengo

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

Only in Lokalise

Nothing recorded that Gengo does not also cover.

What people use each for

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

Gengo

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

Lokalise

  • Automating multi-product translation workflowsnot Gengo
  • Integrating GitHub and GitLab for code localizationnot Gengo
  • Translating Figma designs for global audiencesnot Gengo
  • Maintaining consistency with translation memorynot Gengo

Where each one falls short

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

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.

Lokalise

  • There is no free tier; the entry Explorer plan starts at $144 per month
  • Multi-product workflow support requires the $999 per month Advanced plan
  • Enterprise security and support features are gated behind a custom quote

Pricing, plan by plan

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

Lokalise

Free
  • Explorer$144/month
    • Entry-level tier
    • Glossaries
    • Translation memory
  • Growth$375/month
    • Enhanced automation
    • Custom triggers
    • Templates
  • Advanced$999/month
    • Complex multi-product workflows
    • Most popular tier
    • Advanced AI capabilities
  • Enterprise$null/custom
    • Custom SLA
    • Specialized security
    • Dedicated support

Which should you pick?

Choose Gengo if

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

Choose Lokalise if

  • You want to start without paying.
Lokalise review

Questions people ask

Is Gengo or Lokalise better?
Neither clearly leads. Gengo starts at On request and Lokalise at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Gengo or Lokalise?
Lokalise has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Gengo and Free for Lokalise.
Does Gengo or Lokalise run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Lokalise for free?
Yes. Lokalise has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Gengo starts at On request.
What is Gengo best used for?
Gengo is most often used for an e-commerce seller translating product listings into multiple languages without a minimum spend requirement, a company integrating the gengo api into a content pipeline to automatically route text for human translation, a support team needing occasional human-translated responses without committing to unbabel’s enterprise minimum, a publisher needing straightforward, transparently priced human translation for shorter, lower-stakes content. Of those, an e-commerce seller translating product listings into multiple languages without a minimum spend requirement and a company integrating the gengo api into a content pipeline to automatically route text for human translation are not what Lokalise is typically brought in for.
What can Gengo do that Lokalise cannot?
Gengo covers Standard and Pro quality tiers, Developer API, No minimum spend, Crowdsourced translator network.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

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.

Lokalise: How much does Lokalise cost?

Lokalise offers Explorer plan at $144/month for basic translation features, Growth at $375/month for enhanced automation, and Advanced at $999/month for complex workflows. Enterprise plans require custom quotes. All pricing is for monthly billing with no setup fees.

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.

Lokalise: Does Lokalise offer a free trial?

Yes, Lokalise provides a 14-day free trial for all plans with no credit card required, giving full access to evaluate features before committing to a paid subscription.

Source
Gengo: Who owns Gengo?

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

Lokalise: What features does Lokalise's Advanced plan add?

The Advanced plan ($999/month) is designed for teams with complex, multi-product workflows. It includes all Growth features plus advanced AI capabilities, 24/7 support, and a dedicated account manager.

Source
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