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Translation · head to head

Gengo vs MateCat

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
MateCat logo

MateCat

Translation

Free, browser-based CAT tool under the LGPL, developed and hosted by the translation company Translated

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only MateCat 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.; MateCat the hosted version most users rely on depends on Translated srl’s continued operation and infrastructure decisions, unlike a self-run desktop tool.
  • They diverge on capability: Gengo covers Standard and Pro quality tiers, MateCat covers Browser-based CAT interface.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Gengo and MateCat actually diverge.

Attributes where Gengo and MateCat differ
AttributeGengoMateCat
Starting priceOn requestFree
Pricing modelPer wordOpen source, no licence fee
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 MateCat

  • Browser-based CAT interface
  • Machine translation suggestions
  • Translation memory
  • Quality assurance checks
  • Project management
  • File translation

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 MateCat
  • A company integrating the Gengo API into a content pipeline to automatically route text for human translationnot MateCat
  • A support team needing occasional human-translated responses without committing to Unbabel’s enterprise minimumnot MateCat
  • A publisher needing straightforward, transparently priced human translation for shorter, lower-stakes contentnot MateCat

MateCat

  • A freelance translator wanting a no-install, browser-based CAT tool with built-in machine translation suggestionsnot Gengo
  • A small agency wanting basic hosted project management without paying for a commercial TMSnot Gengo
  • A translator who wants MT suggestions from multiple engines surfaced alongside translation memory matches in one interfacenot Gengo
  • A team occasionally needing quick file translation through a browser without setting up desktop softwarenot 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.

MateCat

  • The hosted version most users rely on depends on Translated srl’s continued operation and infrastructure decisions, unlike a self-run desktop tool.
  • It is developed by a commercial translation company whose own paid services sit alongside the free tool, which is worth being aware of when evaluating vendor neutrality.
  • Being browser-based, it requires a stable internet connection, unlike OmegaT’s fully offline desktop application.
  • Advanced terminology management and enterprise-scale project features are more limited than a paid commercial TMS such as memoQ or Smartling.
  • Self-hosting the open source LGPL code independently of Translated’s hosted service requires technical setup effort that most individual translators are unlikely to undertake.

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

MateCat

Free
  • MateCatFree
    • Free browser-based CAT tool, LGPL licensed
    • Hosted and operated by Translated srl

Which should you pick?

Choose Gengo if

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

Choose MateCat if

  • You need browser-based cat interface.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want machine translation suggestions.
MateCat review

Questions people ask

Is Gengo or MateCat better?
Neither clearly leads. Gengo starts at On request and MateCat at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Gengo or MateCat?
MateCat has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Gengo and Free for MateCat.
Does Gengo or MateCat run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use MateCat for free?
Yes. MateCat 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 MateCat is typically brought in for.
What can Gengo do that MateCat cannot?
Gengo covers Standard and Pro quality tiers, Developer API, No minimum spend, Crowdsourced translator network. MateCat covers Browser-based CAT interface, Machine translation suggestions, Translation memory, Quality assurance checks.

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.

MateCat: Is MateCat really free?

Yes, it is free to use as a hosted browser-based tool and released as open source under the LGPL.

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.

MateCat: Who maintains MateCat?

Translated srl, an Italian translation company, develops and hosts it; this differs from OmegaT, which is maintained by a volunteer open source community.

Gengo: Who owns Gengo?

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

MateCat: Can I self-host MateCat instead of using Translated’s hosted version?

The code is open source under the LGPL and technically self-hostable, but doing so requires meaningful technical setup most individual users skip in favour of the hosted service.

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