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Translation · head to head

Localazy vs Smartcat

Localazy logo

Localazy

Translation

Localisation platform priced per source string, where adding target languages costs nothing extra

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Smartcat logo

Smartcat

Translation

Translation platform and freelancer marketplace billed in Smartwords, where every added target language multiplies consumption

From
$1200/year
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Localazy has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Localazy the price ladder is stepped rather than continuous, so a project that grows from 2,500 to 2,600 source keys jumps a whole bracket rather than paying slightly more.; Smartcat smartwords are consumed as source words multiplied by target languages, so a product going from five to ten locales doubles consumption on identical source content and the plan you sized last year no longer fits.
  • They diverge on capability: Localazy covers Per source key pricing, Smartcat covers Smartword allowance.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Localazy and Smartcat actually diverge.

Attributes where Localazy and Smartcat differ
AttributeLocalazySmartcat
Starting priceFree$1200/year
Pricing modelPer month by source key countPer year by Smartword volume
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, API, Linux, macOS, WindowsWeb, API

Identical on both: 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 Localazy

  • Per source key pricing
  • Shared translation memory
  • Framework SDKs
  • Figma plugin
  • CLI and GitHub Actions
  • Language CDN

Only in Smartcat

  • Smartword allowance
  • Freelancer marketplace
  • Payer of record
  • Unlimited users
  • Browser CAT editor
  • AI agents

What people use each for

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

Localazy

  • A mobile or web application that ships in twenty or more locales, where per-word pricing would multiply the bill by every added marketnot Smartcat
  • An indie developer or small studio that needs a genuinely free tier rather than a fourteen day trialnot Smartcat
  • Teams that want strings pulled from Figma so copy is localised before the interface is built rather than afternot Smartcat
  • Continuous localisation in a build pipeline through the CLI and GitHub Actions, with runtime delivery through the CDNnot Smartcat

Smartcat

  • A company that wants to hire and pay many freelance linguists without opening a supplier account and payment channel for each onenot Localazy
  • Translation programmes with high volume in a small number of target languages, where the multiplier does the least damagenot Localazy
  • Teams that need unlimited internal users on the platform without paying per seat for occasional reviewersnot Localazy
  • Consolidating an existing freelancer roster onto one contract, one invoice and one payment railnot Localazy

Where each one falls short

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

Localazy

  • The price ladder is stepped rather than continuous, so a project that grows from 2,500 to 2,600 source keys jumps a whole bracket rather than paying slightly more.
  • Single sign-on, audit logs, an SLA, priority support and audit trails are all Enterprise-only, and Enterprise is the one tier with no published price, so the moment a security review lands you leave the transparent pricing behind.
  • Counting by source key penalises content models where every paragraph is a separate key, so a documentation site or a marketing site can consume brackets far faster than an application with the same amount of text.
  • Human translation is sold in the platform but its rates only become visible after you have signed up, and whether Localazy takes a margin on that work is not disclosed anywhere public.
  • It is a company of roughly twenty people with no disclosed investors and no published legal entity details, which is a real continuity question for anyone putting a multi-year product localisation pipeline through it.

Smartcat

  • Smartwords are consumed as source words multiplied by target languages, so a product going from five to ten locales doubles consumption on identical source content and the plan you sized last year no longer fits.
  • The gap between the entry tier at 1,200 USD a year and the next at 24,000 is twentyfold with nothing between them, so a team that outgrows Adapt faces a step change rather than an increase.
  • Subscription Smartwords expire at renewal and monthly plan credits expire each cycle, so unused allowance is lost rather than banked and overbuying is a straight write-off.
  • Marketplace access, the reason many buyers choose Smartcat at all, does not exist on the entry plan, and API access with single sign-on only appears two tiers up at 60,000 USD a year.
  • The published commission table in the help centre still names retired plan tiers, so the rates a buyer would use to model marketplace cost cannot be reliably mapped onto the plans actually on sale.

Pricing, plan by plan

Localazy

Free
  • FreeFree
    • 200 source keys
    • Unlimited seats and languages
    • All essential localisation features
  • Professional$34/month
    • 1,000 source keys
    • 408 USD per year billed annually, 41 USD if billed monthly
    • Scales to 1,500 keys at 43 USD and 2,500 keys at 61 USD
  • Autopilot$78/month
    • 3,500 source keys
    • 936 USD per year billed annually, 94 USD if billed monthly
    • Scales to 5,000 keys at 104 USD and 7,500 keys at 139 USD
  • Business$175/month
    • 10,000 source keys
    • 2,100 USD per year billed annually, 210 USD if billed monthly
    • Scales to 25,000 keys at 263 USD, 50,000 at 350 USD and 100,000 at 438 USD

Smartcat

$1200/year
  • Adapt$1200/year
    • Starting price, billed annually
    • 100,000 Smartwords
    • 1 workspace
  • Accelerate$24000/year
    • Starting price, billed annually
    • 1 million Smartwords
    • 1 workspace
  • Anticipate$60000/year
    • Starting price, billed annually
    • 2 million Smartwords
    • 2 workspaces
  • Autonomous$undefined/year
    • Price not published, tailored to requirements
    • 6 million Smartwords
    • 7 workspaces

Which should you pick?

Choose Localazy if

  • You need per source key pricing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, API, Linux, macOS, Windows.
  • You also want shared translation memory.
Localazy review

Choose Smartcat if

  • You need smartword allowance.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want freelancer marketplace.
Smartcat review

Questions people ask

Is Localazy or Smartcat better?
Neither clearly leads. Localazy starts at Free and Smartcat at $1200/year, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Localazy or Smartcat?
Localazy has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Localazy and $1200/year for Smartcat.
Does Localazy or Smartcat run on more platforms?
Localazy runs on Web, API, Linux, macOS, Windows. Smartcat runs on Web, API.
Can I use Localazy for free?
Yes. Localazy has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Smartcat starts at $1200/year.
What is Localazy best used for?
Localazy is most often used for a mobile or web application that ships in twenty or more locales, where per-word pricing would multiply the bill by every added market, an indie developer or small studio that needs a genuinely free tier rather than a fourteen day trial, teams that want strings pulled from figma so copy is localised before the interface is built rather than after, continuous localisation in a build pipeline through the cli and github actions, with runtime delivery through the cdn. Of those, a mobile or web application that ships in twenty or more locales, where per-word pricing would multiply the bill by every added market and an indie developer or small studio that needs a genuinely free tier rather than a fourteen day trial are not what Smartcat is typically brought in for.
What can Localazy do that Smartcat cannot?
Localazy covers Per source key pricing, Shared translation memory, Framework SDKs, Figma plugin. Smartcat covers Smartword allowance, Freelancer marketplace, Payer of record, Unlimited users.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Localazy: What exactly is a source key?

One segment of text in your source language, such as a button label or a short paragraph. The same key translated into ten languages still counts as one key, and languages are unlimited on every plan.

Smartcat: What is a Smartword?

A credit. One Smartword is consumed per source word per target language, so 1,000 words into five languages costs 5,000 Smartwords. AI dubbing costs ten Smartwords per dubbed word.

Localazy: Is the free plan a trial?

No, the 200 key free plan is permanent and includes unlimited seats and languages. Separately, new signups get a fourteen day trial of the Business plan.

Smartcat: Does Smartcat take a cut from freelancers?

No. The vendor states it does not deduct a platform commission from supplier earnings; the marketplace commission is charged to the client. Freelancers pay withdrawal fees, a fixed one to ten dollars plus half a percent, and a two and a half percent currency conversion markup.

Localazy: How does it compare with per-word pricing?

It stops scaling with locale count. If you ship in three languages the difference is small; if you ship in thirty, per-key pricing is structurally cheaper rather than marginally so.

Smartcat: Is there a free plan?

No. There is a fifteen day trial of the full platform. A legacy free tier still appears in help articles but is not on the current pricing page.

Localazy: Can I get single sign-on?

Only on Enterprise, which is quoted rather than published. There is no mid-tier SSO option.

Smartcat: What happens if I do not review delivered work?

After fifteen days the system verifies the work automatically and triggers supplier payment, so silence is treated as acceptance.

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