Softwr

Translation · head to head

memoQ vs Smartcat

memoQ logo

memoQ

Translation

Adapt your communication to local cultures with memoQ

From
€2904/year
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

  • Each has a real cost: memoQ only Starter tier has published pricing; Essential, Professional, and Enterprise require sales consultation; 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.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which memoQ and Smartcat actually diverge.

Attributes where memoQ and Smartcat differ
AttributememoQSmartcat
Starting price€2904/year$1200/year
Pricing modelsubscriptionPer year by Smartword volume
PlatformsWebWeb, API

Identical on both: free tier (No), 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 memoQ

Nothing recorded that Smartcat does not also cover.

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.

memoQ

  • Maintaining standardized terminology across marketsnot Smartcat
  • Detecting inconsistencies and terminology issuesnot Smartcat
  • Translating multiple projects simultaneously with teamnot Smartcat
  • Managing translation memories and term bases centrallynot Smartcat

Smartcat

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

Where each one falls short

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

memoQ

  • Only Starter tier has published pricing; Essential, Professional, and Enterprise require sales consultation
  • Higher tiers require minimum PM license requirements (1+, 5+, 10+)
  • Linguist subscription scaling not transparent for plans above Starter

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

memoQ

€2904/year
  • Starter$2904/year
    • 1 Project Manager license
    • 5 Linguist subscriptions
    • Translate unlimited content
  • Essential$null/custom
    • 1+ PM licenses
    • 10 Linguist subscriptions per PM
    • Contact sales for pricing
  • Professional$null/custom
    • 5+ PM licenses
    • 10 Linguist subscriptions per PM
    • Contact sales for pricing
  • Enterprise$null/custom
    • 10+ PM licenses
    • Custom Linguist subscriptions
    • Contact sales for pricing

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 memoQ if

Nothing in the data separates memoQ from Smartcat on the points above - pick on price and on how each one feels to use.

memoQ review

Choose Smartcat if

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

Questions people ask

Is memoQ or Smartcat better?
Neither clearly leads. memoQ starts at €2904/year and Smartcat at $1200/year, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, memoQ or Smartcat?
memoQ starts at €2904/year and Smartcat at $1200/year.
Does memoQ or Smartcat run on more platforms?
memoQ runs on Web. Smartcat runs on Web, API.
What is memoQ best used for?
memoQ is most often used for maintaining standardized terminology across markets, detecting inconsistencies and terminology issues, translating multiple projects simultaneously with team, managing translation memories and term bases centrally. Of those, maintaining standardized terminology across markets and detecting inconsistencies and terminology issues are not what Smartcat is typically brought in for.
What can memoQ do that Smartcat cannot?
Smartcat covers Smartword allowance, Freelancer marketplace, Payer of record, Unlimited users.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

memoQ: What is memoQ's entry-level pricing for translation management?

memoQ Starter plan costs 2,904 euros per year (approximately $3,194 USD annually). This includes 1 Project Manager license and 5 Linguist subscriptions with unlimited translation capacity.

Source
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.

memoQ: Does memoQ charge based on translation volume?

No, memoQ explicitly states no volume-based pricing model. Users can translate as much content as needed within their subscription tier without additional volume charges.

Source
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.

memoQ: How do I get pricing for memoQ's Enterprise plan?

memoQ's Enterprise tier requires minimum 10 Project Manager licenses and custom Linguist subscription arrangements. Customers must contact memoQ sales directly for pricing details.

Source
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.

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.

Share

Related pages

More on memoQ

More on Smartcat

Keep looking

Other head to heads