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Translation · head to head

Gengo vs SDL Trados Studio

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
SDL Trados Studio logo

SDL Trados Studio

Translation

Windows desktop CAT tool that agencies treat as the default exchange format

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • 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.; SDL Trados Studio it runs on Windows only, so macOS translators pay for a virtual machine or a second computer before they can accept work.
  • They diverge on capability: Gengo covers Standard and Pro quality tiers, SDL Trados Studio covers Translation memory.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Gengo and SDL Trados Studio actually diverge.

Attributes where Gengo and SDL Trados Studio differ
AttributeGengoSDL Trados Studio
Pricing modelPer wordquote
PlatformsWebWindows, Web

Identical on both: starting price (On request), 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 Gengo

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

Only in SDL Trados Studio

  • Translation memory
  • Term base integration
  • File filters
  • Alignment
  • Quality assurance checks
  • App store extensions

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

SDL Trados Studio

  • Freelance translators who must open and return agency supplied Studio packagesnot Gengo
  • Language service providers running multi-vendor projects with shared memories and term basesnot Gengo
  • Regulated translation work where segment level memory matches must be auditablenot Gengo
  • Translating formats such as InDesign or structured XML where tag handling is the hard partnot 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.

SDL Trados Studio

  • It runs on Windows only, so macOS translators pay for a virtual machine or a second computer before they can accept work.
  • A perpetual licence covers the version you bought, and each major release is a further purchase, so the total cost over five years resembles a subscription without being described as one.
  • The learning curve is long: project settings, filters and memory configuration have to be understood before quality output is possible, which makes casual use impractical.
  • Memories and projects are local by default, and real collaboration needs GroupShare or the cloud tiers at extra cost, so two translators sharing one memory is a paid upgrade.
  • Third party plugins from the app store are maintained by their authors and frequently stop working after a major Studio release, which strands workflows that depend on them.

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

SDL Trados Studio

On request
  • SDL Trados Studio$undefined/year
    • Freelance, Professional and cloud tiers sold separately
    • Perpetual desktop licences and subscriptions both offered
    • Prices vary by region, reseller and frequent discount campaigns

Which should you pick?

Choose Gengo if

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

Choose SDL Trados Studio if

  • You need translation memory.
  • You work on Windows, Web.
  • You also want term base integration.
SDL Trados Studio review

Questions people ask

Is Gengo or SDL Trados Studio better?
Neither clearly leads. Gengo starts at On request and SDL Trados Studio at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Gengo or SDL Trados Studio?
Gengo starts at On request and SDL Trados Studio at On request.
Does Gengo or SDL Trados Studio run on more platforms?
Gengo runs on Web. SDL Trados Studio runs on Windows, Web.
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 SDL Trados Studio is typically brought in for.
What can Gengo do that SDL Trados Studio cannot?
Gengo covers Standard and Pro quality tiers, Developer API, No minimum spend, Crowdsourced translator network. SDL Trados Studio covers Translation memory, Term base integration, File filters, Alignment.

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.

SDL Trados Studio: Is it still called SDL Trados?

The product is now sold as Trados Studio by RWS, which acquired SDL in 2020. Older documentation and job adverts still say SDL Trados.

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.

SDL Trados Studio: Do I need it if my clients use a cloud TMS?

Often yes. Agencies still send Studio packages, and accepting them without the tool means manual conversion and lost memory matches.

Gengo: Who owns Gengo?

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

SDL Trados Studio: Can I run it on a Mac?

Not natively. Translators use Parallels, Boot Camp on older hardware, or a Windows virtual desktop.

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