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Translation · head to head

Reverso vs Smartling

Reverso logo

Reverso

Translation

Consumer translation, dictionary and grammar tool with a free tier and a Premium subscription around $6.49 to $9.99 a month

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Smartling logo

Smartling

Translation

Enterprise translation management sold alongside first-party language services priced per word

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Reverso has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Reverso there is no meaningful volume-priced developer API, so it is not a fit for embedding translation into an application the way Google, Microsoft or Amazon’s APIs are.; Smartling translation memory is retained for only 180 days on the Core tier, so the asset that would make a future migration cheap expires on the plan most likely to be used by a team testing the water.
  • They diverge on capability: Reverso covers Context search, Smartling covers Translation memory.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Reverso and Smartling actually diverge.

Attributes where Reverso and Smartling differ
AttributeReversoSmartling
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelPer user per monthquote
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, iOS, Android, ChromeWeb, 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 Reverso

  • Context search
  • Text and document translation
  • Grammar and rephrasing checker
  • Vocabulary trainer
  • Browser extensions
  • Offline mobile access

Only in Smartling

  • Translation memory
  • Visual context CAT editor
  • Configurable workflows
  • First-party language services
  • Linguistic quality assurance
  • Connectors and API

What people use each for

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

Reverso

  • A language learner wanting real bilingual example sentences alongside a raw translation, not just a single output stringnot Smartling
  • A translator using context search to check idiomatic usage before finalising a phrasenot Smartling
  • A student or writer subscribing to Premium for ad-free use, offline access and a grammar checker in one toolnot Smartling
  • A small business needing occasional document translation within the Pro tier’s 200,000-word annual capnot Smartling

Smartling

  • A company that wants one supplier answerable for both the translation platform and the quality of the translated outputnot Reverso
  • Marketing sites where a translator needs to see the rendered page, not a spreadsheet of strings, to get tone and length rightnot Reverso
  • Replacing a platform vendor plus several separate agencies with a single contract and a single invoicenot Reverso
  • Content operations at a volume where per-word rates are the dominant cost and the tooling fee is noisenot Reverso

Where each one falls short

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

Reverso

  • There is no meaningful volume-priced developer API, so it is not a fit for embedding translation into an application the way Google, Microsoft or Amazon’s APIs are.
  • Document translation is capped by annual word count even on paid tiers, ruling it out for high-volume automated translation workloads.
  • It has no on-premises or enterprise-scale deployment option, unlike Systran, so organisations with data residency requirements cannot use it for sensitive content.
  • The free tier is ad-supported and limited on document translation, pushing regular users toward Premium fairly quickly.
  • Context search quality depends on the size and domain coverage of its bilingual corpus, which can thin out for less common language pairs or highly technical terminology.

Smartling

  • Translation memory is retained for only 180 days on the Core tier, so the asset that would make a future migration cheap expires on the plan most likely to be used by a team testing the water.
  • The platform subscription is not published while the per-word service rates are, so you can model the variable cost precisely and cannot model the fixed cost at all until you have been through a sales sizing exercise.
  • The vendor earns on words routed through it, so the commercial relationship rewards volume flowing to Smartling rather than volume being avoided through better reuse of existing memory.
  • Per-word pricing multiplies by target language, so adding a market to a product that ships in twelve languages costs a thirteenth of the current translation bill rather than a marginal amount.
  • Minimum contract term, minimum annual spend and whether individual connectors carry their own charge are all absent from the public site, so three of the numbers that determine total cost only appear inside a proposal.

Pricing, plan by plan

Reverso

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Text translation and context search, ad-supported
    • Limited document translation
  • Premium$6.49/month
    • Billed annually; $9.99 if billed monthly
    • Ad-free, 50,000 words/year document translation
    • Premium grammar checker, offline mobile access
  • Pro$19.99/month
    • 200,000 words/year document translation
    • Larger file size support (up to 120MB), more formats

Smartling

On request
  • Core$undefined/year
    • Subscription price not published
    • Basic workflow, user and project management
    • Browser CAT editor with visual context
  • Enterprise$undefined/year
    • Subscription price not published
    • Fully configurable dynamic workflows
    • Translation memory with unlimited storage
  • Language services, charged separately per word$undefined/year
    • Machine translation from 0.0075 USD per word
    • AI translation from 0.06 USD per word
    • AI translation with human review from 0.12 USD per word

Which should you pick?

Choose Reverso if

  • You need context search.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android, Chrome.
  • You also want text and document translation.
Reverso review

Choose Smartling if

  • You need translation memory.
  • You work on Web, API.
  • You also want visual context cat editor.
Smartling review

Questions people ask

Is Reverso or Smartling better?
Neither clearly leads. Reverso starts at Free and Smartling at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Reverso or Smartling?
Reverso has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Reverso and On request for Smartling.
Does Reverso or Smartling run on more platforms?
Reverso runs on Web, iOS, Android, Chrome. Smartling runs on Web, API.
Can I use Reverso for free?
Yes. Reverso has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Smartling starts at On request.
What is Reverso best used for?
Reverso is most often used for a language learner wanting real bilingual example sentences alongside a raw translation, not just a single output string, a translator using context search to check idiomatic usage before finalising a phrase, a student or writer subscribing to premium for ad-free use, offline access and a grammar checker in one tool, a small business needing occasional document translation within the pro tier’s 200,000-word annual cap. Of those, a language learner wanting real bilingual example sentences alongside a raw translation, not just a single output string and a translator using context search to check idiomatic usage before finalising a phrase are not what Smartling is typically brought in for.
What can Reverso do that Smartling cannot?
Reverso covers Context search, Text and document translation, Grammar and rephrasing checker, Vocabulary trainer. Smartling covers Translation memory, Visual context CAT editor, Configurable workflows, First-party language services.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Reverso: Is Reverso a machine translation API for developers?

No, it is a consumer-facing product with no significant developer API business; Google, Microsoft or Amazon are the appropriate choice for embedding translation into an application.

Smartling: Is there a free plan?

The Core tier is advertised as free to start, but translation memory is kept for only 180 days on it and any production deployment is a quoted subscription. Treat it as an evaluation route, not a plan.

Reverso: What is the context search feature?

It shows real bilingual example sentences from translated documents and subtitles alongside a translation, which is useful for checking natural usage rather than a raw one-line output.

Smartling: What does the platform actually cost?

Smartling does not publish it. The published figures are per-word service rates. Expect an annual subscription sized against your content volume, workflows and language count, quoted after a scoping call.

Reverso: How much document translation do I get on Premium?

50,000 words a year on Premium; the Pro tier raises that to 200,000 words a year with larger file support.

Smartling: Can I use Smartling with my own translators?

Yes, the platform works with your own vendors and freelancers. You then pay for software and forgo the services revenue the pricing model is built around, which weakens your negotiating position on the subscription.

Smartling: What happens to my translation memory if I leave?

Translation memory is exportable, but on Core it only covers the previous 180 days, so leaving after two years on the entry tier means most of the asset is already gone.

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