Translation · head to head
Smartling vs Weglot
Smartling
Translation
Enterprise translation management sold alongside first-party language services priced per word
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only Weglot has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: 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.; Weglot free plan is capped at 2,000 words and a single language
- Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Smartling and Weglot actually diverge.
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 Smartling
- Translation memory
- Visual context CAT editor
- Configurable workflows
- First-party language services
- Linguistic quality assurance
- Connectors and API
Only in Weglot
Nothing recorded that Smartling does not also cover.
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Smartling
- A company that wants one supplier answerable for both the translation platform and the quality of the translated outputnot Weglot
- Marketing sites where a translator needs to see the rendered page, not a spreadsheet of strings, to get tone and length rightnot Weglot
- Replacing a platform vendor plus several separate agencies with a single contract and a single invoicenot Weglot
- Content operations at a volume where per-word rates are the dominant cost and the tooling fee is noisenot Weglot
Weglot
- E-commerce store translation into multiple languages instantlynot Smartling
- Government website content accessibility in native languagesnot Smartling
- Educational institution information in student/parent native languagesnot Smartling
- International website reach for marketing teamsnot Smartling
- Custom web application translation with media file supportnot Smartling
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
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.
Weglot
- Free plan is capped at 2,000 words and a single language
- Starter plan at $17 per month is limited to 1 language; reaching 3 languages requires the $32 per month Business plan
- Word caps scale by tier from 10,000 on Starter up to 5,000,000 on the $769 per month Extended plan, with Enterprise priced on request beyond that
Pricing, plan by plan
Smartling
On request- Core$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
Weglot
Free- FreeFree
- 2000 words
- 1 language
- Starter$17/month
- 10000 words
- 1 language
- Business$32/month
- 50000 words
- 3 languages
- Pro$87/month
- 200000 words
- 5 languages
- Professional translator access
Which should you pick?
Choose Smartling if
- You need translation memory.
- You work on Web, API.
- You also want visual context cat editor.
Questions people ask
- Is Smartling or Weglot better?
- Neither clearly leads. Smartling starts at On request and Weglot at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Smartling or Weglot?
- Weglot has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at On request for Smartling and Free for Weglot.
- Does Smartling or Weglot run on more platforms?
- Smartling runs on Web, API. Weglot runs on Web.
- Can I use Weglot for free?
- Yes. Weglot has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Smartling starts at On request.
- What is Smartling best used for?
- Smartling is most often used for a company that wants one supplier answerable for both the translation platform and the quality of the translated output, marketing sites where a translator needs to see the rendered page, not a spreadsheet of strings, to get tone and length right, replacing a platform vendor plus several separate agencies with a single contract and a single invoice, content operations at a volume where per-word rates are the dominant cost and the tooling fee is noise. Of those, a company that wants one supplier answerable for both the translation platform and the quality of the translated output and marketing sites where a translator needs to see the rendered page, not a spreadsheet of strings, to get tone and length right are not what Weglot is typically brought in for.
- What can Smartling do that Weglot cannot?
- Smartling covers Translation memory, Visual context CAT editor, Configurable workflows, First-party language services.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
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.
Weglot: What is Weglot's pricing model?
Weglot offers seven tiers from free ($0/month with 2000 words, 1 language) to Enterprise (custom pricing). The Pro plan at $87/month includes 200,000 words and 5 languages with professional translator access.
SourceSmartling: 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.
Weglot: Does Weglot offer a free trial?
Yes, all plans include a 14-day free trial with no credit card required. Users can test the platform before committing to a paid plan.
SourceSmartling: 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.
Weglot: What discount does Weglot offer for annual subscriptions?
Subscribe annually to receive 2 months free, effectively discounting your annual cost by one-sixth. You only pay the difference when upgrading plans mid-billing cycle.
SourceSmartling: 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.
Weglot: How does Weglot handle over-limit usage?
When accounts exceed their plan's word limit, Weglot sends email notifications. An auto-upgrade feature is available to automatically move to the next tier without service interruption.
SourceRelated pages
Other head to heads
- Smartling vs Crowdin
- Smartling vs Phrase
- Smartling vs Lokalise
- Smartling vs XTM Cloud
- Smartling vs Smartcat
- Smartling vs Plunet
- Smartling vs wxrks
- Smartling vs XTRF
- Smartling vs SDL Trados Studio
- Smartling vs Localazy
- Smartling vs Wordbee
- Smartling vs Systran
- Smartling vs Reverso
- Smartling vs Sonix
- Smartling vs Pontoon
- Smartling vs memoQ
- Smartling vs DeepL
- Smartling vs Google Translate
- Smartling vs Transifex
- Smartling vs Gengo
- Smartling vs POEditor
- Weglot vs Crowdin
- Weglot vs Phrase
- Weglot vs Lokalise
- Weglot vs XTM Cloud
- Weglot vs Smartcat
- Weglot vs Plunet
- Weglot vs wxrks
- Weglot vs XTRF
- Weglot vs SDL Trados Studio
- Weglot vs Localazy
- Weglot vs Wordbee
- Weglot vs Systran
- Weglot vs Reverso
- Weglot vs Sonix
- Weglot vs Pontoon
- Weglot vs memoQ
- Weglot vs DeepL
- Weglot vs Google Translate
- Weglot vs Transifex
- Weglot vs Gengo
- Weglot vs POEditor