Scale localization
without seat limits or vendor lock-in
Smartling's seat-based pricing and bundled vendors make scaling expensive. Lokalise gives you transparent usage-based pricing, unlimited translator seats and content storage, and the freedom to choose your translation partners.
Lokalise is loved by localization teams at 3000+ global companies
Why customers choose Lokalise over Smartling
Lokalise removes the cost, workflow, and lock-in frustrations Smartling users talk about the most.
Lokalise
Smartling
Pricing
Flexible pricing based on usage, not seats
Unpredictable cost, seat-based pricing, bundled vendors
Free plan
Translator seats
Unlimited
Limited
Content storage
Unlimited hosted words
Limited hosted words
AI translation in all plans
AI translation capabilities
Powered by Gen AI (Claude, GPT)
Context-aware
AI scoring built-in
Legacy MT
Limited generative AI
Flexible Workflows
Simple and customizable, with automation out of the box
Rigid workflows, 10+ steps, heavy setup
Intuitive UI & UX
Designed for non-technical teams
Complex, steep learning curve
Ease of use (out of 10)
9.0 on G2
8.7 on G2
Free live chat
<2 min response time
Limited support and behind paywalls
Quality of support (out of 10)
9.6 on G2
9.1 on G2
Ease of migration
Very easy. No lock-in
Hard. Vendor lock-in.
Transparent and fair pricing as you scale
Smartling charges per seat for everyone, adds fees for each language you launch, and locks priority support behind premium tiers.
Lokalise gives you unlimited standard access, transparent usage-based pricing, and support that’s included. Want predictable costs as you scale?
Lokalise’s value-driven pricing
The Smartling pricing trap
Unlimited users on every plan
Per-seat charges for every user, even occasional contributors
Unlimited content storage on paid plans
Bundled translation services with no opt-out
Usage-based pricing—pay only for what you translate
Priority support locked behind premium tiers
Freedom to choose your translation vendors
Don’t get locked-in by Smartling
At Lokalise, we believe translations belong to you. Export anything, anytime.
We let you export your translation memories and glossaries with 1 click
No restrictions, no paywall, no proprietary format traps
Switching from Smartling? We migrate projects for you.
Users usually experience migration issues with Smartling
"They make it very difficult to migrate away from. They really do lock you in. Even trying to get an export of your translation memory is really hard from Smartling."
Localization Manager
Enterprise (5000+ emp)
Automation without the developer bottleneck
Smartling's automation requires developer setup and maintenance. Lokalise gives non-technical teams the power to build, customize, and manage their own workflows without waiting around.
Set up automation (no code required):
Automate file imports/exports from GitHub, Figma, or your CMS
Trigger translation, QA, and review tasks automatically
Build custom workflows per team, content type, or brand
Use pre-built templates or create your own in minutes
Simpler, more intuitive UI than Smartling
"I did feel like Lokalise had one of the much better UIs when it came to just navigating the whole platform."
Product Manager
Mid-market (501-1000 emp)
Support that actually responds (in under 2 minutes)
Why pay extra for fast support? Lokalise customers get fast responses as standard.
Get the most from Lokalise with:
24/7 live chat support
Expert troubleshooting and quick resolution
Average response time under 2 minutes
Clear and comprehensive documentation
Fast onboarding and migration assistance
Dedicated Customer Success Manager on Enterprise plans
Modern generative AI that cuts review costs and speeds up delivery
Smartling positions itself as 'AI-first' but relies on legacy machine translation engines. Lokalise uses modern generative AI (GPT, Claude) with context-aware learning to deliver human translation quality at machine speed.
Lokalise's AI advantage:
An intelligent system picks the best AI engine for each translation
Context-aware AI translation for on-brand content
Automatic quality scoring reduces human review by up to 90%
AI translation included on all plans
Compare Lokalise and Smartling yourself
Sign up for a free 14-day Lokalise trial. No credit card required.
See why over 3000 companies choose us over Smartling.
Disclaimer
All product names, logos, and brands are the property of their respective owners. All company, product, and service names used in this web page are for identification purposes only. The use of these names, logos, and brands does not imply endorsement. The comparative information published on this webpage (a) is solely to permit consumers to compare goods or services for informational purposes, (b) has no intention to endorse Lokalise products and services over any third-party products and services, (c) is without representation or warranty of any kind. The information provided on this web page is based on facts and quotes obtained from existing customers and publicly available sources as of February 1, 2025, and may be subject to change. To report corrections, please contact Lokalise at hello@lokalise.com.
FAQs
Case studies
Behind the scenes of localization with one of Europe’s leading digital health providers
Read more Case studies
Support
Company
Follow
Localization workflow for your web and mobile apps, games and digital content.
©2017-2025
All Rights Reserved.