Lokalise vs Smartling

Lokalise makes localization easier to run.

Smartling’s complexity slows you down.

With Lokalise, you get built-in workflows, intuitive collaboration, developer-friendly tooling, and an AI orchestration system.

All with transparent pricing. See all the alternative comparisons.

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Free 14-day trial. Book a chat to extend your free trial.

Lokalise is loved by localization teams at 3000+ global companies

Why customers choose Lokalise over Smartling

Lokalise is easier to adopt, easier to manage, and rated higher for value for money than Smartling.

Lokalise

Smartling

Value for money

4.6/5 (Capterra)

2.9/5 (Capterra)

Pricing transparency

Public pricing and self-serve plans (custom Enterprise plan available)

Only custom pricing through sales

Starting pricing visibility

Starts at $144/month (yearly)

Contact sales for pricing

Translator and reviewers seats

Unlimited

Access and pricing managed through enterprise plans

Content storage

Unlimited hosted words

Limited hosted words (translation memory retention limited to 180 days on a lower-tier plan)

AI pricing model

AI usage allowances built transparently into plans

AI subscriptions and usage configured separately through enterprise workflows

AI approach

AI orchestration routes content between models using translation memory, glossary, and style guides as context

Custom AI Profiles available on Advanced and Enterprise plans

AI Hub supports LLMs, MT engines, AutoSelect, and configurable AI workflows

Workflow management

Built-in workflows designed for easier day-to-day management

Advanced enterprise workflows with more operational setup

Cross-functional collaboration

Designed for product, engineering, design, and localization teams working in one platform

Built primarily around enterprise localization operations

Developer tools

Built for continuous localization with OTA updates, Git integrations, CLI workflows, SDKs, and automated release workflows

Built for enterprise localization infrastructure with APIs, automation, integrations, and customizable workflows

Free live chat

<2 min response time

Support experience varies by enterprise plan and service tier

No hidden costs

Scale localization without enterprise pricing overhead

Smartling pricing depends on translation volume, workflows, AI usage, and enterprise implementation scope, which can make costs harder to predict as localization grows.

Lokalise keeps pricing easier to understand with public plans, unlimited hosted words on paid plans, unlimited translator and reviewer seats, and transparent AI usage allowances built into plans.

What you get with Lokalise:

Unlimited hosted words. Scale content and languages without worrying about storage limits.

Unlimited basic seats. Add translators and reviewers without increasing seat management overhead.

Pricing designed to scale predictably. Keep localization easier to budget as teams, workflows, and content grow.

AI usage allowance built into plans. Use AI workflows without configuring separate enterprise AI subscriptions.

See our plans

Using Smartling gets expensive quickly

“Pricing tends to be high, namely for AI based translation, which becomes highly expensive quickly. So if you are looking at Smartling to have it for an AI translation only tool, do check the pricing, there might be better alternatives for AI powered translations.”

Verified User in Computer Software
Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)
G2 review

Advanced AI orchestration

AI translations that use your context

Smartling offers enterprise AI infrastructure with AI Hub, AutoSelect, and configurable workflows, all of which require a lot of setup and dev help.

Lokalise focuses on making AI easier to operationalize across day-to-day localization workflows.

What you get with Lokalise:

AI orchestration across multiple models. Lokalise dynamically routes content to the best-fit AI model based on language pair, content type, and context.

Context-aware AI translations. Translation memory, glossary terms, and style guides are used as runtime context to improve consistency and terminology accuracy.

90-95% first-pass acceptance rates. Context-aware AI workflows help teams reduce review overhead and increase translation acceptance rates.

Custom AI Profiles powered by RAG. Retrieve approved terminology and past translations dynamically during translation generation.

AI quality scoring built into workflows. Automatically identify low-confidence translations and prioritize human review where it matters most.

Try Lokalise for free

Devs using Smartling need to build custom workarounds

“Some issues, namely with the GitHub integration have been reported for several years. Markdown support is spotty at best. We ended up developing a custom transformation to another format that Smartling handles better.”

Verified User in Computer Software
Enterprise (> 1000 emp.)
G2 review

Faster time-to-value

Scale localization without slowing teams down

Smartling offers highly customizable enterprise workflows, but teams often describe the platform as harder to manage day to day.

Lokalise gives product, engineering, design, and localization teams a faster way to collaborate, automate workflows, and move from translation to release without extra operational layers.

What you get with Lokalise:

Built-in workflows that are simpler to manage. Configure localization workflows faster and with ease.

Faster onboarding across teams. Product managers, developers, designers, translators, and reviewers can work in the same platform without extensive training.

Fewer operational dependencies. Run localization workflows without relying on service-heavy onboarding or complex implementation structures.

Continuous localization workflows. Ship faster with Git integrations, OTA updates, CLI workflows, SDKs, and automated release pipelines.

Try Lokalise for free

Lokalise gives you enterprise features, without enterprise friction

"Since switching to Lokalise, my entire process has become faster and far more organized. I rely heavily on the project dashboard, the key-based structure, and the search and filter tools."

Verified User in Computer Software
Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)
G2 review

Migration without disruption

Switch from Smartling without rebuilding your localization setup

Users have experienced vendor lock-in challenges with Smartling, especially for exporting translation memory.

Lokalise helps teams migrate from Smartling while preserving existing translation assets, workflows, and localization processes.

Where Lokalise stands out:

Migration support from technical specialists. Get help importing projects, translation memory, glossaries, and localized content into Lokalise.

Keep existing localization assets centralized. Bring translations, terminology, and workflows into one system as teams scale.

Faster onboarding for teams. Reduce setup time with onboarding guidance and technical support.

Chat with us

Users report vendor lock-in 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)

Compare Lokalise and Smartling yourself

See why over 3000 companies choose us over Smartling.

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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 May 25, 2026, and may be subject to change. To report corrections, please contact Lokalise at hello@lokalise.com.

FAQs

What is the main difference between Lokalise and Smartling?

The biggest difference between Lokalise and Smartling is operational complexity. Lokalise focuses on faster onboarding, simpler workflows, transparent pricing, and continuous localization. Smartling focuses more heavily on enterprise customization and localization operations.

Does Lokalise support enterprise localization workflows?

Yes. Lokalise supports enterprise localization with APIs, SDKs, Git integrations, OTA updates, automation, AI orchestration, role-based permissions, and customizable workflows, without requiring complex implementation overhead.

Does Lokalise offer AI translation?

Yes. Lokalise includes AI orchestration, context-aware AI translations, AI quality scoring, and Custom AI Profiles powered by retrieval-augmented generation (RAG). Up to 95% of AI-generated translations in Lokalise are ready to publish without edits.

How does Lokalise AI differ from Smartling AI Hub?

Lokalise focuses on operationalizing AI directly inside localization workflows using context from translation memory, glossaries, and style guides. Smartling AI Hub provides configurable enterprise AI infrastructure and workflow orchestration.

Does Lokalise support continuous localization?

Yes. Lokalise supports continuous localization workflows with Git integrations, CLI workflows, SDKs, OTA updates, webhooks, and automated CI/CD delivery pipelines.

Can you migrate from Smartling to Lokalise?

Yes. Lokalise provides migration support for translation memory, glossaries, localized content, and workflows to help teams move from Smartling without disrupting localization operations.

Does Lokalise have transparent pricing?

Yes. Lokalise offers public pricing with plans based on translation activity and processed content usage. Smartling pricing is available through enterprise sales.

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