Three-person agency. One translator on Windows, another firmly on Mac, and you’re managing projects from a browser while traveling. Five different file formats from different clients. Two active projects running simultaneously with different people translating the same document - and terminology is already diverging by page two.
If this sounds familiar, you’re at the point where Google Sheets for tracking statuses and a shared Dropbox folder no longer cut it. You need a tool. But which of the three: memoQ, Smartcat, or Wordfast?
Trados isn’t in this comparison by design - it’s built for agencies with IT support and costs €420+ per person per year. The three tools below cover the majority of small agency needs at significantly lower cost.
What a Small Agency Actually Needs from a CAT Tool¶
A freelancer and a small agency have fundamentally different priorities. Freelancers think about editor ergonomics and TM quality for their own language pairs. Agencies think about flows between people.
Here are the criteria that matter specifically for agencies:
Team licensing. What does it cost for a PM plus 3-5 translators? There’s a real difference between “pay per license per person” and “pay a flat rate regardless of headcount.”
PM workflow. Can you see all projects, who’s translating what, deadlines, and statuses in one place? Task assignment, auto-notifications - that’s 2-3 hours of PM time saved per week.
Shared TM and glossary. If Elena translated “invoice” one way and Peter translated it another, and both versions live in the TM - that’s a problem. An agency needs a single terminology source of truth.
Onboarding new people. A translator joins for one project. How long does it take to get them set up in the tool? If it’s more than 30 minutes, that’s a bottleneck for temporary engagements.
File format compatibility. If your clients only send .docx and .pptx, any tool works. If you have technical documentation (.xml, .idml, .json) or medical PDFs with OCR, requirements go up.
Pricing at scale. What happens when your team grows from 5 to 10 people? Does the cost double?
memoQ TMS - Strongest PM Tool, but $242/Month¶
memoQ is the second most popular CAT tool globally, and in Central and Eastern Europe often beats Trados for agency market share. There’s a critical distinction many people miss: memoQ Translator Pro (for freelancers) and memoQ TMS (for agencies) are two different products.
memoQ Translator Pro ($30/month billed annually) is a desktop app for Windows with TM, glossary, and editor. Great for individual translators. Doesn’t work for agencies out of the box - no PM license, no shared server TM.
memoQ TMS (Translation Management System) is a cloud solution on Azure built specifically for agencies. The Starter plan is $242/month, including 1 PM license and 5 linguist licenses. Linguists work through a web browser - no separate Translator Pro purchase needed.
What memoQ TMS Does¶
- Full PM module: projects, tasks, deadlines, statuses, automatic notifications
- Agency-level shared Translation Memory - one TM base for the entire team
- LiveDocs - translators see client reference materials directly in the editor
- Linguist Web Editor - translators work in the browser, nothing to install
- QA pack with reports: tag checks, number consistency, terminology, punctuation
- 60+ file format support: .docx, .pptx, .xlsx, .pdf with OCR, .html, .xml, .json, .xliff, InDesign IDML, FrameMaker, and more
- MT integrations: DeepL, Google Translate, Azure Translator, ChatGPT API
- API for connecting to CMS or client systems
memoQ TMS Pricing 2026¶
| Plan | Price | PM Licenses | Linguist Licenses | Hosting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TMS Starter | $242/month | 1 | 5 included | Azure Multitenant |
| TMS Essential | Custom | Up to 5 | 10 per PM | Azure Multitenant |
| TMS Essential Plus | Custom | 6-10 | 10 per PM | Azure Multitenant |
| TMS Professional | Custom | Flexible | Flexible | Azure Private or On-Premises |
| TMS Custom | Custom | Flexible | Flexible | Custom |
A 14-day free trial with full feature access is available.
A project manager from a small agency describes the reality in a G2 review:
“memoQ TMS has the best PM workflow I’ve seen at this price point. Project templates with auto-assignment rules save us maybe 3 hours per project. But $242/month is a real commitment when you’re still growing - you feel it when a quiet month hits.”
Typical Agency Workflow in memoQ TMS¶
How a real project looks: 1. PM receives files from client, creates a project in TMS using a saved template 2. System automatically runs pre-translation from TM (matches existing segments) 3. PM assigns files to translators, sets deadlines 4. Translators get notified and open files in the web editor 5. QA check runs automatically after completion 6. PM gets the final file and delivers to the client
This entire workflow is automated in memoQ TMS - no manual file exchange.
memoQ TMS Pros and Cons¶
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Strongest PM workflow of the three | $242/month - high fixed cost |
| Linguist web editor - no extra licenses | Desktop version Windows-only |
| LiveDocs for client reference materials | Steep learning curve for beginners |
| Detailed QA reports for clients | No freelancer marketplace |
| 60+ formats including complex ones (IDML, DXF) | Scaling past Starter = custom pricing negotiations |
| Popular in EU - team often already knows memoQ | Sixth linguist means a new plan conversation |
Smartcat - Cloud-Based with Unlimited Users¶
Smartcat launched as a free alternative and quickly built an audience. In 2025-2026 the model changed: the free plan is limited to 15,000 words/month, real work happens on Basic at $100/month. But even $100 vs $242 at memoQ is a significant gap, especially with the unlimited users model.
Smartcat’s key differentiator: you pay for the platform, not per person. An agency with 10 translators across multiple projects pays the same $100/month as an agency with 3 people.
What Smartcat Does¶
- Fully cloud-based - nothing to install, works in any browser on Windows, Mac, Linux, iPad
- Unlimited users on all paid plans
- Built-in marketplace with 500,000+ freelancers: find a translator for a rare language pair and give them project access in 15 minutes
- AI Translation Hub: access to 8 MT engines simultaneously (DeepL, Google, Azure, OpenAI, and more)
- AI Agents (2026): automate parallel content creation, translation, and localization
- PM module: projects, tasks, deadlines, notifications
- Shared TM and glossary for the team
- 70+ file formats: .docx, .pptx, .xlsx, .pdf with OCR, .html, .xliff, .json, .xml, IDML, and more
- Direct freelancer payments through the marketplace - no manual invoicing
Smartcat Pricing 2026¶
| Plan | Price | Users | Words/Month | Key Features |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Unlimited | 15,000 | TM, glossary, 1 collaborative space |
| Basic | $100/month ($1,200/year) | Unlimited | Unlimited | Full CAT, marketplace, AI MT |
| Enterprise | ~$8,000+/year (custom) | Unlimited | Unlimited | SSO, 24/7 support, advanced security |
Smartcat Basic $1,200/year vs memoQ TMS Starter $2,904/year - that’s $1,704 difference annually.
An agency manager from a Capterra review explains the main advantage:
“The unlimited users model changed everything for us. We can bring in a new translator for a one-off project and they’re set up in 20 minutes. With our previous tool we had to request and pay for an extra license every single time - even for a 3-day project.”
Marketplace: Killer Feature for Agencies Without a Large Freelancer Pool¶
If your agency regularly brings in external translators, Smartcat’s built-in marketplace is hard to overstate. The workflow:
- Project comes in for a language pair your staff translators don’t cover
- You search the marketplace: language, specialization, rating, rate per word
- Send a project invite directly from Smartcat
- Freelancer accepts and starts working in the same interface - no file exchange, no setup
- After completion - payment through the marketplace, no manual PayPal transactions
This is especially valuable early on when your own freelancer network is still small.
Smartcat Pros and Cons¶
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| $100/month - lowest price for unlimited team | PM functionality weaker than memoQ |
| Unlimited users - never count licenses | Free tier 15,000 words/month - not enough for real workloads |
| 500,000+ freelancer marketplace built in | Enterprise $8,000+/year is a sharp jump |
| Zero friction for new translators | Some QA features only on Enterprise |
| Fully cross-platform | Limited TM control on Basic |
| 8 MT engines built in | Data residency only in Smartcat’s cloud |
Wordfast - Cheapest Entry, but Different Architecture¶
Wordfast is a veteran - it launched in 2000 and has been growing ever since. Widely used in the US, France, and among translators on Mac and Linux. For small agencies, the key thing to understand is that Wordfast is a product family, not a single tool.
- Wordfast Pro - desktop tool for Windows, Mac, and Linux. $480 one-time (or $240 for developing markets).
- Wordfast Anywhere - cloud version with a free basic tier or $9.90/month. Supports LSP workgroups.
- Wordfast Server - TM server for team use in enterprise environments. Custom pricing.
- Wordfast Classic - legacy plugin for Microsoft Word.
For a small agency, the most relevant combination is Wordfast Pro for translators + Wordfast Anywhere for PM coordination.
Wordfast Pro: Perpetual License as the Main Differentiator¶
The $480 one-time price is what sets Wordfast apart. Total cost of ownership comparison over 5 years:
- Wordfast Pro: $480 one-time = $96/year
- memoQ Translator Pro: $360/year × 5 = $1,800
- Smartcat Basic: $1,200/year × 5 = $6,000
But there’s a catch that rarely shows up in comparison tables: the Wordfast Pro license is personal. For a team of 5 translators, you need 5 licenses ($480 × 5 = $2,400) - and you still don’t have a shared server TM. Each translator has their own private TM.
For shared team translation memory, two paths: 1. Wordfast Server - separate product with custom pricing, installed on your own server or cloud 2. Workaround - shared TM file (.tmx) in Google Drive or Dropbox with manual sync. Cheaper, but prone to conflicts with simultaneous editing
Wordfast Anywhere for Agencies¶
Wordfast updated Anywhere to include proper LSP workgroup support. The PM module covers projects, language pairs, task assignment, and deadlines. Up to 10 active projects and 25 language pairs per project.
Anywhere is weaker than both memoQ TMS and Smartcat on automation and PM depth. But for a small agency with simple projects and a tight budget, it’s a real option.
Cross-Platform Support: The Advantage Competitors Don’t Fully Match¶
memoQ Desktop is Windows-only. Smartcat is browser-only. Wordfast Pro has a native client for Windows, Mac, and Linux.
If your team includes translators on Mac who want a native desktop experience - not browser workarounds, not virtual machines, not Boot Camp - Wordfast wins by default.
As one translator notes in a ProZ.com comparison:
“Wordfast Pro works perfectly on my Mac without any virtualization gymnastics. And after 4 years of subscription tools, the one-time license feels like a breath of fresh air.”
Wordfast Pricing 2026¶
| Product | Price | Model | Platform |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wordfast Pro | $480 (or $240 for developing markets) | Perpetual license | Win, Mac, Linux |
| Wordfast Anywhere | $9.90/month or free | Subscription / freemium | Browser |
| Wordfast Server | Custom (sales@wordfast.com) | Enterprise | Server + Web |
Wordfast Pros and Cons¶
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| $480 one-time - lowest total cost of ownership for freelancer or micro-agency | Personal license - no native shared TM without Server |
| Native client for Mac and Linux | PM functionality weaker than memoQ and Smartcat |
| Excellent XLIFF/TMX compatibility | UI is dated compared to competitors |
| Free basic Anywhere version | Wordfast Server is custom pricing |
| Right choice if team already knows Wordfast | Less common among EU agencies |
Full Comparison Table¶
| Parameter | memoQ TMS Starter | Smartcat Basic | Wordfast Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agency cost/year | $2,904 ($242/mo) | $1,200 ($100/mo) | $480 one-time |
| Licensing model | 1 PM + 5 linguists | Unlimited users | Personal per user |
| PM workflow | Strong | Moderate | Basic |
| Shared TM | Built-in (cloud) | Built-in (cloud) | Via Server (separate) |
| Freelancer marketplace | No | 500,000+ | No |
| MT integration | DeepL, Google, Azure, ChatGPT | 8 engines built in | DeepL, Google, Azure |
| File formats | 60+ | 70+ | 50+ |
| Platforms | Web TMS + Win desktop | Any browser | Win, Mac, Linux + Anywhere |
| Onboarding | 1-2 days | A few hours | Depends on product |
| Free trial | 14 days | Free (15k words/mo) | Free basic Anywhere |
| Mac support | Web only | Yes (browser) | Yes (native) |
| XLIFF/TMX migration | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Decision Guide: Which Tool for Whom¶
Choose memoQ TMS if:¶
- Your agency processes 20+ projects/month and the PM is genuinely bottlenecked on coordination
- Most of your partners and clients are in EU where memoQ is standard for project exchange
- Your team is 5-10+ people and you need a clear project management structure
- You have technical documentation with complex formats, or need on-premises deployment
- You’re ready to invest a week in setup and team training
Choose Smartcat if:¶
- Agency under 10 people and team composition changes frequently (different freelancers on different projects)
- Simplicity matters: a new translator needs to be up and running in 20 minutes with nothing installed
- Mixed platform team - Windows, Mac, mobile devices
- You need access to a freelancer pool without separate sourcing effort
- Budget is tight and $100/month beats $242
Choose Wordfast if:¶
- Micro-agency of 2-3 people, each managing their own portion without a shared TM
- Mac or Linux is the main platform in your team
- Your translators already know Wordfast and retraining isn’t worth it
- You need maximum XLIFF format compatibility for project exchange with partners
Common Mistakes When Choosing¶
Mistake 1: Buying Translator Pro for an agency. memoQ Translator Pro is an individual translator tool. For agency use you need TMS Starter - it’s a completely different product at a different price.
Mistake 2: Only looking at entry price. Wordfast Pro looks cheap at $480, but for a team of 5 that’s $2,400 with no shared TM. Calculate total cost of ownership including headcount.
Mistake 3: Ignoring client file formats. If 90% of your work is .docx, the difference between 50 and 70 formats doesn’t matter. But if you’re moving into technical translation - check .idml, .xml, .json support upfront.
Mistake 4: Choosing for your current team size. If you’re 2 people now, think about where you’ll be in a year. Switching tools with an existing TM is doable, but it takes time.
How to Migrate Between Tools Without Losing Your TM¶
Already have a translation memory and thinking about switching? Good news: the industry supports open exchange standards that all three tools use.
TMX (Translation Memory eXchange) - the standard for translation memory. Process: Export TM → TMX file → Import into the new tool.
TBX (TermBase eXchange) - the standard for glossaries. Same process.
XLIFF - standard for bilingual files. Lets you open a file started in one tool in another without losing segments.
Migration time for a TM up to 100,000 segments: 1-2 hours. Before fully committing to a switch, run a test: take 5,000 segments and verify that all fields (source, target, metadata) came through cleanly.
If your glossary lives in Excel or Google Sheets - convert it to TBX via a free online converter before importing. Both memoQ and Smartcat can import directly from Excel, but TBX gives a cleaner result.
For a comparison that includes Trados alongside memoQ and Smartcat, see the full CAT tools comparison for freelancers.
FAQ¶
How much is memoQ TMS Starter and what’s included?¶
$242/month ($2,904/year). Includes: 1 PM license, 5 Linguist Web licenses, Azure cloud hosting, shared TM, and PM module. A 14-day free trial is available at memoq.com/pricing.
Is there a free version of Smartcat for agencies?¶
Forever Free plan - 15,000 words/month, unlimited users. For real workloads, Basic at $100/month ($1,200/year) is the practical choice. Enterprise starts at $8,000+/year for agencies needing SSO and 24/7 support.
Does Wordfast Pro support team collaboration?¶
Not natively. Wordfast Pro is a personal license. For shared TM you need Wordfast Server (custom pricing, contact sales@wordfast.com) or Wordfast Anywhere workgroups. For serious team collaboration, memoQ or Smartcat are better fits.
Which CAT tool supports Mac without workarounds?¶
Smartcat (cloud, any browser) and Wordfast Pro (native client for Windows, Mac, and Linux). memoQ Desktop is Windows-only. memoQ TMS cloud version is browser-accessible on any OS.
Can you switch from Wordfast to memoQ or Smartcat without losing your TM?¶
Yes. All three support TMX for TM and TBX for glossaries. Process: Export TMX from Wordfast → Import into memoQ or Smartcat. Takes 1-2 hours for a base of up to 100,000 segments.
What’s Smartcat’s advantage for agencies that use external freelancers?¶
Built-in marketplace with 500,000+ freelancers. You find a translator by language pair and specialization, send a project invite - they start working in Smartcat without needing their own license. Payment happens through the marketplace with no manual invoicing.
What if the agency grows and memoQ TMS Starter gets too tight?¶
memoQ TMS Essential has custom pricing, supports up to 5 PMs and 10 linguists per PM license - contact memoQ directly. In Smartcat, scaling is simpler: unlimited users is already in Basic, so headcount growth doesn’t trigger license conversations. Smartcat Enterprise is only needed if you want SSO, advanced security, or 24/7 support.
Sources¶
- memoQ Pricing 2026 - aiproductivity.ai - current TMS plan pricing
- memoQ TMS Plans - official documentation - Starter, Essential, and Professional details
- Smartcat Pricing - capterra.com - reviews and pricing
- Wordfast LSP Solutions - Wordfast agency solutions
- ProZ.com: memoQ vs Wordfast Pro - translator community comparison
- CAT Tools Comparison - translatorstudio.co.uk - independent 2026 tool comparison