Smartcat, memoQ and Crowdin Pricing in 2026: Plans Compared¶
Smartcat is free for translators, memoQ runs €360 a year, Crowdin starts at $50/month. But if you’re just hunting for the cheapest option without context, you’re asking the wrong question - these platforms solve completely different problems. Here’s what each one costs, what’s included, and which actually makes sense for you.
Three Platforms, Three Different Jobs¶
Before looking at prices, it’s worth understanding what you’re actually buying - Smartcat, memoQ, and Crowdin aren’t direct competitors.
memoQ is a powerful desktop CAT tool for Windows. It’s used by freelance translators and small teams to work with Word, PDF, InDesign, XML, and 60+ other file formats. If you need translation memory, a terminology database, and a solid segment editor - this is your tool.
Smartcat is a cloud platform combining a CAT editor, TMS, and translator marketplace. Free for individual freelancers, paid for organizations managing teams. Through 2024-2025, Smartcat heavily repositioned around AI agents - paid plans are now sold as “AI packages” rather than classic SaaS subscriptions.
Crowdin is a Localization Management Platform (LMP) for product teams and developers. It’s designed for building mobile apps, SaaS products, or websites that need localized strings, JSON, XLIFF, and similar file types. Crowdin isn’t a CAT tool in the traditional sense - it’s a workflow management system for the localization process.
| Smartcat | memoQ | Crowdin | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Cloud TMS + marketplace | Desktop CAT | Cloud LMP |
| Primary audience | Agencies, freelancers | Translators | Product teams |
| OS | Any (browser) | Windows only | Any (browser) |
| Free plan | Yes (for individuals) | No (14-day trial) | Yes (open-source) |
| Job marketplace | Yes | No | No |
| Main file formats | CAT formats, XLIFF | 60+ (Word, PDF, InDesign) | JSON, XLIFF, software strings |
If you’re a freelance translator looking for a CAT tool - focus on memoQ and Smartcat. If you’re a PM or developer who needs to manage product localization - Crowdin or something similar is what you need.
Smartcat: 2026 Pricing¶
For individual translators, Smartcat is completely free. This isn’t a free trial - it’s a permanent business model. Smartcat makes money on marketplace transaction commissions and on paid plans for organizations. Translators don’t pay anything.
What the free plan includes for freelancers: - Full-featured CAT editor in the browser - Translation memory with no volume limits - Terminology database (glossaries) - Unlimited projects - Marketplace access - find projects from agencies and clients - Automated payment processing for completed work - MT integrations (DeepL, Google Translate, built-in AI)
The free Smartcat plan is a complete tool, not a stripped-down demo. Restrictions apply to organizational features (team management, custom workflows, advanced analytics) - not to core translation work.
For a detailed breakdown of how Smartcat compares to Trados and memoQ in practice, check the CAT tools comparison guide.
Paid plans for organizations and agencies:
| Plan | Price | What’s included |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | $1,200/year ($100/month) | 6 AI agents, marketplace, basic analytics, 15-day trial |
| Enterprise | Custom | Unlimited agents, SSO, 24/7 support, compliance, audit log |
Smartcat’s paid plans in 2026 are effectively sold as “AI agent” packages. Instead of “N seats,” you’re buying a number of AI agents - pre-built automation scripts for workflow steps like file collection, pre-translation, and QA checks. For an agency processing high volumes, this can be worthwhile. For a small agency with 2-3 translators, the paid plan is probably overkill.
The enterprise range for custom Smartcat deployments runs from ~$8,000 to ~$120,000/year (average contract ~$64,000). That’s corporate territory, not small business.
As noted on Smartcat’s official pricing page, paid plans include data isolation - data isn’t shared between customers, which matters for agencies handling confidential documents.
Marketplace commission caveat. Smartcat charges a commission on transactions through the platform - typically 10-20% depending on contract terms and volume. If you’re a freelancer getting significant work through Smartcat, factor that commission into your total costs. The platform is “free,” but it’s not “without cost.”
memoQ: 2026 Pricing¶
memoQ is the most popular Trados alternative among desktop CAT tools, with a more approachable interface and better built-in collaboration. There are two separate product lines with different pricing.
memoQ translator pro - for freelancers¶
Single-seat subscription for one translator. Critical detail: Windows only. Mac users need a virtual machine or Boot Camp.
2026 Prices:
| Option | EUR | USD |
|---|---|---|
| Annual subscription | €360/year (€30/month) | $396/year ($33/month) |
| Monthly subscription | €40/month | $44/month |
| Annual savings | ~25% | ~25% |
The annual plan saves €120/year or $140/year compared to monthly billing. You can cancel anytime - access stays active until the end of the billing period.
What’s included in both plans (confirmed on memoQ’s official pricing page):
The subscription includes software updates with the newest productivity features and 24/7 support.
In detail: - 60+ file format support: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, HTML, XML, JSON, InDesign, SDLXLIFF, MQXLIFF, and more - Translation memory and glossaries (no volume limits) - LiveDocs - work with reference documents directly in the editor - Linguistic Quality Assurance (LQA) - tags, numbers, punctuation, terminology - Document preview in final format while you translate - MT integrations: DeepL, Google Translate, ChatGPT - Project statistics and reporting - Automatic re-terming
Free 14-day trial - full functionality, no credit card required.
Perpetual license (one-time purchase, no subscription) - memoQ is phasing this model out. Existing perpetual licenses keep working, but new perpetual licenses are no longer sold. If you’re looking for “pay once, use forever” - that’s no longer an option for new buyers.
memoQ TMS - for teams and agencies¶
A separate product line for managing team projects - PM functions, multi-translator management, shared TMs, and project-level statistics.
| Plan | Price | PM licenses | Linguist seats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | €220/month ($242/month) | 1 | 5 |
| Essential | Contact sales | 1-5 | 10 per PM |
| Professional | Contact sales | 3-10 PM | 10 per PM |
| Custom | Custom | 10+ | Unlimited |
Starter is the only plan with a public price. Cloud deployment on Azure, 10 GB storage.
One practical thing freelancers often don’t realize: if an agency sends you memoQ projects, you don’t necessarily need to pay for translator pro. Agencies often give freelancers temporary licenses or send files as .mqxlz (memoQ-XLIFF format), which can be opened in the free memoQ Reader. But if you want a full editor with your own TM, independent of any agency - you need a paid subscription.
A translator summarized the Trados vs memoQ comparison on the ProZ forums:
“memoQ is the iPhone of CAT tools: everything works intuitively, but you pay for the convenience. Trados is Android: more options, but you have to figure things out. For a beginner, memoQ pays off faster - less time on setup.”
Crowdin: 2026 Pricing¶
Crowdin isn’t a CAT tool for document translators - it’s a localization management platform for software development teams. If you need to translate .json app files, iOS/Android strings, or XLIFF from a CMS - this is for you. If you’re a translator who wants to open a Word file and translate - Crowdin won’t help with that.
With that context, here are Crowdin’s 2026 plans:
| Plan | Price/month | Hosted Words | Key features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Unlimited | Public projects only |
| Pro | $50/month | 50,000 | Private projects, integrations, QA |
| Team | $150/month | 200,000 | Multiple projects, managers |
| Team+ | $450/month | Unlimited | Org-level features, automation |
| Enterprise | Custom | Unlimited | Own hosting, SLA, compliance |
Annual billing = 2 months free (~16% discount). 14-day trial for Team, 30-day for Enterprise, 30-day money-back guarantee.
The key concept to understand before picking a plan - hosted words. It’s not just the word count in your product. Hosted words = source words × number of target languages.
Example: an app with 10,000 words in 5 languages = 50,000 hosted words, which is the Pro plan’s cap. At 10 languages - 100,000 hosted words, you need Team. At 20 languages - 200,000 hosted words, you’re looking at Team+ or Enterprise.
“Crowdin is perfect for a startup with 1-2 products and 5-10 languages. When we grew to 30 languages and 5 products, we moved to Enterprise because Team+ didn’t have enough hosted words.”
That’s a typical pattern in reviews: cost scales non-linearly as you grow.
Crowdin provides free access for open-source and academic organizations through the open-source program - full-featured access with no hosted words limits.
Full Pricing Comparison¶
| Parameter | Smartcat | memoQ | Crowdin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes (individuals, full) | No (14-day trial) | Yes (open-source only) |
| Starting paid price | $1,200/year | €360/year | $50/month ($600/year) |
| Monthly billing option | No | €40/month | Yes (all plans) |
| Platform | Browser (any OS) | Windows (desktop) | Browser (any OS) |
| Freelancer marketplace | Yes | No | Partial |
| Offline work | No | Yes | No |
| Typical file formats | CAT formats, XLIFF | 60+ (Word, PDF, InDesign) | JSON, XLIFF, software strings |
| AI/MT integrations | Built-in AI + DeepL, Google | DeepL, Google, ChatGPT | Machine translation |
| Free trial | 15 days (orgs) | 14 days | 14-30 days |
Which Platform to Choose: Practical Guide¶
You’re a freelance translator looking for a CAT tool:
Start with Smartcat - it’s free. If the browser-based editor works for you and you don’t need offline capability, you’ll never pay anything.
If you need offline work, better TM control, or clients that require memoQ files - go with memoQ translator pro (€360/year, €30/month).
If most of your agency clients require Trados - that’s covered separately in the Trados vs memoQ vs Smartcat breakdown.
You’re running a translation agency:
- Smartcat Basic ($1,200/year) - if you want to source translators from the marketplace and have a unified cloud platform. Translators connect for free.
- memoQ TMS Starter (€220/month = €2,640/year) - if you have a stable team and need full control over TM, project templates, and complex file formats (InDesign, SDL files, XML schemas).
- For an agency with 2-3 translators and modest volume, Smartcat Basic might be overkill. Calculate your actual workload first.
You’re a Product Manager or developer localizing an app:
- Crowdin Free - if the project is open-source.
- Crowdin Pro ($50/month) - 1 product, up to 5-7 languages, basic integrations.
- Crowdin Team ($150/month) - multiple products or 10+ languages.
- Calculate first: source words × number of languages = hosted words. Check that against the plan limit before committing.
You’re a tech lead who wants open-source or self-hosted:
- Crowdin is free for open-source projects.
- Weblate is a self-hosted alternative ($0 on your own server, $19/month cloud). Good option if Crowdin’s hosted words pricing doesn’t scale for you.
What Actually Drives Total Cost¶
memoQ - pricing is fixed and transparent. The only real surprise is if you were planning on a perpetual license (no longer available for new buyers) or if you outgrow translator pro and need TMS Starter - that jumps to €220/month, not €30.
Smartcat - for freelancers the cost is $0, but Smartcat takes a marketplace commission (typically 10-20%). If you’re sourcing significant work through Smartcat, factor that into total costs. For organizations, Basic starts at $1,200/year, Enterprise is negotiated.
Crowdin - the hidden risk is the hosted words limit. Product grows, languages multiply - suddenly you’re bumping into the next pricing tier. Calculate in advance: words in your product × number of languages. Compare against the plan limit.
One thing that rarely comes up when comparing memoQ and Smartcat: memoQ supports offline work (you’re on a laptop with no internet), while Smartcat requires a browser. If you regularly translate while traveling or in spotty internet conditions, that’s a real differentiator.
FAQ¶
Can organizations use Smartcat for free?¶
No. There’s no permanent free plan for organizations and agencies - only a 15-day trial. The free plan is only for individual translators. If an agency wants to manage a team through Smartcat, the minimum is Basic ($1,200/year).
How much is memoQ for a two-person translation team?¶
If both are individual freelancers, each buys their own translator pro license (€360/year each = €720/year combined). For an agency with two translators that needs shared TM and project management, the closest option is memoQ TMS Starter (€220/month = €2,640/year) - a completely different price tier with significantly more functionality.
Can you use memoQ indefinitely without a subscription?¶
Existing perpetual licenses keep working after the SMA (Support & Maintenance Agreement) expires, but you won’t get updates. memoQ no longer sells new perpetual licenses - subscriptions only. Technically, software with an old perpetual license and no SMA will still open files, but new file format versions and new features will be unavailable.
How does Crowdin compare to Phrase or Lokalise?¶
All three are Localization Management Platforms (LMPs). Crowdin has the lowest entry price ($50/month Pro). Lokalise (~$120/month) is stronger on UI/UX and developer experience. Phrase (~$67/month) is more developer-focused with a powerful API. Choice depends on your specific integrations and team preferences, not just price.
Can Crowdin replace memoQ for translators?¶
No - they solve different problems. memoQ is for document translation (Word, PDF, InDesign) with a full CAT editor. Crowdin is for software localization (JSON, XLIFF, strings). A translator who wants to open a document and translate it will find Crowdin awkward and ill-suited for the task.
What discounts does memoQ offer?¶
memoQ offers discounts for members of ATA (American Translators Association), ITI (Institute of Translation and Interpreting), and several other translator associations. Discount amounts - check with support or on the association member pages. Student and educational institution pricing is also available.
Smartcat or Crowdin for a startup localizing an app?¶
Crowdin if you need a full LMP with CI/CD integration (GitHub, GitLab), string management, and an organized localization workflow. Smartcat if you want to outsource translation to freelancers via marketplace, but without built-in repository integration. For most startups with technical localization needs, Crowdin is the better fit.
Sources¶
- memoQ Pricing - Individual use - official translator pro pricing
- memoQ Pricing - TMS plans - team and agency pricing
- memoQ translator pro FAQ - official subscription Q&A
- Smartcat Pricing - official pricing page
- Crowdin Pricing - official plans and limits
- Crowdin open-source program - free access for open-source projects
- Capterra - Smartcat vs Crowdin 2026 - independent comparison and user reviews