Papago vs Smartling
Which one should you choose? Here's how they compare.
| Feature | Papago | Smartling |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | ★ 4.1 | ★ 4.3 |
| Pricing | Free | Custom pricing |
| Type | free | paid |
| Company | Naver | Smartling |
| Founded | 2016 | 2009 |
Papago Features
- •Asian languages
- •Image translation
- •Offline mode
- •Conversation
Smartling Features
- •Translation management
- •AI translation
- •Workflow automation
- •Integrations
Papago Pros
- ✓Best for Asian languages
- ✓Free
- ✓Good offline
Papago Cons
- ✗Limited for European
- ✗Less accurate general
- ✗Smaller scale
Smartling Pros
- ✓Enterprise-grade
- ✓Great workflow tools
- ✓Wide integrations
Smartling Cons
- ✗Expensive
- ✗Complex setup
- ✗Not for individuals
The Verdict
Papago and Smartling are two of the most popular tools in the translation category, but they take different approaches to solving the same problems. Papago, developed by Naver (founded 2016), is described as "ai translator by naver, strong in asian languages.". Meanwhile, Smartling by Smartling (founded 2009) "enterprise translation management platform with ai-powered translation memory and workflow automation.". In terms of overall user satisfaction, Smartling edges ahead with a rating of 4.3/5.0, compared to Papago's 4.1/5.0 — a difference of 0.2 points. Smartling's strongest advantages include enterprise-grade, great workflow tools, while Papago is praised for best for asian languages. On the pricing front, Papago offers a free model at Free, making it the more budget-friendly option for teams watching their spend. Neither tool is perfect: Papago's main drawbacks include limited for european, less accurate general, while Smartling users typically cite expensive as its biggest limitation. However, Papago has an edge in asian language translation, which might be the tiebreaker if that's important to you. In terms of target audience, Papago is particularly popular among asian language learners and travelers, while Smartling tends to attract enterprises and localization teams. Our verdict: Smartling holds a slight edge, but the gap is narrow enough that both tools are worth trying. Start with the free tier of each and see which fits your workflow better.
- • You need best for asian languages
- • You need free
- • You need enterprise-grade
- • You need great workflow tools