Smartling vs Lokalise

Smartling and Lokalise are two of the most popular tools in the translation category, but they take different approaches to solving the same problems. Smartling, developed by Smartling (founded 2009), is described as "enterprise translation management platform with ai-powered translation memory and workflow automation.". Meanwhile, Lokalise by Lokalise (founded 2016) "modern translation management system with ai-powered features for software and content localization.". Both tools share the same rating of 4.3/5.0, making this a genuinely close comparison. Your choice comes down to specific needs rather than overall quality. Both tools are priced around Custom pricing, so cost isn't a differentiator here — the decision comes down to capabilities rather than budget. Neither tool is perfect: Smartling's main drawbacks include expensive, complex setup, while Lokalise users typically cite expensive as its biggest limitation. However, Smartling has an edge in enterprise localization, which might be the tiebreaker if that's important to you. In terms of target audience, Smartling is particularly popular among enterprises and localization teams, while Lokalise tends to attract development teams and localization managers. Our verdict: With identical ratings, you can't go wrong with either. Try both free versions and pick the one that clicks with your workflow.