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Decision snapshot

Fast-read signals for fit, pricing, and trust.

Category
Email & Communication
Best for
ai translation tool
Pricing
Paid
Access
Free trial available

What is this tool?

The distinguishing decision here is not translation quality, it is where you put the human. Smartcat lets you set, per content type, whether output ships straight from the engine or goes through review first — so help-centre articles and contract text can follow different rules inside one system. Two constraints matter before you shortlist it. Everything is billed annually, there is no monthly plan and no free tier, and the entry plan is $1,200 a year. And the reviewer marketplace, which is a large part of the argument, starts on the $24,000 plan, not the entry one.

By QT Desk
Read full overview

The platform routes content through several AI engines rather than one, then applies the buyer's own glossary and translation memory over the result, and then applies a rule the buyer sets per content type about whether a person reviews it before it ships.

That rule is the product. It means a single system can carry a help centre that ships automatically and a set of contract templates that never ship without review, without running them as two separate processes or two separate tools. Review itself happens inside the same editor, so there is no export, no file round-trip and no version drift between the machine output and the human correction.

The vendor names the moving parts as distinct roles — one that produces the translation, one that checks it, and one that re-runs content after the source has changed. That last component is what keeps a living site translated: it detects changed source content and re-runs it, so translations are refreshed without restarting the workflow.

Content reaches the platform either through connectors or as files. Connectors cover WordPress, Drupal, Webflow and Wix for sites, Contentful and Zendesk for marketing and support content, GitHub and Jira for software strings, WooCommerce and Ghost for commerce, and Google Docs, Sheets and Figma for working documents. Anything without a connector goes in as one of more than 80 file formats, a list that runs from DOCX and PDF to SRT subtitles, SCORM course packages and XLIFF.

Commercially the platform is bought on volume, not on headcount. All four plans include unlimited users; what changes with price is the included Smartword allowance — 100K, 1M, 2M and 6M a year — and the number of separate workspaces. Adapt is $1,200 a year, Accelerate $24,000, Anticipate $60,000, and Autonomous is quoted. Everything is billed annually with no free tier beneath it, though a 15-day trial is offered and it includes API access.

The reviewer marketplace — the network of linguists the platform advertises at over 500,000 — is a capability listed from Accelerate upward, not on the entry plan, which means it begins at $24,000 a year. On Adapt you get the review workflow, but the reviewers have to be your own people.

Is this right for you?

Quick fit check against how you actually work.

ai translation tool
Choose this if
  • You want one place to decide, per content type, whether a human reviews translation before it ships
  • Your content lives in a CMS like WordPress or Contentful and you want it translated in place rather than exported
  • Consistent terminology across jobs matters enough to justify maintaining a glossary and translation memory
  • You need breadth — 280+ languages and formats like SCORM, XLIFF and SRT alongside ordinary documents
  • Seat count is unpredictable, since every plan includes unlimited users and price scales on translated volume instead
Consider alternatives if
  • You need a monthly commitment or a free tier to start — every plan is billed annually and the entry point is $1,200 a year
  • You want access to the reviewer marketplace but cannot justify the $24,000 Accelerate plan, where it begins
  • Your volume is small and occasional, because you would be buying 100K Smartwords a year whether or not you use them
  • Your client contracts restrict uploading their material and translation memories to a third-party platform

Key features

What you can actually do with this tool.

Per-content-type review rules

You decide which content a human sees before it ships and which goes straight out. That single setting is what lets one platform serve both throwaway and high-stakes copy without running two processes.

Your glossary and translation memory on top of the engines

Output is not raw machine translation: the buyer's terminology and prior approved translations are applied over whichever engine ran, so product names and legal phrasing stay consistent across jobs.

Reviewers inside the same editor

Human review happens in the platform rather than in a round-trip of files. Reviewers can be your own team or, from the Accelerate plan upward, linguists from Smartcat's marketplace.

Content that re-translates when it changes

A separate component watches for changed source content and re-runs it, which is the difference between translating a website once and keeping it translated.

Connectors into the systems content already lives in

Connectors cover website builders, marketing and support platforms, code repositories and issue trackers, and commerce storefronts — so translation happens in place. Anything without one goes in as a file, across 80+ formats including SRT, SCORM and XLIFF.

Integrations

Tools and platforms this connects with.

WordPressDrupalWebflowWixContentfulZendeskJiraGitHubSalsifyAkeneoWooCommerceGhostGoogle DocsGoogle SheetsFigma

Plans & pricing

Pricing tiers and what's included in each.

Adapt

$1,200/ year/ year
  • Billed annually
  • Unlimited users
  • All content types
  • 100K Smartwords included

Accelerate

$24,000/ year/ year
  • Billed annually
  • Unlimited users
  • 1M Smartwords included
  • Marketplace access (500K+ experts)

Anticipate

$60,000/ year/ year
  • Billed annually
  • Unlimited users
  • 2M Smartwords included
  • 2 workspaces included

Autonomous

Custom — tailored to your needs
  • Unlimited users
  • 6M Smartwords included
  • 7 workspaces included
Official pricing pagePricing may have changed. Always verify before purchasing.

Frequently asked

Common questions about this tool, answered.

Is there a free plan?

No. There is a 15-day free trial, and the vendor states it includes API access, but every plan is a paid annual commitment starting at $1,200 a year.

What is a Smartword, and why does the price scale on it?

Smartwords are the volume unit the plans are metered in — 100K a year on Adapt, rising to 1M, 2M and 6M on the higher plans. Because every plan includes unlimited users, translated volume rather than team size is what you are actually buying.

Do I have to use human reviewers?

No, and that is the point of the design. You set per content type whether output goes through a reviewer or ships straight from the engine, so different kinds of content can follow different rules in the same system.

Can I use Smartcat's own linguists rather than my team?

Yes, but not on the entry plan. Marketplace access to the reviewer network is listed from the Accelerate plan, at $24,000 a year, upward.

Will it translate content already inside my CMS?

For the documented connectors, yes — WordPress, Drupal, Webflow, Wix, Contentful, Zendesk, WooCommerce and Ghost among them, plus Jira and GitHub for software strings. Everything else goes in as files, across more than 80 supported formats.