DeepL vs Smartcat
DeepL and Smartcat are both translation & localization tools. DeepL is aimed at small businesses and enterprise, while Smartcat is aimed at enterprise and small businesses. DeepL costs less, from $8.74/mo versus $100/mo for Smartcat. Only DeepL has a free plan.
High-quality machine translation and writing assistant
AI translation platform with a built-in marketplace of linguists
| Pricing | Freemium · $9 | Paid · $100 |
| Starting price | $8.74/mo | $100/mo |
| Free plan | Yes | No |
| Free trial | 30 days | 15 days |
| Built for | Small businesses, Enterprise, Freelancers | Enterprise, Small businesses, Freelancers |
| Platforms | web, macos, windows, ios, android | web |
| Country | DE · 2017 | US · 2016 |
| Rating | — | — |
Choose DeepL if
Professionals and businesses translating between major European languages (including Turkish) who care about quality and privacy.
- Translation quality leads for many language pairs
- Document translation keeps layout
- EU-based data handling
Look elsewhere if: Rare languages or full localization management (use with Lokalise or Crowdin).
Choose Smartcat if
Marketing, product and L&D teams that translate high volumes into many languages and want AI plus vetted human reviewers in one place.
- AI translation and human review hiring live in one workspace
- Unlimited seats make it easy to invite reviewers and stakeholders
- Translation memory matches and repetitions are free
Look elsewhere if: Developer teams focused on app string localization (Lokalise, Crowdin) or buyers wanting a cheap monthly plan for occasional translation (DeepL).
DeepL vs Smartcat pricing
DeepL
- Free€050,000 chars/mo, 1 file/mo up to 5 MB
- Individual€7.49/user/moBilled annually, VAT incl.; 300K chars, 3 files/mo
- Team€24.99/user/moBilled annually; 1M chars/user, 20 files/mo
- Business€49.99/user/moBilled annually; unlimited chars, 100 files/mo
- EnterpriseCustom
Smartcat
- Adapt$1,200/yrUnlimited users, 100K Smartwords, 1 workspace
- Accelerate$24,000/yrUnlimited users, 1M Smartwords, 1 workspace
- Anticipate$60,000/yrUnlimited users, 2M Smartwords, 2 workspaces
- AutonomousCustom6M Smartwords, 7 workspaces
DeepL · Key features
- Text and document translation with formatting preserved
- Glossaries and formality/tone controls
- DeepL Write for grammar and style
- Voice translation for meetings
- API with high accuracy and EU data residency
- Browser extensions and desktop apps
Cons
- Fewer languages than Google
- Free tier limits
- Per-user pricing for teams
Smartcat · Key features
- AI translation into 280+ languages with translation memory reuse
- AI Coworkers for translation, content updates, review and QA
- Marketplace of 500,000+ linguists and 5,000+ agencies
- Single invoice and automatic cost calculation for hired vendors
- Glossaries and terminology control shared across projects
- Connectors for WordPress, Webflow, Contentful, Figma and GitHub
Cons
- No free plan and no monthly billing; plans are annual only
- Large price jump from $1,200 to $24,000 a year
- Smartword metering takes time to understand and forecast
DeepL vs Smartcat: FAQ
Which is cheaper, DeepL or Smartcat?
DeepL starts at $8.74/mo and Smartcat at $100/mo. Both prices are checked on the vendors' own pricing pages.
Do DeepL and Smartcat have a free plan?
DeepL has a free plan. Smartcat has no free plan, a 15-day free trial.