Phrase vs Smartcat
Phrase and Smartcat are both translation & localization tools. Phrase is aimed at enterprise, while Smartcat is aimed at enterprise and small businesses. Phrase costs less, from $27/mo versus $100/mo for Smartcat.
Enterprise localization and TMS
AI translation platform with a built-in marketplace of linguists
| Pricing | Paid · $27 | Paid · $100 |
| Starting price | $27/mo | $100/mo |
| Free plan | No | No |
| Free trial | 14 days | 15 days |
| Built for | Enterprise | Enterprise, Small businesses, Freelancers |
| Platforms | web | web |
| Country | DE · 2012 | US · 2016 |
| Rating | — | — |
Choose Phrase if
Enterprises.
- Enterprise-grade
- Full localization suite
- AI features
Look elsewhere if: Small teams (Tolgee, Localazy).
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).
Phrase vs Smartcat pricing
Phrase
- Freelancer$27/moBilled annually; 1 TMS seat, 1M MTUs/yr
- Software UI/UX$525/moBilled annually; 15 Strings seats, 1M managed words
- Team$1,245/moBilled annually; unlimited TMS seats, 20 Strings seats
- Professional (LSP)$525/moBilled annually; unlimited TMS seats, 15 Strings seats
- BusinessCustomUnlimited TMS seats, 150 Strings seats
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
Phrase · Key features
- Software string localization
- TMS for documents
- AI and MT
- Workflows
- Vendor management
- Integrations
Cons
- Expensive
- Complex
- Overkill for small
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
Phrase vs Smartcat: FAQ
Which is cheaper, Phrase or Smartcat?
Phrase starts at $27/mo and Smartcat at $100/mo. Both prices are checked on the vendors' own pricing pages.
Do Phrase and Smartcat have a free plan?
Phrase has no free plan, a 14-day free trial. Smartcat has no free plan, a 15-day free trial.
Which is better for small businesses, Phrase or Smartcat?
Smartcat lists small businesses as a core audience, while Phrase is aimed more at enterprise.