Translation & Localization
Lokalise
Rest of world Report an errorPanel rating · 6 judges · How to read the stars
Category median
Sovereignty: 1 of 6 dimensions proven
0–5 in half steps. 5 means the rubric's top anchor is met on the evidence.
by Lokalise, Inc. · lokalise.com
Compare with Phrase Localization Platform → Report an error on this page Is this your product? →
Link to this page
Add ?theme=dark to the image address for dark backgrounds.
The badge shows the category and the month of the latest evaluation, and EU-Made where
that is the product’s provenance. It never shows a score.
Lokalise at a glance
- Vendor
- Lokalise, Inc.
- Headquarters
- Incorporated in United States source, captured 1 Nov 2026
- Data hosting
- Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 1 Nov 2026
- Free plan
- Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 1 Nov 2026
- Panel verdict
- The AI panel rates Lokalise 3/5, the mean of 6 judges. Lokalise, a localization platform, scores highest on the translation pipeline: machine translation, workflow and review, and integrations and formats cluster at 7-8 — 95 API endpoints, Git sync with branching on GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket and Azure Repos, and fourteen QA checks whose Error level blocks saving. how scores are made
- As of
- Vendor pages captured 1 Nov 2026; evaluated by the panel 2 Nov 2026. all sources
Read this page as one judge. Each weighs the same scores by what they care about.
The panel's verdict
Lokalise, a localization platform, scores highest on the translation pipeline: machine translation, workflow and review, and integrations and formats cluster at 7-8 — 95 API endpoints, Git sync with branching on GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket and Azure Repos, and fourteen QA checks whose Error level blocks saving. Portability and exit scores weakest at 4-5: translation memory exports only as TMX from the Pro plan upward, uploads are capped at 100MB, the documentation states there are no API endpoints for managing memories, and the terms say only that Lokalise may delete User Content. Pricing transparency is a flat 5 — Explorer, Growth and Advanced at $149/mo, $379/mo and $1049/mo with annual billing are published, but Pro AI bundles from 40k/yr carry no prices and Enterprise is contact sales. Sovereignty spans 4 to 6: the security pages state EU-based AWS processing while the privacy policy allows personal data to be processed in any country of operations, including the United States, and the contract sits with Lokalise, Inc., a Delaware corporation under exclusive Delaware jurisdiction, with US providers in the AI chain.
Speaks for it
- Pro AI routes each string across the GPT, Claude and Gemini model families and scores every segment from 0 to 100 against MQM criteria, sending high-confidence strings to publish and the rest to human review.
- The developer surface spans 95 API endpoints, 33 webhooks, ten SDKs, an open-source CLI, over-the-air SDKs for iOS, Android and Flutter, and Git sync with branching on GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket and Azure Repos.
- Fourteen QA checks run at project level with an Error level that blocks saving in the editor, alongside a translation memory shared across team projects.
- Agreements with OpenAI and Anthropic bar provider training on customer content, personal identifiers are masked before model calls, and prompts are never pooled across customers.
- SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001 and ISO 27017 are stated, with a pre-signed DPA for counter-signing and a published AI subprocessor list covering services, regions, retention and training flags.
Held against it
- Translation memory exports only as TMX from the Pro plan upward, TMX uploads are capped at 100MB, the documentation states there are no API endpoints for managing memories, and the terms say only that Lokalise may delete User Content upon termination.
- Customer content may be used to improve Lokalise's own services unless the customer opts out through the AI Addendum.
- Headline quality figures — a 92% acceptance rate and 33% higher quality than using ChatGPT alone — are published without a stated measurement method.
- Metered costs are partly unpriced: Pro AI bundles appear only as volumes such as from 40k/yr, extra seats on Growth and Advanced are listed as on demand, and Enterprise is contact sales.
- The contracting party is Lokalise, Inc., a Delaware corporation under Delaware law with exclusive jurisdiction in Delaware courts and an aggregate liability cap of 50 US dollars.
Best for
- You ship web or mobile apps and want localization wired into your repositories, with over-the-air updates that reach users without an app-store release.
- Your localization team runs many projects and languages and needs a shared translation memory, glossary and QA gates in one workflow.
- You translate product, support and CMS content together and rely on connectors like Contentful, Zendesk and Figma plus a documented API.
- You want AI-assisted translation with human review kept in the loop — high-confidence strings publish automatically, flagged strings go to reviewers.
Avoid if
- Your procurement requires an EU contracting entity or EU jurisdiction — the terms bind you to Lokalise, Inc., a Delaware corporation, under Delaware law with exclusive jurisdiction in Delaware courts.
- You need a firm, contractual commitment to data return or deletion at exit — the terms state only that Lokalise may delete User Content when access expires or terminates.
- You cannot operate with vendor use of customer content to improve its services as the default, even with the AI Addendum opt-out.
- You depend on custom trained translation engines or model fine-tuning on your own content — the documentation states both are not supported.
The scores
| Criterion | Panel median |
|---|---|
| Machine translation & AI quality | 3.5 of 5 |
| Translation memory, terminology & review workflow | 4 of 5 |
| Integrations, file formats & developer tools | 4 of 5 |
| Confidentiality of translated content | 3.5 of 5 |
| Data export, portability & self-hosting | 2.5 of 5 |
| European sovereignty | 3 of 5 |
| Pricing transparency | 2.5 of 5 |
Machine translation & AI quality
Show reasoningHide reasoning
How this is scored
What the machine translation does and how well it is controlled: the languages and language pairs covered, the engine (own neural or LLM model, or a choice of third-party engines such as DeepL, Google, Microsoft or an LLM), glossaries and formality applied during translation, document translation that keeps the layout (Word, PowerPoint, PDF, InDesign), custom or adaptive models trained on the customer's own translations, automatic quality estimation or scoring, and published evaluations of translation quality.
0 — No machine translation of any kind, and no way to connect an engine.
3 — Machine translation is offered or one engine can be connected; languages, glossary use and quality controls are basic or not described.
5 — Machine translation for the major European and world languages with the list published, glossaries applied during translation, a formality or tone setting, document translation that keeps formatting for common office formats, and either an own engine or a choice of several named engines.
8 — Custom or adaptive models that learn from the customer's translation memory or corrections, automatic quality estimation per segment with a threshold that routes weak segments to human review, LLM-based translation with style guides and context, engine selection per language pair stated, and a published quality evaluation with its method.
10 — Translation quality that an organisation can measure and steer: evaluations against named benchmarks or blind human review published with their method, quality estimation calibrated and explained, custom models with their training data and isolation documented, and every machine-translated segment traceable to the engine, model version and glossary that produced it.
The Localization Manager
Pro AI routes each string across the GPT, Claude and Gemini model families by content and language pair, feeds it glossary, style-guide and key-description context, and scores every segment 0-100 against MQM criteria, routing high-confidence strings to publish and flagging the rest for review. Custom AI profiles ground output in our own past translations via retrieval, while the docs state model fine-tuning is not supported and that the plain Google Translate and DeepL engines use neither glossary nor memory. Headline figures such as a 92 percent acceptance rate are published without the measurement method behind them. 2 12 13 18
The App Developer
The Pro AI pipeline is close to what I'd want in production: context from translation memory, glossaries, style guides and screenshots injected per string, real-time scoring against MQM criteria that routes confident output to publish, and smart routing across GPT, Claude and Gemini, with custom RAG profiles grounded in my own past translations on the top two plans. Classic MT is only Google Translate and DeepL, the documentation states fine-tuning and custom trained engines are not possible, and the headline quality claims (92% acceptance, 33% over ChatGPT alone) are published without their method. 2 12 13 18
The In-House Document Translator
There is real depth here: Pro AI with LLM routing across the GPT, Claude and Gemini families chosen per content and language pair, per-segment quality scores from 0 to 100 evaluated against MQM criteria that route flagged strings to human review, custom RAG profiles grounded in our own past translations and glossary, 300+ languages, plus DeepL and Google as named engines. Two things hold it back for me: the plain machine translation engines ignore glossary and translation memory — only the AI option honours our terms — fine-tuning on our content is expressly not supported, and the published quality figures such as a 92% acceptance rate come without a stated method. 2 3 12 13 18
The Data Protection Officer
The engines are named — Google Translate and DeepL — and Pro AI routes dynamically across the GPT, Claude and Gemini families with glossaries, style guides, screenshots and translation memory as context. Scoring against MQM criteria runs on every translation in real time and routes high-confidence strings to publish while flagging the rest for human review, and custom profiles adapt via retrieval over the customer's own translations rather than fine-tuning, which the documentation says is not supported. The published quality figures (a 92% acceptance rate versus roughly 60% with a single LLM) come without a stated evaluation method, which is what holds this below the top levels for me. 2 3 12 13
The E-Commerce Marketer
The AI translation offering covers what a shop like mine needs: LLM translation with smart routing across GPT, Claude and Gemini chosen per content and language pair, context pulled from glossaries, style guides and screenshots, RAG-based custom profiles grounded in my own past translations, and MQM-style scoring that routes high-confidence strings to publish and flags the rest for review. Google and DeepL machine translation plus 300+ languages are far beyond the French, Italian, Dutch and Spanish I need by spring. It sits just under the top level because published quality figures such as a 92% acceptance rate come without a described method, and I found no public information on per-segment traceability to the engine, model version and glossary that produced it. 2 3 12 13 18
The Skeptic
Pro AI picks from GPT, Claude and Gemini families per content and language pair, feeds glossaries, style guides and a RAG profile grounded in the customer's own translations, and MQM-style scoring routes weak output to human review; the plain engines are Google Translate and DeepL across 300+ languages, with paged Microsoft, HTML and Adobe documents supported. But the 92% acceptance and +33% quality claims are published without their method, custom trained engines are documented as not possible, model fine-tuning is unsupported, and the classic MT engines use neither glossary nor translation memory. 2 3 6 12 13 18
Translation memory, terminology & review workflow
Show reasoningHide reasoning
How this is scored
How translation is managed as an ongoing process: translation memory with fuzzy matches, a termbase or glossary managed centrally, style guides, review and approval stages, automated QA checks (placeholders, tags, length, terminology, punctuation), an in-context or visual editor, screenshots and context for translators, tasks and deadlines, roles per language, and ordering or inviting human translators and agencies inside the product.
0 — No management of translations at all; text goes in and comes out with nothing stored or reviewed.
3 — Translations can be edited or a glossary kept; translation memory, review stages and QA checks are basic or not described.
5 — A translation memory reused across projects, a central glossary, at least one review or approval stage, automated QA checks for placeholders and terminology, comments and screenshots for context, and roles that limit translators to their languages.
8 — Configurable multi-step workflows with automation rules, an in-context or visual editor for apps or websites, QA checks configurable per project with blocking rules, style guides applied by the AI, translation memory and termbase shared across projects with penalties and priorities, vendor or agency management with ordering inside the product, and progress and cost reporting per language.
10 — A translation process an enterprise runs on: workflows per content type with conditional routing on quality scores, linguistic quality assessment with a named framework (MQM or similar), termbase with approval workflow and forbidden terms, full revision history per segment, and productivity and quality metrics per translator and vendor.
The Localization Manager
A team-wide translation memory with automatic 100 percent match application, fuzzy suggestions from a 50 percent match minimum, priorities and TMX round-trip sits beside a shared glossary, style guides, web and mobile in-context editors with screenshots, chained tasks with locks, and fourteen QA checks at project level where the Error level actually blocks saving in the editor. Reporting includes a translation quality dashboard, vendor rate profiles and granular task downloads, with custom workflows on Enterprise. We found no public information on inviting or ordering human translators and agencies inside the product, or on glossary-level approval workflows and forbidden terms. 6 14 15
The App Developer
Translation memory is shared across the team with a 50% match floor, priority settings and TMX upload/download, the glossary and style guide are central, and QA runs 14 configurable checks at project level with an error level that blocks saving in the editor — a genuine review pipeline with chained tasks, custom statuses, automations and role-based access. In-context editors for web and mobile plus screenshots give translators context, and accepting an AI segment in review can feed the memory. We found no public information on ordering human translators or agencies inside the product, and the documentation states memory entries and QA checks do not cover plural keys. 6 14 15 19
The In-House Document Translator
A translation memory shared across all team projects with TMX in and out, priority settings and concordance search, fourteen QA checks configured at project level where the error level blocks saving in the editor, review and verified statuses, chained tasks, task locks, in-context editors, screenshots, style guides the AI actually follows, per-plan automations and a translation quality dashboard with vendor rate profiles. The MQM-based scoring touches the top level, but we found no public information on ordering human translators or agencies inside the product, or on forbidden terms in the glossary. 2 6 14 15 20
The Data Protection Officer
Translation memory is shared across team projects with a minimum match percentage for inline suggestions and 100% matches applied automatically, next to a shared glossary, style guides, review and verified statuses, chained tasks with key locks, and in-context editors for web and mobile. Fourteen QA checks are configured at project level with three escalation levels, and the error level blocks saving in the editor. I found no public information on a termbase approval workflow or per-translator productivity metrics, and the documentation itself states that classic machine translation engines use neither glossary terms nor memory entries. 2 6 12 14 15
The E-Commerce Marketer
Everything I need to fix a bad product name by hand and keep translations consistent is documented: a translation memory shared across projects with priority settings, a shared glossary the AI respects, review tasks with custom statuses and locks, in-context previews and screenshots, fourteen QA checks with error levels that block saving, and translation orders with per-word machine translation pricing. Style guides are applied by the AI and tasks carry estimated delivery times. The catch for a shop my size is cost, not capability: translation memory starts on the Growth plan and its upload, download and management from the Advanced plan at $1049/mo with annual billing. 6 12 13 14 15
The Skeptic
A team-wide translation memory with priorities, concordance search and fuzzy suggestions (matches below 50% are not shown), fourteen QA checks that can block saving at error level, in-context editors for web and mobile, chained tasks, automations, Enterprise custom workflows and a quality dashboard with vendor rate profiles make this a process an organisation can actually run. The edges are documented plainly: the memory speaks TMX only and skips plural keys, QA has no dedicated character-limit check and ignores plurals, and we found no public information on termbase approval workflows, forbidden terms, or per-translator productivity metrics. 2 6 12 14 15 20
Integrations, file formats & developer tools
Show reasoningHide reasoning
How this is scored
How content gets in and out: the file formats supported (XLIFF, PO, JSON, YAML, Android XML, iOS strings and xcstrings, Office documents, InDesign), a REST API and CLI, SDKs and over-the-air updates for apps, Git repository sync (GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket) and CI pipelines, connectors for CMS, shop and design tools (WordPress, Contentful, Shopify, Figma), browser and office add-ins, webhooks, and a JavaScript snippet or proxy for website translation.
0 — No documented way to get content in or out except typing or pasting by hand.
3 — File upload and download or a basic API; formats, repository sync and connectors are basic or not described.
5 — A documented REST API, a list of supported file formats covering the common software and document formats, sync with at least one Git host or CI, and connectors or plugins for several named CMS, shop or design tools.
8 — A CLI and SDKs for named platforms, over-the-air updates for mobile or web apps, Git sync with branching, webhooks, connectors for the main CMS, shop, design and support tools, office or browser add-ins, a public status page, and API limits documented.
10 — Integration that scales across an organisation: an API covering every function of the product with versioning and SDKs, an app or connector framework third parties build on, continuous localization in CI with pull requests opened automatically, and every connector documented with its limits and the fields it syncs.
The Localization Manager
95 API endpoints, a CLI, ten SDKs, over-the-air SDKs for iOS, Android and Flutter with a public OTA API, Git sync with branching for GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket and Azure Repos, 33 webhooks, and connectors for CMS, support, design, marketing and project-management tools, plus an MCP server and automated import/export against third-party apps. A supported file formats reference exists in the developer hub. We found no public information on office or browser add-ins, shop connectors, or documented API limits. 3 4 5 16
The App Developer
This is the part I care about most and it delivers: a CLI that manipulates any object in the workspace, GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket and Azure Repos sync with branching on all plans, over-the-air SDKs for iOS, Android and Flutter plus a public OTA API so a typo fix never needs an app store release, 95 API endpoints, 33 webhooks, ten SDKs and an MCP server for Cursor or VS Code. Connectors cover Contentful, Storyblok, WordPress, Figma, Zendesk and more, with exports to Amazon S3, Google Cloud Storage or a CDN. We found no public information on shop connectors, office or browser add-ins, or documented API limits, and the documentation states there are no API endpoints for managing translation memories. 3 4 5 16 17
The In-House Document Translator
A documented REST API with 95 endpoints and OAuth 2, a CLI and ten SDKs, over-the-air updates for iOS, Android and Flutter, Git sync with branching on GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket and Azure Repos, 33 webhooks, and connectors for Contentful, WordPress, Salesforce, Zendesk, Figma, S3 and more, with scheduled import and export; paged Microsoft and Adobe documents are listed under translation management, which is what my Word and InDesign files need. We found no public information on API rate limits or a shop connector on the captured pages. 3 4 5 6 16 17
The Data Protection Officer
The developer surface is broad: a REST API with 95 documented endpoints and an in-page test console, a CLI, ten SDKs, over-the-air updates for iOS, Android and Flutter plus a public OTA API, Git sync with GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket and Azure Repos including branching, 33 webhooks, connectors across CMS, design, support and marketing tools, and even an MCP server. The documentation states there are no API endpoints for managing translation memories, and I found no public information on office or browser add-ins or documented API rate limits. 3 5 14 16 17
The E-Commerce Marketer
The integration layer is deep: 95 API endpoints, 33 webhooks, ten SDKs, a CLI, Git sync with GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket and Azure Repos including branching, over-the-air SDKs for iOS, Android and Flutter, and 60+ connectors covering Contentful, WordPress, Webflow, Zendesk, Figma, Braze and Mailchimp, plus automated scheduled import and export with saved filters. As a Shopify shop I have to note that among the captured pages I found no public information on a Shopify connector — with no developer on staff I would depend on the listed connectors or file uploads. A status page and a Developer Hub are linked, though I found no public information on documented API limits or a browser add-in. 3 4 5 16 20
The Skeptic
95 API endpoints, 33 webhooks, 10 SDKs, an open-source CLI, OAuth 2, over-the-air SDKs for iOS, Android and Flutter with a public OTA API, and Git sync with branching across GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket and Azure Repos on all plans, plus connectors for CMS, design, support, marketing and project tools and an MCP server for AI coding tools. We found no public information on office or browser add-ins, documented API limits, or a shop connector among the named apps, and translation memory notably has no API endpoints at all. 3 4 5 14 16 17 20 21
Confidentiality of translated content
Show reasoningHide reasoning
How this is scored
What happens to the text a customer translates: whether source and target texts are stored and for how long, deletion after translation, whether customer content is used to train the vendor's or a third party's models, which machine translation and LLM providers a TMS sends text to and whether that can be restricted or switched off, encryption in transit and at rest, single sign-on, roles and audit logs, and certifications (ISO 27001, SOC 2) with their scope. Where the text is processed is scored under sovereignty.
0 — Customer texts are stored indefinitely and used for the vendor's own purposes, or no statement on data handling exists at all.
3 — The product is described as secure or GDPR-compliant and a privacy policy exists; retention of translated texts, model training and third-party engines are basic or not described.
5 — A documented statement that customer texts are not used to train models, retention or deletion of translated texts stated, the third-party engines or LLM providers named, encryption in transit and at rest, single sign-on on a business tier, and a data processing agreement offered.
8 — Texts deleted immediately after translation or after a retention period the customer sets, third-party AI processing switchable per project or account, zero-retention terms with the named LLM providers, audit logs, granular roles, ISO 27001 or SOC 2 certification stated with its scope, and a private or dedicated deployment option.
10 — Confidentiality that can be verified: an on-premise or customer-controlled deployment, customer-managed encryption keys, every subprocessor that sees content listed with its role, independent audit reports available, and every data flow of a translation request documented end to end.
The Localization Manager
The AI statement names OpenAI and Anthropic with contract terms barring their use of customer content for training, publishes an AI subprocessor list with services, regions, retention and training flags, and documents identifier masking before model calls, per-tenant prompt isolation, TLS 1.2 in transit, AES-256 at rest, audit logs kept twelve months with CSV export, granular roles, SSO on Enterprise, SOC 2 Type II with named criteria plus ISO 27001 and 27017, and a pre-signed DPA. Against that, customer content may be used to improve Lokalise's own services unless we opt out via the AI Addendum, retention follows statutory periods of six to ten years for some records, and we found no public information on customer-set retention periods, switching third-party AI processing off per project, or a dedicated deployment option. 8 10 11 18 19
The App Developer
Agreements with OpenAI and Anthropic prohibit training on customer content, identifiers are masked where technically feasible before model calls, prompts are never pooled across customers, data is protected with TLS 1.2 in transit and AES-256 at rest, audit logs are kept 12 months with CSV export, and SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001 and ISO 27017 are stated with their scope. But customer content may be used to improve Lokalise's own services unless I opt out through the AI Addendum, retention follows statutory periods of up to ten years rather than a period I set, and we found no public information on switching third-party AI processing off per project or on a dedicated deployment. 8 9 18 19
The In-House Document Translator
Strong on paper: customer content is never shared with third-party LLM providers for their training and the OpenAI and Anthropic agreements prohibit it, personal identifiers are masked before model calls, an AI subprocessor list names services, regions and retention, and there are SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, audit logs, granular roles and a pre-signed DPA. But the default allows Lokalise to use customer content to improve its own services unless we opt out through the AI Addendum, and translated texts sit on statutory retention of six to ten years rather than being deleted after translation — that is not the written promise I need for a draft contract, and we found no public information on a private or dedicated deployment. 8 9 10 18 19
The Data Protection Officer
My core concern: the AI statement says customer content may be used to improve Lokalise's services unless the customer opts out through the AI Addendum, so training on our member letters is default-on rather than forbidden — although third-party LLM providers are barred from training, with the OpenAI and Anthropic agreements cited. Retention of translated texts is not stated as customer-controlled: the privacy policy gives six-to-ten-year statutory and three-year limitation periods for personal data generally, and the terms say user content may be deleted on termination. The rest is genuinely strong — engines and LLM families named, an AI subprocessor list published with services, data processed, retention periods and regions, identifiers masked before model calls, no cross-customer prompt pooling, TLS 1.2 in transit and AES-256 at rest, SSO, audit logs kept twelve months, and SOC 2 Type II plus ISO 27001 and 27017. 8 9 10 13 18 19
The E-Commerce Marketer
Strong on paper: encryption in transit and at rest, masking of personal identifiers before model processing, no pooling of customer content in shared prompts, agreements with OpenAI and Anthropic prohibiting training on my content, audit logs exportable as CSV with twelve-month retention, granular roles, and SOC 2 Type II plus ISO 27001 and ISO 27017 certifications with a published AI subprocessor list covering retention and regions. Two things temper it for me: customer content may be used to improve Lokalise's services unless I opt out via the AI Addendum, and the privacy policy states retention periods of six to ten years for documentation and generally three years for other data, with deletion on termination only stated as something Lokalise may do. I found no public information on a private or dedicated deployment option. 8 9 18 19
The Skeptic
The AI chain is better lit than most: agreements with OpenAI and Anthropic bar training on customer content, personal identifiers are masked before requests, customers are never pooled in one prompt, traffic to AWS Bedrock stays inside AWS, TLS 1.2 and AES-256 via KMS are stated, audit logs are kept twelve months and exportable, SAML SSO and granular roles exist, a pre-signed DPA is downloadable, and SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001 and ISO 27017 are named. But customer content may be used to improve Lokalise's own services unless you opt out through the AI Addendum, retention runs on statutory six-to-ten-year and three-year periods rather than a clock the customer sets, and we found no public information on zero-retention terms with the providers, a per-project off switch for AI processing, or a dedicated deployment option. 8 9 10 11 12 18 19
Data export, portability & self-hosting
Show reasoningHide reasoning
How this is scored
Whether translation assets stay the customer's and can leave with them: export of translation memory and termbase in open formats (TMX, TBX, XLIFF, CSV), export of all projects and files, import from another TMS, an API that can read every asset, the return or deletion of data on termination, open-source code and a self-hosted or on-premise edition.
0 — Translations cannot be exported; they exist only in the vendor's interface or engine.
3 — Translated files can be downloaded; export of translation memory and glossary, import and termination terms are basic or not described.
5 — Translation memory exportable as TMX and glossary as TBX or CSV, all project files downloadable, import of translation memory and glossaries from another tool, and an API that reads translations and keys.
8 — Complete export of every asset (memory, termbase, files, comments, history) in open formats, a documented migration path from named competitors, the data returned or deleted on termination under stated terms, and a self-hosted or on-premise edition with its own documentation.
10 — The customer owns the assets end to end: open-source code under a named licence that runs fully self-hosted with feature parity stated, a complete export another tool can import without loss, and the deletion of every copy on termination documented.
The Localization Manager
Translation memory downloads as TMX from the Pro plan upward and uploads back, project snapshots back everything up, the API reads translations and keys, and automated export pushes content to third-party apps, S3 or GCS. The terms state only that Lokalise may delete user content upon expiration or termination of access. We found no public information on termbase or glossary export in TBX or CSV, export of history and comments, a documented migration path from named competitors, or a self-hosted edition. 3 9 14 20
The App Developer
My assets can leave: TMX download and upload from the Pro plan upward (TMX is the only supported memory format, merged by matching filenames), project snapshots for backup, a REST API that reads translations and keys, and exports straight to S3, Google Cloud Storage or a CDN. The termination clause says Lokalise may delete user content on expiry, which is thin for an exit plan, and we found no public information on glossary export formats, a migration path from named competitors, or a self-hosted edition — the open-source repository we found covers the CLI, not the platform. 3 5 9 14 21
The In-House Document Translator
Translation memory goes in and out as TMX (with a 100 MB cap and TMX the only format), project files export with reviewed and verified filters, automatic snapshots exist, and the API and CLI can read translations and keys. But there are no API endpoints for managing memories, we found no public information on glossary export as TBX or CSV, on a migration path from another tool, or on a self-hosted edition, and on termination Lokalise only states it may delete user content — no firm commitment to return or wipe everything. 3 5 9 14 20
The Data Protection Officer
Translation memory exports as TMX on higher-tier plans with a 100MB limit and TMX-only support, project snapshots and language file exports exist, and the REST API reads translations and keys. I found no public information on glossary export in TBX or CSV, on export of comments and revision history, or on a documented data return at termination beyond a clause that content may be deleted. Only the command-line tool is published as open source; I found no public information on a self-hosted edition of the platform. 3 5 9 14 21
The E-Commerce Marketer
I can get my core assets out: translation memory downloads and uploads as TMX, project snapshots for backup, an API that reads keys and translations, and exports to Amazon S3, Google Cloud Storage or a CDN. But TMX is the only supported memory format, memory management is gated to the higher plans, and I found no public information on glossary export in formats such as TBX or CSV, a migration path from named competitors, or terms for returning or deleting my data on termination beyond a statement that Lokalise may delete user content when access expires. 3 5 9 14
The Skeptic
Translation memory leaves as TMX from the Pro plan upward (100MB upload cap, merge by matching filename, and no API endpoints to manage it), project snapshots can be created and retrieved, and the REST API and CLI read translations and keys. We found no public information on glossary export in TBX or CSV, history and comments in open formats, or a documented migration path from named competitors, and termination is only that Lokalise "may delete User Content upon the expiration or termination of your access." 3 5 9 14 16
European sovereignty
panel opinion
Show reasoningHide reasoning
How this is scored
Who the contracting entity and the parent company are, where texts are translated, stored and processed, and who the subprocessors are (hosting, machine translation engines, LLM providers, CDN for over-the-air delivery, support and payment tools). Independently sourced by the sovereignty pipeline; translated texts often hold personal data and trade secrets, so the whole chain counts, including the engines a TMS calls. A self-hosted edition the customer runs on its own European servers counts as the customer's chain, whatever the vendor's seat.
0 — Non-EU vendor and contracting entity, hosting unstated, subprocessors unnamed, and no data processing agreement offered.
3 — A privacy policy and a data processing agreement exist, but hosting location is unstated or non-EU and the subprocessors are not listed.
5 — EU hosting available and an EU contracting entity or EU representative, but parts of the chain (machine translation or LLM providers, CDN, support, payment) run through non-EU providers without a stated safeguard.
8 — EU hosting on named infrastructure, EU contracting entity, subprocessors listed with their locations including the engines and LLM providers, a data processing agreement published, and security certifications (ISO 27001, SOC 2) stated — or a self-hosted edition documented that keeps every text on the customer's own servers.
10 — Sovereign end to end and evidenced: European ownership, entity, hosting, engine and every subprocessor, or a self-hosted open-source edition with no call home, data export and deletion documented, and certifications published with their scope rather than implied.
The Localization Manager
Customer data is processed on EU-based AWS infrastructure, the AI subprocessor list gives regions per provider, a DPA is published, and SOC 2, ISO 27001 and 27017 certifications are stated. The contracting entity is Lokalise, Inc., a Delaware corporation under Delaware law and courts, the privacy policy states transfers to the United States under Data Privacy Framework safeguards, and the engine and LLM chain includes US providers. We found no public information on a self-hosted edition that would keep every text on our own servers. 7 8 11 18 19
The App Developer
The security pages state customer data is processed on EU-based AWS infrastructure, an AI subprocessor list is published with services, regions, retention and provider training, the DPA is pre-signed for counter-signing, and SOC 2, ISO 27001 and ISO 27017 are stated. But the contracting party is Lokalise, Inc., a Delaware corporation under Delaware law, the privacy policy acknowledges transfers to the United States with the Data Privacy Framework as the safeguard, and we found no public information on an EU contracting entity or a self-hosted edition that would keep every text on our own servers. 7 8 9 11 18 19
The In-House Document Translator
We would contract with Lokalise, Inc., a Delaware corporation, under Delaware law with exclusive jurisdiction in Delaware courts and an aggregate liability cap of 50 US dollars, with payments through Stripe — uncomfortable for a German legal department. Customer data is stated to be processed on EU-based AWS infrastructure, the AI subprocessor list names providers with their regions, and a DPA plus SOC 2 and ISO certifications are published, which lifts it above the baseline; but we found no public information on an EU contracting entity or EU representative, and the LLM and machine translation providers in the chain are US companies. 7 8 9 11 18 19
The Data Protection Officer
The contract names Lokalise, Inc., a Delaware corporation, governed by Delaware law with exclusive jurisdiction in Delaware courts — no European entity appears in the terms, which is where I have to start. The captured pages give different indications on where data lives: the security pages state customer data is processed on EU-based AWS infrastructure, while the privacy policy says personal data may be stored and processed in any country of operations, including the United States, with the Data Privacy Framework as the stated transfer safeguard. Credit where due: an AI subprocessor list is published with services, data processed, retention periods, regions and provider-training treatment, and ISO 27001, ISO 27017 and SOC 2 Type II are stated — a well-documented chain under an American seat. 7 8 9 11 18 19
The E-Commerce Marketer
For a Munich shop the picture is mixed: the security pages state customer data is processed on EU-based AWS infrastructure and an AI subprocessor list with regions and retention is published, but the contracting party is Lokalise, Inc., a Delaware corporation, disputes go exclusively to Delaware courts, and the privacy policy says personal data may be transferred to the United States. The chain runs through US providers — OpenAI and Anthropic are named for AI features, and GPT, Claude, Gemini, Google Translate and DeepL are the engines — with the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework offered as the safeguard. I found no public information on an EU contracting entity or EU representative. 7 8 9 11 12 18 19
The Skeptic
Customer data is stated to be processed on EU-based AWS infrastructure, an AI subprocessor list is published with services, regions, retention and training flags, a DPA is downloadable, and ISO 27001, ISO 27017 and SOC 2 Type II are held. But the contracting party is Lokalise, Inc., a Delaware corporation under Delaware law with exclusive jurisdiction in Delaware courts, and the AI chain runs through US providers (GPT, Claude, Gemini, AWS Bedrock) with the Data Privacy Framework as the stated transfer safeguard. 7 8 9 11 12 18 19
Pricing transparency
Show reasoningHide reasoning
How this is scored
Whether a buyer can compute the real annual cost from public pages alone: price per tier by characters, words, keys, hosted words or seats, what happens when the volume exceeds the tier, the number of users, projects and languages included, which features (machine translation volume, AI credits, SSO, integrations, API access) cost extra, the free tier and its limits, the self-hosted edition and its support, minimum term and setup.
0 — No public prices at all; every customer is a sales call.
3 — A starting price or a free tier exists, but how cost scales with volume, seats or features is unclear.
5 — Tiers are public with their price per volume band and main inclusions, but at least one commonly needed piece (overage, extra seats, machine translation or AI volume, SSO, connectors) is unpriced or "on request".
8 — Every tier priced publicly with its scaling rule (characters, words, keys, seats), overage handling stated, add-ons and AI credits priced, the self-hosted edition's cost or licence stated, minimum term and VAT treatment stated.
10 — Complete price computability: annual cost derivable for a given volume, seat count and feature set, with every add-on, setup, support and overage fee and the cancellation and data-return terms published.
The Localization Manager
The pricing page publishes Explorer at $149/mo, Growth at $379/mo and Advanced at $1049/mo with annual billing, each with its seats, languages, projects, automations, integrations and processed-word volumes, plus unlimited hosted words, a 14-day trial without credit card, and machine translation in orders at $0.001 per word. Extra-seat pricing appears only for the lowest tier at $100/yr with the others on demand, AI add-on bundle prices and the Enterprise tier are unpriced, and we found no public information on minimum term or VAT treatment. 6 13
The App Developer
The pricing page is refreshingly concrete: Explorer at $149/mo with annual billing, Growth at $379/mo, Advanced at $1049/mo, each with seats, hosted words, languages, projects, integrations and automations stated, a $100/yr extra seat on Explorer, machine translation in translation orders at $0.001 per word, and a free 14-day trial with no credit card. But Enterprise is contact-sales, extra seats on Growth and Advanced are listed as on demand, the Pro AI word bundles give sizes (from 40k/yr, from 150k/yr) without prices, and we found no public information on minimum term or VAT treatment. 6 13
The In-House Document Translator
The tiers are public: $149, $379 and $1,049 per month on annual billing with Enterprise on request, each listing seats, languages, projects, integrations, automations and unlimited hosted words, machine translation at $0.001 per word, extra seats on the entry tier at $100/yr, and a 14-day trial without a credit card. But the Pro AI word bundles are published only as volumes such as from 40k/yr without prices, extra seats on the higher tiers are on demand without a price, and we found no public information on overage handling, VAT treatment or minimum term. 6 13
The Data Protection Officer
Three tiers are public at $149/mo, $379/mo and $1049/mo with annual billing, with seats, languages, projects, integrations, automations, hosted words and processed-word volumes listed per tier, a free 14-day trial without credit card, and machine translation orders at $0.001 per word. What I cannot compute: Enterprise is contact sales, extra seats on the mid tiers are on demand, Pro AI word bundles are quoted only from a starting volume, and I found no public information on overage handling, minimum term or VAT treatment. 6 13
The E-Commerce Marketer
The pricing page is unusually detailed on inclusions — Explorer at $149/mo with annual billing, Growth at $379/mo with annual billing, Advanced at $1049/mo with annual billing — and unlimited hosted words on all plans is exactly the protection I want as the cycling catalogue grows. But the metered pieces that decide my real cost are not fully priced: processed-word and Pro AI add-on bundles are shown as available "from 60K/year" or "from 40k/yr" without their prices, Enterprise including single sign-on is contact-sales, extra seats are $100/yr on Explorer but "on demand" on higher tiers, and I found no public information on VAT treatment, minimum term or overage handling. 6
The Skeptic
Explorer at $149/mo with annual billing, Growth at $379/mo, Advanced at $1049/mo and Enterprise "Get an estimate - contact us" come with per-tier seats, languages, projects, automations, integrations and word allowances, plus a free 14-day trial without credit card and machine translation orders at $0.001 per word. But Pro AI and processed-word bundles are listed only as "from 40k/yr" and "from 225K/yr" with no prices attached, extra seats are "on demand" above Explorer, SSO sits on the contact-sales Enterprise tier, and we found no public information on overage handling, VAT treatment or minimum term. 6 11 13
European sovereignty — proven facts
1 of 6 dimensions provenBuilt only from facts shown on the vendor's own pages. A dimension we could not prove is left open, not scored as zero.
| Legal entity | Incorporated in US | 0/2 pts | 7 Report an error |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hosting location | Not determined ⚠ unverified | — | uncited Report an error |
| Hosting options | Not determined | — | uncited Report an error |
| Open source | Not determined | — | uncited Report an error |
| Data processing agreement | Not determined ⚠ unverified | — | uncited Report an error |
| Transfer impact assessment | Not determined | — | uncited Report an error |
Questions about Lokalise
Is Lokalise European?
No. whats-best.ai classifies Lokalise as Rest of world. Its vendor, Lokalise, Inc., is incorporated in United States, per the vendor’s page captured 1 Nov 2026.
Where does Lokalise store data?
Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 1 Nov 2026.
Does Lokalise have a free plan?
Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 1 Nov 2026.
What are the best alternatives to Lokalise?
As of 2 Nov 2026, the panel rates SimpleLocalize (3.5/5), LILT (3.5/5) and Phrase Localization Platform (3.5/5) highest among the other 12 Translation & Localization products evaluated. Ratings that look equal are rounded to half stars; the order uses the unrounded rating, then the name. The highest-rated European alternative is SimpleLocalize (EU-Made). Ratings are the AI panel’s opinion, formed from public evidence: how scores are made. The full list, with European products first: Lokalise alternatives.
Where this could be wrong
- Evidence ages. The oldest capture behind this page is from 1 Nov 2026. Vendors change pricing and policies without notice; every fact reflects its source as of the capture date shown in the registry.
- Weak sourcing — Hosting location, Data processing agreement. Not confirmed on the vendor’s own pages as captured.
- AI can misread a source. Extraction and judgement are automated; a citation guarantees traceability, not infallibility. If something here is wrong, say so — no account needed, every report is decided within 5 business days, and accepted corrections are published.
What we left out
A claim that does not survive our checks costs us the claim, not the page. This is what was taken off this one.
- 47 product facts could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and were left out of this page and of the panel’s material. Know more? Tell us
- 3 integrations facts could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and were left out of this page and of the panel’s material. Know more? Tell us
- 2 compliance facts could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and were left out of this page and of the panel’s material. Know more? Tell us
- 2 legal facts could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and were left out of this page and of the panel’s material. Know more? Tell us
- 1 pricing fact could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and was left out of this page and of the panel’s material. Know more? Tell us
- 1 subprocessors fact could not be confirmed on the vendor’s page as captured and was left out of this page and of the panel’s material. Know more? Tell us
- 2 sovereignty dimensions could not be confirmed on the vendor’s own pages and are shown as unknown. Know more? Tell us
Sources (21)
The pages every claim on this page was read from — each one checked, dated, and kept verifiable.
- 1 Vendor homepage lokalise.com Checked 1 Nov 2026 Details →
- 2 Features page (AI translation) lokalise.com Checked 1 Nov 2026 Details →
- 3 Features page (for developers) lokalise.com Checked 1 Nov 2026 Details →
- 4 Integrations page lokalise.com Checked 1 Nov 2026 Details →
- 5 API documentation developers.lokalise.com Checked 1 Nov 2026 Details →
- 6 Pricing page lokalise.com Checked 1 Nov 2026 Details →
- 7 Legal notice lokalise.com Checked 1 Nov 2026 Details →
- 8 Privacy policy lokalise.com Checked 1 Nov 2026 Details →
- 9 Terms of service lokalise.com Checked 1 Nov 2026 Details →
- 10 Data processing agreement (dpa) lokalise.com Checked 1 Nov 2026 Details →
- 11 Security / trust page lokalise.com Checked 1 Nov 2026 Details →
- 12 Machine translation & AI quality — found from sitemap docs.lokalise.com Checked 1 Nov 2026 Details →
- 13 Machine translation & AI quality — found from sitemap docs.lokalise.com Checked 1 Nov 2026 Details →
- 14 Translation memory, terminology & review workflow — found from sitemap docs.lokalise.com Checked 1 Nov 2026 Details →
- 15 Translation memory, terminology & review workflow — found from sitemap docs.lokalise.com Checked 1 Nov 2026 Details →
- 16 Integrations, file formats & developer tools — found from sitemap lokalise.com Checked 1 Nov 2026 Details →
- 17 Integrations, file formats & developer tools — found from sitemap docs.lokalise.com Checked 1 Nov 2026 Details →
- 18 Confidentiality of translated content — found from sitemap lokalise.com Checked 1 Nov 2026 Details →
- 19 Confidentiality of translated content — found from sitemap lokalise.com Checked 1 Nov 2026 Details →
- 20 Data export, portability & self-hosting — found from sitemap docs.lokalise.com Checked 1 Nov 2026 Details →
- 21 Code repository (open-source licence) — found from the homepage github.com Checked 1 Nov 2026 Details →