# POEditor — Translation & Localization

POEditor by Code Whale Inc. holds a panel rating of 2.5/5 from 6 AI judges (category median 3/5), as of 2026-11-02. Provenance: Rest of world; sovereignty: 1 of 6 dimensions proven.

- Vendor: Code Whale Inc. (https://poeditor.com/)
- Category: [Translation & Localization](https://whats-best.ai/software/translation.md)
- Provenance (editorial classification): Rest of world
- Canonical page: https://whats-best.ai/software/translation/poeditor
- Alternatives: https://whats-best.ai/software/translation/poeditor/alternatives ([markdown](https://whats-best.ai/software/translation/poeditor/alternatives.md))
- Data as of: 2026-11-06 · evaluated 2026-11-02 · oldest source captured 2026-11-01

**AI-generated.** Every score, rationale and verdict here is written by a panel of AI judges from public evidence — an analysis, not a hands-on test. Every fact quotes the vendor page it was read from. No score can be bought. How scores are made: https://whats-best.ai/methodology

## At a glance

- Vendor: Code Whale Inc.
- Headquarters: Incorporated in United States [S8]
- Data hosting: Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 1 Nov 2026
- Free plan: Yes, per the vendor’s own page [S3]

## The panel's verdict

POEditor, run by Code Whale Inc. of Jeffersonville, Indiana, is an online localization platform for software strings. Its strongest areas are workflow and review and integrations and formats: translation memory, a central glossary, automated QA, proofreader roles, human translation ordered from integrated providers, a documented REST API with an OpenAPI specification, repository sync with GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket and Azure Repos, webhooks and an official MCP server. Machine translation covers Google, Microsoft and DeepL plus AI translation on your own key. The weakest scores are portability and exit and sovereignty, both at 4: we found no public information on exporting translation memory as TMX or the glossary as TBX, and the non-European engines and LLM providers sit in the chain with no stated safeguard while the data processing agreement is available only on request. Pricing transparency scored 5-6: five tiers run from $0 to $221 per month, but the pages do not state what happens past a tier's string limit, which tier carries single sign-on, or VAT treatment. Scores cluster within a point on every criterion.

**Speaks for it:**
- Translation memory, central glossaries, automated QA checks and a flexible proofreading stage are documented
- A documented REST API with an OpenAPI specification, error codes and throttling, plus repository sync with GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket and Azure Repos
- Five pricing tiers are published with exact monthly figures and string limits, from $0 with 1,000 strings to $221 per month with 100,000
- AI translation runs on your own OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Azure or AWS key, with the stated position that tokens are never marked up
- A 10-day trial requires no credit card, and software with an OSI-approved license can use the platform free of cost

**Held against it:**
- Portability and exit scored 4: we found no public information on exporting translation memory as TMX or the glossary as TBX
- Sovereignty scored 4: the contracting entity is Code Whale Inc. of Jeffersonville, Indiana, and the data processing agreement is available only on request
- The privacy policy asks users to redact personal data from strings before loading them, and no retention period for translated strings is documented
- The pages do not state what happens when a tier's string limit is exceeded, which tier includes single sign-on, or how VAT is treated
- We found no public information on a command-line client, official SDKs, over-the-air app delivery or a public status page

**Best for:**
- You localize app or website software strings and want repository sync with GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket or Azure Repos wired into your build pipeline
- You want a choice of engine — Google, Microsoft or DeepL — or AI translation billed directly on your own OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, Azure or AWS key with no token markup
- Your project carries an OSI-approved license and qualifies for free use of the platform
- You want published prices before committing, from the Free tier at $0 with 1,000 strings up to Enterprise at $221 per month with 100,000

**Avoid if:**
- Your procurement requires a European contracting entity — ask the vendor: the public pages we read do not show it
- Your strings contain personal data you cannot redact before loading, since the privacy policy puts the redaction task on the customer
- You translate Word, PowerPoint, PDF or InDesign documents that must keep their layout: the published format list stops at software strings and spreadsheets
- You expect to move your translation memory and glossary in TMX or TBX at exit: the published export format list includes neither format

## Scores by judge and criterion

Scores out of 5, each judge scoring independently against the published rubric (v1). "n/r" = not rated: the vendor publishes no price, or the judge found no public information on that criterion.

| Criterion | The Localization Manager | The App Developer | The In-House Document Translator | The Data Protection Officer | The E-Commerce Marketer | The Skeptic |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Machine translation & AI quality | 3/5 | 3/5 | 2.5/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 2.5/5 |
| Translation memory, terminology & review workflow | 3.5/5 | 3.5/5 | 3.5/5 | 3.5/5 | 3.5/5 | 3/5 |
| Integrations, file formats & developer tools | 3/5 | 3.5/5 | 3.5/5 | 3.5/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 |
| Confidentiality of translated content | 3/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 | 2.5/5 |
| Data export, portability & self-hosting | 2/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 |
| European sovereignty | 2/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 | 2/5 |
| Pricing transparency | 2.5/5 | 2.5/5 | 3/5 | 2.5/5 | 3/5 | 3/5 |
| **Weighted verdict** | **3/5** | **3/5** | **2.5/5** | **2.5/5** | **3/5** | **2.5/5** |

### The judges

- **The Localization Manager** (v1.0): Runs localization for a Hamburg software company whose product, help centre and marketing site ship in fourteen languages, with two agencies and a pool of freelancers. Every release brings a few thousand new strings and a deadline. Wants one translation memory and termbase across all content, machine translation that respects the glossary, review steps per language, QA checks that stop a broken placeholder before it ships, and cost and progress per vendor in one view.
- **The App Developer** (v1.0): Lead developer of a web app and two mobile apps at a Vienna start-up, with strings in JSON, xcstrings and Android XML. Has hand-merged translation files once and will not do it again. Wants a CLI and a GitHub sync that opens pull requests, over-the-air updates so a typo fix does not need an app store release, an API that does everything the interface does, and ideally an open-source edition they could run themselves if the vendor changes course.
- **The In-House Document Translator** (v1.0): Works in the legal and export team of a machine builder in Baden-Württemberg with customers in France, Italy, Poland and China. Translates contracts, operating manuals and supplier correspondence every day, with no translation management system and no wish for one. Needs translations that read like the company wrote them, the company's terms kept through a glossary, Word and PDF files back with their layout intact, and a written promise that a draft contract is not kept or used to train anything.
- **The Data Protection Officer** (v1.0): Data protection officer of a health insurer whose staff translate letters to members, HR documents and internal guidelines. Found a free translator in the proxy logs and had to explain to the board what had been pasted into it. Reads the terms before the feature page: how long texts are kept, whether they train a model, which engines and LLM providers a platform passes them to, who the subprocessors are and where, and whether the contract names a European entity.
- **The E-Commerce Marketer** (v1.0): Runs marketing for a Shopify shop selling cycling apparel from Munich, live in German and English and due in French, Italian, Dutch and Spanish before the spring season. Has no developer and no translator on staff. Wants product pages, checkout and emails translated in days, a way to fix a bad product name by hand, multilingual SEO that search engines index, and a monthly price that does not double when the catalogue grows.
- **The Skeptic** (v1.0): Has seen "human quality" on an engine nobody has evaluated in public, "we never store your data" next to a TMS that forwards every segment to three LLM providers, and a translation memory built over six years that could only leave as a spreadsheet. Reads that a product is "enterprise-grade secure" and asks how long the text is kept, which models it reaches, and whether the memory and termbase export as TMX and TBX — and what leaving would cost.

## European sovereignty — proven facts

Built only from facts on the vendor's own pages; a dimension we could not prove is left open, never scored as zero. Headline: 1 of 6 dimensions proven.

| Dimension | Finding | Points | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal entity | Incorporated in US | 0/2 | [S8] |
| Hosting location | Not determined | — | — |
| Hosting options | Not determined | — | — |
| Open source | Not determined | — | — |
| Data processing agreement | Not determined | — | — |
| Transfer impact assessment | Not determined | — | — |

## Key facts

Each fact is the vendor's own statement, cited to the source page it was read from ([S*n*] → Sources).

**Compliance**
- Advertising cookies: yes [S9]
- Cookies: yes [S8]
- Cookies required for login: yes [S9]
- Encryption at rest: yes [S1]
- Encryption transit: yes [S1]
- GDPR DPA: yes · yes [S1]
- ISO 27001: yes [S1]
- No sale of data: no [S9]
- No training on data: no [S3]
- Third party sharing: yes [S8]
- Uservoice cookies: feedback · UserVoice [S9]

**Data**
- Access control: yes [S8]
- Deletion on account delete: yes [S9]
- Monitoring: yes [S8]
- Ownership: yes [S8]
- Right to access export: yes [S9]
- Session cookies identifiability: no [S8]

**Hosting**
- EU infrastructure: EU · yes · no [S1]
- Storage region: EU [S9]

**Integrations**
- API: yes · yes · yes [S1]
- API: yes · yes [S3]
- API authentication: api_token [S12]
- API automation: yes · yes · yes [S2]
- API available languages: available_languages action lists all supported languages [S12]
- API change right: yes [S8]
- API contributors: list_contributors and add_contributor actions; add_contributor can add contributors or administrators [S12]
- API create project: create_project action creates a new project with name (required) and description (optional) [S12]
- API endpoint: https://poeditor.com/api/ [S12]
- API export: export action returns file link expiring after 10 minutes [S12]
- API language management: add_language and delete_language actions manage project languages [S12]
- API liability: yes · no [S8]
- API list languages: list_languages returns languages with translation percentage and last change datetime (UTC) [S12]
- API list projects: list_projects action returns projects owned by user [S12]
- API project details: view_project action returns project details by id [S12]
- API protocol: POST · JSON [S12]
- API rate limits: temporary or permanent suspension of API access · yes [S8]
- API reference language: set_reference_language and clear_reference_language actions [S12]
- API sync terms: sync_terms syncs terms, deleting absent ones and adding new [S12]
- API terms management: view_terms, add_terms, add_comment, delete_terms, sync_terms actions for term management [S12]
- API token reset: yes · yes [S12]
- API update language: update_language action inserts/overwrites translations [S12]
- API upload: 30 [S12]
- Auth: api_token · yes [S5]
- Chat: /"Slack"/ · /"Microsoft Teams"/ [S2]
- Content types: application/x-www-form-urlencoded · multipart/form-data · projects/upload [S5]
- Error codes documented: yes [S5]
- Export file formats: arb · csv · ini · key_value_json · i18next · json · po · pot · mo · properties · resw · resx · ts · apple_strings · xliff · xcstrings · stringsdict · xlf · xmb · xtb · xliff_1_2 · rise_360_xliff · xls · xlsx · android_strings · yml [S12]
- Export filters: translated · untranslated · fuzzy · not_fuzzy · automatic · not_automatic · proofread · not_proofread [S12]
- Export tags: yes [S12]
- Git: yes · yes · /"GitHub"/ · /"Bitbucket"/ · /"GitLab"/ · /"Azure Repos"/ · yes [S2]
- Git slack teams: Git service integrations, Third-party Access, Slack and Teams integrations [S6]
- Http method: POST [S5]
- Import formats: GitHub · GitLab · Bitbucket · Azure Repos · Figma · 20+ [S3]
- Openapi spec: yes · yes [S5]
- Rate limiting documented: yes [S5]
- Request examples: C sharp · Go · Java · jaxrs-cxf-client · kotlin-client · PHP · Python · Scala · Swift3 · Swift4 · Swift5 · typescript-angular · typescript-fetch [S5]
- Response format: JSON [S5]
- Rest API: REST · yes [S5]
- Stripe payments: Stripe · no [S1]
- Third party libraries: user-contributed libraries · yes [S5]
- User libraries: User-contributed third-party libraries available as starting points [S12]
- Webhooks: yes · yes · yes [S1]
- Wordpress plugin: yes [S5]
- Wordpress plugin: yes [S12]

**Legal**
- Company: Code Whale Inc. · 2012-2026 [S10]
- Company: Code Whale Inc. [S6]
- Company: 2026 · Code Whale Inc. [S12]
- Company address: 47130 · Jeffersonville · IN · 1004 Sandstone Drive · United States [S7]
- Company name: Code Whale Inc. [S7]
- Company name: Code Whale Inc. [S11]
- Copyright: 2012-2026 · Code Whale Inc. [S7]
- Copyright entity: Code Whale Inc. · 2012-2026 [S13]
- Entity: /"Code Whale Inc."/ · /"2012-2026"/ [S2]
- Entity: Code Whale Inc. [S1]
- Entity: Code Whale Inc. [S3]
- Entity: Code Whale Inc. [S4]
- Entity: Code Whale Inc. [S9]
- Minimum age: 16 [S8]
- Operator entity: CODE WHALE INC. · 1004 Sandstone Drive, Jeffersonville, IN 47130 · United States [S8]
- Policy updated: Privacy Policy last updated April 12, 2023 [S9]
- Service modification right: yes [S8]
- Termination by user: deleting account [S8]
- Termination by vendor: yes · yes [S8]
- Terms change without notice: no [S8]
- Terms updated: 2020-03-23 [S8]

**Pricing**
- AI cost model: direct_to_llm_provider_via_own_api_key [S3]
- Auto billing retry: following week [S8]
- Cancellation: yes · no [S8]
- Contributors free: no [S6]
- Credit card not required: 1000 · unlimited · 5 · no [S6]
- Downgrade effect: next billing cycle [S8]
- Enterprise plan: Enterprise · For scaling wizards · 221 [S6]
- Enterprise string limit: 100000 [S6]
- Free plan: 0 · yes [S3]
- Free plan: Free · For small projects · 0 [S6]
- Free tier: 1000 · no · yes [S2]
- Free tier: 1000 · yes · no [S4]
- Free tier: 1000 · no · yes [S13]
- Free trial or free start: free start available [S11]
- Open source free: OSI-approved license · yes [S6]
- Plus plan: Plus · MOST POPULAR · For data lovers · 51 [S6]
- Plus string limit: 10000 [S6]
- Premium plan: Premium · For automation buffs · 136 [S6]
- Premium string limit: 30000 [S6]
- Refund policy: yes · no [S8]
- Start plan: Start · For integrators · 17 [S6]
- Start string limit: 3000 [S6]
- String limits: 1000 [S6]
- Trial: 10 · first project on Free account · yes · no [S6]
- Upgrade effect: immediately · 1 [S8]
- Upgrade proration: Upgrades allowed anytime; charged only the difference for remaining period [S6]

**Product**
- AI translation: yes [S1]
- Angular xliff support: Angular XLIFF · Angular XMB · Angular XTB · yes [S13]
- API: API for localization automation [S11]
- Audit logs: audit logs [S11]
- Automated qa checks: automated Quality Assurance checks during translation [S11]
- Byoll providers: OpenAI · Anthropic · Google · Microsoft Azure · AWS [S3]
- Chat integrations no personal data: Slack · Microsoft Teams · no [S9]
- Content management: yes [S1]
- Context quality: yes [S1]
- Contributor roles: contributor · proofreader · administrator [S5]
- Contributors: yes · yes · yes [S2]
- Contributors endpoints: list · add · remove [S5]
- Crowdsourcing: yes [S2]
- Custom prompts per project: yes [S3]
- Customer count: 4000+ [S3]
- Data processing period: processing ends when account deleted or removal requested [S9]
- Debugging recovery tools: yes [S1]
- Edit with AI: yes [S3]
- Editor: Real-time, online collaborative translation editor with conflict notifications and autosave [S6]
- Export filters: yes [S5]
- Export link expiry: 10 · projects/export [S5]
- Feature list: String limit, Unlimited projects, API, AI translation, AI Quality Evaluation, Official MCP server, Images, Unlimited contributors, Translation Memory & History, Git service integrations, Third-party Access, Audit log, Slack and Teams integ… [S6]
- Figma integration: Figma integration for localization from design stage [S11]
- File format support: supports Android/iOS localization and a wide range of file formats [S11]
- File formats: 20 [S2]
- File formats: Supports multiple file formats including XLIFF, JSON, ARB, RESX [S6]
- File formats list: JSON · XLIFF · ARB · RESX · strings · YAML · CSV [S3]
- Free trial: yes [S3]
- Git integration: Git hosting service integration [S11]
- Glossary qa: yes · yes [S2]
- Glossary terminology: glossaries for terminology consistency [S11]
- Governance permissions: yes · yes · yes [S3]
- History feature: History feature for recovery of translation data [S11]
- Human in loop review: yes [S3]
- Integration vcs username: GitHub · BitBucket · GitLab · Azure DevOps · yes [S9]
- Ios xliff structure: iOS XLIFF files are Xcode-generated, composed of one or more <file> elements; <trans-unit> holds <source> and optional <target> elements. [S13]
- Ios xliff support: iOS XLIFF · yes [S13]
- Language API code example: zh-Hans · Chinese (simplified) [S10]
- Language count sample: list begins with Abkhazian (ab), Afar (aa), Afrikaans (af) [S10]
- Language list end: list ends with Zhuang (za) and Zulu (zu) [S10]
- Language variants: regional variants like Arabic (SA) ar-sa are listed [S10]
- Languages supported: 100+ [S3]
- Localization use cases: mobile apps, websites, games, marketing [S1]
- Machine translation providers: google · microsoft · deepl [S5]
- No token markup: no [S3]
- Online translation editor: collaborative online translation editor with real-time updates [S11]
- Pr presets: PR Presets [S11]
- Projects endpoints: list · view · add · update · delete · upload · sync · export [S5]
- Qa checks: Automated QA checks and proofreading/revision workflow [S6]
- Realtime editor: yes · yes [S2]
- Sample file: .xliff · yes [S13]
- Scale stats: 450k+ · 4000+ · 200k+ · 270+ [S11]
- Service type: online localization platform accessible on stationary and mobile devices [S8]
- Slack teams notifications: Slack and Microsoft Teams notifications [S11]
- Spanish latam code: es-419 · Spanish (LA & C) [S10]
- Statistics: Rich project statistics on translation progress and per-user output [S6]

**Subprocessors**
- Amazon ses: Amazon SES · email delivery [S9]
- Google analytics: Google Analytics · usage analytics · yes [S9]

31 more facts on the canonical page: https://whats-best.ai/software/translation/poeditor

## Questions

### Is POEditor European?

No. whats-best.ai classifies POEditor as Rest of world. Its vendor, Code Whale Inc., is incorporated in United States, per [the vendor’s page captured 1 Nov 2026](https://whats-best.ai/evidence/14799).

### Where does POEditor store data?

Not stated on the vendor’s pages as of 1 Nov 2026.

### Does POEditor have a free plan?

Yes. POEditor has a free plan, per [the vendor’s page captured 1 Nov 2026](https://whats-best.ai/evidence/14770).

### What are the best alternatives to POEditor?

As of 2 Nov 2026, the panel rates [SimpleLocalize (3.5/5)](https://whats-best.ai/software/translation/simplelocalize), [LILT (3.5/5)](https://whats-best.ai/software/translation/lilt) and [Phrase Localization Platform (3.5/5)](https://whats-best.ai/software/translation/phrase) 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](https://whats-best.ai/software/translation/simplelocalize) (EU-Made). Ratings are the AI panel’s opinion, formed from public evidence: [how scores are made](https://whats-best.ai/methodology#ordering). The full list, with European products first: [POEditor alternatives](https://whats-best.ai/software/translation/poeditor/alternatives).

## What this page leaves out

- 27 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.
- 3 subprocessors 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.
- 1 legal 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.
- 1 product 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.
- 3 sovereignty dimensions could not be confirmed on the vendor’s own pages and are shown as unknown.

## Sources

- [S1] Vendor homepage: https://poeditor.com/ (checked 2026-11-01)
- [S2] Features page: https://poeditor.com/features/ (checked 2026-11-01)
- [S3] Features page (AI localization): https://poeditor.com/ai-localization-platform (checked 2026-11-01)
- [S4] Integrations page: https://poeditor.com/localization/integrations (checked 2026-11-01)
- [S5] API documentation: https://poeditor.com/docs/api (checked 2026-11-01)
- [S6] Pricing page: https://poeditor.com/pricing/ (checked 2026-11-01)
- [S7] Legal notice (company details): https://poeditor.com/contact/ (checked 2026-11-01)
- [S8] Terms of service: https://poeditor.com/terms/ (checked 2026-11-01)
- [S9] Privacy policy: https://poeditor.com/terms/privacy (checked 2026-11-01)
- [S10] Machine translation & AI quality — found from sitemap: https://poeditor.com/docs/languages (checked 2026-11-01)
- [S11] Translation memory, terminology & review workflow — found from sitemap: https://poeditor.com/translation-management-system (checked 2026-11-01)
- [S12] Integrations, file formats & developer tools — found from sitemap: https://poeditor.com/api_reference/ (checked 2026-11-01)
- [S13] Integrations, file formats & developer tools — found from sitemap: https://poeditor.com/localization/files/xliff (checked 2026-11-01)

---

Cite as: whats-best.ai, "POEditor — Translation & Localization", AI panel analysis, as of 2026-11-06. https://whats-best.ai/software/translation/poeditor

Corrections: https://whats-best.ai/correct/1311?target=page