TL;DR: DeepL fits people and teams translating documents and text β Free then Pro/API on deepl.com/pro. Weglot fits websites that meter translated words (Free ~2k words, Starter from about β¬15/mo). Lokalise fits product teams localising strings on a published software-l10n ladder. Phrase fits enterprises buying a TMS quote.
Translation software here covers machine translation, website overlays and string localization. Those are different meters. Human agency rates ($/word) are out of scope.
Every entry uses the same fields: published pricing, unit (seats vs words vs strings), job type and the main limitation. The order below is not a quality ranking. DeepL Free and Weglot Free first. Quote-led TMS last.
Translation software compared at a glance
| Provider | Published pricing | Unit / job | Best for | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DeepL | Free translator. Pro and API on deepl.com/pro (individual/team/API rows; API has historically started with a small monthly minimum plus usage) | Seats + API characters. Documents and chat, not a website overlay | Document and in-app MT | Visit β |
| Weglot | Free (~2,000 words). Starter ~β¬15/mo (10k words) then Business/Pro/Advanced word bands on weglot.com/pricing | Translated words on a site | Marketing site in more languages | Visit β |
| Lokalise | Free plus Explorer/Growth/Advanced on lokalise.com/pricing (2026 reads from ~$144/mo Explorer) | Seats + keys/words in a l10n platform | App and product strings | Visit β |
| Phrase | Quote / mixed public SKUs on phrase.com/pricing | TMS + MT + seats | Enterprise localisation programmes | Visit β |
Weglot word bands and DeepLβs Free/Pro split were checked against vendor pricing surfaces on 19 September 2026. Lokalise Explorer dollars move β confirm the live card. Do not treat DeepL Pro as a website translator.
One product translates a file. One translates a site. Two translate a product catalogue of strings.
Words on a site are not API characters
Weglot counts published words Γ languages. DeepL API counts characters you send. Lokalise counts keys and seats. Mixing those units is how a β$15 toolβ becomes the wrong RFP.
The four providers in detail
1. DeepL
MT FOR TEXT AND FILES
Best for: staff who paste text or drop documents and want DeepL quality without a website plugin.
| Published pricing | Free web translator with caps. Pro individual/team and API on deepl.com/pro |
| Unit / job | Human seats and API usage. Not Weglotβs site-word meter |
| Data handling | Pro is the row companies buy when they do not want Free-tier training language β read current terms |
| Free plan / trial | Permanent Free with limits |
| Main limitation | Will not auto-translate your Shopify theme. That is Weglot |
- Stay Free for occasional paste work.
- Buy Pro when files, seats and data terms matter.
- API minimum + overage is a different worksheet from Team seats.
2. Weglot
WEBSITE WORD BANDS
Best for: marketing and commerce sites that need a language switcher without rebuilding the CMS.
| Published pricing | Free ~2,000 words. Starter ~β¬15/mo for ~10k words, then 50k / 200k / 1M bands |
| Unit / job | Translated words detected on the site |
| Data handling | SaaS overlay. Legal review still required |
| Free plan / trial | Permanent Free with a tiny word cap + trial on paid |
| Main limitation | A content-heavy blog blows Starter. Count words before you quote β¬15 |
- Export current word count Γ target languages.
- Human edit inside Weglot is extra workflow, not βfree MT forever.β
- App string files belong in Lokalise/Phrase, not Weglot.
3. Lokalise
PRODUCT L10N
Best for: mobile and web product teams managing keys, translators and releases.
| Published pricing | lokalise.com/pricing β Free plus paid. Explorer has printed around $144/mo in 2026 roundups |
| Unit / job | Seats, keys, MAU-style limits as printed today |
| Data handling | TMS-style project. Vendor terms apply |
| Free plan / trial | Free + 14-day style trial on paid |
| Main limitation | Not a $15 website plugin |
- Count keys and languages, then seats.
- CLI/SDK integration is the reason to leave Weglot.
- Agency translation memory may still sit outside Lokalise.
4. Phrase
TMS PROGRAMME
Best for: enterprises that want Phrase Strings/TMS/MT under one procurement.
| Published pricing | phrase.com/pricing β mixed self-serve remnants and quote |
| Unit / job | Platform modules + words/seats |
| Data handling | Enterprise DPA path |
| Free plan / trial | Trial / demo |
| Main limitation | You will not self-qualify year-one cash like Weglot Starter |
- Bring string volume and language count to the demo.
- Do not shortlist Phrase to beat DeepL Free on price.
- Strings vs TMS are different Phrase products β scope them.
Kurums Match: which one fits your situation
We translate briefs and PDFs
DeepL Free, then Pro.
The public website needs a language switcher
Weglot, sized to word count.
The product UI has keys in Git
Lokalise (or Phrase if the TMS RFP is already open).
Enterprise localisation programme
Phrase quote.
Buying tip: write three numbers β document pages, website words, product keys. Each number maps to a different vendor family.
How this comparison was put together
Vendor pricing pages, 19 September 2026. Word-band figures for Weglot flagged to the live euro card. No paid placement. Kurums did not certify MT quality by language pair.
Order is $0 MT / $0 site words first. No badge reflects a commercial relationship.
Frequently asked questions
Is Google Translate in this set?
The consumer site is free. Cloud Translation is a separate API bill. DeepL is the comparable MT product here.
Does Weglot replace a translator?
No. It ships MT plus an edit layer. Budget human review for legal pages.
Can we use ChatGPT instead?
People do. This page is purpose-built translation/l10n packaging.
Did we test SEO hreflang?
No. Review Weglotβs current SEO docs on a staging host.
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