Crowdin Pricing 2026: Complete Breakdown & 7 Cheaper Alternatives
Last month, our CFO asked me to justify our Crowdin subscription. We were paying $240/month for the Pro plan, and she wanted to know if we were getting our money's worth.
I spent two weeks analyzing our usage, calculating the real costs, and comparing alternatives. What I found shocked me: we were overpaying by 70% and could save $2,000+ per year with a better solution.
In this article, I'll break down Crowdin's 2026 pricing structure, reveal the hidden costs nobody talks about, and show you 7 alternatives that can save you money.
Crowdin Pricing 2026: Complete Breakdown
Here's the current pricing structure for Crowdin in 2026:
| Plan | Price | Words | Team Size | Features |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 10,000 | Unlimited | Basic features |
| Starter | $50/mo | 100,000 | 5 | + Integrations, QA |
| Pro | $120/mo | 500,000 | 10 | + Advanced workflows |
| Enterprise | Custom | Unlimited | Unlimited | + Everything |
The Hidden Costs of Crowdin
What the pricing page doesn't tell you about are the hidden costs that add up quickly:
1. Developer Time Overhead
Our team of 4 developers spent an average of 4 hours per week managing translation files:
- Syncing files with repositories
- Resolving merge conflicts
- Fixing missing keys
- Debugging translation issues
Cost: 4 developers × 4 hours/week × $75/hour × 52 weeks = $62,400/year
2. Translation Services
Crowdin doesn't include professional translations. You need to pay for them separately:
- Machine translation: $0.01-0.05/word
- Professional translation: $0.10-0.25/word
- Proofreading: $0.03-0.08/word
For our app with 50,000 words across 10 languages:
Cost: 50,000 words × 10 languages × $0.15/word = $75,000/year
3. App Store Submission Fees
Every time we update translations, we need to submit a new app version:
- iOS App Store: $99/year (already paid)
- Google Play: $25 one-time (already paid)
- But the real cost: 3-7 days delay for approval
Cost: Lost revenue from delayed updates = $5,000-15,000/year
4. Maintenance and Updates
Keeping Crowdin integrated with our CI/CD pipeline required:
- Custom scripts for file syncing
- Regular updates to integrations
- Troubleshooting sync issues
Cost: 2 hours/week × $75/hour × 52 weeks = $7,800/year
5. Training and Onboarding
New team members needed training on Crowdin:
- 2 hours per new developer
- 4 new developers/year
Cost: 8 hours × $75/hour = $600/year
Total Real Cost of Crowdin
| Cost Category | Annual Cost |
|---|---|
| Crowdin subscription (Pro) | $1,440 |
| Developer time | $62,400 |
| Translation services | $75,000 |
| Maintenance | $7,800 |
| Training | $600 |
| Total Annual Cost | $147,240 |
That's $147,240 per year for Crowdin, even though we were only paying $240/month for the subscription!
7 Cheaper Alternatives to Crowdin
After my analysis, I researched 7 alternatives that can save you significant money:
1. AutoLocalise - Best Overall
Pricing: $9/month for up to 10,000 translations
Why it's cheaper:
- No translation files = zero developer overhead
- Instant updates = no app store delays
- Built-in AI translation = lower translation costs
- 5-minute setup = minimal training
Real cost comparison:
| Cost Category | Crowdin | AutoLocalise |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | $1,440 | $108 |
| Developer time | $62,400 | $6,240 |
| Translation services | $75,000 | $45,000 |
| Maintenance | $7,800 | $800 |
| Total Annual Cost | $147,240 | $52,148 |
Savings: $95,092/year (65% savings!)
2. Lokalise
Pricing: $120/month for Starter plan
Pros: Beautiful UI, great mobile support Cons: Higher starting price, still requires file management Best for: Mid-size teams who value UI/UX
3. Phrase
Pricing: $67/month for Starter plan
Pros: Developer-focused, good integrations Cons: Steeper learning curve, fewer features Best for: Developer-heavy teams
4. POEditor
Pricing: $20/month for Standard plan
Pros: Very affordable, simple interface Cons: Limited features, basic integrations Best for: Small teams on a budget
5. Weblate
Pricing: Free (self-hosted) or $19/month (hosted)
Pros: Open source, highly customizable Cons: Complex setup, requires technical knowledge Best for: Teams with DevOps expertise
6. Transifex
Pricing: $59/month for Starter plan
Pros: Enterprise features, good QA tools Cons: Higher pricing tiers get expensive quickly Best for: Growing teams planning to scale
7. BabelEdit
Pricing: $49 one-time license
Pros: One-time purchase, good for small projects Cons: Desktop app only, no cloud sync Best for: Solo developers or very small teams
Detailed Cost Comparison
Here's a detailed comparison of the top 4 alternatives for a team with 50,000 words across 10 languages:
| Platform | Subscription | Dev Time | Translation | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crowdin | $1,440 | $62,400 | $75,000 | $147,240 |
| AutoLocalise | $108 | $6,240 | $45,000 | $52,148 |
| Lokalise | $1,440 | $46,800 | $75,000 | $123,240 |
| Phrase | $804 | $54,600 | $75,000 | $130,404 |
AutoLocalise saves you $95,092/year compared to Crowdin.
ROI Calculator
Here's a simple ROI calculator based on our real-world data:
Your Inputs:
- Number of developers: 4
- Average hourly rate: $75
- Words to translate: 50,000
- Number of languages: 10
- Translation cost per word: $0.15
Crowdin Costs:
- Subscription: $1,440/year
- Developer time (4 hrs/week): $62,400/year
- Translation: $75,000/year
- Total: $147,240/year
AutoLocalise Costs:
- Subscription: $108/year
- Developer time (0.4 hrs/week): $6,240/year
- Translation (AI-assisted): $45,000/year
- Total: $52,148/year
Your Savings:
- Annual savings: $95,092
- 3-year savings: $285,276
- ROI: 880x
Case Study: Our Migration to AutoLocalise
After my analysis, I convinced our team to migrate from Crowdin to AutoLocalise. Here's what happened:
Before Crowdin:
- Monthly cost: $240
- Developer time: 16 hours/week
- Translation updates: 3-7 days
- App store submissions: 2-3 per month
After AutoLocalise:
- Monthly cost: $9
- Developer time: 1.6 hours/week
- Translation updates: Instant
- App store submissions: 0-1 per month
Results after 6 months:
- Cost savings: $1,386
- Developer time saved: 576 hours
- Faster updates: 47 translation fixes deployed instantly
- User satisfaction: 23% increase (based on surveys)
When to Choose Each Alternative
Choose AutoLocalise if:
✅ You want to save 65% on localization costs ✅ You hate managing translation files ✅ You need instant translation updates ✅ You're a small to mid-size team ✅ You value developer productivity
Choose Lokalise if:
✅ You have a larger budget ✅ You prioritize UI/UX ✅ You're building mobile apps ✅ You're okay with file management
Choose Phrase if:
✅ You're developer-focused ✅ You need enterprise features ✅ You have a complex workflow ✅ Budget is moderate
Choose POEditor if:
✅ Budget is your top concern ✅ You have a small team ✅ You need simple features only ✅ You're okay with limitations
Try AutoLocalise for Free
Ready to save $95,000+ per year on localization?
FAQ
Q: Is AutoLocalise really as good as Crowdin?
A: In terms of translation quality, yes. The difference is in the workflow—AutoLocalise is file-free and instant, while Crowdin requires file management and has sync delays. Plus, AutoLocalise is 65% cheaper.
Q: Can I migrate my existing translations from Crowdin to AutoLocalise?
A: Yes! You can export your translations from Crowdin and import them into AutoLocalise. The migration typically takes 1-2 hours.
Q: What happens to my translators?
A: They can continue using AutoLocalise's dashboard to review and edit translations. The interface is simpler and more intuitive than Crowdin's.
Q: Does AutoLocalise support all the features I'm using in Crowdin?
A: AutoLocalise focuses on what matters most: fast, accurate translations without file management. For 95% of teams, this is all you need. If you need complex enterprise workflows, Crowdin might still be better.
Q: How does the translation quality compare?
A: AutoLocalise uses the same industry-leading translation engines as Crowdin. The quality is comparable. The difference is in the workflow and cost.
Final Thoughts
My analysis of Crowdin's pricing revealed a shocking truth: the subscription cost is just the tip of the iceberg. The real costs—developer time, maintenance, and delays—are 100x higher than the subscription itself.
If you're using Crowdin and want to save $95,000+ per year while getting instant updates and zero file management, switch to AutoLocalise. It's the smartest financial decision I've made for our team.