What is a translation management system?
A translation management system, or TMS, is software that stores the text of a product in every language and manages the work of translating it. It replaces spreadsheets and hand-edited language files with one place for keys, translations, reviews and exports.
What a TMS does
Holds every string with a key
Each piece of text has a key the code looks up, and a value in every language. One source of truth instead of a file per language that drifts apart.
Organises translation work
Shows what is missing in each language, who changed what, and which values are still waiting for review.
Gives translators context
Screenshots, descriptions and character limits tell a translator where and how a string is used, so "Book" is not translated as a noun when it is a verb.
Exports the files your code reads
Writes iOS String Catalogs, Android strings.xml, Flutter ARB, JSON, gettext and other formats, with the escaping and plural rules each platform needs.
Plugs into your workflow
An API, a command-line tool or webhooks let builds and CI pull the latest translations without anyone copying files by hand.
Handles plurals properly
Languages need different plural forms. English has two, Polish has four. A TMS stores each form and exports them the way each platform expects.
TMS, spreadsheets or an agency?
Small projects often start with a spreadsheet or with language files edited by hand in the repository. That works until there are a few languages and more than one person translating. Then values go missing, two people edit the same file, and nobody knows which strings have been reviewed.
A translation agency is different again: it supplies the translators. A TMS is the tool the translators work in, whether they are your colleagues, freelancers or an agency's staff. Many teams use both.
How TMS pricing works
Most of the cost difference between tools comes from what they count. The same app can be cheap on one model and expensive on another.
| What is counted | What grows the bill | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Strings or keys | Every new string, and every key a feature adds | POEditor: 1,000 strings free, then $20 to $260 a month by string count |
| Hosted words | Words multiplied by target languages, so each language counts again | Crowdin: 60,000 hosted words on Free and Pro, 500,000 on Team+ |
| Hosted words and seats | Words per language plus the number of people | Lokalise: from $149 a month, with hosted words and seats among the plan limits |
| Nothing (flat per workspace) | Only projects and features, never strings, words or people | LocalizeMe: free plan, Pro at €19 a month with unlimited strings and members |
Competitor plans as published on their pricing pages, checked on 15 October 2026.
How to choose one
- Work out what your app will look like in a year, in strings and languages, and price each tool at that size, not today's.
- Check that it exports the exact file formats your platforms read, including plurals.
- Count the people who need access. Per-seat pricing taxes inviting translators and reviewers.
- Look for an API or CLI, so translations reach your build without manual steps.
- Make sure you can export everything at any time, on any plan, so you are never locked in.
Where LocalizeMe fits
LocalizeMe is a TMS for product teams shipping apps and websites. It counts nothing: keys, strings, words and languages are unlimited on every plan, and Pro is a flat €19 a month per workspace. It covers keys, plurals, review status, screenshots for context, history, a CLI, a REST API and an MCP server, and, on the Mobile plan, over-the-air updates for iOS and Android.
It is not built for translation vendors managing many clients, and it has no machine translation. If you need vendor workflows or self-hosting, a larger platform is the better fit. See app localization for how the workflow looks in practice.
Questions
What is a translation management system?
Software that stores the text of a product in every language and manages translating it: keys, translations, review, context for translators and exports to the files your code reads.
What is the difference between a TMS and a CAT tool?
A CAT tool, or computer-assisted translation tool, helps one translator work through a document with translation memory and term lists. A TMS manages the whole project: many languages, many people, and the files that ship in the product.
Do I need a TMS for a small app?
Not on day one. Once you have more than a couple of languages or more than one translator, a TMS stops missing strings and conflicting edits, and it is usually cheaper than the time those cost.
What is a hosted word?
A pricing unit some TMS tools use: the words in your project multiplied by the number of target languages. Ten thousand words in five languages is fifty thousand hosted words.
Unlimited strings, one flat price
LocalizeMe never counts keys, strings or languages. Try Pro free for 14 days, no card needed.