How we estimate localization costs

The core formula

Translation cost = words × per-word rate, calculated for each language and each content type, with a minimum charge for small orders. The tool subscription and engineering work are calculated separately and never mixed into translation cost.

Every estimate is a range. The low end combines the lower word estimate with lower rates; the high end combines the higher word estimate with higher rates.

1. Translation volume

We estimate source (English) word counts for each content type:

• App UI: 120 words per screen (buttons, labels, errors, emails). Web + mobile products are multiplied by 1.6 because many strings are shared. Because screen counts are rough, the range is ×0.6–×1.5 of the typical estimate. If you enter an exact word count, we use it with no range.Assumption
• Marketing site: 500 words per page.
• Help center & docs: 600 words per article.
• Marketing and docs estimates use a range of ×0.7–×1.4.Assumption
• Legal pages: 2,500–6,000 words (typical 4,000), only if you choose to translate them. Legal pages are always priced at professional human rates, even in the AI and hybrid comparison rows, because translation errors carry legal risk.Assumption

2. Per-word translation rates

Rates are adjusted per language. For example, Nordic languages and Japanese tend to cost more because there are fewer translators:

• Spanish×1.00
• French×1.05
• German×1.10
• Portuguese (Brazil)×0.95
• Japanese×1.25
• Chinese (Simplified)×1.10
• Italian×1.00
• Korean×1.20
• Dutch×1.15
• Polish×0.95
• Turkish×0.95
• Swedish×1.25
• Danish×1.25
• Norwegian×1.30
• Finnish×1.30
• Czech×1.00
• Ukrainian×0.95
• Chinese (Traditional)×1.15
• Arabic×1.15
• Hebrew×1.20
• Hindi×0.90
• Indonesian×0.90
• Vietnamese×0.90
• Thai×1.00

Team review discount: for each language you say your team can review, hybrid rates are multiplied by 0.6 and no minimum charge applies. Languages without a native reviewer on your team pay full rates.Assumption

3. Upfront cost

Upfront cost = translation of all existing content + engineering work to internationalize your codebase. Engineering hours are converted at $90/hour and scaled by app size and platform:

• Fully internationalized: 4–12 hours (base, for a 31–80 screen web app)
• Partly internationalized: 20–60 hours (base, for a 31–80 screen web app)
• Not internationalized: 60–160 hours (base, for a 31–80 screen web app)
• Not sure: 30–120 hours (base, for a 31–80 screen web app)
• Right-to-left languages (Arabic, Hebrew): +16–40 hours

4. Monthly translation

Monthly translation = new and changed words × per-word rate. We assume this share of your content changes each month:Assumption

• App UI, weekly releases: 5%–12% (typical 8%)
• App UI, every 2 weeks releases: 3%–8% (typical 5%)
• App UI, monthly releases: 2%–5% (typical 3%)
• App UI, quarterly releases: 1%–2.5% (typical 1.5%)
• Marketing site: 1%–5% (typical 3%)
• Help center & docs: 2%–6% (typical 4%)
• Legal pages: 0%–1% (typical 0.5%)

Minimum charges: UI updates are sent to translation with each release (about 4.3 orders per month for weekly releases). Marketing and docs updates are sent monthly, and legal updates twice a year. Each order costs at least $15 – $40 per language for hybrid and $30 – $75 for human translation. AI translation has no minimum. This is why frequent, small updates can cost more than their word count suggests.Assumption

5. Localization tool subscription

The tool subscription is shown separately from translation work. Its size is based on hosted words (source words × number of languages), so adding a language increases it gradually, the same way it increases translation volume.Assumption

• Up to 20,000 hosted words: $0 – $50 / month
• Up to 150,000 hosted words: $50 – $250 / month
• Above 150,000 hosted words: $250 – $800 / month

Our hypothetical budget bands create a step in the estimate when you cross a model boundary. These are not verified vendor plan limits. When your project is near a boundary, the results page says so and shows what the next plan would cost.

6. Recommendations

The recommended approach is chosen per content type based on your budget priority. Legal pages always use professional translation. Checkout flows and teams with native reviewers get at least a hybrid workflow, and conversion-critical marketing copy is moved up one quality level.

Tools are ranked first by officially documented required capabilities, then by optional capabilities and a small bonus for confirmed low-budget options. Unknown capabilities receive no points and are not treated as unsupported. Coverage does not guarantee availability on your chosen plan. Equal scores are ordered alphabetically. See the tool directory for dated sources.

All assumptions

These values are informed estimates, not verified prices. We'll update them as we collect real quotes.

Uncertainty of screen-based UI estimates

Word density per screen varies a lot (a settings page vs. an onboarding flow), and screen counts are rough guesses. Enter your exact word count to remove this uncertainty.

Uncertainty of page and article estimates

Page and article lengths vary. Long-form landing pages or tutorials can be several times longer than average.

Legal pages word count

A typical SaaS terms of service, privacy policy, and cookie policy together. DPAs, SLAs, and enterprise contracts would add more.

Share of app UI that changes each month

Includes new features, copy edits, and new error messages. Teams that run many experiments or redesigns will be at the high end or above.

Share of other content that changes each month

Marketing pages and help articles are updated less predictably than the product. New blog posts are not included.

Minimum charge per language, per order

Many agencies and freelancers charge a minimum fee per language for small orders. Actual minimums vary widely by vendor, and some platforms have none.

In-house review discount (hybrid only)

If a teammate reviews AI drafts, you mostly pay for light post-editing instead of a full professional review. We don't know how much of their time you'd count as a cost, so this is a rough guess. Applied only to the languages you have native speakers for.

Localization tool subscription

Unverified planning budget bands, not checked vendor prices. Vendors price by seats, keys, or hosted words, so your actual plan may differ. Open-source tools can be self-hosted for free.

Tool plan boundaries (hosted words)

Hypothetical model boundaries, not verified vendor plan limits. Real limits differ by vendor and are often based on keys or seats rather than words.

What this model doesn't cover

• Project management fees some agencies add on top of per-word rates
• Localized images, video, audio, or screenshots
• Engineering for a multilingual marketing site (routing, hreflang, CMS setup)
• Legal review by local counsel, or market-specific compliance work
• Localized customer support and sales
• Taxes and currency conversion