Crowdin

Crowdin Overview

Crowdin is a cloud localization platform for software and content teams, strongest in developer workflow integration — native GitHub/GitLab sync, in-context editors, and an open API.

How Crowdin Works

Crowdin connects to your repositories and design tools, syncing strings bidirectionally: developers push source files, translators work in a web editor with in-context previews, and finished translations return as pull requests. Its marketplace offers 600+ apps including every major MT engine, and translation memory + terminology are shared across projects by default.

Key Capabilities

• Native GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket sync with PR-based workflows
• In-context preview for web, iOS, Android, and desktop apps
• 600+ integrations and apps marketplace (Figma, Zendesk, Contentful...)
• Crowdin AI: MT engine selection and on-the-fly TM tuning
• Open API and CLI for full automation; OTA content delivery for mobile apps

Best Use Cases

• Developer-led software localization (the strongest dev workflow of any TMS)
• Open-source projects (free for OSS)
• Mobile app localization with over-the-air string updates
• Design-content localization via Figma integration

Crowdin Pricing

Free for open-source. Paid plans: Starter $50/month (2 seats), Growth $190/month (5 seats, more languages), Enterprise custom with SSO and dedicated infrastructure. Costs scale with seats; translators on community projects are free.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Crowdin free for open source?

Yes — open-source projects get Crowdin's full platform free, including unlimited translators, which is why many OSS projects run on it.

Crowdin vs Phrase — which is better?

For developer-centric teams, Crowdin: native Git sync, PR workflows, lower entry price. For enterprise vendor management and regulated workflows, Phrase: deeper TMS features, SLA tooling, Language AI. Both have free trials — map your workflow to each.

Can Crowdin translate automatically?

Yes — connect any MT engine (Google, DeepL, Azure, or Crowdin AI which picks per language pair) and pre-translate strings; human reviewers then edit in the in-context editor. TM matches fill repeats automatically.

Verdict

Crowdin is the developer's localization platform: if your workflow lives in Git, nothing integrates more naturally. It matches Phrase in core capability at lower entry pricing, with a genuinely generous open-source tier. Less suited to heavily document-centric localization (Trados territory) or non-technical teams that need vendor management out of the box.