Comvi vs Lokalise
Lokalise is an enterprise localization platform. Comvi is a developer-first TMS with its own i18n library. The honest difference is scale — and what you pay before you reach it.
If you only read one block, read this
- Choose Lokalise if you're an enterprise localization team: SSO, QA automation, branching, agency workflows, and mobile OTA SDKs for iOS/Android app-store-free updates.
- Choose Comvi if you're a developer or product team that wants a TMS with a free tier, translation memory that isn't paywalled, an MIT i18n library included, and web copy that updates without a redeploy.
- Lokalise starts at $144/month (annual) with no free plan, and translation memory is not included on the entry tier. Comvi has a free tier; paid plans start at $14/month with TM and MT included.
- These products overlap in the middle but aim at different buyers. Most teams under ~20 people are paying Lokalise for capacity they don't use.
01 What each one is
Lokalise is one of the largest localization platforms: collaborative editing, review, translation memory, glossaries, QA automation, machine translation and LLM features, integrations with GitHub/GitLab/Bitbucket, a CLI, and over-the-air SDKs for mobile. In 2026 it bills by processed words plus advanced seats: Explorer $144/mo (5 seats, 60K words/yr), Growth $499/mo, Advanced $999/mo, Enterprise custom (annual billing; basic translator seats are unlimited). There is no free plan — a 14-day trial only.
Comvi is a translation management platform built by developers for product teams: editor with review workflow, organization-wide translation memory, glossaries, machine translation (classical + LLM with 3-level AI context), REST API, webhooks, CLI, and edge CDN delivery. It ships with its own MIT-licensedi18n library (React, Vue, Svelte, Solid, Next.js, Nuxt) — though the platform exports plain JSON for any runtime. Free tier included; paid plans from $14/month.
02 Side by side
| Capability | Lokalise | Comvi |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | $144/mo (annual), no free plan | Free tier; paid from $14/mo |
| Billing model | Processed words per year + advanced seats | Flat plans with MT/AI credits |
| Translation memory | Not on Explorer — included from Growth ($499/mo) | Included on every plan, organization-wide |
| Machine translation | Standard MT on all plans (word-capped); Pro AI gated by tier | Google, DeepL, Amazon, Azure + OpenAI/Anthropic with AI context |
| Review workflow & roles | Yes — deep, incl. custom roles and agencies | Yes — review states, roles & permissions |
| CLI / API / webhooks | Yes (API rate-limited to 6 req/s on all plans) | Yes — CLI push/pull/typegen, REST API, webhooks |
| OTA delivery | Mobile-focused OTA SDKs (iOS, Android, Flutter, React Native), bandwidth-tiered | Web-focused edge CDN — publish and it's live, no deploy |
| Own i18n runtime library | — bring your own (i18next, next-intl, …) | MIT ICU library, ≤10 kB, 6 framework bindings, typed keys |
| Typed translation keys from the TMS | — | CLI typegen + real-time type updates during dev |
| In-context editing | Web in-context editor (LiveJS) | In-context editor on live previews |
| Enterprise (SSO, QA automation, branching) | Yes — core strength | Not the focus today |
| Hosting | Cloud | EU-hosted, GDPR compliant |
lokalise pricing verified july 2026 (annual billing); plans and gating change — check lokalise.com/pricing for current terms
03 When Lokalise is the right call
- You run a localization department. Dozens of translators, external agencies, QA automation, branching, SSO — Lokalise is built for exactly this.
- Mobile OTA is the requirement. Updating iOS/Android copy without an app-store release via their OTA SDKs is a mature, proven flow.
- You need the integration catalog. Design tools, ticketing, marketing platforms — the breadth is hard to match.
04 When Comvi is the right call
- You're a product team, not a localization department. A handful of languages, developers plus a translator or two — you need the workflow, not the enterprise layer.
- $144/month before translation memory stings. Comvi includes TM and MT on every plan, starting free.
- You want the runtime and the TMS to be one system. Typed keys generated from the platform, an ICU library maintained by the same team, and an in-context editor that writes back — no glue code between three vendors.
- Web copy should ship instantly. Publish → edge CDN → live. No word-metered billing anxiety on top.
05 Migrating from Lokalise
Export your projects from Lokalise as JSON (if you only have XLIFF, convert it to JSON first) andimport them into Comvi — keys, translations, and languages come across, and the import guide covers conflict resolution and how statuses are assigned. Point your runtime at Comvi's CDN or pull files in CI, run both in parallel for a sprint, then switch the workflow over.