The Best Translation Management System Reviewed For 2025

AuthorXTM Content Team

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With hundreds of Translation Management Software options on the market, it can be difficult to determine which system is right for you. Understanding the pros and cons of each is essential because all TMS solutions provide different business values depending on your unique requirements and goals.

This article will help you cut through the noise to make an informed choice.

There are two main types of translation management software:

The main type of TMS includes functionalities to help with the act of translation, together with light-touch project management tools. These are now collectively known as TMS.
The second type has project management at its core, with related functionalities and services stemming from this. Market research and consultant company Nimdzi refers to these as translation business management systems. Want to see our list of the best translation business management systems?

This article will look at the top-of-the-range translation management solutions in each category, highlighting the best options based on needs.

The Best Translation Management System Software For 2025

Are you searching for a suite of translation management solutions to manage all aspects of the localization process?

Do you need a central location to manage all your translation projects, assets, automation, and workflows?

Do you want to save time and resources?

Do you need to improve consistency and accuracy?

The good news is you can do all of these things while increasing the connections across your tech stack without sacrificing security or control.

The solutions outlined in this guide will help you evaluate the best TMS for your organization that will drive results to deliver localization efficiencies across your business.

For The Best Translation Efficiency For Enterprise Users: XTM Cloud

XTM Cloud has focused on bolstering translation efficiencies through improved translation memory (TM) leveraging, retrieving up to 30% more TM matches than the industry standard.

“The improvements in localization quality and productivity brought about by the implementation of XTM Cloud were key,” said Alex Katsambas, FARFETCH’s Senior Head of Localization Services, when he was asked about the improvements XTM made to the efficiency of the company’s services.

With XTM Cloud TMS, you can achieve a single source of truth, enter new markets faster, connect to your favorite tools via XTM’s vast integration options, and fully automate localization processes.

“XTM Cloud forms a big global ecosystem of seamlessly connected accounts to which thousands of users connect daily,” said Vincent Rigal, Acolad’s CAT Tools Product Owner. “Overall, the result is better quality with fewer resources.”

In today’s fast-paced world, global businesses thrive on efficiency and speed. If your organization wants to experience content delivery on a global scale without friction, our ready-to-deploy connectors allow users to integrate with platforms such as:

Adobe Commerce
Zendesk
HubSpot
Figma
Asana
BigCommerce
Magento
Storyblok
Shopify
And more!

The C-suite will undoubtedly be interested in the cost savings and streamlined delivery this offers.

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The Best For Leveraging Visual Context Without Changing Code: Rigi.io

Rigi is a powerful localization tool that improves your software translations because it provides visual previews of the interface.

With this visual context, your linguists can work independently and your reviewers can get instant clarity on the context of the translations. As a bonus for your developers, everything can be done with no code.

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Clients report a reduction in translation errors by 50%, a 70% decrease in translator inquiries, and a 90% reduction in the effort required by development teams.

Save yourself up to 95% of the time you have traditionally needed to generate multilingual translations.

Other Translation Management Systems (With CAT Tools)

These full-service translation management solutions focus on the translation process itself. They incorporate technology that allows translators to translate more efficiently, such as a computer-assisted translation (CAT) tool, alongside traditional TMS offerings.

Many full-service TMSs started as CAT tools, before adding on some project management features, while others began as TMSs and either built or bought CAT functionalities.

CAT tools focus on speeding up the translation process and ensuring consistency across projects. Choosing a TMS that incorporates CAT tool technology can be a cost-effective option as a one-stop-shop since both project managers and translators need to only use and learn one system, rather than a CAT tool and a project management tool.

However, PM functionality can be limited and there are often greater efficiencies to be found by combining two platforms.

Below we’ve summarized other translation management system options for different needs.

For Developers: Crowdin

Crowdin focuses on localizing software, apps, websites, and games. Software developers in particular rate its ability to facilitate the translation process, including the possibility to use Crowdin language services or its marketplace to source translators, rather than having to organize their translation team.

For Versatility: Phrase (Formerly Memsource)

In 2021 Memsource acquired Phrase, a software localization platform, becoming one of the largest players in the field, with software that’s seen as a great all-rounder. Users appreciate its versatility and intuitive interface.

For Continuous Localization: Transifex

Another popular website localization tool is Transifex as it integrates with common developer tools and offers version control. What’s more, Transifex enables you to implement website changes without the need to involve developers, which helps make continuous localization a reality.

For Translator Familiarity: Trados

An early CAT tool that’s stood the test of time, Trados is a translation technology stalwart. It’s now owned by one of the largest global language service providers, RWS, and is reportedly used by more translation professionals than any other tool on the market. The upshot? Translators are likely to be familiar and comfortable with using the system.

For Translator Preference: memoQ

MemoQ is another TMS that has evolved from a traditional CAT tool. But while Trados may have a greater market share, it seems that memoQ may be in line for a translator’s choice award, with the results of Nimdzi’s 2022 TMS Survey showing that, alongside Memsource (now Phrase), memoQ has both the highest number of positive experience responses and the lowest numbers of negative experience responses.

For Ease of Use: Lokalise

Rated easiest TMS to use on G2, Lokalise also focuses on software localization, with developers and translators alike commending its proficiency in text generation and quality assurance.

For Localization Newbies: Smartcat

Rated easiest TMS to use on G2, Lokalise also focuses on software localization, with developers and translators alike commending its proficiency in text generation and quality assurance.

For Quick Setup: Smartling

If you want to get up and running straight away without any training, then Smartling may be a sensible choice. It boasts a user-friendly interface that makes it quick and easy to upload content to be translated.

For Customer Service: GlobalLink

Owned by large language service provider TransPerfect, GlobalLink puts customer support front and center, with users appreciating how the company works with them to achieve their goals and solve their problems.

How to Choose the Best Translation Management Software for Your Organization

As we’ve discussed, there’s no single ‘best’ translation management tool – it’s about finding the right fit for your organization, based on the centralization of your language assets, the amount of translated content you currently have, and your need for automation to help improve the speed with which your business can enter new markets. Each translation tool offers unique strengths, so choosing the ideal solution depends on how well it aligns with these priorities.

So how do you narrow it down?

Consider size and scalability: are you a boutique agency or do you need an enterprise solution? And don’t forget to take into account your future growth plans.
Similarly, look at the pricing models and make sure you’re aware of the cost of any add-on services or additional licenses.
Check the TMS you choose works well with your field of work and any particular requirements you may have such as file types or specific workflows.
Weigh up the features and functionalities on offer; what can you live without, and what will save you a heap of time and money?
And finally, know whether you need online translation management software (cloud-based) or an on-premises option and make sure your chosen system fulfills those requirements, as some tools only offer either on-premises or online.

Once you’ve pulled together a shortlist of appropriate systems, take the time to try them out. Most will offer a free trial or demo so you can see the software in action. And be sure to see what your colleagues have to say. Ask around and read the reviews.

We recommend independent review sites such as G2, Capterra, Sourceforge and Software Advice, and for industry updates, check out Nimdzi, Slator and Multilingual.