SaaS Localization Pricing
Compare per-word, per-string, and retainer pricing models for SaaS localization. Find the model that matches your release cadence, not your vendor's billing preference.
See why per-word fails ↓Each model makes trade-offs between predictability, flexibility, and alignment with continuous delivery. The right choice depends on your release cadence and string volume.
Pay the TMS vendor for the platform, pay the translation vendor per word. Double billing for overlapping functions. String updates charged as new work. No alignment with sprint cadence.
Works for documentation with a clear scope and deadline. Fails for product strings that change with every release. The more you iterate on your product, the more you pay.
Better alignment with product development than per-word. But all strings are treated equally: a 3-word button label costs the same as a 50-word tooltip. No quality differentiation between critical UI copy and internal strings. Limited flexibility for content type variations.
Simplifies budgeting compared to per-word, but does not solve the coordination, context, or delivery cadence problems. Still typically paired with a separate TMS fee.
Monthly retainer covers: dedicated team, sprint-aligned delivery, tool integration, and coordination. Variable component for actual volume. Strings flow from repo to translation to PR automatically. Same team learns your product context over years.
<60 seconds from request to production. No platform fees. No duplicate billing. No context-switching overhead. Predictable monthly cost with flexibility for launch surges.
The per-word rate is never the full cost. Platform fees, coordination time, and delivery gaps add up. Here is what the total picture looks like.
The typical stack: TMS license (annual fee) + translation vendor (per-word) + developer integration time + PM coordination time. Four cost lines for one outcome: translated strings in production.
With Kobalt: one partner handles translation, tool integration, and coordination. You keep your TMS if you want it, or we work directly with your repo. No forced platform. No duplicate billing.
One partner No platform fees No forced migrationPredictable monthly cost. Strings translated as they are merged, not batched. Same team who knows your product, no re-onboarding. Integration with your actual tools: GitHub, Slack, Phrase.
80,000+ requests per month across all clients. <60 seconds request-to-production. The retainer absorbs the natural rhythm of product development: quiet weeks and launch surges alike.
80K+ requests/month <60s to production Predictable costNo line-item surprises. No technology access fees. No rush surcharges. Everything your team needs to ship localized product continuously.
Same linguists who know your product, your UI patterns, and your users. Sprint-aligned delivery. Sub-minute response as standard. Your team builds product context over years, not months.
GitHub/GitLab PR workflow. Slack communication. Your TMS (Phrase, Lokalise, or none). No "technology access" fees. No forced platform migration. We plug into your stack, not the other way around.
<1% revision rate. Terminology management for product consistency. Performance reporting. Scalable for launch surges. ISO 9001 and ISO 17100 certified processes behind every string.
Get a proposal that scales with your release cadence.
Request a Custom Pricing ProposalA monthly retainer covers your dedicated linguistic team, sprint-aligned delivery, tool integration, and coordination. A variable component adjusts for actual string volume. You get predictable monthly costs instead of invoice surprises, and strings are translated as they are merged rather than batched. The same team learns your product context over years.
You choose. Kobalt integrates with your existing TMS (Phrase, Lokalise, Crowdin, or others) or works directly with your code repository via GitHub or GitLab PR workflows. There is no forced platform migration and no technology access fees. If your current TMS works, we plug into it. If you want to simplify, we can work without one.
Under the retainer model, string updates are part of the continuous delivery workflow. Changing one word in a UI string does not trigger a full re-translation charge. Your team iterates freely on product copy without worrying about translation cost inflation. The retainer accounts for the natural rhythm of product development.
Volume surges are handled within the retainer structure with a variable component for actual volume. Your dedicated team scales for launch periods because they already know your product context. There are no rush fees or emergency surcharges. Kobalt processes 80,000+ requests per month across all clients, so capacity is never the bottleneck.
Adding a new language adjusts the retainer to reflect the additional linguistic team and volume. There is no per-language platform fee or setup charge. The integration work (connecting your repo, TMS, or CI/CD pipeline) is done once and applies to all languages. Scaling to new markets is incremental, not exponential.
Yes. A pilot sprint typically runs 2 to 4 weeks with a defined scope of strings and languages. You see the full workflow: repo integration, translation delivery, PR merging, and quality. The pilot uses real product content so you can evaluate speed, quality, and team fit before any long-term commitment.
Under the retainer model, string updates are included in the continuous delivery workflow. You are not charged per word for updating a button label or revising a tooltip. This is the fundamental difference from per-word pricing: iteration is expected and accounted for, not penalized.
Share your tech stack, string volume, target languages, and release cadence. Kobalt delivers a transparent pricing proposal within 48 hours, structured for continuous delivery rather than batch translation. The proposal includes a breakdown of what is covered under the retainer and what falls under the variable component.
Tell us your tech stack, string volume, and release cadence. We will send you a transparent pricing proposal within 48 hours — structured for continuous delivery, not batch translation.
Prefer email? ricard@kobaltlanguages.com