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Why is the pricing so complicated?

We know the pricing can feel confusing at first. It’s designed to reflect actual usage across very different project sizes and workflows (manual translation, MT/AI, CI/CD, CDN traffic, etc.). Once you map the units to what you do day-to-day, it usually becomes predictable.

You’re charged on your monthly subscription date.

What you’re billed for

1) Words

You pay for words stored in the version (usually latest) that contains the most words.

  • Counted across all languages
  • Calculated by splitting text by spaces and newlines
    (word count examples)

2) Modifications

A modification is any translation (key/value) that is:

  • added, updated, deleted
  • imported or copied
  • done via UI, API, or CLI
  • counted even for empty values

3) Downloads

A download is each translation file request served by the locize CDN.

Unit prices decrease as your usage increases. See the detailed tiers on the pricing page.

Worked example

Assumptions used below (for easy math):

  • 3 languages
  • 3,000 words per language
  • ~15 words per key (so 3,000 words ≈ 200 keys per language)
  • 2 namespaces
  • Price points shown are illustrative (as used in the original example)

During the trial

Words

  • 3,000 words × 3 languages = 9,000 words
  • 9,000 × 0.004 = $36.00

Modifications

  • 9,000 words / 15 words per key ≈ 600 keys
  • 600 × 0.02 = $12.00 → free during trial = $0

Downloads

  • 2 namespaces × 3 languages × 300 downloads = 1,800 downloads
  • 1,800 × 0.0001 = $0.18 → free during trial = $0

Base fee

  • $5.00

Total during trial (example)

  • $36.00 + $0 + $0 + $5.00 = $41.00

Tip: Importing your existing translations during the trial is often ideal because the generated modifications are free during the trial period.
The trial ends after 14 days or as soon as you subscribe.

First month (typical “production traffic + small edits”)

You keep the same content and fix a few typos.

Words

  • 9,000 × 0.004 = $36.00

Modifications

  • 10 updated keys = 10 modifications
  • 10 × 0.02 = $0.20

Downloads

  • 2 namespaces × 3 languages × 10,000 downloads = 60,000 downloads
  • 60,000 × 0.0001 = $6.00

Base fee

  • $5.00

Total first month (example)

  • $36.00 + $0.20 + $6.00 + $5.00 = $47.20

Second month (add a language + remove old keys)

You remove some content and add one new language.

Words

  • You end up with 2,500 words × 4 languages = 10,000 words
  • 10,000 × 0.004 = $40.00

Modifications

  • Removals: 30 removed keys × 3 languages = 90 modifications
  • New language: 160 added keys × 1 language = 160 modifications
  • Total: 250 × 0.02 = $5.00

Downloads

  • (same traffic assumption) 60,000 × 0.0001 = $6.00

Base fee

  • $5.00

Total second month (example)

  • $40.00 + $5.00 + $6.00 + $5.00 = $56.00

Why these metrics?

As described on the pricing page, billing is based on real usage and correlates with infrastructure costs:

  • Words → storage cost
  • Modifications → storage transaction + processing cost
  • Downloads → CDN cost
    (including advanced cases like private downloads)

If anything still feels unclear, share your expected setup (languages, namespaces, CI/CD, CDN usage), and we can help you estimate the typical monthly range.