Why is the pricing so complicated?
Short answer: it depends on which plan you are on.
Locize offers two fundamentally different pricing models. If you are on a fixed plan, pricing is straightforward - a flat monthly fee with defined limits, just like any other SaaS tool. If you are on the usage-based plan, there are more moving parts, but once you understand the three metrics it quickly becomes predictable.
Fixed plans - simple and predictable
On a fixed plan, your monthly bill is just your subscription price. No metering, no variable charges, no surprises. You get a defined set of limits (words, languages, downloads, and more) and that is what you pay - month in, month out.
| Plan | Price/mo | Words | Languages | Std. CDN downloads |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | Free | 1,000 | 2 | 10,000 |
| Starter | $7 | 5,000 | 5 | 500,000 |
| Starter-Plus | $19 | 10,000 | 7 | 1,000,000 |
| Growth | $49 | 20,000 | 10 | 3,000,000 |
| Professional | $99 | 50,000 | 20 | 5,000,000 |
| Professional-Plus | $149 | 70,000 | 30 | 7,000,000 |
| Enterprise | $199 | 100,000 | 150 | 10,000,000 |
Full feature comparison on the pricing page.
What happens if you exceed your limits?
Fixed plans have hard monthly limits. When you get close, you have two options:
- Buy overage blocks - for Standard CDN downloads, you can purchase additional blocks on demand after receiving an email reminder.
For the Enterprise plan you can also buy overage blocks for words.
Block pricing is tiered: the more you have already bought, the lower the per-block cost. - Upgrade your plan - if you are consistently bumping against limits, moving up a tier is the cleaner long-term choice.
Pro CDN downloads and private downloads on fixed plans are charged automatically per use at the overage rates - no manual purchasing needed. The Free plan is the exception: instead of charging overages for standard downloads, it automatically unpublishes translations when the limit is reached.
See full overage block pricing on the pricing page under "Overages and Top-Ups on Fixed Plans".
Usage-based plan - pay for what you use
The usage-based plan has no fixed limits. Instead, you pay a small monthly base fee ($5.00/mo) and are billed for three usage metrics each month. This is where it gets a little more involved - but it is still predictable once you understand the mechanics.
You are charged on your monthly subscription date.
What you are billed for
Counted across all languages.
Calculated by splitting text by spaces and newlines (examples).
Done via UI, API, or CLI.
Counted even for empty values.
Per file/namespace, not per word.
Standard CDN has a generous 1,000,000/month free quota.
All unit prices decrease as usage increases - see tiered rates on the pricing page.
Other optional billable items: AI Tokens, MT Characters, private downloads, SAML SSO, Backups.
Why these three metrics?
- Words - reflects storage cost (how much content you are keeping alive in the system)
- Modifications - reflects processing cost (how actively you are editing and publishing)
- Downloads - reflects CDN cost (how often your app fetches translations, including private downloads)
These are the actual cost drivers on the infrastructure side. Charging for them means small, low-traffic projects pay very little while high-volume projects pay proportionally - rather than everyone paying for the same ceiling.
Worked example
A team with 3 languages and ~3,000 words per language (~200 keys at ~15 words/key), using 2 namespaces and Pro CDN for delivery. All prices in USD.
Words are counted across all languages: 3,000 x 3 = 9,000 total. Downloads are per namespace request: 2 namespaces x 30,000 app loads = 60,000 downloads/month.
Modifications and downloads are free for the full 14-day trial. Words are billed - so it is a great time to import your existing translations.
- Words:9,000 x $0.0040 = $36.00
- Modifications:600free
- Pro CDN Downloads:1,800free
- Base fee: $5.00
App is live with typical CDN traffic and only a handful of translation edits.
- Words:9,000 x $0.0040 = $36.00
- Modifications:10 x $0.0200 = $0.20
- Pro CDN Downloads:60,000 x $0.0001 = $6.00
- Base fee: $5.00
Added a new language, cleaned up outdated keys. Slight increase in words and modifications.
- Words:10,000 x $0.0040 = $40.00
- Modifications:250 x $0.0200 = $5.00
- Pro CDN Downloads:60,000 x $0.0001 = $6.00
- Base fee: $5.00
Which plan is right for me?
- You want a predictable monthly invoice
- Your project size is stable and well-defined
- You prefer setting a budget ceiling up front
- You are a small team or just getting started
- Your usage varies significantly month to month
- You need unlimited languages, users, or namespaces from day one
- You want costs to automatically scale down during quiet periods
- You run multiple projects with very different workloads
Both models start with a 14-day free trial with full feature access - no credit card required. You can switch between models at any time.
If anything is still unclear, share your expected setup - languages, namespaces, CI/CD workflow, CDN traffic - and we can help you estimate a realistic monthly cost. Reach out any time.