The Smartcat free plan: what it includes and how it compares to paid plans

Smartcat offers a free plan, also called the Forever Free plan, that lets you use Smartcat at no cost, with no time limit. The free plan also provides access to the core platform: the CAT editor, Translation Memory, glossaries, and the Marketplace. You keep unlimited users, pr…

Overview

Smartcat offers a free plan, also called the Forever Free plan, that lets you use Smartcat at no cost, with no time limit. The free plan also provides access to the core platform: the CAT editor, Translation Memory, glossaries, and the Marketplace. You keep unlimited users, projects, and languages.

The free plan is built for individuals and small teams who want to translate real content without committing to a subscription. As your translation volume grows or you need higher-tier capabilities, you move to a paid plan without losing the work, resources, or settings you already have. This article explains what the free plan includes and what requires a paid subscription.

When to use it

• You want to try Smartcat on real content before deciding on a paid plan

• You translate occasionally and stay within the free Smartwords allocation

• You are an individual or a small organization managing your own translations

• You want to use the free, initial Smartword allocation to evaluate the CAT editor, Translation Memory, and glossary workflow at no cost

📌 The initial Smartword allocation is a one-time allocation for free trials. The allocation expires after 14 days.

What the free plan includes

The free plan covers the essentials you need to translate and manage content in Smartcat.

• Smartwords allocation — a starting balance of Smartwords to spend on AI translation

• AI translation across a wide range of languages

• CAT editor — full access to the cloud-based editor for translating and reviewing content

• Translation Memory — unlimited storage, so your past translations are reused automatically

• Glossaries — store and apply approved terminology across your projects

• Project creation — create and manage your own translation projects

• File format support — common formats including DOCX, XLSX, PPTX, and more

• Marketplace access — order translation services from vendors (prepayment mode)

• Unlimited users — pricing does not depend on the number of seats

• Unlimited projects and languages

What requires a paid plan

Paid plans build on the free plan. You keep everything above and gain higher volume, more AI Co-workers, more content types, and stronger support. Pricing is not seat-based — the main variables are your annual Smartwords volume and the number of AI Co-workers, which determine the content types you can work with.

• Higher Smartwords volume — paid plans scale annual Smartwords volume by tier

• More AI Co-workers — unlocking more content types such as video, website, and course translation

• Advanced AI workflow automation — translation rules, AI Co-workers, and bulk processing

• Reduced Marketplace commission — see the comparison table below

• Pay-as-you-go Marketplace access — available on higher tiers

• Multiple workspaces — available on higher tiers

• Assignment Templates — activated automatically when you move to any paid plan

• Priority support — free plan users receive standard support; paid plans include priority or dedicated support

• Advanced reporting — detailed analytics on higher tiers

• Full integration hub access — for connecting to CMS, TMS, and other platforms

• SSO and enterprise security controls — available on paid plans

• Downloading files from archived projects — requires any paid plan

FAQs

Is the free plan really free forever?

Yes. The free plan has no time limit. It gives you an initial Smartword allocation and access to the core platform at no cost.

Do I need a credit card to sign up?

No. You create a free Smartcat account without entering payment information.

What happens when I run out of free Smartwords?

You purchase additional Smartwords or upgrade to a paid plan to keep using AI translation. Your projects, Translation Memory, and glossaries stay in place.

Do I lose my work if I upgrade?

No. Upgrading to a paid plan keeps your existing projects, users, linguistic resources, and settings. You gain higher volume and additional capabilities on top. Note: downloading files from archived projects requires a paid subscription — see Why was my project archived, and how do I access it? for details on the archiving timeline.

Can I upgrade at any time?

Yes. You upgrade to a paid plan at any time from your account settings.

Can I delete my free trial account?