Tolgee vs Lokalise
Open-source in-context editing against a cloud TMS built for product teams.
Tolgee is often described as an open-source alternative to Lokalise, and the comparison is fair on many features: both have translation memory, glossaries, QA checks, screenshots, machine translation and AI, a CLI and SDKs. Where they differ is in licensing and deployment, and in the way translators interact with your product.
Tolgee’s core is open source under Apache-2.0 and you can run it yourself with Docker or use Tolgee Cloud. Its signature feature is in-context editing in the running app. Lokalise is a closed, cloud-only platform with deeper workflow tooling, repository sync with GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket and Azure Repos, and integrations with tools like Figma, Jira and Contentful.
At a glance
Choose Tolgee if you want open source, the option to self-host and in-context editing for a JavaScript or mobile app. Choose Lokalise if you want a managed platform with repository sync, broad integrations and first-class support for formats such as Laravel PHP files.
Tolgee vs Lokalise, side by side
How the two platforms differ on the questions that decide most evaluations.
| Aspect | Tolgee | Lokalise |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting | Tolgee Cloud, or self-hosted with Docker; self-hosting is free for open-source use | Cloud only; on-premises and private cloud are not offered |
| Open source | Apache-2.0 core, with enterprise features under a separate Tolgee licence | Closed platform; open-source CLI. Free for open-source non-profit projects |
| Pricing model | Cloud plans driven by hosted words, with unlimited seats on current plans and MT credits; free cloud plan | Tiered plans driven by words, seats, projects and usage; free trial |
| How translations reach production | CLI push and pull, or Content Delivery to a CDN; no native git sync yet | Git sync opens pull requests; CLI and API; OTA SDKs for iOS, Android and Flutter |
| Integrations | SDKs for React, Angular, Vue, Svelte, Next.js, i18next, Flutter, Android and iOS; Figma plugin; browser extension | GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Azure Repos, Figma, Jira, Contentful, Webflow, WordPress |
| Machine translation & AI | Google, Amazon, DeepL and Azure, plus Tolgee’s AI translator | Google Translate and DeepL, plus Lokalise AI with glossary and style-guide awareness |
| Best for | JavaScript and mobile teams that want open source and in-context editing | Product teams that want a managed TMS with repository sync |
Hosting
Tolgee: Tolgee Cloud, or self-hosted with Docker; self-hosting is free for open-source use
Lokalise: Cloud only; on-premises and private cloud are not offered
Open source
Tolgee: Apache-2.0 core, with enterprise features under a separate Tolgee licence
Lokalise: Closed platform; open-source CLI. Free for open-source non-profit projects
Pricing model
Tolgee: Cloud plans driven by hosted words, with unlimited seats on current plans and MT credits; free cloud plan
Lokalise: Tiered plans driven by words, seats, projects and usage; free trial
How translations reach production
Tolgee: CLI push and pull, or Content Delivery to a CDN; no native git sync yet
Lokalise: Git sync opens pull requests; CLI and API; OTA SDKs for iOS, Android and Flutter
Integrations
Tolgee: SDKs for React, Angular, Vue, Svelte, Next.js, i18next, Flutter, Android and iOS; Figma plugin; browser extension
Lokalise: GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Azure Repos, Figma, Jira, Contentful, Webflow, WordPress
Machine translation & AI
Tolgee: Google, Amazon, DeepL and Azure, plus Tolgee’s AI translator
Lokalise: Google Translate and DeepL, plus Lokalise AI with glossary and style-guide awareness
Best for
Tolgee: JavaScript and mobile teams that want open source and in-context editing
Lokalise: Product teams that want a managed TMS with repository sync
Where they really differ
In-context editing
Both platforms offer in-context editing, but Tolgee builds its whole experience around it. With the Tolgee SDK in development, or its browser extension in production, you hold Alt or Option and click any text to translate it in place. Lokalise offers in-context editing too, and links screenshots to keys automatically through text recognition, which helps translators who work in the editor rather than in the app. If translators and product managers are going to correct copy while looking at the live product, Tolgee’s approach is the more direct one.
Owning your data and infrastructure
Tolgee can run on your own infrastructure, which matters for regulated industries or teams that simply prefer to own their tooling. Its Apache-2.0 core is free to use; enterprise features are licensed separately. Lokalise states plainly that it does not offer on-premises or private cloud deployments. In exchange you get a fully managed service with nothing to operate or upgrade.
Fitting into your repository
Lokalise opens pull requests in GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket and Azure Repos, so translations arrive as reviewable changes. Tolgee does not have native git sync yet; it is on its roadmap. You can script the Tolgee CLI into CI to push and pull files, or skip the repository and serve translations from Tolgee’s Content Delivery CDN. File formats matter here too: Lokalise supports Laravel PHP lang files as a named format, while Tolgee has no PHP array format.
Machine translation and AI
Tolgee supports Google, Amazon, DeepL and Azure machine translation plus its own AI translator, paid for with MT credits on the cloud or through your own provider keys. Lokalise uses Google Translate and DeepL for standard suggestions, and its AI translation can take your glossary, style guide and screenshots into account and score its own output, with an AI-driven quality assessment task for review. Teams on a tight budget can keep Tolgee’s MT costs on their own provider accounts.
Choose Tolgee if…
- You want an open-source platform and the option to self-host.
- Your front end uses React, Vue, Angular, Svelte, Next.js or i18next.
- In-context editing on the real product is a priority.
- You want a free cloud plan with unlimited seats on current plans.
Choose Lokalise if…
- You want translations delivered as pull requests into your repository.
- You localize a Laravel app and need its PHP files supported as a named format.
- You rely on Jira, Contentful, Webflow or WordPress integrations.
- You want a managed platform with no infrastructure to run.
Frequently asked questions
A third option · this is our product
If you are a Laravel team, consider LangSyncer
Tolgee and Lokalise both serve many stacks, and neither puts Laravel at the centre. If yours is a Laravel app, LangSyncer works with your existing lang files and __() calls, translates with GPT or DeepL in one click, finds hardcoded strings with a built-in code scanner, and publishes changes to production without a deploy. It is fully managed, so there is nothing to host.