Smartling
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Smartling does
Smartling is a privately held language service and technology provider founded in 2009 and headquartered in New York. The company operates a cloud-native, AI-powered translation management system (TMS) that combines machine translation, LLM-based AI, and human translator workflows into a single orchestration platform. Its core product portfolio includes the TMS, LanguageAI™ (a proprietary AI orchestration system with hallucination mitigation and tone enforcement), an AI Hub that routes content across 20+ LLMs and MT engines, an LQA Agent for AI quality evaluation, the Global Delivery Network (GDN) for automated content delivery, Translation Proxy for website localization, and professional translation services from a network of 4,000+ vetted linguists. The platform supports 50+ pre-built integrations across CMS, CRM, marketing automation, code repository, and cloud storage systems.
Smartling generates revenue through three streams: tiered SaaS subscriptions (Core and Enterprise plans billed annually with volume-based discounts), usage-based AI Translation pricing starting at $0.005 per word, and per-word or per-project professional (human) translation services. The go-to-market is enterprise-led with high-touch field sales, dedicated customer success managers, and self-service inside-sales for mid-market buyers. Customer segments span marketing teams, web/digital experience teams, software/mobile developers, localization program teams, and verticals including healthcare (HIPAA/HITRUST-certified), eCommerce/retail, and regulated industries. Named enterprise customers include Lyft, Therabody, DoorDash, IHG Hotels & Resorts, Reddit, Pinterest, HubSpot, Classpass, Secret Escapes, Gemini, Talkdesk, and Umbra.
The company is venture-backed, having raised approximately $223 million cumulatively across multiple rounds, including a $160 million round led by Battery Ventures in December 2021 earmarked for workforce expansion and AI product development. Smartling has executed two acquisitions (VerbalizeIt and Jargon in 2016) and maintains a comprehensive compliance posture (SOC 2 Type II, ISO 27001, ISO 17100, ISO 9001, ISO 13485, HIPAA, HITRUST CSF, PCI DSS Level 1, GDPR). Leadership includes CEO Bryan Murphy, CFO Frank Miele, VP of Product Andrew Saxe, VP of Engineering Max Sogin, VP of AI and Machine Translation Olga Beregovaya, and Director of Brand Strategy Adrian Cohn. The company employs 101-250 people and operates as Smartling, Inc., incorporated in Delaware.
Smartling firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Smartling
- Legal name
- Smartling, Inc.
- Website
- https://smartling.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Smartling industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Translation Management Software
- NAICS
- Translation and Interpretation Services (541930), Translation and Interpretation Services (54193), Software Publishers (513210), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518210)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Machine Translation & Multilingual NLP (HDAAADAD)
Keywords
Where Smartling is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Smartling business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- SaaS Subscription (TMS Platform): Tiered SaaS subscription model with Core and Enterprise plans. Core plan covers foundational translation management needs; Enterprise plan adds full capabilities, advanced automation, and all integrations. Billing is annual or multi-year with volume-based discounts. Payment is non-cancelable per subscription term.
- Professional Translation Services: Human translation from a network of 4,000+ vetted professional linguists. Offered as a managed service complement to the AI/MT platform, with project management and quality guarantees (98+ MQM). Billed per word or per project based on service type.
- AI Translation Services: LLM-powered and neural machine translation services with usage-based pricing starting at $0.005 per word. AI post-editing and quality estimation services are included in workflows. Provides 70% average cost savings in the first year versus traditional human translation.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Core Plan — Foundational TMS capabilities for teams getting started with translation management |
| Subscription | Annual | Enterprise Plan — Full capabilities, all integrations, and advanced automation for large-scale localization |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | AI Translation — Usage-based pricing starting at $0.005 per word |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Professional (Human) Translation — Per-word or per-project pricing through Smartling's linguist network |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels9 records
Smartling product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Smartling provides a cloud-native, AI-powered translation management platform that combines machine translation, large language models, and human translator workflows to help enterprises localize digital content at scale. The platform includes a Global Delivery Network, professional translation services, and quality assurance tooling for marketing, product, legal, and support content across web, mobile, and document formats.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Translation Management System (TMS)
- AI Hub
- LanguageAI
- Global Delivery Network (GDN)
- Professional Translation Services
- LQA Agent
- Smartling Translate
- Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) Tool
Quantifiable outcome
- 70% average cost savings in the first year
- +8 more outcomes
Companies that use Smartling
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments8 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Smartling technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration16 records
AI capability4 records
Feature9 records
Smartling partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators15 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Smartling competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Phrase: Phrase is a cloud-based translation management system and localization platform serving enterprise and mid-market customers with similar TMS, workflow automation and developer-oriented integrations. It is named directly in Smartling's own competitor comparison pages, making it one of the closest head-to-head rivals in the same product category.
- Lokalise: Lokalise is a developer-first TMS that competes with Smartling in software/app localization, offering overlapping integration libraries and tiered SaaS plans aimed at product and engineering teams. It is explicitly named in Smartling's competitive comparison content, indicating direct competition for similar enterprise and mid-market buyers.
- Crowdin: Crowdin is a cloud translation management and localization platform that competes in the same SMB-to-enterprise TMS category as Smartling, with deep CMS and developer-tool integrations. It is referenced by Smartling as a direct competitor and overlaps heavily on automation, integrations, and per-seat/per-word pricing models.
- XTM International: XTM International provides a cloud-based translation management system with workflow automation, MT integration and enterprise-grade localization features. It is named directly on Smartling's comparison pages and serves a similar enterprise buyer with comparable TMS, AI, and integration capabilities.
- memoQ: memoQ is an established CAT-tool and TMS vendor offering translation memory, terminology management and workflow features that overlap directly with Smartling's Translator Tools and TMS products. It competes for the same localization program managers and serves enterprise localization teams with similar core functionality.
Broad incumbents
- TransPerfect: TransPerfect is one of the largest language service providers globally, offering managed translation, interpretation, and its own TMS technology. It is a named Smartling competitor and competes for the same enterprise localization RFPs, but with a much broader service portfolio that extends well beyond software-only TMS.
- Lionbridge: Lionbridge is a major global language service provider offering translation, localization, AI services and proprietary technology platforms. It competes with Smartling on enterprise localization engagements and has far larger language service delivery operations, while also fielding its own TMS-adjacent technologies.
- RWS Group: RWS is a large, publicly listed language services and intellectual property company that owns SDL Trados, the long-established TMS/CAT platform. It competes with Smartling both as an LSP and through Trados in the TMS layer, giving it a broader portfolio spanning services, technology, and IP solutions.
- Welocalize: Welocalize is a global language service provider offering managed translation, localization, and AI-enabled content services with proprietary technology. It competes with Smartling on enterprise localization programs, particularly where buyers want a combination of platform and large-scale human delivery.
Emerging players
- DeepL: DeepL is a neural machine translation provider whose high-quality MT engine competes at the engine layer that Smartling's AI Hub wraps. It is increasingly selling into enterprise localization buyers (and adding workflow features), making it a partial competitor at the translation quality and pricing axis of Smartling's value proposition.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Smartling social profiles
Digital presenceSmartling compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance9 records
Smartling financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Smartling leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Smartling funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds7 records
Investors13 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Smartling M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A2 records
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Smartling
What does Smartling do?
Smartling provides a cloud-native, AI-powered translation management platform that combines machine translation, large language models, and human translator workflows to help enterprises localize digital content at scale. The platform includes a Global Delivery Network, professional translation services, and quality assurance tooling for marketing, product, legal, and support content across web, mobile, and document formats.
Is Smartling a public or private company?
Smartling is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Smartling founded?
Smartling was founded in 2009. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Smartling based?
Smartling is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Smartling make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. SaaS Subscription (TMS Platform) is the primary driver. The others are professional Translation Services and AI Translation Services.
Who are Smartling's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Phrase, Lokalise, Crowdin, XTM International and memoQ. Broad incumbents are TransPerfect, Lionbridge, RWS Group and Welocalize. DeepL is listed as an emerging player.
Does Smartling have an API?
Yes. Smartling provides open APIs, SDKs, and professional services for custom setups. API integrations using access tokens may need to re-authenticate during maintenance windows. Customers can integrate Smartling directly into their CI/CD pipeline for continuous deployment. Developer documentation is at status.smartling.com.
What industry is Smartling in?
Smartling's product category is Translation Management Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAAADAD, Machine Translation & Multilingual NLP. Its NAICS code is 541930 and its SIC code is 7372.