Locize
Locize is a Swiss-built, developer-first localization management platform that delivers translations via CDN as the native backend for the i18next framework, serving individual developers, SaaS teams, and enterprises such as ZKB, ABB, and Swiss Red Cross with continuous, no-redeploy localization.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersZürich, Switzerland
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Locize does
Locize is a localization and translation management platform operated by inweso GmbH, a privately held Swiss company headquartered in Altnau, Switzerland, and bootstrapped with no disclosed external funding. The company is built and maintained by the same team that created i18next, the most widely used JavaScript internationalization framework, and Locize functions as its native translation backend via the official i18next-locize-backend plugin. The platform connects source code and i18n setups to translators through CLI/CI sync, a dedicated translator UI, and runtime delivery via CDN (BunnyCDN Standard or AWS CloudFront Pro) plus REST API, enabling continuous localization updates without application redeploys.
The product surface spans translation memory, glossaries, styleguides, version management (up to 30 versions per project), multi-tenant overrides for SaaS teams, structured review workflows with role-based access and audit trails, EU AI Act Article 50 provenance export, in-context editing, and an MCP server that integrates with AI coding assistants (Claude, Cursor, VS Code). AI and machine translation are layered through multiple providers (OpenAI, Gemini, Mistral AI, DeepL, Google Translate, Lara, MyMemory) under a BYOK model, supplemented by a managed Locize AI service (Gemini) and an MT service (Google Translate). Data is hosted on AWS Ireland for EU/Swiss compliance, with PCI DSS, GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA, ISO 27001, and FISMA Moderate postures inherited via the AWS stack.
The business model is product-led growth with zero sales headcount, a 14-day full-feature trial without credit card, a permanent free tier, and transparent flat-rate paid subscription plans augmented by usage-based billing on Pro CDN downloads and AI/MT consumption. Customers range from individual developers and open-source projects to enterprises such as ZKB, ABB, and Swiss Red Cross, with a long tail of mid-market logos across SaaS, e-commerce, gaming, and industrial sectors. Marketing and distribution run entirely through public documentation, SEO, the i18next ecosystem community, and multi-language site presence in English, German, French, and Italian.
Locize firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Locize
- Legal name
- inweso GmbH
- Website
- https://locize.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Locize is a Swiss-built, developer-first localization management platform that delivers translations via CDN as the native backend for the i18next framework, serving individual developers, SaaS teams, and enterprises such as ZKB, ABB, and Swiss Red Cross with continuous, no-redeploy localization.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Locize industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Translation Management Software
- NAICS
- Translation and Interpretation Services (541930), Software Publishers (513210), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (5182)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Multilingual/Translation Communication Apps (BPAMACAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Machine Translation & Multilingual NLP (HDAAADAD)
Keywords
Where Locize is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Zürich
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Locize business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations
Revenue model
- Subscription SaaS (flat-rate tiers): Flat monthly pricing tiers (Free, and paid plans) with clear limits on projects, languages, users, and namespaces. No per-seat or per-word surprises. Paid tiers unlock additional features such as branching, SSO, audit log, and tenants.
- CDN usage-based billing: Usage-based component tied to CDN download volume. Private namespace downloads billed at a higher rate than standard or Pro CDN downloads. On-demand pricing for Pro CDN.
- AI/MT translation consumption: AI translation services may incur additional cost depending on the provider and plan tier. Locize AI service uses Gemini; MT service uses Google Translate. Customers can also bring their own API keys (BYOK) for OpenAI, Gemini, Mistral, DeepL, and other providers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free (forever) plan with core features |
| Subscription | Monthly | Paid plans (Growth, Professional, Enterprise) |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Pro CDN (AWS CloudFront) usage-based |
| Freemium | Monthly | Standard CDN (BunnyCDN) free tier |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
Locize product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Locize is a localization and translation management platform built by the creators of i18next that connects code/i18n setup with translators, delivering translation updates continuously via CDN without requiring app redeployment. It supports 150+ languages, 30 version snapshots, multi-tenant overrides, and integrates with any i18n library, web/mobile framework, CI/CD pipeline, and AI coding assistants via MCP.
Product overview
Locize is a localization and translation management platform (TMS) built by the creators of i18next, offering a unified platform for continuous localization. The core product combines the Locize Platform with the Locize CDN for runtime translation delivery without redeployment, the Locize API for programmatic access, and integrated workflow tools (Review Workflow, Translation Memory, Glossary, Styleguide, Quality Estimation). The platform supports 150+ languages and 30 versions with multi-tenant capabilities for SaaS teams. AI-powered features include the Locize AI Service (Gemini), Locize MT Service (Google Translate), and Automatic Translation supporting multiple providers (OpenAI, Gemini, Mistral AI, DeepL, MyMemory, Lara). The Locize MCP Server enables AI assistant integration with Claude, Cursor, and VS Code. Infrastructure options include Standard CDN (BunnyCDN) for public content and Pro CDN (AWS CloudFront) for private downloads with advanced caching.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Locize Platform Core SaaS localization and translation management platform that connects code and i18n setup with translators, delivering translation updates continuously via CDN without blocking application releases. Built by the creators of i18next and serving individual developers, SMBs, and enterprises globally.
- Locize Standard CDN (BunnyCDN) Standard CDN infrastructure powered by BunnyCDN for serving public translation files at runtime, providing a generous free monthly download allowance for public websites, SPAs, and open source projects.
- Locize Pro CDN (AWS CloudFront) Professional CDN infrastructure powered by AWS CloudFront, supporting private downloads with API key authentication, customizable caching policies, and automatic published namespace backups for production applications.
- Locize AI Service AI-powered automatic translation service powered by Gemini (Google Cloud AI), providing machine translation without requiring users to bring their own API key.
- Locize MT Service Machine translation service powered by Google Translate, providing automatic translation without requiring users to bring their own API key.
Quantifiable outcome
- Translation updates delivered continuously via CDN without blocking releases
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Locize
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Locize technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration33 records
AI capability3 records
Feature11 records
Locize partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.
- i18next (MeloCommerce GmbH)corei18next is the world's most widely used JavaScript internationalization framework (millions of weekly npm downloads). Locize is built by the creators of i18next and serves as the native translation backend. This deep integration is the foundational moat of Locize's product. i18next and Locize share the same development team.
- AWS (Amazon Web Services)coreAWS hosts all Locize production data, email delivery (Amazon SES), and powers the Pro CDN via AWS CloudFront. Primary infrastructure provider. Data is hosted on AWS Ireland. AWS maintains PCI DSS Level 1, ISO 27001, FISMA Moderate, HIPAA, and SAS 70 Type II certifications.
- BunnyCDN (Bunny.net)coreBunnyCDN powers the Standard CDN (new default for all new projects), which is free for a generous monthly download allowance. Also used for encrypted disaster-recovery storage snapshots of translation namespaces and project configurations. BunnyCDN is EU-based (Slovenia).
- Google (Translate, Gemini, CloudFront)majorGoogle provides multiple services: Google Translate (MT translation engine), Gemini (AI translation via Locize AI service), and YouTube (hosting demo videos). Google Cloud AI processing is subject to Google's privacy policies and data protection terms.
- DeepLmajorDeepL is one of the AI/MT translation providers available as an option within Locize's automatic translation workflow. Customers can bring their own API keys for DeepL.
- OpenAImajorOpenAI (GPT models) is one of the BYOK AI providers available in Locize's automatic translation workflow. Customers can configure their own OpenAI API key for AI-powered translations.
- StripemajorStripe is Locize's billing gateway. Credit card information is stored exclusively on Stripe's database and never on Locize's own database. Personal information (name, email, VAT number) is stored on Stripe. Stripe operates globally including outside the EEA.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Locize competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Smartling: Enterprise-grade translation management platform offering TMS plus professional translation services. Overlaps with Locize on developer APIs and continuous localization but serves a more enterprise, services-heavy buyer with a global delivery organization.
- Google Cloud Translation: Foundation machine translation service that Locize integrates with (via MT/BYOK). Competes indirectly as an alternative to a full TMS — large enterprises can stitch Cloud Translation with their own workflows, threatening the value of a dedicated TMS layer.
- memoQ: Established translation environment combining CAT tools and TMS for professional translators and LSPs. Adjacent rather than direct competitor — overlaps on translation memory, glossary, and review workflows but targets a more agency/professional translator persona.
- DeepL: Premium machine translation provider offered as a translation engine within Locize. As DeepL expands its own workflow and API product surface (DeepL API, glossary, formality controls), it competes more directly with TMS workflow features beyond raw translation.
Direct peers
- Phrase: Enterprise TMS offering developer APIs, CLI, GitHub integrations, and automation workflows similar to Locize's CI/CD approach. Targets the same mid-market and enterprise engineering buyer with a more sales-led motion.
- Weglot: Website-focused translation solution that combines machine translation with a translation management UI and CDN-based delivery. Competes for the same continuous localization and CDN delivery value proposition, especially for SMB and marketing-led websites.
- POEditor: Translation management platform with developer-friendly API, CLI, and file-format support similar to Locize. Targets a similar SMB and developer persona at lower price points, with comparable continuous localization features.
- Lokalise: Developer-focused translation management system with similar CLI/API/CI/CD integration patterns, in-context editing, and SaaS pricing. Directly competes for the same i18n-driven developer buyer and has raised venture capital to scale sales-led GTM.
- Crowdin: Cloud-based TMS with strong developer integrations (CLI, API, GitHub, GitLab, Figma), similar continuous localization positioning, and a large SMB to enterprise customer base. Competes head-to-head for engineering-led localization workflows.
- Transifex: Cloud TMS with developer-friendly APIs, CLI, and continuous localization features. Competes for the same developer persona and SaaS localization use cases, including AI-assisted translation.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Locize social profiles
Digital presenceLocize compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance8 records
Locize financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Locize leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Locize funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Locize M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Locize
What does Locize do?
Locize is a localization and translation management platform built by the creators of i18next that connects code/i18n setup with translators, delivering translation updates continuously via CDN without requiring app redeployment. It supports 150+ languages, 30 version snapshots, multi-tenant overrides, and integrates with any i18n library, web/mobile framework, CI/CD pipeline, and AI coding assistants via MCP.
Is Locize a public or private company?
Locize is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Locize founded?
Locize was founded in 2012. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Locize based?
Locize is headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does Locize make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Subscription SaaS (flat-rate tiers) is the primary driver. The others are CDN usage-based billing and AI/MT translation consumption.
Who are Locize's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Smartling, Google Cloud Translation, memoQ and DeepL. Direct peers are Phrase, Weglot, POEditor, Lokalise, Crowdin and Transifex.
Does Locize have an API?
Yes. Locize offers a REST API for integration and automation. The API supports syncing translation keys, fetching translations, triggering automatic translation, and managing namespaces. Available endpoints include adding missing translations, updating translations, and fetching private namespace resources. Authentication is via API keys or Personal Access Tokens. The API is documented at /docs/integration/api. Developer documentation is at www.locize.com/docs/integration/api.
What industry is Locize in?
Locize's product category is Translation Management Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMACAJ, Multilingual/Translation Communication Apps, with a secondary code of HDAAADAD, Machine Translation & Multilingual NLP. Its NAICS code is 541930 and its SIC code is 7372.