Linguana vs Crowdin: file sync or build-time localization?

Crowdin is a localization platform used by a very large number of companies and open-source projects. It syncs your resource files, gives translators an editor with translation memory, glossaries, and AI, and connects to hundreds of other tools. Linguana focuses on one job: taking a web app into more languages without changing how you write it. This comparison is for teams choosing between the two.

The short version#

Crowdin is broad. It handles many file formats and platforms, has a vendor marketplace and community translation, offers a free program for open-source projects, and lists more than 700 apps and integrations in its store. If localization is a program with many contributors and many surfaces, that breadth is the point.

Linguana is narrow on purpose. If you ship a web app, its compiler finds the text in your components at build time, so there are no keys, no resource files, and no sync. Your team reviews translations and publishes a release when it is ready; if something is wrong, you restore the previous release.

How does Crowdin work?#

Crowdin works with the files your i18n library already uses. A crowdin.yml file maps your source files to their translations. crowdin upload sends source files, and crowdin download brings translations back. The CLI caches unchanged files and supports machine-readable output for CI.

The GitHub integration automates that loop. Crowdin reads source files from your repository, then pushes translations to a service branch (prefixed l10n_ by default) and opens a pull request for you to review and merge. Sync runs hourly by default; you can trigger it manually or change the schedule.

Inside Crowdin, translators and proofreaders work in an online editor with AI, translation memory, and machine-translation suggestions. Crowdin AI includes OpenAI, Google Gemini, and Mistral, with more providers in the store; you can bring your own keys or let Crowdin bill you, with spend caps and usage logs.

Your web app still needs an i18n library. Crowdin's own React guide uses i18next, with keys and t() calls.

How does Linguana work?#

Linguana's Vite plugin, or @linguanahq/next for Next.js, runs a compiler during your build. It finds user-facing text, including attributes like title, placeholder, aria-label, and alt, and skips code, URLs, ids, and classes. Source files are never modified.

Each build uploads its text. Someone starts a translation run after seeing its cost; AI translates using your context profile and glossary, and translation memory reuses earlier work at no new charge. Your team reviews and edits, then publishes a release. The app loads the published catalog and falls back to the source text.

Do you still need keys and t() calls?#

With Crowdin, yes, because Crowdin manages files, not code. Keys and the library that reads them stay in your app.

With Linguana, static text needs no wrapper at all:

import { useTranslation } from "react-i18next";

export function Hero() {
  const { t } = useTranslation("home");
  return <h1>{t("hero.title")}</h1>;
}

// locales/en/home.json
{ "hero": { "title": "Plan your next trip" } }

export function Hero() {
  return <h1>Plan your next trip</h1>;
}

Text with values or links uses explicit APIs: t(source, values) with the sentence itself, and a <T> component for links and emphasis. See the dynamic text guide.

What happens between "translated" and "live"?#

With Crowdin's GitHub integration, translations arrive as pull requests. That gives developers a familiar review step, and Git history doubles as a record of what changed. It also means translation updates compete with code changes for review and deploys, and a bad translation needs a revert and another deploy. Crowdin also offers over-the-air distributions, which can deliver translations without a deploy.

Linguana treats releases as their own thing. Publication is manual by default, each release is an immutable catalog version, and restoring an earlier one changes what the app loads without deleting anything. Editing a translation creates a new version; it never changes what is live.

Pricing compared#

Crowdin prices its plans on two main dials: hosted words and manager seats. Hosted words are your source words multiplied by the number of target languages, so adding a language raises your count even if no text changed. Crowdin has a free plan, a free Open Source program, 14-day trials for paid plans, and add-ons such as managed machine translation and a translation CDN. Check Crowdin's pricing page for current plan prices.

Linguana charges for new translation work only:

Stored text and reused translations are not billed. Each run shows its cost before it starts, and a run that would exceed your monthly limit does not start. The pricing page has an estimator.

Where Crowdin is the better choice#

• Open-source projects. Crowdin's free Open Source program and community translation are hard to beat for volunteer-driven projects.
• Human translation at scale. Proofreading workflows, a vendor marketplace, and Crowdin Language Services cover work that Linguana leaves to your own team.
• Beyond the web. Crowdin handles mobile apps, documentation, and many resource file formats. Linguana supports web apps only.
• AI provider choice. Crowdin lets you pick providers and bring your own keys. Linguana manages translation for you.
• Integrations. If your workflow depends on a specific tool, Crowdin's store probably has it.

Switching from Crowdin to Linguana#

For a web app, the switch mostly removes things:

You can also hand the setup to an AI coding agent with the prompt in the agent setup guide. It never starts paid translation or publishes anything on its own.