Tooling up for localization? Check out this comparison of the top tools for teams working in Figma.

As a team working on UX, it's very likely you're using Figma as your main design tool. And while it's great for designing interfaces and user flows, managing all of your copy can be a bit tricky. There's no built-in way to manage different versions of your text, so working on text components in Figma can get messy fast.

Yes, UX writing or CMS tools that integrate with Figma can help with managing your microcopy when you've only got one language on your hands. But when you're handling several languages, you need a tool that can handle localization as well. And that's a much bigger challenge.

But there's good news, too. Localization teams have really been spoiled for choice in past years. There are dozens of new-age localization tools out there, with a lot of them designed to fit within a product design cycle. In fact, the Figma plugin store is overflowing with plugins created to help you handle design-stage localization without losing your mind. Using these plugins, you can pull your text into your tool, get it translated, and push the translations back into Figma - all without ever messing with your design environment.

But with all of these options, it can be hard to decide which tool is the best fit for your team. What's a localization team to do?

Worry not. I went over some of the more popular localization tools on the market so you don't have to. Check out this comparison to see the features their plugins offer, how much they cost, and what else you can use them for. Some of these can also integrate with other tools and environments. You can use the filters on the localization tools page for a more detailed comparison.

Why use a Figma plugin for localization, anyway?

There are a number of reasons to use a localization plugin for Figma. Perhaps the most obvious reason is to easily send text content from Figma to be translated into multiple languages. By using a plugin, you can save time and hassle by not having to export and import files every time you need to update your translations.

These plugins also allow you to quickly create localized designs - either with actual copy or pseudo translations. If you're working on a design that will be used in multiple countries, it can be helpful to have a tool that can automatically generate versions of your prototype in different languages. This way, you don't have to manually copy and paste texts to create each version yourself.

Plus, using a Figma plugin can really improve communication with other people in the product team. Using a plugin, people can access the most up-to-date versions of the text and design, which can help avoid confusion and mistakes. You can even use screenshots or Figma prototypes as visual context and help your translators make better decisions.

So, without further ado, let's take a look at some of the best Figma plugins for localization.

Crowdin

The Crowdin plugin for Figma

This is one of the most popular localization tools on the market. It's a cloud-based tool that helps you manage your translations and get them done quickly and efficiently. The CrowdIn Figma plugin lets you pull your text into Crowdin, get it translated, and push the translations back into Figma. The plugin was installed over 2,000 times and has been recently updated by the Crowdin team.

What can you do with the Crowdin plugin for Figma?

• Pull texts from Figma screens into Crowdin for translation

• Push localized texts back into Figma for preview

• Automatically pull screenshots from your Figma environment

• Add existing strings to new screens and designs in Figma

• Manage placeholder tags to make it easier for developers

• Automatically generate key names based on predefined patterns

What's missing?

• Can't mark untranslatable strings

• Can't add pseudo-translations to your design

• Can't see which strings were previously translated or deleted

Does Crowdin have a trial plan?

Yes. Crowdin's free plan lets you have unlimited public projects with up to 60,000 words total. Note that any translations you upload on the free plan will be uploaded to Crowdin's public translation memory - so that may not be a good option long-term. But it's a great way to give the interface a try and see if it'll work for you and your team.

How much does Crowdin cost?

Crowdin offers 3 paid plans: A Pro plan starting at $40/month (billed annually), a Team plan starting at $140/month (billed annually), and an Enterprise plan priced individually.

Lokalise

The Lokalise plugin for Figma

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Lokalise is a localization tool that helps you streamline your translation process and manage your translations all in one place. The Lokalise Figma plugin lets you quickly add translated content to your Figma designs without having to go back and forth with your team members or doing tiresome manual work. The plugin was installed by over 6,000 people and has been recently updated by the Lokalise team.

What can you do with the Lokalise plugin for Figma?

• Pull texts from Figma screens into Lokalise for translation

• Push texts from Figma to Lokalise for translation

• Automatically generate key names based on predefined patterns

• Match Figma texts with existing Lokalise keys and their respective translations

• Automatically pull screenshots from your Figma environment

• Set character limits for strings in Figma

• Manage plural and singular versions of strings in Figma

What's missing?

• Can't mark untranslatable strings

• Can't automatically view and remove deleted texts from your project

Does Loaklise have a trial plan?

Yes. All Lokalise plans have a free 14-day trial. This means you can cancel your plan anytime in the first 14 days and you won't be charged. There's no credit card required, so there's really no risk at all. You can try the Lokalise plugin and see for yourself.

How much does Lokalise cost?

Lokalise offers 4 paid plans: A Start plan at $120/month (billed annually), an Essential plan at $230/month (billed annually), and a Pro plan at $585/month. There's also an Enterprise plan priced individually.

POEditor

The POEditor plugin for Figma

The POEditor Figma plugin lets you create new projects directly within Figma, or work with projects which already exist in POEditor. You can also send texts from Figma files to POEditor translation projects and fetch translations from POEditor to Figma.

What can you do with the POEditor plugin for Figma?

• Create new projects or work with existing POEditor projects directly from Figma

• Send texts from Figma to POEditor for translation

• Import translated texts from POEditor back into Figma for preview

• Use the text layer ID from Figma to identify each key

• View terms deleted in Figma and remove them from your POEditor project

What's missing?

• Can't batch together several instances of a string

• Can't add pseudo-translations to your design

• Can't automatically view and remove deleted texts from your project

• Can't generate placeholders or tags to support developers

Does POEditor have a trial plan?

Yes. You can create a project and use POEditor for free for 10 days, no credit card required. During that time, you can translate up to 30,000 strings. After the 10 days are over, your account will be transferred to the free plan, which allows you to translate 1000 strings with unlimited contributors, projects, and languages.

How much does POEditor cost?

POEditor offers 4 paid plans:

A Start plan at $14/month, a Plus plan at $44/month, a Premium plan at $119/month, and an Enterprise plan at $199/month. If you're looking to localize an open-source project, they'll give you unlimited strings for free.

Textunited

The Textunited plugin for Figma

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Textunited is an end-to-end translation platform that allows your team to work together to create multilingual digital content. Using the Textunited Figma plugin, you can add translated content to your Figma designs or machine-translate your entire design with just a few clicks. The plugin is maintained with the most recent version released in September 2021.

What can you do with the Textunited plugin for Figma?

• Send texts from Figma to Textunited for translation

• Machine-translate texts automatically or have texts translated by the Textunited translation team

• Apply translated texts from Textunited back into Figma for preview

What's missing?

• Can't automatically generate key names based on a set pattern

• Can't pull screenshots from the Figma file into Textunited

Does Textunited have a trial plan?

Yes. Textunited has a free plan you can use to translate up to 1000 words. They also offer a 14-day trial on all paid plans, which means you can give your plan of choice a try and see if it's a good fit.

How much does Textunited cost?

Textunited offers 3 paid plans:

A Basic plan at €60/month, an Essential plan at €210/month, and a Custom plan with individual pricing. The Figma plugin is only available for users on the Essential plan and up.

Smartling

The Smartling plugin for Figma

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The Smartling plugin for Figma seamlessly connects your designers with Smartling’s translation management system in just one click. You can submit prototypes and get professional, machine, or pseudo translation. Then, use the translated content to see what your localized environment will look like before you go live. Note that the Smartling plugin for Figma only works on the Figma desktop app.

What can you do with the Smartling plugin for Figma?

• Automatically pull screenshots into Smartling for your translators

• Submit copy for professional, human translation, or machine translation

• Generate pseudo translation to get an idea of how your product will look when translated

• Turn untranslatable text into placeholders

• Edit key IDs within the plugin

• Automatically exclude strings that only contain numbers or symbols

What's missing?

• Can only be used on the Figma desktop app

• Can't automatically create specific key IDs based on a predefined pattern

• Can't apply translated copy with one click (though this can be done using JSON file import)

Does Smartling have a trial plan?

No. Smartling doesn't offer a trial plan or free tier. Customers need to go through a sales rep to sign up and get access to the platform.

How much does Smartling cost?

Smartling offers 2 paid plans: A Growth plan and an Enterprise plan. Prices aren't available on the Smartling website, and can only be accessed through a sales rep. However, customers can sign up to see a demo of the platform.

Transifex

The Transifex plugin for Figma

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Transifex is a cloud-based translation management system that allows you to manage and translate your digital content with ease. The Transifex Figma plugin seamlessly integrates the two platforms, allowing you to submit copy for translation, preview localized designs and boost collaboration between designers and translators. This Plugin is priced separately, and can be purchased through Transifex support.

What can you do with the Transifex plugin for Figma?

• Submit copy for translation

• Apply translated copy to preview localized designs

• Automatically pull screenshots from Figma into Transifex

• Manually remove unneeded strings as you sync copy to Transifex

What's missing?

• Can't automatically generate key names based on a set pattern

• Can't generate placeholders or tags to support developers

Does Transifex have a trial plan?

Yes. Transifex has a 15-day free trial plan - no credit card required. Customers can also sign up through support to see a personalized demo.

How much does Transifex cost?

Smartling offers 3 paid plans: A Basic plan starting at $70/month, a Premium plan starting at $105/month, and an Enterprise plan with individual pricing. Note that you'll have to pay separately for the Figma plugin.

Localazy

The Localazy plugin for Figma

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Localazy is a continuous localization platform and web-based translation management system (TMS) that set out to make the localization experience efficient and enjoyable. It's meant for anyone, from individuals to large teams. We did a detailed review of the Localazy plugin for Figma here.

What can you do with the Localazy plugin for Figma?

• Automatically pull screenshots into Localazy for your translators

• Submit copy for professional human translation or machine translation

• Continuously upload new copy for translation ("auto-pilot")

• Generate backlinks to Figma to use your prototype as visual context

• Push localized copy into Figma for preview

• Use the text layer ID from Figma to identify each key

What's missing?

• Can't edit key IDs within the plugin, or generate specific key IDs based on a predefined pattern

• Can't set specific pieces of text as placeholders or tags

• Can't automatically view and remove deleted texts from your project

Does Localazy have a trial plan?

Yes. Localazy offers a 7-day free trial on all plans - no credit card required. They also offer a free tier with 200 source keys, which you can use to give the tool a try.

How much does Localazy cost?

Localazy offers 4 paid plans: A Professional plan at $9/month, an Autopilot plan at $49/month, an Agency plan at $99/month, and an Enterprise plan with individual pricing.

Lilt

The Lilt plugin for Figma

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Lilt offers end-to-end language services and technology for global organizations. They work with professional translators and an in-house service team to help companies do content localization at scale. Using the Figma plugin, companies can translate and test out designs in every language.

What can you do with the Lilt plugin for Figma?

• Send Figma copy for human or machine translation at Lilt

• Push localized copy into Figma for preview

• Pull texts from any translation memory in your Lilt account

• See the translation status of each piece of copy in Figma

What's missing?

• Can't add pseudo-translations to your design

• Can't pull screenshots into Lilt for translators

• Can't set or edit key IDs from Figma based on a set pattern

• Can't set specific pieces of text as placeholders or tags

Does Lilt have a trial plan?

No. Lilt does not offer subscriptions, and therefore does not have a trial plan. However, their services are priced per-word, and so clients can start with a small project to test them out. Clients can also schedule a live personalized demo.

How much does Lilt cost?

Lilt users pay by word, with prices depending on the type of service (machine vs. human), language, and many other factors.

Smartcat

The Smartcat plugin for Figma

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Smartcat is a solution allowing companies to tap into a global marketplace of freelancers and professionals. Their built-in translation management system helps companies create automated workflows and manage large and small localization projects with ease. The Smartcat plugin for Figma makes access to Smartcat translators even faster.

What can you do with the Smartcat plugin for Figma?

• Send texts from Figma to Textunited for translation

• Get human or machine translation at Smartcat

• View localized versions of the copy quickly in Figma

What's missing?

• Can't pull screenshots from the Figma file into Smartcat

• Can't set or edit key IDs from Figma based on a set pattern

• Can't set specific pieces of text as placeholders or tags

Does Smartcat have a trial plan?

No, but it does have a free tier. The free Smartcat tier offers a lot of robust capabilities, on top of 10,000 translatable words. It's a great way to give Smartcat a try and see if it'll work for you.

How much does Smartcat cost?

On top of its free tier, Smartcat has 3 paid plans: A Rise plan at $249/month, a Unite plan at $549/month, and an Enterprise plan with individual pricing. The Figma plugin is available on all plans.

Phrase

The Phrase plugin for Figma

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Phrase’s translation management system enables teams to efficiently handle design, writing, and development, and create a great user experience anywhere. Their Figma plugin is designed to overcome communication barriers between the product and translation teams, and build a bridge that'll streamline localization work.

What can you do with the Phrase plugin for Figma?

• Pull texts from Figma screens into Phrase for translation

• Push localized texts back into Figma for preview

• Send copy for machine or human translation within Phrase

• Generate key names based on layer names in Figma, and edit key names directly in the plugin

• Clearly see which strings were already sent to Phrase

• Automatically pull screenshots from your Figma environment

• Connect several instances of a string and set one instance as a source of truth

What's missing?

• Can't manage placeholder tags to make it easier for developers

• Can't automatically generate key names based on predefined patterns

• Can't use pseudo-translations in your design

Does Phrase have a trial plan?

Yes. Phrase offers a 14-day free trial on all plans - no credit card required. The trial plan doesn't limit strings, words, or languages, so you can really play around with it quite a bit. There's also the option to book a personalized demo.

How much does Phrase cost?

Phrase has 3 paid plans: A Basic plan at $23/month, an Advanced plan at $35/month, and an Enterprise plan with individual pricing. Note that these prices are per user, but the Advanced plan requires customers to subscribe at least 5 users, while the Enterprise plan is only available for 10 users and up.

These tools all offer translation management systems that can help streamline your localization process. Depending on your needs, one of these solutions may be a better fit for you than the others. Almost all of them offer free tiers or trial plans to get you started, so it's worth giving them all a try to see which one works best for you. Happy localizing!