Switch from
Smartling to XTM

XTM gives growing businesses the freedom to scale on their own terms. With Smartling, you’re tied to a closed ecosystem that limits choice and locks your content behind vendor services and a restrictive proxy system. That means less flexibility, higher costs, and reduced control over your own localisation strategy.

XTM Cloud takes a different approach. You choose the translation partners that fit each project, manage every workflow in one platform, and retain complete ownership of your content. No vendor lock-in, no hidden restrictions—just the independence to run localisation the way your business needs, with the flexibility to grow without compromise.

With XTM, you gain a scalable platform that adapts to your business—not the other way around.

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Trusted by teams at over 1,000 of the world’s leading organizations
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The results only XTM can deliver

Whether you’re a localization manager, marketer, or product team, we streamline the entire process—saving time, reducing costs, and boosting quality

125%

increase in translation quality

40%

cost savings on external vendors

90%

faster time-to-market

Why businesses migrate from Smartling to XTM

Choose your own translation providers

XTM lets you work with any LSP. Smartling locks you into their services, limiting flexibility and driving up costs.

Full visual context, no guesswork

SmartContext shows translations in real layouts — from HTML and XML to InDesign and video. Smartling’s basic previews can’t match that clarity.

AI across the full workflow

XTM applies AI throughout your process — scoring quality, flagging compliance issues and routing tasks smartly. Smartling’s AI is limited to editing suggestions.

Deployment that fits your business

XTM offers public cloud, private hosting or on-prem. Smartling’s SaaS-only setup doesn’t meet the needs of regulated industries or teams with strict data policies.

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“Smartling seemed perfect during demos, but we ran into problems everywhere when we tried to grow. Their proxy system meant we never truly controlled our content. XTM returned that control to us.”

Global technology company

“We couldn't see what was happening with our content anymore. Smartling controlled everything and we couldn't change workflows when our requirements became more complicated.”

Enterprise marketing director

“The vendor lock-in was what made us leave. We wanted to work with specialists for technical content but Smartling wouldn’t allow it. XTM works with whoever we pick.”

Localisation operations manager

Feature comparison: XTM vs Smartling

XTM
Smartling
Feature
Feature
Vendor choice
Vendor choice
Work with any language service provider
Must use Smartling's translation services
Visual previews
Visual previews
Full context for HTML, XML, InDesign, video, and forty-plus formats
Basic web previews only
AI capabilities
AI capabilities
Language Guard, Intelligent Score, Smart Workflow across entire pipeline
AI limited to machine translation optimisation
Deployment options
Deployment options
Public cloud, private cloud, on-premises
Software as a service only
Workflow customisation
Workflow customisation
Fully configurable with logic and branching
Step-based workflows, no customisation
Content ownership
Content ownership
You own and control all content
Content hosted on Smartling's proxy
Translation memory
Translation memory
Concept-based matching with real-time updates
Basic translation memory with limited flexibility
Pricing transparency
Pricing transparency
Fixed licensing tiers, clear add-on costs
Custom pricing tied to service usage
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Actual Smartling user feedback from G2

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“Good interface, but lack of workflow flexibility hurt us when we tried to scale.”
Verified G2 reviewer, enterprise company
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“Marketing-friendly but struggled with complicated workflows.”
Verified G2 reviewer, mid-market company
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“Great editor but felt restricted on customisation options.”
G2 review summary, 2024

How XTM fixes Smartling’s main problems

Vendor lock-in creates dependency

Smartling bundles their translation services with their platform. This removes your ability to negotiate or work with specialists. You’re stuck with their rates and delivery times. XTM connects with any translation provider. This gives you bargaining power and choice.

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Integration

Proxy system limits control and growth

Smartling hosts your content on their proxy servers. This means you don’t really own your localised content. It creates security worries, limits customisation options and makes complex integrations hard. XTM gives you complete content ownership and control.

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Limited AI that doesn’t grow with you

Smartling’s AI features focus on machine translation improvements without addressing workflow bottlenecks or quality checks. XTM’s AI works across your entire translation process. It handles everything from risk detection to automatic routing decisions.

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SaaS-only deployment creates compliance barriers

Smartling only offers cloud-based software as a service. This doesn’t work for regulated industries or companies with strict data residency requirements. XTM’s flexible deployment options meet any security standard.

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Why XTM works better for growing teams

XTM empowers teams to work on their terms. Choose the translation partners that best fit each project, rather than being limited to a single provider. SmartContext provides true visual localisation across more content types than basic web previews, ensuring accuracy and context. AI-driven automation enhances every step of your workflow—not just machine translation—while flexible deployment options, including public cloud, private cloud, or on-premises, let you meet any security or compliance requirement.

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Ready to take back control?

XTM gives you the vendor freedom, visual localisation and intelligent automation that growing teams need. Book a consultation to see how XTM can get you out of Smartling and reduce your localisation costs.

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FAQs

How long does it take to switch from Smartling?

Most customers take 4-6 weeks to migrate. XTM provides dedicated migration support including translation memory export help, workflow design guidance and team training. We’ll help you break free from vendor restrictions and set up your chosen translation partners.

What makes XTM’s visual features better than Smartling’s?

XTM’s SmartContext provides full visual previews for HTML, XML, InDesign, video and forty-plus file formats. Smartling only does basic web page previews. This prevents layout issues, reduces revision cycles and helps translators understand context without guessing.

Does XTM support the same integrations as Smartling?

XTM connects with over forty content management systems, design tools and marketing platforms. Smartling focuses on web proxy integration. XTM gives you more control over how content flows through your localisation process.

How is XTM’s AI different from Smartling’s?

XTM uses AI across your entire translation process. Language Guard handles compliance, Intelligent Score provides quality assessment and Smart Workflow manages automation. Smartling only uses AI for machine translation optimisation without broader process intelligence or quality control.

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Reuse translations with ease

Learn how XTM’s Term Base Builder and Memory Builder, Smart Leverage and Language guard can transform your business and help your team translate faster. 

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Launch global content up to 90% faster with XTM

Manage translations at enterprise scale with less stress and more speed – all powered by AI. Try XTM Cloud free for 30 days (no credit card required) and experience faster, smarter localization firsthand.

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Human-quality translations at scale

Our AI-powered translations sound like you, combining speed with context-aware accuracy.

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