Abstract
Smartling
| Feature | Abstract | Smartling |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | From $13/mo | Contact sales |
| Free Plan | ✗ No | ✗ No |
| Rating | 4 / 5 | 4.3 / 5 |
| Best For | design-teams, agencies, enterprise-design, product-teams | enterprise-companies, saas-companies, global-marketing-teams, content-teams |
| Founded | 2015 | 2009 |
| Version Control | ✓ | ✗ |
| Branching | ✓ | ✗ |
| Design Reviews | ✓ | ✗ |
| Collections | ✓ | ✗ |
| Inspect | ✓ | ✗ |
| Integrations | ✓ | ✗ |
| Neural Mt | ✗ | ✓ |
| Translation Memory | ✗ | ✓ |
| Visual Context | ✗ | ✓ |
| Quality Scores | ✗ | ✓ |
| Workflow Automation | ✗ | ✓ |
| Connector Integrations | ✗ | ✓ |
✓ Abstract Pros
- Version control for design
- Great for teams
- Design reviews
- Branching
✗ Abstract Cons
- Sketch-focused
- Expensive
- Steep learning curve
✓ Smartling Pros
- Hybrid human + AI translation
- Visual context for translators
- Excellent quality management
- Strong CMS and code integrations
✗ Smartling Cons
- Enterprise pricing (not transparent)
- Overkill for small projects
- Setup requires technical resources
The Verdict
Abstract is built for design teams and agencies, with a focus on version-control and branching. Smartling targets enterprise companies and saas companies and leads with neural-mt and translation-memory.
Smartling uses custom enterprise pricing, while Abstract starts at $13/mo — a tangible advantage for teams with a fixed budget.
Neither tool offers a free plan, so factor the subscription cost into your decision from the start.
Bottom line: Smartling has a slight overall edge — but if version control for design matters most to you, Abstract may still be the right call.