Localization · checked 2026-10-19Can I vibecode Tolgee Cloud?
KINDA· weekend project
The platform half is one sitting: keys and translations in SQLite, a table editor, machine translation with a glossary, and exporting files for the app. Tolgee's signature feature is editing text inside the running app, which means a client library that can tell which key produced which text on screen, and that needs real work for each framework you use. A weekend gets one framework working, and the maintained SDKs, Figma plugin and roles stay out of reach. Since the core is Apache-licensed and ships as a Docker image, self-hosting Tolgee itself is usually the cheaper route.
$79/moprice
$948you'd save a year
weekendbuild time
—people replaced it
What you need on hand.
DifficultyIntermediate · Some system setup or keys.
TimeA weekend; the in-app overlay needs the most tuning
- Claude Code, Codex or CursorAny of them can run the prompt.
- Node.js 22better-sqlite3 compiles a native module, so build tools must be installed.
- A DeepL or LLM API keyOnly for filling empty translations; the editor works without one.
- Your Tolgee exportA ZIP of JSON or XLIFF per language from the project's Export page.
Before you buildCheck Tolgee Free first: 30,000 hosted words and 3 seats cost nothing. Self-hosting the open-source core removes the word limit entirely.
- 1. Install one agent: Claude Code, Codex, Cursor.
- 2. Make an empty folder and open it in the agent.
- 3. Paste the prompt below, press enter, and answer its questions as it builds.
The prompt
Build me a translation hub with in-app editing to replace Tolgee Cloud. Requirements: - Node.js 22 + TypeScript: a Fastify server and a React UI built with Vite. `npm start` serves http://localhost:4710: the editor at / and the REST API under /api. - Storage: better-sqlite3 in ./data/hub.db: projects, languages, keys with namespace and tags, translations with a state (empty, machine, translated, reviewed), a history row for every edit, and glossary terms. Project API keys live in .env. - Editor: one row per key and a column per language; filters for untranslated, machine-translated and recently changed; edit inline and mark reviewed. Import and export JSON, XLIFF 1.2 and gettext .po per language. - Machine translation: DeepL (`deepl-node`) or any OpenAI-compatible endpoint from .env, sending the glossary and a project description with every request. Never overwrite a reviewed translation. - Client `hub-client.ts` (ESM, no dependencies besides `intl-messageformat`): `t(key, params)` loads one language from /api/translations/<lang>.json, caches it, formats ICU messages and falls back to the base language. Include a small React hook. - In-context editing, dev mode only: `t()` appends an invisible zero-width code for the key to its text; Alt+click on any text decodes it and opens a dialog that saves through the API and re-renders. - Delivery: after each approved change write ./delivery/<lang>.json atomically, ready for any static host or S3 sync. Add `hub pull` and `hub push` commands that read and write a local locales folder. - Single owner. No accounts, no telemetry. Only machine-translation calls leave the machine. - Out of scope: Figma plugin, branching, tasks, roles, mobile SDKs. - README: wiring the client into a React app, and a warning that attribute text (alt, placeholder, title) can't carry zero-width codes, so those keys are editable only in the table.
Opens your agent with the prompt filled in, you press enter. Or copy it and paste it into an empty folder.
Then keep going
Next prompts, same folder.
The first prompt builds the core. Run these one at a time in the same folder to grow it into your own Tolgee Cloud.
Add a Tolgee importer to the translation hub in this folder. Requirements: - A command `hub import-tolgee ./export` for the ZIP from the project's Export page, one JSON file per language (nested keys flattened with dots) or XLIFF. - Treat every imported translation as reviewed, keep namespaces if the folder has them, and report keys that exist in some languages only. - Print a dry-run summary (new, changed, identical keys) and write nothing until --apply. - Running it twice must not create duplicates or history noise. - Update the README with the export steps.
Add a CI check to the translation hub in this folder. Requirements: - A command `hub check --lang de,fr --min 100` that reads the project through the API and exits 1 when any listed language has untranslated or machine-only keys below the given percentage. - Detect placeholders that differ from the base text ({name}, {{count}}, %s) and ICU plural syntax errors. - Print a table of failing keys and an optional --json output. - Provide a GitHub Actions example in the README.Add scoped translator access to the translation hub in this folder. Requirements: - Create a link for one language and one project: a random 32-byte token stored hashed, with an expiry and a revoke button. - The link opens the editor limited to that language with edits saved as suggestions you approve; no export, settings or machine-translation buttons. - Serve guest routes on a second port (GUEST_PORT in .env) so only that port is exposed through a tunnel. - Rate-limit per token and log every edit with the token id. - Update the README.
What you lose
- Maintained SDKs for many frameworks, and the Figma plugin and mobile SDKs
- Branching and review tasks for translators
- Granular roles so a freelancer sees only their language
- Managed content delivery with custom S3 or Azure storage
- A tuned AI translator with brand context and a playground
Why people still pay
Developers, designers and translators work in one place: developers wrap strings once, translators click through the live app to see the context, and finished translations reach production without a new release. Unlimited seats at one price and a support team are what separate it from a folder of JSON files.
Tolgee Cloud or your own copy?
Over
Your usage
12h ×$/h
Tolgee Cloud, 1 yr$948
Your own copy, 1 yr$38running + build session
You keep$911pays for itself in the first month
Estimate · Runs on your machine; static delivery files go to any free static host. Machine translation is the only running cost: DeepL's free API tier or a few cents of LLM tokens per thousand strings. The build is token usage on your agent plan.
Take your data, then cancel.
1 · Take your data out of Tolgee Cloud
- 1Open your project, choose Export in the sidebar, pick the languages and the format, then click Export; several files arrive as one ZIP.
- 2Under advanced settings choose which states to export (untranslated, translated, reviewed), namespaces, placeholder syntax and tags to include or exclude.
- 3From a terminal, run `tolgee pull` with the Tolgee CLI to save strings into a folder, or call https://app.tolgee.io/v2/projects/export with an API key in the X-API-Key header.
- 4Glossary terms can be exported as CSV through the API; branches, tasks and comments had no export in what we read.
2 · Cancel Tolgee Cloud
- 1Open your organization's Billing page and the My subscription tab.
- 2The self-hosting licence docs describe a Cancel button on the plan there; the organization settings docs don't cover cancelling or downgrading, so contact support if you can't find it.
- 3Moving to the Free plan means you can't add content above 30,000 hosted words or more than 3 seats, and machine translation stops when credits run out; everything else keeps working.
- Download your translations first: the CLI pull and the REST export both work on any plan.
- Invoices can be downloaded as PDFs from the My subscription tab on paid plans.
- A Customer Portal powered by Stripe handles payment methods, tax ID and billing address.
- Open-source projects can ask for a free plan by emailing info@tolgee.io.
The escape hatch
Don't feel like building it? These are already free.
Tolgee (self-hosted)Open sourceThe same platform you would be paying for: Apache-2.0 outside its ee folders, runs from a Docker image; features in the ee folders need a paid licence.★ 4.1k · active Oct 2026 · docker to self-host
WebVisit ↗WeblateOpen sourceGPL-3.0 web translation tool with tight version-control integration, translation memory and checks; has a Docker setup.★ 6.1k · active Oct 2026 · docker to self-host
WebVisit ↗TraduoraOpen sourceAGPL-3.0 translation management platform with a REST API and several string formats; ships Docker Compose files.★ 2.1k · active Sep 2026 · docker to self-host
WebVisit ↗
WebVisit ↗WeblateOpen sourceGPL-3.0 web translation tool with tight version-control integration, translation memory and checks; has a Docker setup.★ 6.1k · active Oct 2026 · docker to self-host
WebVisit ↗TraduoraOpen sourceAGPL-3.0 translation management platform with a REST API and several string formats; ships Docker Compose files.★ 2.1k · active Sep 2026 · docker to self-host
WebVisit ↗
The numbers
Tolgee Cloud pricing
| Plan | Monthly | Annual, per month | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | 30,000 hosted words, 3 seats, all standard localization features, automation and machine translation, all integrations (SDKs, Figma plugin, MCP). |
| Translate | $79 | $66 | 50,000 hosted words at the base tier, unlimited seats and projects, 400,000 MT credits, AI translator with brand context, glossaries, AI playground, branching, tasks, granular permissions. |
| Optimise | $179 | $149 | Same included features and MT credits as Translate, plus multiple Content Delivery configurations. |
| Manage | $499 | $416 | Same card features as Optimise, with multiple Content Delivery configurations. |
| Enterprise | custom | — | Premium support, SSO, dedicated Slack channel, account manager, team training, prioritized feature requests, ISO 27001. |
| Self-hosted licence | custom | — | Paid licence for running Tolgee on your own infrastructure with advanced features and support. |
- Free tier
- 30,000 hosted words and 3 seats; machine translation stops when MT credits run out.
- Billing
- Monthly or annual (annual is two months free), in USD or EUR. Plans are word-based tiers with auto-upgrade on by default: going over a tier moves you up at the end of the billing period, with no pay-as-you-go word overage. Annual payers can still be charged monthly differences when they exceed limits.
- Hidden costs
- A hosted word is every word in the base text and in each translation, so each added language grows the count. MT credits are about one per translated character for DeepL or Google; the AI translator is billed in credits from LLM token use, and extra credits are charged on the next invoice.
- Source
- tolgee.io
Also on the list
Related apps
Free covers 30,000 hosted words and 3 seats with all standard features, automation and machine translation; free on request for open-source projects.
Kinda. The core is a weekend build with the prompt on this page, but real gaps remain: Maintained SDKs for many frameworks, and the Figma plugin and mobile SDKs, Branching and review tasks for translators.
About $79 a month on the Translate (50,000 hosted words) plan, $948 a year (checked 2026-10-19).
Maintained SDKs for many frameworks, and the Figma plugin and mobile SDKs; Branching and review tasks for translators; Granular roles so a freelancer sees only their language; Managed content delivery with custom S3 or Azure storage; A tuned AI translator with brand context and a playground. If any of those matter to you, keep paying.
Yes: Tolgee (self-hosted) (open source), Weblate (open source), Traduora (open source).