What "free app localization" actually means here
The free Indie tier is not a trial and not a word-limited sampler. It includes:
- 1 project — one app.
- 1 target language — pick any single locale from the 52 available, including regional variants like
es-MX, pt-BR, or zh-Hant.
- Unlimited word translations — translate every string in your app, no word cap, no per-string metering.
- App + brand localization — your app-description context is fed into each translation, and brand phrases are placeholder-protected so your product name is never mistranslated.
You upload your app's native localization file — Xcode .xcloc for Apple platforms or strings.xml for Android — and get the same format back, translated. No XLIFF conversion, no intermediate pipeline.
en.xcloc -> strings.dev -> fr.xcloc (same format in, same format out)
Placeholders, URLs, emails, @handles, and proper nouns are preserved through translation. iOS String Catalog plural variations and Android <plurals> quantity strings are handled natively:
<!-- Android plurals survive translation intact -->
<plurals name="photos_selected">
<item quantity="one">%d photo selected</item>
<item quantity="other">%d photos selected</item>
</plurals>
Who the free tier is right for
The free Indie tier is the right fit if you:
- Are shipping a first localized language and want to test whether localization moves your numbers before spending anything.
- Run a solo or side project and only need one app translated right now.
- Want a free iOS localization tool (or Android one) that outputs real native files, not a spreadsheet you have to reassemble by hand.
It's genuinely free to ship one language, with no time limit — not a 14-day trial.
The one thing to know before you start
The free tier translates one language. The moment you want a second language, you'll need Indie Plus, which unlocks unlimited languages (all 52 locales), a second project, brand context, and the QA & analytics dashboard that flags failed translations for retry. Indie Plus is $20/mo, or $10/mo billed annually.
We're telling you this up front so you don't hit a surprise wall mid-project. Here's the split:
|
Indie (Free) |
Indie Plus |
| Price |
$0 |
$20/mo, or $10/mo billed annually |
| Projects |
1 |
2 |
| Languages |
1 |
Unlimited (all 52 locales) |
| Word translations |
Unlimited |
Unlimited |
| App + brand localization |
Yes |
Yes |
| QA & analytics dashboard |
— |
Yes |
If your app already needs three or four languages on day one, start on Indie Plus. If you're localizing for the first time and want to prove it out, start free and upgrade only when you add the second language. Full details are on the pricing page.
Start free, stay in your native format
Everything works the same on the free tier as it does on paid: pre-filled per-project CLI scripts, a REST API with a per-project key, the strings-mcp-server package, and a generated AI-skill prompt so agents like Claude, Cursor, or Copilot can run the upload-and-export loop for you. You can wire continuous localization into git hooks or CI from day one.
Create a project, upload your .xcloc or strings.xml, pick your one language, and download the translated file in minutes.
Note: strings.dev localizes your in-app strings only. App Store / Play Store metadata and screenshots are separate and not part of any tier — plan those on your own.