Lingo.dev
Open-source CLI and platform that localises app strings in CI with your own LLM or theirs.
why this verdict
Keep paying — OpenAI has not replaced it
OpenAI's version overlaps, but does not finish the translation job, so this one still earns its $10/mo.
- A named launch, not a vibe named, unlinked
- Teams piping strings through a model themselves with a short script. OpenAI, September 16, 2025 — no announcement link recorded yet.
- How much of the job it covers not the job editorial call
- Parts of it. The job still needs the tool to get finished.
- Is there a free way to do it? yes
- 2 of 3 listed replacements have a usable free tier: Tolgee and Weblate.
- What the call is worth $120/yr
- $10/mo at the entry paid tier — $120 a year per seat.
- Threatened by
- OpenAI
- Since
- September 16, 2025
- List price
- $10/mo
- Per year
- $120
The backstory
Lingo.dev localises JSON, markdown and mobile string files from the command line, keeping a lockfile so only changed content is re-translated, and runs in CI on every commit. Any developer can call a model directly, which is the obvious substitute. Lingo.dev survives because the hard part is the engineering around the model: diffing, caching, format preservation and consistent terminology across releases, not the translation call itself.
Escape hatches
Open-source localisation platform with in-context editing
tolgee.io open_in_newSelf-hostable continuous localisation tied to git
weblate.org open_in_newEstablished platform with broad integration support
crowdin.com open_in_new2 of 3 replacements have a usable free tier.