Words, packs, and usage
Machine translation is billed in source words — the same word counts you see next to files and in the editor. This page explains when words are drawn, which balance they come from, and where to watch it all.
What draws words
Section titled “What draws words”Words are drawn when you confirm a project, in the cost review that opens from Review & Confirm. Each file draws its word count once per target language, and the review lists every file-and-target pair with its words, the total draw, your plan allowance, what you have used this period, what remains, and — if you have any — your word pack balance, ending with what you will have left after this project.
The draw is exact, not an estimate: the number in the review is the number deducted. Nothing is charged until you confirm, and if a file’s delivery fails its words are refunded automatically. Delivered targets keep their draw, and you pay once: removing a target language and adding it back does not draw again.
On paid plans only targets that actually run machine translation draw words. Targets set to Copy Source or None — and targets prepared empty for manual translation — draw nothing, and you can still run machine translation on them later from the hub. On the Free plan every confirmed target draws its words, machine translated or not: the signup pack covers project content, not just machine translation.
Two cases work differently:
- Continuous projects grow key by key rather than file by file, so they bill per delivered source row at that row’s word count. Machine translation for a target pauses when the balance cannot cover it and resumes on its own once a pack purchase or a new period does.
- Same-language targets (a target language equal to the source) are copies, not translations, and never draw.
Which balance is spent first
Section titled “Which balance is spent first”You can hold up to three balances. They are spent in a fixed order:
- Included words — your plan’s monthly allowance. It resets each billing period, and unused words do not roll over.
- Signup pack — the one-time welcome balance, if it has not expired.
- Word packs — one-time purchases that never expire.
Within the credits, the one expiring soonest is spent first, which is why the signup pack is always used before purchased packs.
The signup pack
Section titled “The signup pack”Every new account receives a one-time signup pack of 3,000 words, valid for 90 days and spendable on standard document projects (not continuous projects). It is separate from any plan’s monthly allowance. On the Free plan it is the whole word balance; on a paid plan it is spent after the included words and before any word packs.
Word packs
Section titled “Word packs”Word packs are the way to get more words without changing plan. They are one-time purchases, never expire, and are drawn on only after your included words run out.
| Pack | Price |
|---|---|
| 10,000 words | €10 |
| 50,000 words | €45 |
| 100,000 words | €80 |
Buy one with Buy word pack on Account → Billing; the buttons list the packs and take you to checkout after the same consent dialog as a subscription. Word packs are available on paid plans — on the Free plan the link reads Upgrade to buy word packs instead.
A pack you buy from Account → Billing is personal: it covers your own projects and is never used for organization work. An organization’s packs are bought by its owner from the organization’s billing page and land in the organization’s shared balance — see Organization billing.
How words are counted
Section titled “How words are counted”A file’s word count is fixed when it is processed, and the same number is shown on the file card, in the cost review and in usage. The rule:
- For space-separated languages, a word is a run of characters between spaces. Numbers, URLs and email addresses count as words even though they are copied rather than translated.
- For Chinese, Japanese and Korean, every two characters count as one word.
- For Thai, every five characters count as one word.
- Both are rounded up, so a single ideograph counts as one word.
What is counted follows what is extracted from the file: hidden spreadsheet content and deleted tracked changes are not counted. See What gets translated.
When words run out
Section titled “When words run out”If a project’s draw is larger than everything you have left, the cost review says Not enough words for this project and the confirm button is disabled. Nothing has been deducted; buy a word pack or upgrade, then confirm again. Everything else keeps working:
- Existing projects stay fully editable, including their translation memories, glossaries, and quality checks.
- Preparing empty targets without machine translation costs nothing on paid plans.
- New content becomes possible again when you buy a pack, upgrade, or the period resets.
Reading the usage cards
Section titled “Reading the usage cards”Usage this period on Account → Billing shows where your words are going (the help button on the card repeats the definitions):
- Words used this period — a bar of your included words with the percentage used and the approximate page equivalent. It turns amber at 80% and red at 100%, and a banner appears at the same thresholds. Subscribers also get an email at 80% and at 100% of the allowance, once per period.
- Signup pack — words left in the pack and its expiry date, while it lasts.
- Word pack balance — your purchased words, with the Buy word pack link.
- Website translation — served words against your plan’s cap and how many sites are connected, on plans that include it.
- Period, Words used, and Words remaining — the current billing period and the plan allowance left. Signup and pack balances are listed separately because they are drawn on only after the allowance runs out.
- Subtitle minutes this period — the same bar for subtitling, on plans that include minutes.
- Word draws by project — which projects drew the words this period.
Each project’s hub also carries a Usage this period card that names whose allowance the project is metered on — yours or an organization’s — and shows three rows: Hosted words (the served-content cap for continuous projects), Translated words (the plan allowance plus any pack words), and, where the plan sets one, Integration requests.
Subtitle minutes
Section titled “Subtitle minutes”Plans that include Subtitle Studio come with a monthly allowance of minutes of video. Minutes are metered per subtitle project and shown on the Billing tab next to words. Plans without an allowance cannot create subtitle projects. See Subtitle Studio.
Website translation limits
Section titled “Website translation limits”For continuous projects that serve translated sites, two limits apply:
- Served words — the total source words kept translated and live across all your connected sites. Approaching the cap turns the hub card amber; past it, translations stop being served until you remove content or upgrade.
- Integration requests — a monthly fair-use ceiling on serving requests. Past it your site keeps working, but requests are served at a reduced rate until the period resets or you upgrade.
Neither limit affects document projects. See Continuous localization.