# Trados Studio Reviews 2026. Verified Reviews, Pros & Cons | Capterra > Is Trados Studio the right Translation Management solution for you? Explore 88 verified user reviews from people in industries like yours to make a confident choice. Source: https://www.capterra.com/p/151746/Trados-Studio/reviews --- Trados Studio 4.3 (88) [View alternatives](https://www.capterra.com/p/151746/Trados-Studio/alternatives/) Provider data verified by our Software Research team, and reviews moderated by our Reviews Verification team. [Learn more](https://www.capterra.com/our-story/) * * * Last updated March 13th, 2026 # Reviews of Trados Studio Ease of use 3.4 Customer Service 3.7 ## Pros and Cons in Reviews DP Darya P TranslatorTranslation and Localization, Self-employedUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “It's a great tool for freelance translators; what I like the most is the possibility of translating different type of files without losing their format (pdf, word, ppt etc.).“ October 15, 2025 DP Darya P TranslatorTranslation and Localization, Self-employedUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “Sometimes has very long loading times for bigger files or even crashes.“ October 15, 2025 AC Andrea C Conference Interpreter and TranslatorTranslation and Localization, Self-employedUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “It’s powerful and reliable, but it does take time to get fully comfortable with it. Once everything is set up, it performs well — though I sometimes find myself wishing it were just a bit lighter and more streamlined.“ October 8, 2025 CY Chahine Y TranslatorTranslation and Localization, Self-employedUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “It's complex, buggy, the layout is clumsy, features and options are hidden deep within the belly of the beast, and Trados' editor forces the use of their proprietary formats, which makes everyone's lives harder.“ November 11, 2024 CY Chahine Y TranslatorTranslation and Localization, Self-employedUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “It is the industry standard, which allows you to work with others easily.“ November 11, 2024 SF Sindy F Translation CoordinatorEducation Management, 10,001+ employeesUsed the software for: Less than 6 months. “Their website just spins when you try to access any help.“ May 13, 2025 SF Sindy F Translation CoordinatorEducation Management, 10,001+ employeesUsed the software for: Less than 6 months. “I liked the product after doing a trial, so my organization decided to buy it.“ May 13, 2025 CY Chahine Y TranslatorTranslation and Localization, Self-employedUsed the software for: More than 2 years. “My overall experience has been to sigh, cringe, shout, and overall feel like all my issues with Trados are the result of intentional design.“ November 11, 2024 ## Showing most helpful reviews Showing 1-25 of 88 Reviews Sort by: Most Helpful Rating Company Size Reviewer's Role Length of Use Frequency of Use Irene K. Director Translation and Localization Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Flexible tool that still requires improvements" January 12, 2021 5.0 I am using SDL Trados since 2008 and I am overall happy with it. Every time, though, they launch a new version it takes a couple of months until their version gets stable and doesn't crash any more. Pros It has several useful functions, a good quality assurance process, it is easy to install and maintain. Cons It is crashing frequently, it gets slow when you handle large files, it lacks some functionalities other CAT-Tools offer. Alternatives considered [memoQ TMS](https://www.capterra.com/p/162762/memoQ/)[XTM Cloud](https://www.capterra.com/p/157254/XTM-Cloud/)[Phrase Localization Platform](https://www.capterra.com/p/276186/Phrase/)[Wordfast Pro](https://www.capterra.com/p/159255/Wordfast-Pro/) Reason for choosing Trados Studio It is the most popular with agency clients and offers many useful features. Review Source RS Riccardo S. Translator Writing and Editing Used the software for: 2+ years ### "One of the best Computer Assisted Translation tools" August 8, 2024 5.0 I've been using Trados for over thirty years. It's an excellent professional Translation enviroment and CAT tool Pros Complete professional translation environment Cons \- Documentation - Such features as term extraction cost extra Alternatives considered [memoQ TMS](https://www.capterra.com/p/162762/memoQ/) Reason for choosing Trados Studio I also use memoQ: different programs for different clients. Review Source SF Sindy F. Translation Coordinator Education Management Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Translations Coordinator for school district" May 13, 2025 1.0 The product is nice. The service so far is terrible. I cannot get anyone to respond to my messages and there is no way to call them. Their website just spins when you try to access any help. Pros I liked the product after doing a trial, so my organization decided to buy it. Customer service is bad. Cons The customer service is abysmal. My organization purchased the product in March, they cashed our check, but have not provided the full license we purchased. They say they are still awaiting payment. Review Source Response from RWS Holdings May 23, 2025 Thank you so much for taking the time to share your feedback. We’re so very sorry to hear about the difficulties you've experienced with our customer service, and we completely understand how frustrating this must be, especially after choosing to move forward with a full purchase based on a positive trial experience. Please rest assured that your concerns have been heard loud and clear. We note that the issue with your license and payment status has now been resolved but still, we’re very sorry that this happened at all. We are reviewing our processes to ensure problems are resolved in a more timely manner. We also recognize the importance of responsive and accessible support, and we’re actively working to improve our communication channels. Thank you for your patience and for giving us the opportunity. We are glad that you are happy with the performance of our software. We value your business and are committed to continuous improvement. VR Verified Reviewer Freelance Translator Translation and Localization Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Practical but too expensive" August 30, 2020 4.0 This software helped me to build my own private translation memory and made the translation process easier, faster and more accurate. Pros The software is widely used by translation agencies and it's well known between professional translators and this is making it easy work with. Translation memory could be transferred smoothly between translation agencies and translators and the same could be done between translators themselves. The interface is easy to understand and many useful features are included to help translators doing a good job. Cons There's no Auto-save feature. If the software became unresponsive or PC suddenly went off for any reason, all work done will be erased and couldn't be recovered. The software is too expensive. Switched from [memoQ TMS](https://www.capterra.com/p/162762/memoQ/) SDL Trados Studio is widely required by translation agencies. Review Source IG ILKER G. Translator owner Translation and Localization Used the software for: 2+ years ### "TRADOS IS THE BEST TRANSLATION TOOL " December 11, 2023 5.0 I translate always with Trados, I use Google Cloud. Now Aritifical Intelligence developeed. Pros It saves from repetitions, it uses Memories, Machine Translation Cons Its startup is sluggish though I naised memory to 16 mB RAM. It would be better to load after full openinğ. Reason for choosing Trados Studio it was direct application . I havent had to use web Switched from [Wordfast Pro](https://www.capterra.com/p/159255/Wordfast-Pro/) Trados defeated Wordfast Pro. Trados was much more improved Review Source CY Chahine Y. Translator Translation and Localization Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Powerful but unnecessarily complex. Avoid unless you have to use it." November 11, 2024 3.0 My overall experience has been to sigh, cringe, shout, and overall feel like all my issues with Trados are the result of intentional design. Pros It has lots of options that allow you to do practically anything you want. It is the industry standard, which allows you to work with others easily. Cons It's complex, buggy, the layout is clumsy, features and options are hidden deep within the belly of the beast, and Trados' editor forces the use of their proprietary formats, which makes everyone's lives harder. Alternatives considered [memoQ TMS](https://www.capterra.com/p/162762/memoQ/) Reason for choosing Trados Studio I did not choose Trados over MemoQ, I bought both. Review Source Response from RWS Holdings November 12, 2024 Hi Chahine Thank you for your feedback about Trados Studio. I’m very sorry to hear that you’ve had a bad experience. I would be interested to know what version of Studio you’re using, as in our most recent releases we have particularly addressed bug fixes, improved the layout and integration of functionality. We do now also include Smart Help which is trained on our documentation to answer your product-related questions directly while you’re working. In addition, Trados Studio translates an increasing number of different file formats. In case this is relevant to you, here’s a link to a free trial of our latest version Trados Studio 2024: https://www.trados.com/product/studio/trial/. All the best with your translations. Kind regards, Fiona, Marketing Manager, RWS Younes B. Full Time Translator Publishing Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Not the best CAT tool in the market" October 15, 2019 4.0 You better think of that if you consider implementing this system in your enterprise: You definitely need to train your employees on it, it's not an easy to use App, it needs training and the courses about this software is an industry itself and I see that a weakness not a strength point. Pros I give the software that it is really accepting (nearly) all formats you perhaps need to use in your works in localisation and translation industries. Cons the cost of software is very high, it slows the computer (if you don't have a one with enough computing power) you feel like installing a heavy-software like photoshop! although you are dealing (or that just me?) just with texts. the UI are crowded, very crowded (when I using it I remember that I don't need a lot of its features) Alternatives considered [Wordfast Pro](https://www.capterra.com/p/159255/Wordfast-Pro/) Reason for choosing Trados Studio the buzz around it in the localisation-related business sectors. Switched from [memoQ TMS](https://www.capterra.com/p/162762/memoQ/) For the same reasons I left the first option Review Source DE Dan E. Translator Translation and Localization Used the software for: 2+ years ### "It would be amazing if there weren't so, so many bugs" March 10, 2025 2.0 Love the idea behind it, frustrated by all the issues. Pros The software functions (if they would only work like they're supposed to) Cons Absolutely riddled with bugs that have been around for years and years. I used to update to each new version (no longer wasting the money), hoping they would have taken care of some of the bugs. But they never do. And then there are new ones. Absolutely inexcusable for such an expensive software. Review Source Response from RWS Holdings March 21, 2025 Hello Dan, Thank you for sharing your experience with Trados Studio. We’re sorry to hear about the challenges you’re facing due to software bugs. We understand how frustrating this must be during translation. While Trados Studio is a powerful tool that requires ongoing refinement, we recognise that new issues can also arise. Here are some thoughts to help improve your experience: 1. Report issues in the RWS Community (https://community.rws.com/product-groups/trados-portfolio/) our team actively engages here to address concerns. 2. Consider a support and maintenance agreement for efficient issue resolution. 3. Use the live chat feature on trados.com to get in touch. 4. Upgrade or subscribe? If you’re on an older version, upgrading or switching to a subscription means you’ll have access to the latest updates, features, and fixes as soon as they’re available. We hope these suggestions help and appreciate your feedback as we strive to improve. Kind regards, Fiona Marketing Manager, RWS AC Andrea C. Conference Interpreter and Translator Translation and Localization Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Powerful tool, but not always the most seamless" October 8, 2025 4.0 Overall, Trados Studio is a solid, professional-grade CAT tool that delivers when it comes to translation memory management and consistency. It’s powerful and reliable, but it does take time to get fully comfortable with it. Once everything is set up, it performs well — though I sometimes find myself wishing it were just a bit lighter and more streamlined. Pros Trados Studio is a very capable tool with strong translation memory and termbase management features. It handles large projects well and offers plenty of options for customization. Once you know your way around it, it can be very efficient and precise. Cons The learning curve is quite steep, and the interface can feel heavy compared to other tools. Updates and licensing can sometimes be cumbersome, and it’s not always as fast or intuitive as I’d like during day-to-day work. Review Source DP Darya P. Translator Translation and Localization Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Go-to tool for freelance translators." October 15, 2025 4.0 Overall it's my go-to tool whenever I need to translate a generic file for a client. The additional app that allows to manage and create termbases is of great help too. Pros It's a great tool for freelance translators; what I like the most is the possibility of translating different type of files without losing their format (pdf, word, ppt etc.). It's quite beginner-friendly, although there are some courses available (for purchase on the website) to learn additional features more in depth. Cons Sometimes has very long loading times for bigger files or even crashes. As far as I know it does not allow to translate video or similar (for which in general there are more speficif tools). Review Source EF Elisabeth F. Professional translator Translation and Localization Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Big learning curve." April 2, 2025 5.0 The automated translation is pretty useful. Helps with proofreading tasks. I have been using it since 2009, bought several versions and still feel like a newbie. Pros Powerful tool and one of the first of its kind Cons Too big of a learning curve. Interface is not too user friendly. Review Source MV Marieken V. Translator Translation and Localization Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Industry leading quality" April 11, 2024 4.0 Overall a very good translation solution, although a bit pricy since the new tarifs. Pros It can handle big translation memories, is multifunctional for almost any type of text or format. Cons It sometimes has a bug, is not always straightforward to use, as it requires time to understand all of its functions. The price... Review Source JOK Jens Olaf K. Freelancer Writing and Editing Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Indispensable tool for translation work!" October 3, 2022 4.0 Great. Without Trados Studio I wouldn't accept any of my translation jobs (I do partly webdesign/programming, partly translation) because I absolutely need this tool to get a raw base translation I can then edit and fine-tune. Pros That it facilitates third-party neural machine-based translation engines like DeepL. Cons The UI feels a bit old-fashioned and sometimes overcrowded. Review Source EW Evan W. Freelance Translator Translation and Localization Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Trados is the industry standard CAT tool, useful but has its downsides" November 16, 2017 5.0 Productivity, brings me business. Pros Trados is a productivity tool that is indispensable for professional translators. It is the preferred platform of the industry and many clients require its use. Therefore, it is a good investment for professional translators. It has batch processing features and filtering options which aid in quality control and increase productivity. Cons The filtering functions could be better/more complex. I have experienced quite a few bugs over the years. Easily accessible customer support costs extra. Finding direct help from Trados without paying for the support package is like pulling teeth. Luckily, so many people use the software, it is usually easy and quick to find troubleshooting tips through online forums. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Freelance Translator Translation and Localization Used the software for: 2+ years ### "My favorite translation tool" October 7, 2020 5.0 This is my go-to software for translation as a freelance translator, it was easy to learn and it makes my job so much easier and faster. My favorite part is being able to keep the same format as the original file without having to add extra effort on my side. Pros Easy to learn, worth the investment, makes my job easier and faster, helps me keep the same format as the original document. Cons It is very pricey but the investment is worth the money if you want to work as a translator full time Review Source CB Carlos B. Translator Translation and Localization Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Excellent product but pricey" April 5, 2020 5.0 I have a copy of Trados 2017, it is an excellent product, however a bit pricey, I've paid I think 200 euros for the license, and the support if lose your hard drive is a bit slow regarding recovering the key. Other support only work on working days. The product itself couldn't be better, is top of the market for some reason. Pros Excellent compatibility, easy to use after learning, used and accepted by almost every provider. Cons Pricey, support only works on working days, requires a lot of computer resources. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Freelance Translator Translation and Localization Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Not my CAT tool of choice" March 7, 2022 3.0 Pros The possibility to handle almost all file formats you may come across while working as a translator, which allows you to use it for virtually any client and kind of project. Besides this, being the most popular software in the translation industry, it's essential if you want to work with agencies - so it's an investment that pays off. Cons Not exactly user friendly. You get the feeling it has jus too many features and options an average translator does not need in order to provide a good quality translation. Besides this, it's very expensive and keeps crashing. Review Source MW Manfred W. Interpreter/translator Translation and Localization Used the software for: 2+ years ### "Translators assistant" February 6, 2021 5.0 I handle translations and am able to save a translation memory that is useful for further work, making my work faster Pros I like the window/screen and feature disposition, ease of access to its features and the simplicity of it. Cons The price asked is quite high and most cannot afford it, this is why most translators use the software provided by clients, and it is not always the same. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Owner Translation and Localization Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "Best CAT tool ever" February 4, 2020 5.0 A tremendous improvement in my cross-file consistency, and to be able to work with clients needs. Pros SDL TRADOS 2017 or 2019 is the standard in the industry because of its wide range of tools and settings that help the translator, reviewer, and PM to work seamlessly Cons Since it is a big platform, it is cumbersome for medium-range computers, and it can be too nitpicky, giving a lot of false positives. Review Source MC Mauro C. translator Publishing Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "Not as translatable as it should" June 3, 2020 4.0 I wanted to learn how to use any CAT software and everyone kept mentioning this program, so I decided to gibe it a shot. The truth is I can get much more work done, but I also have to be extra careful when it comes to using specific terms in specific content. When you translate from English to Spanish there are way too many words in English that might have very different meanings in Spanish. So the time you save translating is sometimes spent editing and proofreading. Pros As with any other CAT, I can translate much more. It speeds up my job and I can certainly do more in less time. Cons I cannot use the free trial on my Mac. I had to install it on a PC. Once installed I did have a hard time getting to know how to use it and have it learn (localize) the content in specific texts. In some cases, the time you save translating is spent editing and proofreading. Reason for choosing Trados Studio Word of mouth Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Traductor autónomo Translation and Localization Used the software for: Less than 6 months ### "The perfect tool for working with other translators and translation companies." February 12, 2019 5.0 Really good for working with/for other companies, sharing TMs and making accurate budgets or calculating estimates because you can see how much you work and how many words or segments were new. Pros Its abundance in features to simplify and accelerated a translator's work is the best thing about. How you can file any segments, languages, terminology used, fields within languages, etc. And you can actually measure and see your productivity, wordcount, etc., while you are working on each project. Cons It takes a while to get the hang of it and to effectively benefit from all its features. Several tutorials where needed. Review Source NC Nikolai C. Translator Translation and Localization Used the software for: 2+ years ### "One of the flagships of translation/localisation industry coming at quite a cost" February 11, 2020 5.0 Pros Seamless TM integration from multiple projects Connection to external translation engines QA features Cons QUITE costly, especially considering the growing pressure from similar free/conditionally free online products Review Source FB Felipe B. Business Administrator Internet Used the software for: 6-12 months ### "Trados: it's worth it." July 29, 2020 5.0 This is one of the best and most important CAT tools on the market that I use in my freelance translation work. Pros It is probably the most widespread CAT tool among big companies. It has a large translation memory, it's versatile and can be applied to almost any type of text. Cons It has some bugs that make usability a bit difficult. It is not easy to use, it requires a long time to understand and use its functions. There are free options almost as good. Review Source VR Verified Reviewer Freelance Translator (French-English) Translation and Localization Used the software for: I used a free trial ### "Worth the money if you are translating full time" November 15, 2019 5.0 Free trial as a freelance writer/editor, proofreader, and translator. Pros Trados is know among translators as the best CAT tool. And it is, though it costs a lot. If you can afford it as a freelancer, it’s worth it. Cons Nothing I can think of the moment other than the cost - sometimes freelancers have a very limited budget. Review Source AS Ana S. Freelance Translator Writing and Editing Used the software for: 1-2 years ### "One of the most used translation programs" June 24, 2021 4.0 Pros Being one of the most used translation software, incorportating other translator glossaries is fairly easy. The feature to create new glossaries from already translated documents is perfect and really useful. Cons It can be a little overwhealming for begginer translators with so many features, but nowadays is almost mandatory that every translator learns how to use this software, at least on the free trial. Review Source Similar Products Featured