memoQ or Trados Studio? We compare 2026 pricing, Windows and Mac support, SDLXLIFF and package compatibility, TMs, team servers and agency demand.
memoQ and RWS Trados Studio are the two desktop CAT tools most translators end up choosing between. In short: Trados is the safer choice if most of your work comes from agencies that send Trados packages, and memoQ is cheaper for a solo translator and handles Trados files well. Both are Windows desktop tools with cloud or server products for teams.
Prices and editions checked in October 2026. Confirm on the vendors' pricing pages before you buy.
memoQ translator pro is the edition for individual translators. It is a subscription at €396 / $436 a year or €44 / $54 a month, with a 14-day trial. The product page lists subscriptions only. For teams, memoQ TMS starts with the Starter plan, listed from €2,750 a year with one project manager license and five linguist subscriptions. Larger plans are priced by memoQ's sales team.
Trados sells two plans for individuals. Trados Go is a browser-only editor. Trados Freelance includes the Studio desktop editor, the online editor and MultiTerm. Trados Go is listed from $35 / €29 a month paid yearly, or $49 / €42 month to month. Trados Freelance is listed from $47 / €40 a month paid yearly ($564 / €480 a year), or $63 / €54 month to month. Prices exclude VAT, and both have a 14-day trial. Perpetual Studio Freelance licenses are now offered as upgrades for existing owners. The Freelance license will not run on company networks; for that RWS points to Trados Studio Pro, sold as an annual subscription or perpetual license. Trados Team and Trados Business are cloud plans for agencies.
For a freelancer paying for one desktop tool, memoQ is the cheaper of the two at list price: $436 against $564 a year, or $54 against $63 month to month. Trados Go costs about the same as memoQ per year, but it is browser-only and cannot open project packages.
Both desktop editors run on Windows. RWS states that Trados Studio is not officially supported on a Mac but can be run in Windows through Parallels. memoQ's product page also says it runs on Windows. On a Mac, either tool means a Windows virtual machine, a Windows license and enough memory to run both systems.
If you work on a Mac and do not want virtualization, look at Mac-native tools like Wordfast Pro or CafeTran Espresso, or at browser tools. See the best memoQ alternatives.
This is the question that matters most if you work for several agencies.
Interoperability works well for most jobs, but packages from the other tool can lose details such as project-specific QA settings or linked termbases. If a client requires one tool, do a test file before a large project. For background on these formats, read XLIFF, TMX and TBX explained.
Both tools have mature TM engines with fuzzy matching, concordance search and context matches. Trados uses MultiTerm for terminology, included with Trados Freelance. memoQ has termbases built into the main application. memoQ also has LiveDocs, which lets you use previously translated documents as reference without first building a TM; this is one reason memoQ users like it for alignment and reference work.
Whichever you use, large old TMs collect duplicates and broken segments. Export to TMX and run it through a TM cleaner or TMX editor before you import it into a new tool.
For teams, both vendors now lead with cloud products. Trados Team and Trados Business give shared TMs and termbases per client, an online editor and project management; Studio is available as a desktop editor for these plans. memoQ TMS can be hosted by memoQ in the cloud or installed on your own servers, and its plans include linguist subscriptions so your translators can work on your projects.
For a small agency, the practical difference is what your translators already own. Freelancers with Trados can work in Trados Team projects; memoQ TMS gives your linguists access through the plan.
Neither is quick to learn. Trados has more menus and settings, and new users often need a course or the RWS learning material. Many translators find memoQ's interface more direct, but its project options are just as deep. Expect a few weeks of real projects before you are fast in either.
Many agencies, especially larger ones, work in Trados and send SDLPPX packages, so Trados knowledge appears often in vendor requirements. memoQ is also widely used by agencies, and since memoQ can handle Trados packages, some translators use only memoQ and still take Trados jobs. If a client says "Trados required", ask whether they need the native file returned or a Trados return package, because memoQ can deliver both in most cases.
Neither is better for everyone. memoQ is cheaper for an individual and handles other tools' files well; Trados is more widely required by agencies and has a bigger plugin ecosystem. Choose by who sends you work.
Yes. memoQ supports SDLXLIFF files and can import SDLPPX packages and export SDLRPX return packages. Test with a sample file, because some package settings do not carry over.
At list price, yes for individuals: memoQ translator pro is $436 / €396 a year, while Trados Freelance is $564 / €480 a year on its yearly plan, excluding VAT. Trados Go costs about the same as memoQ, but it is browser-only and does not open project packages.
For new freelance users, both vendors now sell subscriptions. RWS offers perpetual Studio Freelance licenses as upgrades for existing owners and sells Trados Studio Pro as a perpetual license for companies. memoQ's translator pro page lists subscriptions only.
Not natively. Both desktop editors run on Windows; on a Mac you need Windows in a virtual machine such as Parallels. Trados Go and other browser tools work on any system.
Many translators find memoQ's interface easier to start with, but both take a few weeks of real projects to master. If you know one, the concepts transfer to the other.
On TraduQ, translators list the CAT tools they use on their profile, so agencies can filter by memoQ or Trados. TraduQ's free tools, such as the SDLTM converter and QA checker, run in your browser and your files never leave your computer. For a wider comparison including Smartcat and Wordfast, see Trados vs memoQ vs Smartcat vs Wordfast.