globalize.now bills on translated characters — the rendered text output we generate across your target languages — not on seats, languages, or source file size.
What counts as a translated character
When you push code with new UI strings and globalize.now translates them, we count the characters in the translation output. For example:
- Source string (English): "Submit order" — 12 characters
- Translation into Spanish: "Enviar pedido" — 13 characters
- Translation into German: "Bestellung abschicken" — 21 characters
- Translation into French: "Envoyer la commande" — 19 characters
Total translated characters for this string across 3 languages: 53 characters
What's included in the base plan
Every workspace includes 100,000 translated characters per month in the €20/month base fee.
To give a sense of scale: a typical small web app with 200 UI strings translated into 3 languages uses roughly 15,000–30,000 characters per month (depending on string length and update frequency). Most early-stage apps fit comfortably within the base allowance.
Additional usage
If you exceed 100,000 characters, additional usage is billed at €0.001 per 1,000 characters (€1 per 100,000 characters). Flat rate, no tiered surprises.
What does NOT count
- The original source language strings (English, or whatever your base language is)
- Characters in locale files you edited manually
- Re-translations of strings that haven't changed since the last push
Viewing your usage
Usage is visible in your globalize.now dashboard under the workspace billing section.
Can I use my own API key for translations?
Yes. You can connect your own Anthropic API key to globalize.now instead of using our translation infrastructure. The €20/month platform fee still applies — it covers the platform, the i18n skills, and the Git integration. What changes is where the AI translation compute runs.
When this makes sense: If you're already paying Anthropic directly and have a volume rate that's better than what the platform provides.
When the platform key is better: For most users, the platform's shared API access is cheaper than individual API pricing, especially at lower volumes. As globalize.now scales, per-token costs on the platform side decrease.
To connect your own API key, go to workspace settings → Translation → API key.