One service for JSON, YAML, CSV and XML
No separate integration per format: upload the file and SonikaAI detects its type on its own.
Where to translate JSON/YAML/CSV/XML and get the format back?
Compare SonikaAI, Centus, Smartcat and Lara Translate: whether only the right text gets translated, whether you get a ready file back right away, and what it takes to start.
When SonikaAI fits
Start with SonikaAI if you need to translate a JSON, YAML, CSV or XML file once and get back a ready file in the same format — keys, IDs, dates and URLs stay untouched automatically. If what you actually need is an ongoing team localization project with many releases, a translation memory, or a developer integration through an API, the table shows which service suits you better.
What each service gives you
| What we compare |
SonikaAI
|
Centus
|
Smartcat
|
Lara Translate
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Formats | JSON, YAML/YML, CSV, XML — all four in a single upload. | JSON, YAML, CSV, XML and other localization formats. | XML confirmed; other formats per the service’s own documentation. | JSON, YAML, CSV, TSV, XML and more — listed among the supported formats. |
| What gets translated | Only the values classified as translatable; dates, URLs, emails, IDs and formulas are detected automatically and left untouched. | Keys and values are managed inside a localization project; what gets translated is configured by the team. | Translation and exclusions are configured in the project’s CAT editor. | All textual content in the file is translated; no automatic exclusion of IDs or dates is stated. |
| Result | A file in the same format (json/yaml/csv/xml), ready to use right away. | The translation is stored in the project; exporting the finished file is a separate step. | Translation happens in the project’s CAT editor; the file needs a separate export. | A translated file in the same format is returned immediately via the API. |
| What it takes to start | Free registration (email or Google); you can try it right away on the free quota. | A 14-day full-feature trial with no card; no permanent free tier. | Account and workspace; a free plan with a starting Smartword pool. | Account and API key; a free plan with no card. |
| Billing | Billing counts only the translated values; you can buy exactly the amount you need as a one-off, or take a subscription. | A $145–545/month subscription priced by project capacity (number of keys), regardless of how much text is in each key. | Paid plans from $1,200/year for Smartwords consumed; the free plan gives 15,000 starting Smartwords. | Free up to 10,000 characters of the whole document; beyond that, a 20,000-character-per-document minimum applies regardless of how much text is actually translatable. |
| Choose it when | You need to translate a config or data file once and get back a ready file in the same format. | A team is running an ongoing localization project with many contributors and releases. | You need a CAT editor, translation memory and team collaboration on a project. | You need a developer integration through the API, rather than an upload form. |
The competitors’ capabilities are taken from their own official descriptions as of September 2026. Smartcat’s own materials disagree on how long the starting Smartword pool lasts — the wording here stays deliberately vague rather than stating a specific duration. Lara Translate is compared as a document- and file-translation service through its API, not across all of its products. This compares features and access terms, not translation quality.
Why choose SonikaAI for structured data
Keys, IDs and dates stay untouched
SonikaAI automatically works out which values to translate and which — dates, URLs, emails, IDs, formulas — to leave as they are. There is no need to mark every field by hand.
Billed only for the translated text
The credit calculation counts only the values that are actually translated — markup, keys and protected fields are not counted, even in a large file.
What to check before you decide
For a one-off translation of a config file or a data export, compare what each service gives you back — a ready file, or a project you still need to export. If what you actually need is a team CAT editor, a translation memory and a manual review of every line, TMS platforms like Centus or Smartcat provide that out of the box — SonikaAI does not offer that kind of editor. If instead it is repeated translation of localization files with every release, with no manual editor involved, that is no longer a one-off upload but an API integration — available in SonikaAI as part of the B2B add-on. Before choosing, check on your own file whether SonikaAI classifies every field you need as translatable.
Related pages
Translate JSON and YAML localization files
Translate the interface strings in a JSON or YAML file — then plug it straight back into your app. Keys stay the same; only the values are translated.
Translate CSV files and product catalogs
Translate the text columns in a CSV file and get back the same file in another language. Numbers, IDs and codes stay untouched, so the structure is ready to import as-is.
Translate XML files with tags kept intact
Translate the text inside an XML file — a CMS export, settings file or data feed. Tags and attributes stay exactly as they were, so the result opens fine in the same program.
B2B
The B2B add-on unlocks book and document workflows, centralized organization user management, usage tracking, data protection, and REST API access.
Translate your file
Start with a free sample to see the translation and the preserved structure on your own file. For the full file you can pay once without a subscription, or take a monthly plan.
Translate a file