Alternatives
XTRF, Plunet and Protemos alternatives for translation and interpreting agencies
A fair look at three well-known translation business management systems, the reasons agencies look elsewhere, and the options worth a trial. Checked on 3 October 2026 against each vendor's own pages.
In short
XTRF, Plunet and Protemos are translation business management systems (TBMS) for language service providers. XTRF and Plunet don't publish prices; Protemos does, at €899 a year per manager. LinguisTriks is an alternative for agencies that also book interpreters and want public per-user prices, with client payments, linguist payouts, online meetings and AI drafts in the same system.
At a glance
| System | How it describes itself | Published price | Interpreting |
|---|---|---|---|
| XTRF (part of XTM) | Translation business management system for LSPs | Not published; pricing from sales | Not mentioned on its LSP page |
| Plunet | Translation management system for agencies and language departments | Not published; editions from 2, 5 or 20 full user licences | InterpretingManager module |
| Protemos | Business and project management system for translation agencies | €899 a year per manager (about €75 a month); free for freelancers | Not mentioned on its pricing and product pages |
| Trados Business Manager | Business management for translators and agencies (RWS) | No longer sold since 31 October 2023 | Support ended 31 October 2024 |
| LinguisTriks | Business management for translation and interpreting agencies | Per user per month, all prices on the pricing page | Built in: bookings, job offers by email and SMS, online meetings |
Checked on 3 October 2026. Product names belong to their owners. Spotted something out of date? Email info@linguistriks.com.
XTRF alternatives
XTRF, now part of XTM, describes itself as a translation business management system for language service providers, built around project, vendor and financial management. It doesn't publish prices: you contact sales for a proposal.
Why agencies look elsewhere: most often to get a published price, a lighter set-up for a smaller team, or interpreting bookings in the same system - XTRF's LSP page focuses on translation.
Source: XTM, XTRF for LSPs, checked 3 October 2026.
Good fit if you...
- run a large translation operation with complex workflows
- want deep vendor and financial controls
- are happy to buy through a sales process
Plunet alternatives
Plunet BusinessManager is a long-established translation management system for agencies and corporate language departments, sold in editions from 2, 5 or 20 full user licences. It offers an InterpretingManager module for interpreting projects. Prices are quoted, not published.
Why agencies look elsewhere: usually to see a price before a demo, or to have client payments, linguist payouts and online meetings in the same system as their bookings and projects.
Source: Plunet pricing, checked 3 October 2026.
Good fit if you...
- want a highly configurable system and have time to set it up
- manage translation and interpreting at scale
- prefer a licence-based, quoted purchase
Protemos alternatives
Protemos is a business and project management system for translation agencies with published prices: €899 a year per manager, or €249 for three months, with the first month free. You pay for managers signed in at the same time, and client and vendor accounts are unlimited. It's free for freelancers.
Why agencies look elsewhere: typically when they also run interpreting, or want online meetings, linguist payouts and AI first drafts in the same system as their quotes and invoices.
Source: Protemos prices, checked 3 October 2026.
Good fit if you...
- run a translation-only agency on a tight budget
- have several staff who rarely log in at the same time
- are a freelancer (it's free)
The alternatives, by type of agency
Translation and interpreting
LinguisTriks runs both in one system, with bookings, job offers by email and SMS and online meetings beside translation projects. Plunet's InterpretingManager is the other option to look at.
Under 10 people, translation only
Price matters most: LSP.expert's Team plan (€45 a month for 10 users), Awtomated (€19 per user a month) and Protemos all publish prices worth comparing.
Interpreting only
Dedicated interpreter schedulers such as Usked (priced by assignments) and Boostlingo (quoted) focus on scheduling and remote interpreting.
What switching involves
Switching is mostly about data and habits, not software. Plan the move in this order, and keep the old system read-only for reference until the last open jobs are invoiced.
In LinguisTriks, onboarding is included in every plan: we help you bring across clients, linguists and rates, and translation memories and glossaries import from TMX, TBX or CSV files.
- Export clients, contacts and their rates
- Export linguists, their languages and their rates
- Export translation memories (TMX) and glossaries (TBX or CSV)
- Recreate your email and document templates
- Start new work in the new system; finish open jobs in the old one
- Keep the old system read-only until its last invoices are paid
Questions
Choosing an alternative
What is the best XTRF alternative for a small agency?
It depends on what you do. For translation only on a budget, compare LSP.expert, Awtomated and Protemos, which all publish prices. If you also book interpreters or want payments, payouts and online meetings in the same system, LinguisTriks is built for that.
Does Plunet support interpreting?
Yes. Plunet offers an InterpretingManager module for interpreting projects. Its prices are quoted rather than published.
How much does Protemos cost?
Protemos publishes its prices: €899 a year per manager on the annual plan, or €249 for three months, with the first month free and free accounts for freelancers. You pay for managers signed in at the same time.
Can we bring our translation memories with us?
Yes. LinguisTriks imports translation memories from TMX or CSV files and glossaries from TBX or CSV, and onboarding help with clients, linguists and rates is included in every plan.
Is LinguisTriks cheaper than XTRF or Plunet?
We can't compare like for like, because neither publishes a price. LinguisTriks publishes every price on its pricing page and has a 30-day free trial, so you can work out the cost for your team before you talk to anyone.
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