Translation Agency Software Without Marketplace Vendor Exposure
Marketplace translation platforms are free because they profit from your vendor relationships — exposing your linguists to direct-hire and commission-based project flows. Translation agencies seeking full vendor privacy, PO-gated financial compliance, and linguist performance analytics are switching to subscription-based translation agency software instead. KanCAT replaces the marketplace model with a flat subscription and keeps your localization workflow entirely private.
What you lose with marketplace platforms
Your vendor relationships
The platform sits between you and your linguists, driving direct contact through its own network.
Project value via commissions
Transaction-based models take a cut of every project — costs that grow invisibly as your volume scales.
Data privacy
Platforms profit by using your vendor and project data to fuel their own marketplace recommendations.
Compliance tooling
Marketplace platforms rarely offer audit trails, PO-gated workflows, or financial traceability.
Workflow control
You are constrained to the platform's bidding and payment structure — customization is limited.
What KanCAT brings instead
Private vendor management
Your linguist relationships stay 100% private. KanCAT has no marketplace and no vendor discovery layer.
Zero commissions
Flat monthly subscription — we never take a cut of your project value.
95-event audit trail
Full activity log with 7-year retention for SOC 2 and GDPR Article 30 compliance (Team Pro+).
PO-gated Kanban workflow
No project moves to Done without a linked Purchase Order — financial accountability by design.
Data portability
TMX and XLIFF export on all paid plans — your data is yours, always.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Marketplace Platform | KanCAT |
|---|---|---|
| Cloud-based | YesYes | YesYes |
| Transparent pricing | No — commission-based | Yes — flat subscription |
| Built-in invoicing | YesYes | YesYes |
| Kanban project board | Limited | Yes — with PO gate (Team Pro+) |
| Audit trail | Basic or none | 95-event / 7-year (Team Pro+) |
| Vendor management | Marketplace-owned | Private — your relationships |
| Free plan | Sometimes | Yes — permanent, no credit card |
| XLIFF / TMX export | Often restricted | Yes (Starter+) |
| Support SLA | Platform-wide | Tier-specific |
Pricing at a glance
Marketplace platforms often appear free on the surface but extract value through commissions on every project — a cost that scales with your revenue rather than your team size. KanCAT replaces this model with a flat subscription: $69/month for Team Starter (4 PM seats, unlimited linguists) or $179/month for Team Pro (10 PM seats, audit trail, PO-gated workflow). For most agencies running 10+ projects per month, the subscription pays for itself by eliminating a single commission cycle.
Switching to KanCAT is easy
Export your current vendor list and project history from your existing platform.
Map your existing workflows to KanCAT's Kanban board — preset workflow templates are ready to use.
Invite your vendors by email to your private KanCAT workspace. Your data, your relationships, your control.
Reclaim Your Vendor Relationships
Move to a commission-free, private translation management platform — starting free. Your linguists, your rates, your data.