Compare

Loqua vs Transcy

Both translate your Shopify store. The difference is what writes the translations, what it costs when your catalogue is real, and what it leaves behind. Here is the honest version.

Capability
Loqua
Transcy
Translation engine
Every string runs through Claude with your glossary and brand voice attached.
Per their documentation, Google Translate by default; AI engines are a separate, paid, metered add-on.
AI pricing
Flat monthly plan. No token meter, no per-translation overage.
AI metered by the token, about 1.2 per word. Run out and you fall back to Google.
Brand glossary
Enforced on every translation. Conflicts always route to review.
Glossary rules reported ignored at random in App Store reviews.
After a theme update
Delta sync refreshes only what changed. No manual retranslate.
Translations flip to Outdated; merchants must retranslate by hand (their help docs).
Uninstall
Removes every translation it registered. No leftover code, no orphaned hreflang.
Reviews report leftover code and hreflang conflicts after removal.
Storefront speed
Translations published into Shopify natively, served like any other content.
Their help docs note translations can appear with a 5 to 7 second sync lag.
Billing transparency
Flat plan billed through Shopify, cancel anytime from your admin.
Documented surprise upgrades and slow refunds in App Store reviews.
Review workflow
Confidence-gated review queue built in, approvals feed translation memory.
Reviews report manual edits causing coding errors.

Transcy details reflect their published pricing and help documentation and Shopify App Store reviews, June 2026. We link to sources on request. Comparisons like this change as products change; if anything here is out of date, tell us and we will fix it.

The short version

Transcy is a capable all-in-one suite, and for a store translating a few product descriptions it works. The complaints start at scale: the AI quota runs out, much of the store falls back to Google Translate, brand terms drift, and theme updates flip translations to Outdated. That follows from how the pricing and engine are structured, not from one-off bugs.

Loqua does one thing well. Every string runs through Claude with your brand context, on a flat plan, and publishes cleanly into Shopify.

Switching questions

Is Loqua a drop-in replacement for Transcy?

For translation, yes. Loqua reads the same translatable content through Shopify’s official Translations API and publishes back into the same place Shopify stores translations. If you also use Transcy for currency conversion, keep Shopify’s native multi-currency or a dedicated currency app; Loqua focuses on translation done properly rather than bundling everything.

Will switching break my SEO or leave junk behind?

Loqua writes through Shopify’s native translation system, so hreflang and language URLs follow Shopify’s own setup rather than a parallel layer. Uninstalling removes every translation Loqua registered, with no leftover code for your developer to clean up.

Why is Loqua not just cheaper Transcy?

It is a different model. Transcy meters AI and falls back to a generic engine for the rest of your store. Loqua puts every string through Claude with your brand context, on a flat plan, so the quality is consistent across your whole catalogue rather than only the first few hundred words.

Can I see the quality before I move?

Yes. We will run Claude over a sample of your real store with your glossary attached and send a side-by-side quality report against your current translations, no commitment.

Compare it on your own catalogue.

Start the 14-day free trial, or have us translate a sample of your store first so you can see the difference before you switch.

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