LocalePilot FAQ

Flutter ARB, nested and flat JSON (i18next, easy_localization, slang, vue-i18n…), multi-language JSON (one file with a section per language), Apple .strings and Xcode String Catalogs (.xcstrings). It also reads and writes the fastlane files of your App Store and Google Play listings. Not supported yet: Android strings.xml and .stringsdict (use a String Catalog instead). i18next suffix plurals (_one, _other) are read as separate keys for now.

Flutter: yes, through your ARB files, whatever platforms the app targets. iOS and macOS: yes, with .strings files in .lproj folders and String Catalogs. Native Android apps: not yet, because strings.xml files are not supported; their Google Play listing is. LocalePilot itself is a Mac app.

The free version covers 1 project of up to 300 source keys, with editing by hand, QA, export, local AI (Ollama, LM Studio) and LibreTranslate. A larger project opens read-only, so you can browse it and see its QA. Pro unlocks more than one project, projects of any size, cloud AI providers and translation services, the glossary, the AI audit and store listings. A 14-day Pro trial starts in the app, with no payment asked; when it ends, LocalePilot goes back to the free version and your files stay as they are.

The trial lasts 14 days and needs no account, no sign-in and no payment. It starts on its own the first time you use a Pro feature, such as a second project, a cloud AI provider or the AI audit, and then unlocks every Pro feature. It is granted only once per Mac. When it ends, LocalePilot goes back to the free version and your files stay as they are.

Not to translate by hand, nor with Ollama or LM Studio on your Mac. Cloud providers (OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, DeepSeek) and translation services (DeepL, Microsoft Translator, Google Cloud Translation) need your own API key and LocalePilot Pro. You paste the key in Settings, AI provider; it is stored in the secure storage of macOS, and the provider bills you directly.

Yes. Opening a project, editing, QA, review and export work without AI and without a connection. Ollama and LM Studio work offline with a downloaded model running on your Mac. Cloud models and remote services require a connection. A Pro license keeps working offline for up to 30 days between two license checks.

Typing, AI translation and approving are saved in LocalePilot's local database, never in your files. Your translation files are written only when you confirm on the Export screen, which first shows every change file by file. If a file changed on disk since it was loaded, LocalePilot merges the changes or asks you to resolve the conflict instead of overwriting it. Two other actions write on your request: adding a language creates its file (or its section in a file that holds every language), and saving a store listing writes the fields you changed.

Text leaves your Mac only when you ask a cloud provider to translate (including the translation offered when you add a language), to audit existing translations or to adapt a store listing: the provider you chose then receives the text needed for that request, with your own API key. Before a batch translation or an AI audit, Before you launch shows where the text is sent, how many requests the run makes and which keys are included.

An AI model rereads the translations that already exist in a language, reports problems and suggests corrections, saved as AI drafts for you to review. A correction to a value that was reviewed, approved or edited by hand waits for your decision. The audit is a Pro feature and works only with AI models, in the cloud or on your Mac (Ollama, LM Studio), not with machine translation services. It sends only cells that are already translated, with their source text, current translation and context: the details are on the What is sent page of the Help section.

Before export replaces a file, LocalePilot saves an exact copy of it in its own storage on your Mac, never in your project. The same goes for the store listing files it replaces. The 10 most recent export runs are kept. To find them: Settings, Project, Backups, Show backups in Finder.

Yes, with Pro, in the fastlane files you already publish: name, subtitle, promotional text, description, keywords and release notes for the App Store; title, short and full description and changelogs for Google Play. Store limits are checked as you type, and the AI can adapt a listing to each market. LocalePilot writes the files; it sends nothing to Apple or Google, so you still publish with fastlane or the store console.

LocalePilot uses Sparkle, the open-source updater used by many Mac apps. It looks for a new version once a day, or when you choose Check for Updates… in the LocalePilot menu, and shows its release notes. Nothing is downloaded or installed until you click Install, and each update is checked against LocalePilot's signature first. Automatic checks can be turned off in Settings, Application.

With Pro, every 1.x version is included for good, along with any major version (2.0 or later) released within 12 months of purchase. A covered major version includes all of its updates (for example 2.x). Your license does not expire: LocalePilot keeps working, Pro features included. For a major version released after those 12 months, you keep your version and can upgrade at a reduced price. The free version gets every update.

macOS 12 Monterey or later. The app is signed with a Developer ID certificate, notarized by Apple and runs in the macOS App Sandbox: it only reads and writes the folders you open. A Windows version is planned.

The interface is in English, French, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese. Choose it in Settings, Appearance, Application language. The languages you translate your project into are not limited to these.