The verdict in three sentences
For a Rotterdam translation agency serving maritime law firms, shipping companies and financial clients, with 120 freelance linguists working mostly between Dutch, English and German, the best option in 2026 is usually a market TMS extended with custom modules for client segregation and a branded client portal. A fully custom system, at EUR 60,000 to 180,000, only makes sense if your workflow (double legal review, hourly deadlines on charter party disputes, billing per case file) is your competitive edge. The ranking covers types of solution judged on stable criteria, not brands or agencies.
The 2026 ranking of solution types
| Rank | Solution type | Five year cost (2026 ballpark) | Timeline | Reversibility | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Market TMS plus custom modules | EUR 70,000 to 130,000 | 2 to 4 months | good if modules use the TMS API | agency with 80 to 300 linguists and strict confidentiality demands |
| 2 | Market TMS alone | EUR 18,000 to 90,000 | 1 to 2 months | depends on export | agency with a standard workflow |
| 3 | Custom build by a development agency | EUR 110,000 to 280,000 | 6 to 10 months | full if code is assigned | agency with a very specific workflow or high volume |
| 4 | Adapted open source tool | EUR 60,000 to 150,000 | 4 to 7 months | good, code accessible | agency with in-house technical skills |
| 5 | CAT tool with project features | EUR 10,000 to 40,000 | a few weeks | medium | small agency, under 30 linguists |
| 6 | Spreadsheets and email | under EUR 5,000 | immediate | full | under 10 projects a day |
Five year cost includes subscription or build, hosting and maintenance. A TMS alone is cheapest but often struggles with what maritime and financial clients demand: strict segregation per client, a log of every file access, deletion on a fixed date.
The criteria that decide
| Criterion | TMS alone | TMS plus modules | Custom | Adapted open source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assigning 80 to 200 linguists by language pair, specialism and availability | good | very good | tailored | fine after adaptation |
| Reusing existing translation memories (TMX, XLIFF) | native | native | to build | often native |
| Client segregation and access logs | partial | complete | complete | to build |
| Client portal for law firms and shipping companies | standard | branded | branded | to build |
| GDPR compliant freelancer portal (contracts, invoices, NDAs) | standard | adapted | adapted | to build |
| Dutch, English and German interface | depends on vendor | yes | yes | depends |
| Handling 300 to 900 projects a month | yes | yes | yes if well designed | yes if well hosted |
On confidentiality, require a GDPR data processing agreement, the list of sub-processors and a written policy on machine translation: a law firm will not accept its documents passing through an uncontrolled public online service. Freelancers in other EU countries also process personal data on your behalf, so the portal must collect signed agreements.
Where Kolonell fits
Kolonell is one nearshore option for the custom part, typically the rank 1 modules: segregated client portal, access log, case file dashboards, freelancer agreement workflow. Its prices for a custom application are 3,810 to 6,100 EUR (simple), 6,100 to 10,670 EUR (medium) and 10,670 to 22,870 EUR and up (complex), maintenance from 53 EUR a month. These are Kolonell's prices, not market averages, and the TMS subscription remains payable to its vendor.
Mini case study
Illustrative example: Annelies, managing director of a legal and financial translation agency in Rotterdam, handles 600 projects a month with 120 linguists. Her project managers spend 30 minutes per project on quotes, assignment, chasing and invoicing. A well configured TMS cuts that to 14 minutes: 16 minutes × 600 projects = 160 hours a month, at EUR 45 fully loaded, EUR 7,200 a month. Option 1: TMS at EUR 1,100 a month plus EUR 28,000 of segregation and portal modules and EUR 350 a month of maintenance. The net gain of EUR 5,750 a month pays back the modules in under 5 months, and the segregated portal becomes a sales argument with maritime law firms.
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
FAQ
Is a market TMS enough for 120 linguists?
For assignment, translation memories and invoicing, yes, at EUR 300 to 1,500 a month. It shows its limits on client segregation and access logging demanded by some law firms.
What does a fully custom TMS cost?
EUR 60,000 to 180,000 to build as a 2026 ballpark, plus hosting and maintenance. You also have to rebuild memory handling and standard formats, which adds to the budget.
How do we keep our translation memories if we switch?
Require TMX export for memories and XLIFF for work in progress, and test it before signing. A poorly prepared migration can stall 2 to 4 weeks of production.
What confidentiality guarantees should we ask for?
EU hosting, encryption, access logs, deletion on a fixed date and written commitments from linguists. For legal clients, plan a confidentiality annex signed by each of your 120 freelancers.
How long does switching take?
1 to 2 months for a TMS alone, 2 to 4 months with custom modules. Move one pilot client and 20 to 30 linguists first before opening to everyone.
Let's scope your project. Tell us about your project volume, language pairs and client requirements, and we will recommend the best fit with an indicative budget and timeline. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
