Cost Estimate

Updated: last quarter · 2 min read

Deprecated

These docs cover the legacy CLI (v0). The current CLI is v1. See the current CLI docs

lingo.dev run --estimate prices a run before it happens. The Lingo.dev CLI computes the same change-delta as a real run, prices it through your localization engine, prints a per-locale cost breakdown, and exits. Nothing is translated, written, or billed.

Estimating a run#

bash
npx lingo.dev@latest run --estimate

The CLI prints a per-locale breakdown and a total:

text
[Estimate]
✔ Delta computed for 3 task(s)
›   es: ~$0.04 (12,300 chars, ~3,075 tokens)
›   de: ~$0.04 (12,300 chars, ~3,075 tokens)
›   fr: ~$0.04 (12,300 chars, ~3,075 tokens)
✔ Estimated cost: ~$0.12 (estimate, not a quote — nothing was translated)

By default, only pending content - the change-delta against i18n.lock - is priced. An empty delta prints $0.00 - nothing needs translation.

Full-project estimate#

Add --force to price every string, regardless of what is already translated:

bash
npx lingo.dev@latest run --estimate --force

This mirrors a run --force retranslation, so the estimate covers the whole project rather than just the delta.

Estimate vs. a real run#

run --estimaterun
Computes the deltaYesYes
Translates contentNoYes
Writes target filesNoYes
BilledNoYes

Output fields#

FieldDescription
charsTranslatable source characters in the delta for that locale.
tokensEstimated output tokens, derived from a chars-to-tokens heuristic.
costApproximate cost for that locale. Summed into the total.

Estimates are approximate, not a quote - actual cost depends on the model and the real token count. --estimate requires the Lingo.dev provider and cannot be combined with --watch or --frozen.

Next Steps#