The short answer
For most freelance jobs that arrive as Trados packages, you don’t need Trados to do the work. You need a tool that opens the package, keeps every segment and tag where it belongs, and writes back a return package in the form Trados makes it. That is what Lexora Studio does, alongside Word, Excel, PowerPoint, memoQ and web files.
We make Lexora Studio, a CAT tool that competes with Trados Studio. Read this with that in mind. What we say about Trados comes from RWS’s public documentation for Trados Studio 2024 and Trados Studio 2026, checked on 8 October 2026. What we say about Lexora is about version 0.5.2.
Trados files Lexora Studio opens
| File | What it is | In Lexora Studio |
|---|---|---|
.sdlppx | Project package from the agency | Opens it, with every document for your target language |
.sdlrpx | Return package you send back | Exports it, marked as a return package |
.sdlxliff | Bilingual file, one per document | Opens and exports it |
.sdltm | Translation memory | Imports it, with tags as real tags |
| Segment status | Draft, Translated, Approved | Confirmed goes back as Translated, reviewed as Approved, the rest as Draft |
| Locked segments | Segments the agency locked | Read from the next update; version 0.5.2 doesn’t yet |
.sdltb, .ttb | Termbase (Trados Studio 2026 uses .ttb) | Not read. Ask for the glossary as TBX or Excel |
A Trados job in Lexora Studio, step by step
- Open the packageCreate a project and drop in the .sdlppx. If it holds more than one target language, Lexora opens the one that matches your project and tells you which others are in it.
- Add the memoryAdd the client’s .sdltm or TMX. If the memory came inside the package, copy the .sdlppx, rename the copy to .zip, take the .sdltm out and add it under Memories.
- Translate and confirmMatches, fragments and glossary terms appear beside the sentence you are on. Press Ctrl+Enter to confirm and move on.
- CheckNumbers, tags, terms and punctuation are checked as you go, for the way your target language writes them. Each issue opens with its segment in place.
- Export the return packageChoose “Return package for Trados · .sdlrpx”. Every file Lexora doesn’t change goes back exactly as it came.
For what is inside a package and what the agency gets back, read Working on a Trados package when you don’t own Trados.
What Lexora Studio doesn’t do
- It doesn’t load a package’s memories and termbases by itself. You add a memory by hand, and it can’t read Trados termbases (.sdltb, or .ttb from Trados Studio 2026) at all.
- It doesn’t connect to Trados GroupShare, or to projects an agency shares online instead of sending a package. It works with the files you are sent.
- Its word count is its own. If your fee depends on the analysis in the package, go by that report.
- It runs only on Windows 10 and 11.
- We haven’t yet tested a package made in Trados Studio 2026, the current version. The packages we tested were made in 2017 and 2021.
When Trados is worth buying
This is our opinion. Owning Trados makes most sense when most of your work arrives in Trados packages and your agencies rely on what a package carries besides the text: locked segments, termbases, their own analysis. Trados is the tool those packages are made for, and it connects to GroupShare and online projects, which Lexora doesn’t.
If Trados packages are an occasional job among Word files and other formats, we think a tool that opens them and writes a clean return package can be enough. That is the case we built Lexora Studio for.
Bringing your Trados work with you
- Your memoriesImport .sdltm files directly. Lexora tells you exactly what came in and what was skipped.
- Your glossariesImport TBX 2 and 3 with notes and forbidden terms kept, or CSV and Excel.
- Your shortcutsChange any keyboard shortcut to the keys your hands already know.
- Old translationsHave the source and the translation but no memory? Align the two files into a new one.
What we tested
On 7 October 2026 we round-tripped 1,268 files through Lexora Studio 0.5.2, among them 43 Trados .sdlxliff files and two Trados project packages. Every one came back with all its translations in place, and every file inside a package that Lexora doesn’t change was identical to the original. The test files are public, so anyone can repeat it: We round-tripped 1,268 files through Lexora.
Questions about using Lexora instead of Trados
Can I open an .sdlppx file without Trados?
Yes. An .sdlppx project package is a ZIP archive with the project file and one bilingual .sdlxliff file per document and language. Lexora Studio opens it, lets you translate the files for your target language, and exports the .sdlrpx return package.
Can I use my Trados translation memory?
Yes. Lexora Studio imports Trados memories (.sdltm) directly, in the background, with tags kept as real tags. It also reads TMX files.
Does Lexora Studio read Trados termbases?
No. It can’t read Trados termbases, neither .sdltb nor the .ttb format Trados Studio 2026 uses. Ask the agency for the glossary as TBX or Excel, which Lexora Studio reads.
Does it work with Trados GroupShare or online projects?
No. Lexora Studio works with the files you are sent. It doesn’t connect to Trados GroupShare or to projects an agency shares online instead of sending a package.
Whose word count should I use for my invoice?
If your fee depends on the analysis in the package, go by that report. Lexora Studio counts words its own way, and its count can differ.
How much does Lexora Studio cost?
Pro costs €39 a month or €384 a year, with 400,000 AI credits a month. There is a 14-day free trial with every feature and no card needed. See pricing.
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Trados, Trados Studio, Trados GroupShare and the other product names are trademarks of their owners, used here only to name their products. Lexora Studio is independent of these companies and not endorsed by them.