LATW AI Translation for WPML
LATW AI Translation vs WPML Automatic Translation: which one should translate your site?
WPML's built-in Automatic Translation runs on a prepaid credit system with WPML's own margin baked in. LATW is an add-on for WPML that swaps the automatic-translation step for your own API key across five providers - OpenAI, Anthropic (Claude), Google Gemini, DeepL and Google Translate - same WPML foundation, a fraction of the cost.
At a glance
The handful of differences that actually decide most people's choice.
Pricing and feature data verified July 2026 against public WPML.org automatic-translation pricing and documentation. Plugins and pricing change - if you spot something outdated, let us know.
The real difference: a credit markup vs your own API bill
Both plugins translate content already living inside WPML's translation system. The difference is what happens between your site and the AI model doing the work.
A metered credit system with WPML's margin built in
Automatic Translation routes your content through WPML's own translation proxy to reach PTC or a premium engine like DeepL, Google or Microsoft. You prepay for credits, each word consumes several of them depending on the engine, and WPML's margin is baked into the credit price.
Your API key, the provider's real price
LATW sends your content straight from WordPress to the provider you picked - OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, DeepL or Google Translate - using your own API key. There is no translation proxy and no credit markup: you pay exactly what that provider charges per token or per character, you choose the model, and Batch mode cuts the bill by around another 50%.
Where LATW pulls ahead of WPML Automatic Translation
A fraction of the credit cost
Translating 30 articles (~90,000 words) costs roughly €166 in WPML's PTC credits, versus about $0.13 in tokens with LATW - and Batch mode halves that again. The gap only grows as your content library does.
Five providers, your choice of model
Pick OpenAI, Anthropic (Claude), Google Gemini, DeepL or Google Translate. WPML's engine choice is limited to PTC or a premium third-party provider, without model-level control.
Custom prompts and site context
Describe your website, audience and tone once, and every translation uses that context. WPML's Automatic Translation has no equivalent prompt-level control.
Full translation history
See exactly which model translated each piece of content, the prompt sent and the response received. WPML does not expose this level of detail for its automatic translations.
No intermediary proxy
Your content goes directly from your site to the provider you chose. WPML's Automatic Translation routes everything through WPML's own translation proxy first.
Transparent, predictable pricing
You always know your cost is the provider's published per-token or per-character price. WPML's credit consumption varies by engine and can be hard to estimate in advance.
Batch mode for big runs
Queue a whole archive in Batch mode and pay roughly half, or use Background mode (OpenAI) so long jobs finish server-side. A WPML credit costs the same whether you are in a hurry or not.
Switching providers is free
Each provider stores its own key and model, so you can move between them at any time - translate your blog with one engine and your shop with another, without reconfiguring anything.
Where WPML's own Automatic Translation is still the safer pick
-
No separate API account to manage: everything is bundled and billed through WPML directly, which is simpler if you'd rather not open and fund your own account with an AI provider.
-
Access to multiple premium engines: DeepL, Google and Microsoft are available alongside PTC, useful when a specific engine performs better for a given language pair.
-
Free credits included: every WPML license comes with a monthly allowance and a one-time bonus, which can cover a small site's needs without ever buying more.
-
Official first-party support: it is WPML's own team supporting WPML's own translation engine, with no third-party vendor relationship to manage.
Full feature comparison
Every capability that typically decides an automatic-translation choice, side by side.
WPML feature data based on publicly available WPML.org documentation as of July 2026. Always confirm current details on the vendor's site before deciding.
Frequently asked questions
Can't find what you're looking for? Reach out to support directly.
Is LATW AI Translation for WPML cheaper than WPML's own Automatic Translation?+
Yes, often by a huge margin. WPML's Automatic Translation runs on prepaid credits that cost roughly $0.90-1.25 per 1,000, with 1-4 credits consumed per word depending on the engine. LATW bills your own provider key directly at raw cost - translating 30 articles (~90,000 words) runs about €166 on WPML's PTC engine versus roughly $0.13 in tokens with LATW, and Batch mode cuts that by around another 50%.
Do I still need WPML if I use LATW AI Translation for WPML?+
Yes. LATW is an extension, not a replacement - it requires WPML installed and active, and uses WPML's own translation job system to store and manage translations. It simply replaces the automatic-translation step with a cheaper, faster, more controllable one.
Why is WPML's own Automatic Translation more expensive?+
WPML bundles automatic translation as a metered credit system: you buy credits in advance and each word consumes 1-4 credits depending on the engine, with WPML's own margin built into the credit price. LATW instead has you pay the provider directly for the exact tokens or characters used, with no markup layered on top.
Can I choose which AI provider and model translates my content?+
With LATW, yes - both. Pick OpenAI, Anthropic (Claude), Google Gemini, DeepL or Google Translate, then pick the model: GPT-5.6 luna/terra/sol, Claude Opus 5, Sonnet 5 or Haiku 4.5, or Gemini 3.7 / 3.6 / 3.5 Flash and 3.5 Flash Lite. WPML's Automatic Translation instead routes through its own PTC engine by default, or a premium third-party engine (DeepL, Google, Microsoft) at a higher credit cost per word, without model-level choice within a provider.
LATW and WPML both offer DeepL and Google - what is the difference?+
The billing and the routing. WPML resells those engines through its own proxy and charges you credits with its margin on top. LATW connects to DeepL and Google Translate with your own API key, so you pay their published per-character price directly and your content never passes through a third-party proxy.
Can I make large translation runs cheaper?+
Yes. LATW offers three processing modes: Synchronous returns translations immediately, Batch is around 50% cheaper in exchange for a delay, and Background (OpenAI only) runs long jobs server-side. WPML's Automatic Translation has no equivalent - a credit costs the same whether you are in a hurry or not.
Does my content pass through any third party besides the AI provider?+
With LATW, no - content goes directly from your WordPress site to the API of the provider you selected, and the plugin author never sees it. WPML's Automatic Translation is a translation proxy: your content is routed through WPML's own servers to reach the underlying engine, whether that's PTC or a premium provider.
Can I use WPML's built-in Automatic Translation and LATW together?+
You can have both installed, but they serve the same job - automatically translating content submitted through WPML. Most sites pick one as their default automatic-translation engine to avoid double-spending on the same content.
Stop paying WPML's credit markup
Keep WPML, swap the automatic-translation engine. Pay your provider's real price, choose from five of them, and see every prompt and response.
Try LATW for WPML free