Gloty vs. WPML
WPML is the veteran — enormously capable, and enormously configurable. Gloty trades some of that surface area for a simpler model: managed AI translation with nothing to configure, a monthly allowance instead of credits to top up, and automatic whole-site translation.
The short answer
WPML and Gloty both store translations in your own WordPress database, so neither locks your content in a vendor cloud. The difference is how automatic translation is paid for: WPML meters it in credits bundled with an annual plan — 90,000 on the €99/yr tier, none on the €39/yr tier — while Gloty applies no per-word credit meter.
WPML details verified against WPML’s published pricing.
WPML is the most mature multilingual plugin for WordPress, with deep WooCommerce multicurrency, translation management, and a huge compatibility ecosystem. Its automatic translation is excellent — but it is metered in credits bundled with the plan, which deplete as you translate and are then repurchased. Gloty is leaner: a free tier, a flat monthly character allowance rather than a depleting credit balance, and whole-site automatic translation with far less to configure.
Choose Gloty if…
- You want to start free rather than commit to an annual licence
- You'd rather have a monthly allowance that resets than credits that deplete
- You want a lighter, simpler setup on typical shared hosting
- You want whole-site automatic translation without configuring a workflow
Choose WPML if…
- You need the deepest WooCommerce multicurrency + store translation
- You rely on WPML's huge theme/plugin compatibility ecosystem
- You run formal translation workflows with professional translators & translation memory
Credit where due
Where WPML genuinely shines
- The most mature and feature-complete option — huge third-party theme and plugin compatibility.
- Best-in-class WooCommerce support, including multicurrency.
- Serious translation management: professional translator workflows, translation memory, glossaries, per-string control.
- Multiple MT engines with per-engine cost/quality tuning, and strong Full-Site-Editing / page-builder coverage.
Where Gloty differs
What you get with Gloty
Start free, not at €99/yr
WPML has no free tier, and the €39/yr Blog plan includes no automatic-translation credits at all — whole-site machine translation effectively starts at the €99/yr Multilingual CMS plan. Gloty's plugin is free and its free tier includes 100,000 characters a month, so you can translate a small site and see the result before paying anything.
An allowance that resets, not a balance that drains
WPML's automatic translation draws on a credit balance bundled with the plan; when it runs out you buy more. Gloty gives you a monthly character allowance that resets each period, so the cost of translating is predictable per month rather than a series of top-ups — and anything already translated keeps serving either way, since both products store translations in your own database.
Free to start, lighter to run
WPML has no free tier and its automatic translation needs the mid ($99/yr) plan. Gloty's plugin is free and GPL-licensed, and it's tuned to run well on typical shared hosting.
WPML pricing, as published
Transcribed from WPML’s own pricing page on . We publish the figures rather than characterising them so you can check the comparison yourself.
| Plan | Price | Includes |
|---|---|---|
| Multilingual Blog | €39/yr | 1 production site (3 dev) · no AI translation credits |
| Multilingual CMS | €99/yr | 3 production sites (9 dev) · 90,000 AI translation credits |
| Multilingual Agency | €199/yr | Unlimited sites · 180,000 AI translation credits |
Gloty vs. WPML — FAQ
- Is WPML better than Gloty?
- WPML is more feature-rich and has a bigger compatibility ecosystem, especially for complex WooCommerce stores and formal translator workflows. Gloty is simpler and cheaper to run for automatic AI translation, and it lets you use your own AI provider key — which WPML does not.
- How is automatic translation billed in WPML?
- In credits bundled with the annual plan: 90,000 credits on Multilingual CMS (€99/yr) and 180,000 on Agency (€199/yr), while the €39/yr Blog tier includes none. Credits are consumed as you translate and topped up when they run out, so the cost of machine translation tracks how much content you push through it.
- Does WPML store translations in the cloud?
- No — like Gloty, WPML stores the translated content in your own WordPress database (its automatic-translation processing runs on WPML's servers, but the result is saved locally). So data ownership is shared ground; the real differences are credits vs. your-own-key and free vs. paid.
WPML is an annual subscription with no free tier, from €39/yr to €199/yr. Automatic translation is metered in credits bundled with the plan — 90,000 on Multilingual CMS, 180,000 on Agency, and none at all on the €39 Blog tier — so ongoing machine translation depends on the credit balance rather than being unlimited. WPML is a trademark of its respective owner and is referenced here for factual comparison only. Details verified ; competitor features and pricing change — always confirm on their official site.
Sources
Every factual claim about WPML on this page is drawn from the primary sources below, each confirmed live on the date shown.
- WPML Pricing and Plans — WPML. Accessed .
- Tell Google about localized versions of your page — Google Search Central. Accessed .
- Internationalization — Plugin Handbook — WordPress Developer Resources. Accessed .
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