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WPML Automatic Translation: How to Cut Costs by 80%

WPML is the most popular WordPress multilingual plugin, and its automatic translation feature is incredibly useful. But the machine translation costs add up fast. This guide shows you how to dramatically reduce those costs.

The Problem: WPML Translation Costs​

WPML's automatic translation uses Google Translate or DeepL under the hood. The pricing:

ProviderCost per 1M Characters
Google Translate$20
DeepL$25

For a typical WordPress site with 100 pages (~500K characters), translating to one language costs $10-12.50. Add 5 languages and you're looking at $50-62.50, and that's just the initial translation. Updates and new content add to the ongoing cost.

For WooCommerce stores with 1,000+ products, costs can easily reach $200-500 per language.

The Solution: Use Langbly via Loco Translate​

Instead of using WPML's built-in machine translation, use the free Langbly for Loco Translate plugin alongside WPML:

ProviderCost per 1M CharactersSavings
Google Translate$20-
DeepL$25-
Langbly$3.80–$1.9981–90% cheaper than Google

How It Works​

  1. WPML creates the multilingual structure (translated pages, language switcher, SEO)
  2. Loco Translate handles the .po file translation (plugin/theme strings)
  3. Langbly provides the machine translation engine, 81–90% cheaper than Google Translate

You get WPML's powerful multilingual features + Langbly's high-quality translations at a fraction of the price.

Setup Guide​

Step 1: Keep WPML for Structure​

Continue using WPML for:

  • Page/post duplication across languages
  • Language switcher
  • SEO (hreflang tags)
  • WooCommerce multilingual

Step 2: Install Langbly for Loco Translate​

  1. Install Loco Translate (free, 1M+ installs)
  2. Download the Langbly for Loco Translate plugin from langbly.com
  3. Upload and activate it
  4. Add your API key to wp-config.php:
define( 'LANGBLY_API_KEY', 'your-api-key-here' );

Step 3: Translate Plugin/Theme Strings​

  1. Open Loco Translate in the admin
  2. Select any plugin or theme
  3. Choose your target language
  4. Select strings → Auto-translate with Langbly
  5. Save the .po file

Step 4: Translate Page Content​

For page/post content, you can either:

  • Use WPML's built-in editor with manual translation
  • Use the Langbly API directly for bulk content translation
  • Use TranslatePress alongside WPML for visual automatic translation

Cost Comparison: Real-World Scenarios​

Small Blog (50 pages, 2 languages)​

MethodCost
WPML + Google$20
WPML + DeepL$25
WPML + Langbly$3.80

Medium Site (200 pages, 3 languages)​

MethodCost
WPML + Google$120
WPML + DeepL$150
WPML + Langbly$19

WooCommerce Store (1,000 products, 5 languages)​

MethodCost
WPML + Google$1,000
WPML + DeepL$1,250
WPML + Langbly$69

Why Langbly Translations Are Better​

It's not just cheaper. Langbly produces better translations:

  • Context-aware: Understands the full sentence in context, not word-by-word
  • Dutch locale rules: Correct use of "je" vs "u", decimal commas, km/u, etc.
  • Placeholder preservation: %s, %d, {variable} tokens are never translated
  • Natural phrasing: Reads like human-written text, not machine output

FAQ​

Can I use Langbly and WPML's built-in MT simultaneously?​

Yes. WPML's automatic translation and Loco Translate work independently. You can use Langbly for .po strings and WPML's Google/DeepL for page content, or vice versa.

Will this affect my WPML license?​

No. Loco Translate and the Langbly plugin are completely separate from WPML. Your WPML license continues to work normally.

What about WPML translation credits?​

WPML sells translation credits for its built-in MT. With this approach, you don't need them, saving even more money.

Next Steps​