head to head · open source
TranslateBooksWithLLMs vs WritingTools
TranslateBooksWithLLMs has 2,567 GitHub stars, 340 forks, 23 open issues and last shipped yesterday. WritingTools has 2,479 stars, 165 forks, 79 open issues and last shipped 3 months ago. TranslateBooksWithLLMs leads on adoption by 4% (2,567 vs 2,479 stars). TranslateBooksWithLLMs is written in Python under AGPL-3.0; WritingTools is written in Swift under GPL-3.0. TranslateBooksWithLLMs has attracted 13% as many forks as stars, WritingTools 7%. TranslateBooksWithLLMs was the more recently maintained of the two, and both are self-hostable with no licence fee. The two share 2 topic tags (gemini, llm), so they are genuine substitutes rather than adjacent tools.
Two open source projects, one decision. Both are free and self-hostable — the differences are community size, license terms, language stack and release pace.
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Side by side
| TranslateBooksWithLLMs | WritingTools | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 2.6K | ★ 2.5K |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | GPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Python | Swift |
| Last push | 2026-11-02 | 2026-08-19 |
| Forks | ⑂ 340 | ⑂ 165 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick TranslateBooksWithLLMs if
- You weight community size — 2.6K stars and counting
- You want the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick WritingTools if
- You want the WritingTools feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Swift
- You evaluated both and WritingTools fits your workflow better
About TranslateBooksWithLLMs
TBL Translate Books with LLMs A desktop app that translates books , subtitles , and documents with AI local or cloud. Drop a file, pick a language, get the result. Formats: EPUB, SRT, DOCX, TXT No size limit. Process documents of any length from a single page to thousand page novels. The intelligent chunking system handles unlimited content while preserving context between segments. Perfect preservation. Your documents come out exactly as they went in: EPUB formatting, styles, and structure remain intact. SRT timecodes stay perfectly synchronized. Every tag, every timestamp, every formatting detail is preserved…
read the full TranslateBooksWithLLMs overview →
About WritingTools
Writing Tools 🍎 Using a Mac? Jump to the macOS (Native Swift Port) section → macOS Instantly proofread and optimize your writing system wide with AI: Summarize content (webpages, YouTube videos, documents...) in a click: Add your own buttons for unlimited potential! ✨ What is Writing Tools? Writing Tools is an Apple Intelligence inspired application for Windows, Linux, and macOS that supercharges your writing with an AI LLM (cloud based or local). With one hotkey press system wide, it lets you fix grammar, optimize text according to your instructions, summarize content (webpages, YouTube videos, etc.), and…
read the full WritingTools overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is TranslateBooksWithLLMs or WritingTools more popular?
TranslateBooksWithLLMs has 2,567 GitHub stars and WritingTools has 2,479. TranslateBooksWithLLMs has the larger community by that measure.
Are TranslateBooksWithLLMs and WritingTools free?
Both are open source. TranslateBooksWithLLMs is licensed under AGPL-3.0 and WritingTools under GPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between TranslateBooksWithLLMs and WritingTools?
TranslateBooksWithLLMs is written in Python and WritingTools in Swift. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, TranslateBooksWithLLMs or WritingTools?
Choose TranslateBooksWithLLMs if you want the larger community (2,567 stars) or its AGPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose WritingTools if its feature set, stack or GPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.