head to head · open source
WritingTools vs TranslateBooksWithLLMs
WritingTools has 2,455 GitHub stars, 159 forks, 79 open issues and last shipped 1 months ago. TranslateBooksWithLLMs has 2,424 stars, 319 forks, 23 open issues and last shipped 3 days ago. WritingTools leads on adoption by 1% (2,455 vs 2,424 stars). WritingTools is written in Swift under GPL-3.0; TranslateBooksWithLLMs is written in Python under AGPL-3.0. WritingTools has attracted 6% as many forks as stars, TranslateBooksWithLLMs 13%. 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
| WritingTools | TranslateBooksWithLLMs | |
|---|---|---|
| GitHub stars | ★ 2.5K | ★ 2.4K |
| License | GPL-3.0 | AGPL-3.0 |
| Written in | Swift | Python |
| Last push | 2026-08-19 | 2026-09-17 |
| Forks | ⑂ 159 | ⑂ 319 |
| Self-hosting | Yes | Yes |
| Data ownership | Your server | Your server |
pick WritingTools if
- You weight community size — 2.5K stars and counting
- You want the GPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Swift
- You value the larger contributor base for long-term maintenance
pick TranslateBooksWithLLMs if
- You want the TranslateBooksWithLLMs feature set and don't need the biggest community
- You prefer the AGPL-3.0 license terms
- Your stack matches Python
- You evaluated both and TranslateBooksWithLLMs fits your workflow better
About WritingTools
WritingTools is an open source, system wide writing assistant for Windows, Linux, and macOS. It is inspired by Apple Intelligence Writing Tools and uses cloud based or local large language models to proofread, rewrite, summarize, and transform selected text across applications. The project is written in Swift and released under the GPL 3.0 license. The README states it works in nearly any language.
read the full WritingTools overview →
About TranslateBooksWithLLMs
TranslateBooksWithLLMs is a Python desktop application under AGPL 3.0 for translating full length books, documents, and subtitle files with large language models. It lives in the Content and Publishing ecosystem, specifically around ebook translation, document localization, and publishing related workflows. The project ships as a local app that opens a browser interface at http://localhost:5000 after the bundled executable is run.
read the full TranslateBooksWithLLMs overview →
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Frequently asked questions
Is WritingTools or TranslateBooksWithLLMs more popular?
WritingTools has 2,455 GitHub stars and TranslateBooksWithLLMs has 2,424. WritingTools has the larger community by that measure.
Are WritingTools and TranslateBooksWithLLMs free?
Both are open source. WritingTools is licensed under GPL-3.0 and TranslateBooksWithLLMs under AGPL-3.0. Neither carries a licence fee.
What is the difference between WritingTools and TranslateBooksWithLLMs?
WritingTools is written in Swift and TranslateBooksWithLLMs in Python. The practical differences are community size, licence terms, language stack and release cadence — all compared in the table above.
Which should I choose, WritingTools or TranslateBooksWithLLMs?
Choose WritingTools if you want the larger community (2,455 stars) or its GPL-3.0 licence terms. Choose TranslateBooksWithLLMs if its feature set, stack or AGPL-3.0 licence fits better. Both are self-hostable.