Guide
Translation app pricing explained: credits, words or a flat plan?
Two translation apps with the same monthly price can cost you wildly different amounts for the same store. It all comes down to what they count.
The three ways apps charge
Credits or word packages. You buy a bundle of words or characters, and every translation eats some. Easy to understand for a one-off job, but a big first translation, or translating everything again after a round of edits, can burn through them fast. Read the small print on two things: whether unused credits roll over, and when new credits arrive after you upgrade. Merchants have left reviews about upgrading in a hurry, only to find the extra credits didn’t arrive until the next billing cycle.
A word limit per plan. The plan includes a set number of translated words each month. The thing to check is what counts: usually a word counts once per language, so 100 words into three languages use 300.
Limits on languages or products. Some plans mainly cap how many languages or products you can have. Find out what happens when you pass the limit: are new items still translated automatically, or not?
Where the surprises come from
The first full translation is by far the biggest bill; after that, only new and changed text counts. Every language multiplies the words, so five languages means five times the volume. Some apps charge extra for automatic updates or glossary rules, or only offer them on the top plan. And a few ask you to bring your own API key for DeepL or OpenAI, which means a second bill you have to keep an eye on.
Estimating what you need
Count the words in your store once, multiply by the number of languages, and add a margin for what you change each month. As a rule of thumb, an average product page has 100 to 200 words, and theme texts, policies and emails add a few thousand more.
How Unlost charges
I wanted pricing I could explain in one sentence: a fixed monthly plan with the AI included, no credits, no API keys. The Plans page shows how many words your store has before you choose, so you can pick a plan your whole store fits in.
| Unlost plan | Price | Languages | Products | Words a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 1 | 50 | 40,000 |
| Starter | $13.99 / month | 2 | 300 | 200,000 |
| Growth | $29.99 / month | 5 | 1,000 | 600,000 |
| Pro | $59.99 / month | 10 | 2,500 | 1,500,000 |
Paying yearly gives two months free. Words count once per language: 100 words translated into 3 languages count as 300. On every paid plan, new and changed content is translated automatically within a minute; on Free you translate new content with one click.
Words renew every month and count once per language. Paying yearly gives two months free.
Questions
Do I need my own DeepL or OpenAI key for Unlost?
No. The AI is included in every plan.
What happens when I reach my word limit?
Translation pauses until your words renew the next month, or you choose a larger plan.
Try Unlost on your store
Free for one language and up to 50 products. Paid plans keep every language up to date within a minute of a change.
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