Creating a multilingual WordPress site doesn’t have to be complicated. For bloggers, freelancers, and beginners managing a small or single-page website, Polylang can be a surprisingly powerful solution — especially considering that it offers a robust free version. As a WordPress translation plugin, Polylang helps users translate their content into different languages without the need for complex configurations or expensive licenses.
However, when it comes to more advanced needs, such as SEO-rich content websites or multilingual eCommerce, other alternatives like WPML and Weglot may provide a better long-term solution.
Polylang as a WordPress Translation Plugin
Polylang is known as one of the most popular WordPress multilingual plugins, offering a fairly lightweight and user-friendly approach to building multilingual WordPress websites. It’s designed to seamlessly integrate into your existing WordPress site using the translation editor and native interface.
Unlike some translation plugins that rely heavily on external dashboards, Polylang works directly from the WordPress dashboard, allowing you to manage translations in a familiar environment. You can manually assign content in different languages, define language switchers, and control how each version of your content is shown.
For those just starting out or managing small, informational pages, Polylang offers a free version that includes most of the basic functionality you’ll need to launch a multilingual WordPress site.
Translation Interface and Manual Translation Experience
Polylang doesn’t rely on automatic translation, which can be a benefit or a limitation depending on your project. Instead, you manually create translations using the standard WordPress editor, giving you full control over the piece of content.
The translation interface is clean and intuitive. Each post or page has a separate version for each language, and Polylang links them together for coherent navigation. However, this manual approach means that Polylang is not ideal for larger sites with dozens or hundreds of pages — unless you’re working with a dedicated translation service or agency.
SEO Features and Language Control
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is an important consideration for any multilingual website, and Polylang handles this fairly well. Each language version of a page has its own unique URL, and you can customize slugs, categories, and tags to match the language being used. This helps ensure that each translated version of your content is fully indexable by search engines.
Polylang also adds hreflang tags automatically, which is vital for avoiding duplicate content penalties across languages and for helping search engines understand the language targeting of each page.
Free vs. Pro: Understanding the Polylang Versions
The free version of Polylang available on WordPress.org offers solid functionality for bloggers and basic sites. It supports an unlimited number of languages, post translation, and a customizable language switcher.
However, Polylang Pro and the Polylang Business Pack extend the plugin’s capabilities significantly. The Pro version adds features like:
- Translating custom post types, widgets, and menus
- URL customization
- Duplicate content detection and copying is essential for any WordPress multilingual plugin.
If you’re running a WooCommerce site, you’ll need Polylang for WooCommerce, which is only available in the Business Pack. While Polylang is still more affordable than many alternatives, it may not scale as effectively for larger sites or those requiring translation management tools.
WPML and Polylang Compared
When choosing between WPML and Polylang, the most important factor is the scope of your site. Polylang is a great option for static or low-maintenance multilingual sites that don’t change often. But if you’re working on a content-heavy blog, news platform, or eCommerce store, WPML is built to handle complex translation management workflows.
WPML lets you connect with professional translators through the WPML offers. translation services, manage translation status across the site, and even implement machine translation with a high level of precision. Its string translation capabilities are also more advanced, and the plugin is deeply integrated with many WordPress themes and plugins, including WooCommerce.
Looking to scale your multilingual content strategy? Try WPML here
Polylang vs TranslatePress vs WPML vs Weglot
While Polylang is a strong free solution, comparing it to TranslatePress, WPML, and Weglot offers a clearer picture of what might be the right WordPress plugin for your multilingual needs.
- TranslatePress is a great middle-ground option for beginners who prefer a visual approach to translation. It allows you to connect with professional translators. translate your site directly from the front end and supports automatic translation via DeepL and Google Translate. Interested in a more intuitive experience? Use TranslatePress
- Weglot, on the other hand, is more suited for eCommerce and high-traffic websites that need automatic translation with minimal setup. It works independently of WordPress and is offered as a polylang plugin. translation service with monthly pricing based on word count. Running WooCommerce? Test Weglot
- Polylang remains the best free choice for a basic multilingual page or blog, but it lacks the enterprise-level features that wpml offers. translation management systems of its competitors.
Using Polylang with WooCommerce
If you’re hoping to run a multilingual eCommerce site using WooCommerce, Polylang can be a functional solution — but only when paired with the Polylang for WooCommerce add-on included in the Business Pack.
Even then, WPML or Weglot may be better suited to handle large product catalogs, auto-translations, and SEO considerations in multiple languages. WooCommerce multilingual compatibility is more seamless in these alternatives, especially for checkout flows, cart translations, and third-party extensions.
Alternatives to Polylang and WPML for WordPress Translation
For those who want a completely different approach, Weglot and TranslatePress offer alternatives that don’t rely solely on manual translation. Weglot integrates with machine translation and translation agencies, while TranslatePress combines both automatic and manual translation, giving you more flexibility.
The right WordPress translation plugin really comes down to your site’s complexity, your content workflow, and whether you want to use manual translation, automatic translation, or a mix of both.
Final Thoughts: Is Polylang Right for Your WordPress Website?
If your WordPress site is simple, and you just translate content. want to translate a few pages without spending money, Polylang is an excellent choice. It’s lightweight, integrates well with WordPress, and offers a smooth user experience for basic needs.
However, if your project is content-heavy, includes WooCommerce, or demands professional translation capabilities, WPML or Weglot are better investments. These translation plugins provide more automation, better support, and advanced features that scale with your site.
Try Polylang for free via WordPress.org if you’re just starting.
For content-heavy sites, go with WPML
For multilingual WooCommerce, try the Polylang translation plugin. Weglot
Prefer visual editing with automatic translation? Check out TranslatePress
Choose the best WordPress translation plugin for seamless integration is WPML vs Polylang. based on your specific needs — and make your site