WPML vs Polylang vs WeLocale: Which WordPress Translation Plugin Is Right for You?

If you've ever searched "WordPress translation plugin," you've hit the same three names over and over: WPML, Polylang, and (increasingly) WeLocale. They all translate your WordPress site. The similarities end there.

This guide breaks down what each tool actually does, what it costs, and who it's best suited for — so you can stop second-guessing and just pick one.

---

The quick version

	WPML	Polylang	WeLocale
Price	$39–$199/yr	Free / $99/yr Pro	Free plan + paid from $15/mo
Setup time	2–4 hours	1–2 hours	Under 30 min
Translation method	Manual + machine	Manual + machine	AI-powered automatic
SEO (hreflang, URLs)	Full	Full	Auto on Pro+
WooCommerce support	Built-in	With add-on	Yes
Word count limits	None	None	By plan
Developer needed?	Sometimes	Rarely	No
Best for	Complex sites, agencies	Budget-conscious, manual control	Fast launch, no-code sites

---

WPML — the industry standard (with a price tag to match)

WPML has been around since 2008. It's the most feature-complete WordPress multilingual plugin, and it shows. You can translate everything: pages, posts, custom post types, menus, widgets, theme strings, plugin strings. It integrates with virtually every major theme and page builder.

What's good:

• Mature and battle-tested on complex sites
• Deep WooCommerce integration (translates products, checkout, order emails)
• Professional translation management: assign content to translators, track progress, connect to translation agencies
• Works with Yoast and RankMath for per-language SEO metadata

What's frustrating:

• The interface is heavy. Adding a new language means creating duplicate pages one by one.
• Pricing stacks up: the Multilingual CMS plan ($99/yr) is the one most sites actually need, and the Agency plan ($199/yr) is required for unlimited sites.
• Historically slows down WordPress admin for large sites (improved in recent versions, but the reputation persists).

Best for: Established sites with complex content structures, WooCommerce stores with large catalogs, agencies managing multilingual sites for clients.

---

Polylang — the free option that actually works

Polylang is the most popular free WordPress multilingual plugin, and it earns that reputation. The free version covers the basics well: separate URLs per language (/fr/, /de/), hreflang tags, translated slugs, and Yoast/RankMath compatibility.

What's good:

• The free version is genuinely useful, not a crippled teaser
• Lighter than WPML on large sites
• Clean, straightforward interface — less overwhelming than WPML
• Active development and large community

What's frustrating:

• Machine translation requires the Pro version ($99/yr) — the free version is manual-only
• WooCommerce support requires a separate add-on (Polylang for WooCommerce, $50/yr)
• For complex translation workflows (sending content to translators, etc.), you'll want Pro
• You still have to translate each piece of content yourself, which takes time

Best for: WordPress sites that want proper multilingual SEO without paying for WPML, teams who prefer to translate manually, developers who want control over the structure.

---

WeLocale — the fast-launch option

WeLocale works differently from WPML and Polylang. Instead of creating duplicate pages in WordPress, it translates your site's content in real time using a small JavaScript widget. You install the plugin from WordPress.org, connect your site, and your content is automatically translated — no duplicate pages, no manual content entry.

What's good:

• Setup is genuinely under 30 minutes — install plugin, add languages, done
• No duplicate page management: you keep one site, WeLocale handles the translation layer
• AI-powered translations that update automatically when you change your content
• Handles menus, buttons, dynamic content, and forms — not just static page text
• Free plugin on WordPress.org; permanent free plan with 5,000 source words, two languages and a 3,000 AI-word budget. AI words are charged per language, so that budget is what runs out first

What's worth knowing:

• Translation quality is the same on every plan, and every plan lets you edit any string by hand, including the free one. Words you rewrite yourself are not charged against the AI allowance
• Word count limits apply per plan (unlike WPML/Polylang which are unlimited on your end)
• SEO hreflang tags are automatic on Pro and Scale plans — if SEO is critical from day one and you're on the free tier, pair it with manual hreflang or upgrade

Best for: Small businesses, freelancers, bloggers, and no-code site owners who want to go multilingual fast without learning a new content workflow.

---

How to actually choose

Go with WPML if:

• You have a WooCommerce store with a large catalog
• You need a translation management workflow (assigning content to human translators)
• Your site uses complex custom post types or a page builder with lots of dynamic content
• You're an agency managing sites for clients

Go with Polylang if:

• You want proper multilingual URL structure and SEO control for free
• You're comfortable doing translations manually (or with a small team)
• You want something lighter than WPML

Go with WeLocale if:

• You want to be live in multiple languages today, not next week
• You don't want to manage duplicate page trees
• Your site is mostly informational (services, portfolio, blog, landing pages)
• You want automatic translation that stays current when you update content

---

The SEO question

All three handle the SEO fundamentals — hreflang tags, language-specific URLs, translated metadata — but in different ways.

WPML and Polylang create real separate pages at /fr/your-page/, which is the gold standard for multilingual SEO. Search engines index each language version independently.

WeLocale on Pro+ injects hreflang tags automatically. The translation layer means search engines can index the translated content — and because it's rendered in the browser, it works for Googlebot (which executes JavaScript). For most informational sites, this is sufficient.

If you're building a site where ranking in French or German search results is the primary goal, WPML or Polylang's URL-per-language approach gives you the most control. If you're adding languages to improve conversion and reach and SEO is a secondary benefit, WeLocale's approach is fine.

---

Bottom line

There's no wrong answer here. WPML is the power tool. Polylang is the sensible free option. WeLocale is the fastest path from "English only" to "five languages, live."

The question is: what problem are you actually solving today?

If it's "I need to go multilingual without rebuilding my site or learning a new workflow," WeLocale has a free WordPress plugin at wordpress.org/plugins/welocale. Install it, add a language, and you'll know in ten minutes whether it fits.