WordPress powers over 40% of all websites, making it the go-to platform for creating everything from personal blogs to large scale e-commerce stores. As businesses and content creators aim to reach a global audience, having a multilingual website has become essential.
Thankfully, there are several best translation plugins WordPress offers to simplify website translation, ensuring visitors from different regions can access content in their preferred language. With the right translation plugin, you can enhance user experience and improve the reach of your business.
In this article, we’ll explore the top six multilingual plugins for WordPress, categorized based on their translation methods.
Types of WordPress Translation Plugins
WordPress translation plugins can be categorized into two main types:
1. WordPress Multilingual Plugins
WordPress Multilingual Plugins allow you to manually add multilingual content to your website. The main benefit of using these plugins is that the quality of translation is far better than the automated one.
2. Automated WordPress Translation Plugins
Automated WordPress Translation Plugins allow you to translate websites by integrating with AI-powered translation services such as Google Translate, DeepL, and Microsoft Translator. It speeds up the translation process while allowing users to refine the translations manually.
If you’re looking for the best WordPress translation plugins, understanding these categories will help you make the right choice.
List of Best WordPress Translation Plugins
Before going into the details of each plugin, let’s first compare them based on their type and pricing:
| Plugin | Type | Pricing |
| WPML | WordPress Multilingual Plugin | Starts at $39 per year |
| Polylang | WordPress Multilingual Plugin | Free version available; Pro starts at €99 |
| TranslatePress | WordPress Multilingual Plugin | Free version available; Premium starts at €99 per year |
| AI Translation for TranslatePress | Automated Translation Plugin | Free version available; Premium starts at $35 |
| Loco Translate | WordPress Multilingual Plugin | Free; Premium starts at $5.95 per month |
| Loco Automatic Translate Addon | Automated Translation Plugin | Free version available; Premium starts at $35 |
Now, let’s discuss what makes each plugin unique by exploring its features and best use cases.
1. WPML (WordPress Multilingual Plugin)
Best for: Users who want full control over their website translations with SEO benefits.
WPML is one of the best translation plugins WordPress offers. It allows you to manually translate pages, posts, custom post types, taxonomies, menus, and even theme text. WPML is SEO-friendly and integrates well with major SEO plugins like Yoast SEO.
Key Features:
- Supports manual and automatic translation services
- Compatible with most WordPress themes and plugins
- Allows translation of WooCommerce stores
- SEO-optimized with multilingual sitemaps
2. Polylang
Best for: Small businesses, and websites that want a cost-effective multilingual solution.
Polylang is a powerful alternative to WPML that offers an intuitive way to manage multilingual content. Unlike some other plugins that rely heavily on external translation services, Polylang allows you to manually create and manage separate language versions of your website’s pages, posts, categories, and even custom post types.
Key Features:
- Easy-to-use language switcher
- Supports custom taxonomies and post types
- Works with major SEO plugins
- Supports RTL (Right-to-Left) languages
3. TranslatePress – Translate Multilingual Sites
Best for: Users who want a simple, intuitive, and visual translation experience.
TranslatePress stands out as the best WordPress translation plugin for its visual, front-end approach to translate content. Unlike traditional multilingual plugins that require you to switch between the dashboard and front end, TranslatePress allows you to translate content directly from the front end, so you can see how the translated content looks in real time.
Key Features:
- Front-end visual translation editor
- Supports automatic translations using Google Translate and DeepL
- SEO-friendly with dedicated multilingual sitemaps
- WooCommerce and custom post-type support
4. AI Translation for TranslatePress
Best for: Website owners who want to automate translations while still having manual editing options.
This is an addon for TranslatePress that enhances automatic translation capabilities by integrating with multiple AI-powered translation services such as Google Translate, Yandex, and Chrome AI Translator. It speeds up the translation process while allowing users to refine the translations manually.
Key Features:
- Supports over 100 languages
- Integrates with TranslatePress for a seamless experience
- Allows customization of machine-translated text
- Improves translation efficiency with caching features
5. Loco Translate
Best for: Developers and users who need to localize themes and plugins.
Loco Translate is different from traditional multilingual plugins. Instead of translating website content for visitors, it allows users to translate WordPress themes and plugin strings directly from the dashboard. It’s perfect for developers who need to localize themes or plugins for different markets.
Key Features:
- Real-time translation editor
- PO file generation and management
- Works with WordPress themes and plugins
- Supports machine translation services like Google Translate
6. Automatic Translate Addon for Loco Translate
Best for: Developers who want a faster way to translate WordPress themes and plugins.
This is an addon for Loco Translate that enhances its functionality by integrating automatic translation services. Instead of manually translating text strings, users can quickly translate theme and plugin content using AI-powered translation tools like Yandex, Google, DeepL, Gemini AI, Chat GPT, and Chrome AI.
Key Features:
- Supports AI-powered translations via Machine & AI translators
- Translates strings within a few minutes
- Saves time by automating the localization process
- Allows manual corrections for improved translation accuracy
Choosing the best translation plugin for your WordPress website depends on your specific needs, here is a wrapup discussion for you to decide which one to choose:
- If you need full control over translations and SEO-friendly content, WPML or Polylang are great choices.
- If you prefer an easy-to-use, front-end translation, go with TranslatePress.
- If you want a fully automated translation solution, consider Automatic Translate Addon for TranslatePress or Loco Translate.
- If you’re a developer looking to localize themes and plugins, Loco Translate is the best option.
No matter which plugin you choose, making your website multilingual can significantly improve user experience, boost SEO, and expand your reach globally. So, choose WordPress translation plugin for your website wisely!
FAQs
1. What Do Multilingual Plugins Do?
Multilingual plugins are designed to help you create and manage content in multiple languages, making your site accessible to global audience. These plugins allow you to translate posts, pages, menus, widgets, and even themes or plugins into different languages, improving user experience regardless of their location or language preference.
2. What’s the best multilingual plugin for WordPress these days?
The best multilingual plugin depends on your specific needs. However, WPML (WordPress Multilingual Plugin) and Polylang are among the most popular options for manual translation, while TranslatePress and GTranslate are highly rated for AI-powered automated translations.
3. What’s the best plugin for automated translation?
TranslatePress and GTranslate are considered the best for automated translation. They use AI and Google Translate to quickly translate your site into multiple languages, with the option to manually edit translations for accuracy.
4. Which one should I choose among WPML and Polylang?
Choosing between WPML and Polylang depends on the size and complexity of your website, as well as your translation needs:
WPML – Best for comprehensive, large-scale multilingual sites. It offers both manual and automatic translation options, supports e-commerce (WooCommerce), and provides advanced SEO features. Suitable for complex sites with multiple languages and high customization needs.
Polylang – Best for simplicity and flexibility. It’s lightweight, easy to use, and ideal for smaller to medium-sized sites that need manual or AI-assisted translations without the complexity of WPML
5. Which one is the best free multilingual plugin?
Polylang (free version) and GTranslate (free version) are the best options for free multilingual plugins. Polylang allows you to manually translate your site, while GTranslate provides automatic translation using Google Translate for free.
6. Can I use multiple multilingual plugins together?
No, it’s generally not recommended to use multiple multilingual plugins together. They can create conflicts and cause issues with translation consistency, SEO, and website performance. Stick to one reliable plugin for the best results.
7. Do multilingual plugins impact my site’s SEO?
Yes, multilingual plugins can improve your site’s SEO if properly configured. Plugins like WPML and TranslatePress help create SEO-friendly URLs (e.g., example.com/fr/) and add hreflang tags to let search engines know which language version to display to users. Poor translation or duplicate content can negatively impact SEO, so high-quality translations are important.
8. What to Consider When Choosing a WordPress Translation Plugin?
Here are key factors to consider while selecting translation plugin for your website:
1. Choose a plugin that integrates well with the WordPress editor.
2. Decide if you want AI-generated or human-generated translations.
3. Ensure it supports hreflang tags and SEO-friendly URLs.
4. Look for lightweight plugins to avoid slowing down your site.
5. Check if it works with your theme and other plugins (especially WooCommerce).
6. Choose a plugin with reliable support and documentation.
