Polylang vs WPML
Updated 6 Oct 2026. 27 features compared side by side.
Lightweight free multilingual plugin for manual translation of posts, terms, menus and strings, with Pro and WooCommerce add-ons from WP SYNTEX.
Premium multilingual plugin for WordPress with a side-by-side translation editor, AI translation credits, WooCommerce support and team workflows.
Choose Polylang if…
- You want to start with a free version
Choose WPML if…
- You need visual front-end editor and side-by-side editor
- You also want AI translation and auto-translate new content
- You want the more complete feature set (98/100 vs 74/100)
- You want the lower entry price (€39/yr vs €99/yr)
WPML has 7 that Polylang lacks, including Visual front-end editor, Side-by-side editor and AI translation. Both include 20 of the 27 features we track.
At a glance
Feature comparison
Click a screenshot to see both plugins side by side.
Polylang WPMLTranslating content4/99/9
Translations are edited as separate posts in the standard WordPress editor, not on the live page.
No on-page editing; the Advanced Translation Editor shows a front-end preview of the translation before publishing.
No side-by-side view; Pro can duplicate the original into the translation for editing.
Advanced Translation Editor shows source and translation side by side; CMS and Agency plans only.
DeepL machine translation using your own API key, one item at a time.
Automatic translation via WPML's PTC engine, with DeepL, Google and Microsoft as legacy engines; billed per word.
No LLM translation service; machine translation is limited to DeepL with your own key.
Private Translation Cloud uses page context, brand terminology and tone; 22,500 words included on CMS.
DeepL output is not refreshed automatically when the original content changes.
Translate Everything Automatically translates new and updated content as you publish (PTC engine).
Since 3.8 you can choose a DeepL glossary for machine translation; there is no translation memory.
Glossary management and translation memory work in the Advanced Translation Editor and PTC.
No translation-agency integration; XLIFF files (Pro) can be exchanged manually.
Translation Services Integration sends jobs to third-party agencies from the dashboard.
String Translation panel for theme, plugin and widget text in the free plugin.
String Translation for theme, plugin and admin texts is listed only in CMS and Agency.
Media items can be translated with per-language titles and alt text; translations share the same file.
WPML Media Translation add-on shows different images, videos or PDFs per language.
Languages & URLs5/55/5
No limit on the number of languages in the free version.
65+ built-in languages plus custom language variants, with no cap on how many you enable.
Language code in the URL, a subdomain or a separate domain per language, all free.
Language directories, separate domains or subdomains, or a ?lang= parameter.
Language switcher block, navigation block and widget are free since version 3.8.
Configurable switchers for menus, widgets, footer and custom placements.
Free setting redirects first-time home page visitors based on browser language.
Optional JavaScript redirect to the visitor's browser language, once per 24 hours.
RTL scripts are supported in the free plugin.
Right-to-left languages such as Arabic and Hebrew are among the supported languages.
Multilingual SEO4/44/4
Translating post, page, CPT and taxonomy slugs requires Polylang Pro.
Page slugs, SEO titles and meta can be translated for each language.
Outputs hreflang tags for translated content.
Adds hreflang alternates, either in the page head or inside the XML sitemap.
Translated content is included in sitemaps, including via Yoast SEO.
With Yoast and the WPML SEO add-on, one sitemap covers all languages with hreflang entries.
Free plugin is compatible with Yoast SEO for translated titles and meta.
Translates Yoast titles, meta, schema and breadcrumbs via the free WPML SEO add-on; needs CMS or Agency.
Compatibility3/55/5
Requires the paid Polylang for WooCommerce add-on (€99/year) for products, emails and stock sync.
E-commerce support translates products, checkout and emails; requires CMS or Agency.
Neither Polylang nor its WooCommerce add-on offers multi-currency pricing.
Free WooCommerce Multilingual & Multicurrency adds 200+ currencies, rates and per-country currency.
Works with the block editor, Elementor, Divi and Bricks; Pro adds deeper block and Site Editor integration.
Elementor, Divi, WPBakery and Full Site Editing support are listed for CMS and Agency only.
No official form integrations; form plugins rely on their own or community Polylang bridges.
Glue plugins such as Gravity Forms Multilingual translate forms; Contact Form 7 also supported.
Polylang Pro adds an integration with ACF Pro for translating and syncing fields.
ACF Multilingual and custom field settings let you translate or copy field values per language.
Workflow & hosting4/44/4
Translations are stored as linked WordPress posts and terms in your database.
Translations are saved as regular WordPress posts and terms in your own database.
No word or page-view quotas; DeepL usage depends on your own DeepL plan.
No quota on translated content; only automatic AI translation consumes paid word credits.
Per-language translate capabilities and string-translation access since Pro 3.8.
Translation Management lets you assign translators and managers and track job status.
XLIFF import and export for working with external translators.
Translation jobs can be exported and imported as XLIFF for CAT tools.
Statuses: Yes Pro Add-on Partial 3rd-party No ?
Pricing compared
Polylang Freemium
| Free | $0 |
|---|---|
| Polylang Pro (1 site) | €99 per year, 1 site |
| Polylang Pro (5 sites) | €297 per year, 5 sites |
| Polylang Pro (25 sites) | €495 per year, 25 sites |
| Polylang for WooCommerce | €99 per year, 1 site |
| Business Pack (Pro + WooCommerce) | €139 per year, 1 site |
WPML Premium
| Multilingual Blog | €39 per year, 1 site |
|---|---|
| Multilingual CMS | €99 per year, 3 sites |
| Multilingual Agency | €199 per year, Unlimited |
Downloads trend
Polylang
102,207 downloads last week
WPML
No WordPress.org download data (premium-only plugin).
Verdict
WPML scores higher on our feature checklist (98/100 against 74/100) and includes visual front-end editor, side-by-side editor and AI translation that Polylang does not. Only Polylang has a free version. Check the features you rely on in the table below before deciding.
Biggest differences
Polylang: not included. WPML: partial. No on-page editing; the Advanced Translation Editor shows a front-end preview of the translation before publishing.
Polylang: not included. WPML: paid version (Multilingual CMS). Advanced Translation Editor shows source and translation side by side; CMS and Agency plans only.
Polylang: not included. WPML: paid version (Multilingual CMS). Private Translation Cloud uses page context, brand terminology and tone; 22,500 words included on CMS.
Polylang: not included. WPML: paid version (Multilingual CMS). Translate Everything Automatically translates new and updated content as you publish (PTC engine).
Polylang: not included. WPML: paid version (Multilingual CMS). Translation Services Integration sends jobs to third-party agencies from the dashboard.
Polylang: not included. WPML: included. Free WooCommerce Multilingual & Multicurrency adds 200+ currencies, rates and per-country currency.
Written from the feature, pricing and install data on this page, not from hands-on testing. How we compare.
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FAQ
Which is better, Polylang or WPML?
WPML scores higher on our feature checklist (98/100 against 74/100) and includes visual front-end editor, side-by-side editor and AI translation that Polylang does not. Only Polylang has a free version. Check the features you rely on in the table below before deciding.
Which has more features?
WPML includes 27 of the 27 features we track, against 20 for Polylang. Feature count is only part of the picture; check which of the differences matter to you.
Is Polylang free?
Polylang has a free version on WordPress.org. Paid plans start at €99/yr.
Is WPML free?
WPML is premium only. Paid plans start at €39/yr.
Feature data last changed 6 Oct 2026. Spotted something wrong? Suggest an edit to Polylang or WPML. Some links are affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no cost to you; it never affects our data or rankings.