WPML
Premium multilingual plugin for WordPress with a side-by-side translation editor, AI translation credits, WooCommerce support and team workflows.
98
Polylang
Lightweight free multilingual plugin for manual translation of posts, terms, menus and strings, with Pro and WooCommerce add-ons from WP SYNTEX.
Free installs900K+WordPress.org, active
Est. Pro installs~4.8KLikely 3.1K–7.2K
Vendor claims900K+Vendor's own figure
Rating4.7/53,004 reviews
Price from€99/yrFreemium
Last updated21 Oct 2026Version 3.9.1
Overview
Polylang is a free multilingual plugin from WP SYNTEX that links translated versions of posts, pages, media, categories, tags and custom post types together, so each language is real WordPress content stored in your own database. It is deliberately lightweight: it adds no extra database tables and uses WordPress taxonomies to track languages.
What the free version does
You create each translation yourself in the normal editor. The free plugin handles language codes in the URL, subdomains or a separate domain per language, a language switcher (including blocks for the block editor and navigation), translated menus and widgets, a String Translation screen for theme and plugin text, browser-language detection on the home page, hreflang tags and RTL languages. It also works with Yoast SEO. There is no word limit and no external service involved.
Polylang Pro and WooCommerce
Polylang Pro adds translated URL slugs, content duplication and synchronisation between translations, deeper block editor and Site Editor support, XLIFF import and export, ACF Pro integration, and machine translation through DeepL using your own API key, including DeepL glossary selection. Version 3.8 added per-language capabilities so translators can be limited to their languages, plus WP-CLI commands. WooCommerce stores need the separate paid Polylang for WooCommerce add-on, which translates products and emails and synchronises stock; a Business Pack bundles both.
Limitations
- No visual or side-by-side editor; translations are separate posts edited one by one.
- DeepL translation runs item by item and does not update translations when the original changes.
- No AI translation service, translation memory or agency integrations.
- No multi-currency and no built-in support for form plugins.
Polylang is a good fit for developers and site owners who want a clean, self-hosted multilingual setup at no cost, are happy to translate manually or with DeepL, and prefer a lean plugin over an all-in-one suite.
Best for: Site owners and developers who want a free, lean, self-hosted multilingual setup and are comfortable translating content manually or with DeepL.
Polylang is the best free option for a self-hosted multilingual site: the free plugin is generous and fast, with no word quotas. You will need Pro for translated slugs and DeepL, and the WooCommerce add-on for shops, but even both together cost less than most rivals.
Pros
- Free version covers unlimited languages, string translation and all URL modes
- Lightweight design with no extra database tables
- Translations are standard WordPress content with no word or page-view limits
- Hreflang tags, browser detection and Yoast compatibility in the free plugin
- Pro adds DeepL with glossary support, XLIFF and per-language translator permissions
- Renewals at 50% off keep long-term costs low
Cons
- No visual or side-by-side translation editor
- Translated slugs require Polylang Pro
- WooCommerce translation is a separate paid add-on
- DeepL translation is per item and does not auto-update or bulk translate
- No AI translation service, translation memory or multi-currency
Key features
What Polylang highlights on its WordPress.org page and its own website, split by version.
Free version WordPress.org
- Translate posts, pages, media and terms
- Unlimited languages, no word limits
- Language in URL, subdomain or domain
- Language switcher blocks and widgets
- Translate menus and widgets
- String translation for themes and plugins
- Browser language detection on home page
- Hreflang tags and RTL support
- Yoast SEO compatibility
- Setup wizard
- No extra database tables
Pro / paid adds From €99/yr
- Translated URL slugs
- Duplicate and synchronise translations
- DeepL machine translation (own key)
- DeepL glossary selection
- Per-language translator capabilities
- XLIFF import and export
- Block editor and Site Editor integration
- ACF Pro integration
- WP-CLI commands
- WooCommerce add-on with stock sync
- Premium email support
Feature checklist
20 of 27 features we track in Multilingual & Translation, feature score 74/100
Translating content 4/9
Visual front-end editor Key
Translate while looking at the live page.
Translations are edited as separate posts in the standard WordPress editor, not on the live page.
Not included
Side-by-side editor
Translate posts and pages in an editor next to the original.
No side-by-side view; Pro can duplicate the original into the translation for editing.
Not included
Machine translation Key
Automatic translation with DeepL, Google, Microsoft or similar.
DeepL machine translation using your own API key, one item at a time.
Paid version Pro
AI translation
Context-aware translation with large language models, tone or brand rules.
No LLM translation service; machine translation is limited to DeepL with your own key.
Not included
Auto-translate new content
New and updated content is translated automatically.
DeepL output is not refreshed automatically when the original content changes.
Not included
Glossary & translation memory
Terms that should never be translated and reuse of earlier translations.
Since 3.8 you can choose a DeepL glossary for machine translation; there is no translation memory.
Paid version Pro
Professional translators
Send content to human translators or agencies from WordPress.
No translation-agency integration; XLIFF files (Pro) can be exchanged manually.
Not included
Theme & plugin strings Key
Translate text from themes, plugins and widgets.
String Translation panel for theme, plugin and widget text in the free plugin.
Included
Media translation
Different images or files per language.
Media items can be translated with per-language titles and alt text; translations share the same file.
Partial
Languages & URLs 5/5
Unlimited languages
No cap on the number of languages.
No limit on the number of languages in the free version.
Included
Subdirectories, subdomains or domains Key
Choose /fr/, fr.example.com or a separate domain per language.
Language code in the URL, a subdomain or a separate domain per language, all free.
Included
Language switcher Key
Menu, widget, block or floating switcher.
Language switcher block, navigation block and widget are free since version 3.8.
Included
Language detection & redirect
Send visitors to their language based on browser or location.
Free setting redirects first-time home page visitors based on browser language.
Included
Right-to-left languages
Supports Arabic, Hebrew and other RTL languages.
RTL scripts are supported in the free plugin.
Included
Multilingual SEO 4/4
Translated URLs & slugs Key
Each language gets its own translated URL.
Translating post, page, CPT and taxonomy slugs requires Polylang Pro.
Paid version Pro
Hreflang tags Key
Adds hreflang tags so search engines show the right language.
Outputs hreflang tags for translated content.
Included
Multilingual sitemaps
Translated pages included in XML sitemaps.
Translated content is included in sitemaps, including via Yoast SEO.
Included
SEO plugin integration
Translate titles and meta from Yoast, Rank Math or similar.
Free plugin is compatible with Yoast SEO for translated titles and meta.
Included
Compatibility 3/5
WooCommerce translation Key
Translate products, cart, checkout and emails.
Requires the paid Polylang for WooCommerce add-on (€99/year) for products, emails and stock sync.
Via add-on
Multi-currency
Show prices in different currencies per language or country.
Neither Polylang nor its WooCommerce add-on offers multi-currency pricing.
Not included
Page builder support
Works with Elementor, Divi, Bricks or the block editor.
Works with the block editor, Elementor, Divi and Bricks; Pro adds deeper block and Site Editor integration.
Included
Form plugin translation
Translate forms from popular form plugins.
No official form integrations; form plugins rely on their own or community Polylang bridges.
Third-party
Custom fields & ACF
Translate ACF and other custom fields.
Polylang Pro adds an integration with ACF Pro for translating and syncing fields.
Paid version Pro
Workflow & hosting 4/4
Translations stored in WordPress
Translations live in your own database, not on a vendor proxy.
Translations are stored as linked WordPress posts and terms in your database.
Included
No word limits
No word or page-view quotas on translated content.
No word or page-view quotas; DeepL usage depends on your own DeepL plan.
Included
Translator roles & workflow
Translator accounts, review and translation status.
Per-language translate capabilities and string-translation access since Pro 3.8.
Paid version Pro
XLIFF / PO import & export
Exchange translations in standard file formats.
XLIFF import and export for working with external translators.
Paid version Pro
Pricing
Free
$0On WordPress.org
Polylang Pro (1 site)
€99per year1 site
Excl. VAT. Renewals are 50% off. 3 sites €198/year.
Polylang Pro (5 sites)
€297per year5 sites
Excl. VAT. Renewals are 50% off.
Polylang Pro (25 sites)
€495per year25 sites
Excl. VAT. Renewals are 50% off.
Polylang for WooCommerce
€99per year1 site
Separate add-on for WooCommerce stores; excl. VAT; renewals 50% off.
Business Pack (Pro + WooCommerce)
€139per year1 site
Bundle of Polylang Pro and Polylang for WooCommerce, shown as reduced from €198; renewals 50% off.
Prices are list prices from the vendor's site, checked 14 Oct 2026. Many vendors discount the first year.
How many sites use Polylang?
Free installs from WordPress.org, the vendor's own claim, and our estimate of paid installs.
Free version (WordPress.org)
900K+
Active installations reported by WordPress.org.
Vendor claim
900K+
Sites/users claimed on the vendor's website. source
Estimated Pro / paid installs
~4.8K
Our estimate, see method below.
How we estimated this: The vendor figure (900K+) is within WordPress.org's rounding of the free installs, so it says nothing about paid sites. Website scans by WPoptic find the paid plugin (folder polylang-pro) on 990 live sites; they find the free version on 273,465 sites against about 950K WordPress.org installs, so each site found stands for about 3.5, giving 3.4K. About 950K free installs x 4% (the usual share of free sites that also run the paid version when most features are free) gives 38K. Combining these (weighted average) gives about 4.8K. Likely range: 3.1K to 7.2K. This counts sites running the paid version, including sites whose licence has lapsed. Estimates are rough and based on public figures as of 14 Oct 2026.
Stats & health
Weekly downloads
102,207 downloads last week, 30.4M all time
Rating breakdown
| Version | 3.9.1 |
|---|---|
| Last updated | 21 Oct 2026 (13 days ago) |
| Tested up to | WordPress 7.1.4 |
| Requires | WordPress 6.8+, PHP 7.4+ |
| Support threads (2 months) | 6 of 28 resolved |
| On WordPress.org since | 22 Sep 2011 |
Company & policy
| Refund policy | 30-day money-back (source, 6 Oct 2026) Full refund within 30 days if the plugin cannot be made to work; excludes upgrades and renewals. |
|---|
Polylang compared
Alternatives to Polylang
TranslatePress
Visual front-end translation plugin by Cozmoslabs with AI and Google translation, self-hosted translations and paid add-ons for SEO and more languages.
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MultilingualPress
Premium multisite-based multilingual plugin from Syde: one site per language, translations in your own database, with DeepL, Amazon or OpenAI auto-translation.
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Weglot
Hosted translation service with a WordPress plugin: AI translation, visual editor and multilingual SEO, priced by translated words and languages.
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GTranslate
Google-powered website translation for WordPress: a free on-the-fly language switcher, plus paid hosted plans that add indexable, editable translated URLs.
78
ConveyThis
Hosted AI website translation for WordPress with a free 10,000-word plan, visual editor, glossary and SEO-friendly language URLs.
88
FAQ
Is Polylang free?
Yes. Polylang has a free version on WordPress.org. Paid plans start at €99/yr.
How many sites use Polylang?
WordPress.org reports 900K+ active installations of the free version. The vendor claims 900K+ sites in total. We estimate around 4.8K sites run the paid version.
Does Polylang have visual front-end editor?
No: not included. Translations are edited as separate posts in the standard WordPress editor, not on the live page.
Does Polylang have machine translation?
Yes: paid version (Pro). DeepL machine translation using your own API key, one item at a time.
Does Polylang have theme & plugin strings?
Yes: included. String Translation panel for theme, plugin and widget text in the free plugin.
Does Polylang have subdirectories, subdomains or domains?
Yes: included. Language code in the URL, a subdomain or a separate domain per language, all free.
Does Polylang have language switcher?
Yes: included. Language switcher block, navigation block and widget are free since version 3.8.
Does Polylang have translated urls & slugs?
Yes: paid version (Pro). Translating post, page, CPT and taxonomy slugs requires Polylang Pro.
Does Polylang have hreflang tags?
Yes: included. Outputs hreflang tags for translated content.
Does Polylang have woocommerce translation?
Yes: via add-on. Requires the paid Polylang for WooCommerce add-on (€99/year) for products, emails and stock sync.
Is the free Polylang enough?
For many sites, yes. It supports unlimited languages, all URL modes, a language switcher, string translation, hreflang and Yoast SEO. Pro is mainly needed for translated slugs, DeepL machine translation, XLIFF and synchronisation tools.
Does Polylang translate content automatically?
Only in Polylang Pro, through DeepL with your own API key. Each item is translated separately and translations are not updated automatically when you change the original.
Do I need an add-on for WooCommerce?
Yes. Polylang for WooCommerce is a separate paid plugin that translates products, attributes and emails and keeps stock and prices in sync. The Business Pack combines it with Polylang Pro.
How much do renewals cost?
Polylang applies a 50% discount to renewals, so a €99 single-site Pro licence renews at about half that price.
Can I restrict translators to one language?
Polylang Pro 3.8 and later adds per-language capabilities that you assign with the free User Role Editor plugin.
Last updated 6 Oct 2026. Spotted something wrong? Suggest an edit.