--- title: "WPML vs Polylang vs TranslatePress: Which WordPress Translation Plugin Should You Use?" url: https://nexterwp.com/blog/wpml-vs-polylang-vs-translatepress/ date: 2026-09-06 modified: 2026-09-06 author: "Aditya Sharma" description: "All three of these plugins do the same core job: make a WordPress site multilingual. The differences that actually matter show up in pricing, translation method, and how much of..." image: https://nexterwp.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/wpml-vs-polylang-vs-translatepress-featured-1024x538.jpg word_count: 915 --- # WPML vs Polylang vs TranslatePress: Which WordPress Translation Plugin Should You Use? ## Key Takeaways - WPML offers three paid plans, with Multilingual CMS at €99/yr adding the Advanced Translation Editor, string translation, page-builder support, WooCommerce support, and 90,000 AI translation credits. - Polylang provides a free WordPress.org version for language assignment on posts, pages, categories, and tags, while Polylang Pro costs €99/yr and adds custom post types, taxonomies, menu and widget translation, and premium support. - TranslatePress uses a visual front-end translation editor on a live preview page, and its paid tiers meter AI translation by yearly word allowance from 50,000 words to 500,000 words. - WPML suits large or agency-managed sites needing deep third-party compatibility testing, while Polylang fits a budget-conscious content-only site and TranslatePress fits a WooCommerce store that wants machine translation with an on-page editor. All three of these plugins do the same core job: make a WordPress site multilingual. The differences that actually matter show up in pricing, translation method, and how much of the process is automated versus manual. Here's the breakdown with current, live-checked pricing and features for all three. Table of Contents ## WPML: The Established, Paid, Feature-Complete Option WPML is a paid, premium-only plugin (no free tier) with three plans: Multilingual Blog at €39/yr (basic translation via the WordPress editor only, no page-builder support, no e-commerce, no Full Site Editing support), Multilingual CMS at €99/yr (adds the Advanced Translation Editor, string translation, page-builder support, WooCommerce support, and 90,000 AI translation credits), and Multilingual Agency at €199/yr (the same feature set as CMS but with 180,000 AI credits and unlimited site activations instead of 3 production/9 development sites). All three tiers include a year of support and updates and a 30-day money-back guarantee. The entry Blog plan is a real trap for anyone building on Elementor or a similar page builder: it explicitly excludes page-builder support, e-commerce translation, and Full Site Editing support, all of which require jumping to the €99/yr CMS plan. Most real WordPress sites need the CMS tier or higher. ## Polylang: The Free-First, Modular-Pricing Option Polylang's free version, available on WordPress.org, covers the core multilingual structure: assigning a language to posts, pages, categories and tags, and a language switcher, with community support only. Beyond that, Polylang prices its Pro features as three separate purchasable products rather than one tiered ladder: Polylang Pro at €99/yr (custom post types and taxonomies, menu and widget translation, subdirectory/subdomain/separate-domain setups, XLIFF import/export, premium support), Polylang for WooCommerce at €99/yr (WooCommerce-specific translation: products, Shop/Cart/Checkout pages, order emails, HPOS support), and the Polylang Business Pack at an introductory €139/yr (normally €198) that bundles Pro and WooCommerce together plus DeepL machine-translation integration. This modular structure is the practical distinction from WPML and TranslatePress: a content-only blog with no store can get everything it needs from the free version plus the €99/yr Pro add-on, without paying for WooCommerce features it will never use. ## TranslatePress: The Visual, AI-Word-Metered Option TranslatePress's signature feature is a visual, front-end translation editor — you translate directly on a live preview of the page rather than in a separate admin screen. Its three paid tiers are Personal at €99/yr (1 site, 50,000 AI-translated words included), Business at €199/yr (3 sites, 200,000 AI words, plus add-ons for translator accounts, a different domain per language, and automatic user-language detection), and Developer at €349/yr (unlimited sites, 500,000 AI words, every current and future Pro add-on). The word-count metering is the detail worth understanding before buying: AI translation runs on a consumable word allowance per year, not an unlimited feature, so a large multilingual site translating substantial new content monthly can burn through 50,000 words faster than the plan name suggests. ***Also Read:** [Multilingual SEO for WordPress](https://nexterwp.com/blog/multilingual-seo-wordpress/) — whichever plugin you pick, the SEO setup (hreflang, sitemaps per language) follows the same principles.* ## Pricing Side by Side, at Comparable Tiers | Plugin | Entry paid tier | Mid tier | Top tier | AI/machine translation included? | | ------ | --------------- | -------- | -------- | -------------------------------- | | WPML | €39/yr (Blog, limited) | €99/yr (CMS, most popular) | €199/yr (Agency, unlimited sites) | 90,000–180,000 credits from the CMS tier up | | Polylang | Free (core structure) | €99/yr (Pro or WooCommerce, separately) | €139/yr intro (Business Pack, both bundled) | DeepL integration on Business Pack only | | TranslatePress | €99/yr (Personal, 1 site) | €199/yr (Business, 3 sites) | €349/yr (Developer, unlimited) | 50,000–500,000 AI words/yr, metered by tier | Live pricing, all three sites checked 2026-09-06. ![Grouped bar chart comparing WPML, Polylang and TranslatePress pricing at entry, mid and top tiers](https://nexterwp.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/wpml-vs-polylang-vs-translatepress-body1.jpg)Entry, mid and top-tier pricing for all three plugins, EUR/year, live-checked 2026-09-06. ## How to Actually Choose - **Content-only site, no store, budget-conscious** — Polylang free, or add Polylang Pro (€99/yr) once you need custom post type or menu translation. - **Running WooCommerce and want machine translation with a visual, on-page editor** — TranslatePress Business (€199/yr), watching the AI word allowance against your actual content volume. - **Large or agency-managed site needing the deepest page-builder and plugin compatibility testing** — WPML CMS or Agency (€99–€199/yr); its market share means more third-party plugins are explicitly tested against it. ***Also Read:** [Nexter Theme Global Styles: How to Set Up Brand Colors, Fonts and Spacing Sitewide](https://nexterwp.com/blog/nexter-theme-global-styles/) — Nexter Theme's own RTL and multilingual layout support pairs with any of these three.* ## Conclusion None of these three plugins is objectively "best" — each optimizes for a different constraint: WPML for the deepest third-party compatibility testing, Polylang for a genuinely free starting point with modular paid add-ons, TranslatePress for a visual editor paired with metered AI translation. Match the choice to your actual site (whether you run WooCommerce, how much new content you translate per year, and your compatibility needs), not to whichever plugin has the most reviews. ## FAQ ### Is any of these three free? Polylang has a genuinely free core version on WordPress.org. WPML is premium-only with no free tier. TranslatePress's free version exists but is limited to one additional language with no automatic translation. ### Which one is cheapest for a WooCommerce store? At list price, Polylang's WooCommerce add-on (€99/yr) or the Business Pack (€139/yr intro) undercuts both WPML's CMS tier (€99/yr, though it bundles more than just WooCommerce) and TranslatePress Business (€199/yr) for a single-site store, though exact value depends on which specific features your store actually needs. ### Can I switch between these plugins later? Migrating multilingual content between these plugins is possible but non-trivial, since each stores translated content differently. It's worth deciding carefully upfront rather than planning to switch later. ## Suggested Reading - [Multilingual SEO for WordPress](https://nexterwp.com/blog/multilingual-seo-wordpress/) - [Nexter Theme Global Styles: How to Set Up Brand Colors, Fonts and Spacing Sitewide](https://nexterwp.com/blog/nexter-theme-global-styles/) - [Custom Fields in WordPress: Native Fields vs ACF vs Block Bindings](https://nexterwp.com/blog/wordpress-custom-fields-explained/) #### Stay updated with Helpful WordPress Tips, Insider Insights, and Exclusive Updates – Subscribe now to keep up with Everything Happening on WordPress! Subscribe ## Frequently Asked Questions **Q: Which WordPress translation plugin is best for a WooCommerce store?** A: TranslatePress Business is the cleanest fit if you want a visual, front-end editor and machine translation for a store, but it costs €199/yr and uses a 200,000 AI-word allowance. WPML CMS is also built for WooCommerce at €99/yr, while Polylang’s WooCommerce add-on is €99/yr or €139/yr in the Business Pack. The real decision is whether you want visual editing, modular pricing, or broader compatibility testing. **Q: What should I use for a content-only WordPress site on a budget?** A: Polylang is the strongest budget pick because its free WordPress.org version already covers the core multilingual structure: posts, pages, categories, tags, and a language switcher. If you later need custom post types or menu translation, Polylang Pro is €99/yr. That makes it a good fit for sites that do not need WooCommerce features or paid automation from day one. **Q: Does WPML work with page builders and WooCommerce?** A: WPML only does that on the Multilingual CMS tier or higher. The €39/yr Blog plan explicitly excludes page-builder support, e-commerce translation, and Full Site Editing support. The CMS plan at €99/yr adds Advanced Translation Editor, string translation, page-builder support, WooCommerce support, and 90,000 AI translation credits. That pricing split matters if your site is built in Elementor or anything similar. **Q: How does TranslatePress's AI translation pricing work?** A: TranslatePress meters AI translation by word allowance per year instead of giving unlimited usage. Personal includes 50,000 AI-translated words, Business includes 200,000 AI words, and Developer includes 500,000 AI words. That matters on sites publishing new multilingual content regularly because large updates can burn through the allowance faster than people expect. **Q: Can I switch from WPML to Polylang or TranslatePress later?** A: Migrating multilingual content between these plugins is possible but non-trivial because each stores translated content differently. That makes plugin choice more than a pricing decision. If you expect to switch later, you are taking on extra migration work that the page explicitly warns against, so it is smarter to choose based on your actual site structure now. **Q: What matters more when choosing between these translation plugins: price or compatibility?** A: Compatibility usually wins once the site gets real traffic or complex layouts. WPML is positioned as the deepest option for third-party plugin compatibility testing, Polylang is best when you want a free core plus modular add-ons, and TranslatePress fits teams that want visual editing with metered AI translation. For multilingual SEO setup like hreflang and sitemaps per language, see [Multilingual SEO for WordPress](https://nexterwp.com/blog/multilingual-seo-wordpress/).