Polylang vs WPML, in short: choose Polylang if you want to start free and translate by hand, and choose WPML if you want automatic translation built in, a WooCommerce store that sells in several currencies, or a workflow for a team of translators. At the time of writing (October 2026), WPML has no free version and its Multilingual CMS plan costs €99 a year for three sites. Polylang's core plugin is free, and Polylang Pro starts at €99 a year for one site.
In this article
What is the difference between Polylang and WPML?
The biggest difference is the starting point: Polylang is a free plugin with paid add-ons, while WPML is sold only as a yearly plan. Both translate posts, pages, menus, categories and custom post types, and both keep translations in your own WordPress database.
| Polylang | WPML | |
|---|---|---|
| Free version | Yes, on WordPress.org | No (30-day money-back guarantee) |
| Paid plans (October 2026) | Pro from €99 a year for 1 site | From €39 a year; Multilingual CMS €99 a year for 3 sites |
| Automatic translation | Pro only, through DeepL with your own API key | Built into the CMS and Agency plans, with words included |
| WooCommerce | Paid add-on, from €99 a year | Included with the CMS and Agency plans |
| Language URLs | Directories, subdomains, separate domains or a ?lang= parameter | Directories, subdomains, separate domains or a ?lang= parameter |
| hreflang tags | Added automatically, free version included | Added automatically, all plans |
Is Polylang free, and what does Polylang Pro add?
Yes, Polylang itself is free, with no limit on the number of languages. The free plugin translates posts, pages, media, categories, tags, custom post types, classic menus and widgets, adds a language switcher, and works with Yoast SEO. What it does not do is machine translation: you or a translator write each version.
Polylang Pro adds the time savers:
- duplicating content when you start a translation, and keeping chosen content in sync across translations
- translated URL slugs for categories, custom post types and more
- machine translation through DeepL
- XLIFF export and import, for sending content to a professional translator
- premium support
At the time of writing, Polylang Pro costs €99 a year for one site, €198 for three, €297 for five and €495 for 25, excluding VAT. Polylang says renewals currently cost 50% of the new license price.
How much does WPML cost?
WPML has three yearly plans, priced in euros on its own site:
| WPML plan (October 2026) | Price per year | Production sites | What it includes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Multilingual Blog | €39 | 1 | Translating content in the WordPress editor |
| Multilingual CMS | €99 | 3 | Advanced Translation Editor, String Translation, page builders, menus, WooCommerce, 22,500 AI translation words |
| Multilingual Agency | €199 | Unlimited | Everything in CMS, 45,000 AI translation words |
The Blog plan leaves out String Translation (the tool for translating text that comes from your theme and plugins), menu translation, page builder support and WooCommerce, so most business sites need Multilingual CMS. Every plan includes a year of support and updates and a 30-day money-back guarantee. WPML's pricing page does not list a renewal price.
Which plugin translates automatically, and what does it cost?
WPML has automatic translation built in, while Polylang offers it only in Pro, through your own DeepL account.
WPML's AI translation
WPML's default engine is PTC, its own AI translation service. DeepL, Google Translate and Microsoft are still available as what WPML calls legacy engines, which it says will be retired. WPML bills by the word (you may still see the older term "credits"), counting your source words once for each language you translate into.
- Multilingual CMS includes 22,500 AI translation words, and Agency includes 45,000.
- Pay-As-You-Go gives 500 free words a month, then charges from €3.00 per 1,000 words down to €0.40 per 1,000 at high monthly volumes.
- DeepL and Google Translate cost 50% less than PTC, and Microsoft 75% less.
For scale, a 20-page site at about 500 words a page holds 10,000 words, so two extra languages use about 20,000, inside the CMS allowance. With PTC and WPML's "Translate Everything Automatically" mode, you pay once per page and language, and later edits are free unless the page grows.
Polylang Pro and DeepL
Polylang Pro connects to DeepL with your own API key, so DeepL bills you directly. DeepL's API has a free Developer plan for testing, and Growth and Enterprise plans for higher usage. Polylang notes that its machine translation is currently not compatible with Elementor and some other page builders, so pages built that way are translated by hand.
Which is better for WooCommerce, WPML or Polylang?
For a store that sells in several currencies, WPML is the more complete package. Its WooCommerce add-on, WPML Multilingual & Multicurrency for WooCommerce (often still called WooCommerce Multilingual), is free and included with the CMS and Agency plans. It translates products, the classic and block-based cart and checkout, and store emails, which go out in the language the customer ordered in. It also handles multiple currencies, with per-market prices or exchange-rate conversion, and payment gateways per currency.
Polylang needs a separate add-on, Polylang for WooCommerce, from €99 a year for one site. It works with free Polylang or with Pro, and the Business Pack bundles Pro and the add-on from €139 a year. It translates products, attributes, the shop, cart, checkout and account pages, and customer emails, and keeps stock, prices and SKUs in sync across languages. Multi-currency is not on its feature list, so a store that prices in several currencies needs a separate currency plugin.
Whichever you choose, test the checkout and store emails in every language on a staging copy first.
How do Polylang and WPML handle multilingual SEO?
Both handle the basics well: each language gets its own URL, and both add hreflang tags automatically. Hreflang tags tell search engines which language version of a page to show to which visitors, and Google recommends using them.
Both plugins offer the same URL choices:
- Directories: example.com/es/
- Subdomains: es.example.com
- Separate domains: example.es
- A language parameter: example.com/?lang=es
Google describes directories as easy to set up and low maintenance, says country domains give clear geotargeting but cost more, and lists URL parameters as not recommended. For most small business sites, directories are the simple choice.
Both also work with the main SEO plugins. WPML's documentation covers Yoast SEO and Rank Math, and its Advanced Translation Editor shows each SEO title and meta description as its own row to translate. Polylang lists Yoast SEO compatibility, and Rank Math added native Polylang support in version 1.0.276. If you are still choosing an SEO plugin, see our comparison of Rank Math, Yoast and AIOSEO.
One caution for both: Google advises against automatically redirecting visitors to another language version, so give them a visible language switcher instead.
Will a multilingual plugin slow down your site?
The two are built differently. Polylang says it uses WordPress's own taxonomies, with no extra database tables. WPML stores language, translation and string data in its own tables; it says it should never slow your site down and offers a full refund within 30 days if it causes a performance problem it cannot fix.
Either way, caching matters more on a multilingual site, because every language adds its own set of pages. Measure your page speed before and after you add languages.
When is TranslatePress or Weglot a better fit?
Both suit owners who would rather translate what they see on the page than work in the WordPress editor.
TranslatePress lets you translate the live page in a visual editor, including text from page builders and forms, and stores translations in your own database. The free version adds one extra language and includes 2,000 words of AI translation. Paid plans start at €99 a year for Personal: one site, 50,000 AI-translated words, the SEO Pack and multiple languages. It suits page-builder sites where translating in context is easiest.
Weglot is a subscription service, and your translations are served from its cloud. A free tier covers 2,000 words and one language; Starter is $17 a month (or $170 a year) for 10,000 words and one language, and Business is $32 a month for 50,000 words and three languages. Word limits are fixed totals, and if you go over without auto-upgrade turned on, Weglot stops serving translations until you upgrade or trim. It suits owners who want hands-off automatic translation and accept a subscription.
Polylang vs WPML: how do you choose?
Choose by the site you run and who will do the translating:
- Choose free Polylang if you have a brochure site or blog, need one or two extra languages, and someone will translate by hand.
- Choose Polylang Pro if you want DeepL machine translation, translated URL slugs and content duplication, and like the half-price renewals. Add Polylang for WooCommerce, or buy the Business Pack, for a store that sells in one currency.
- Choose WPML Multilingual CMS if you run a WooCommerce store in several currencies, want automatic translation without a separate account, need page-builder layouts translated, or have several people translating.
- Choose TranslatePress or Weglot if you would rather translate visually on the page, or hand most of the job to an automatic service.
A multilingual plugin is one more piece to keep updated alongside WordPress, your theme and, for stores, WooCommerce, and it touches every page in every language. WP Resolve's care plans include weekly updates with visual checks from $79 a month with no minimum term, and the Business Care and Commerce Care plans test updates on a staging copy first. Or start with a free site health check of your updates, backups, security and speed.
Frequently asked questions
Is Polylang really free?
Yes. The core Polylang plugin on WordPress.org is free, has no limit on languages and adds hreflang tags. Polylang Pro, from €99 a year at the time of writing (October 2026), adds DeepL machine translation, translated URL slugs and premium support.
Is there a free version of WPML?
No. WPML is sold only as a yearly plan, from €39 for Multilingual Blog, and the Multilingual CMS plan most business sites need is €99 a year for three sites (October 2026). Every plan has a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Which is better for WooCommerce, WPML or Polylang?
WPML's Multilingual CMS plan includes its WooCommerce add-on, with multi-currency, at no extra cost. Polylang needs the paid Polylang for WooCommerce add-on, from €99 a year, and multi-currency is not on its feature list.
Does Polylang translate automatically?
Only Polylang Pro does, through DeepL, and you need your own DeepL API key, which DeepL bills separately. The free plugin has no machine translation.
Can I switch from WPML to Polylang later?
Yes. A free plugin called WPML to Polylang imports languages, translations and matching settings. Make a database backup first, as the plugin itself advises.
Does WPML or Polylang stop working if I do not renew?
No. Both keep working on your site when a license lapses, but you lose updates and support, which matter for security and compatibility with new WordPress versions.
