Since the possibility of having multiple languages on a website, it’s now a requisite if you want to reach a global audience.
When it comes to choosing a translation plugin for WordPress, the most recommended WordPress multilingual plugins are usually WPML, Weglot, and TranslatePress.
- WPML stands out for its robust set of features and compatibility with most WordPress products, making it the preferred option for site owners seeking flexibility and detailed multilingual management.
- TranslatePress shines for its intuitive interface, making it the perfect fit for beginners.
- Weglot comes to the limelight when you care about streamlined processes, thanks to its quick setup and automatic translation capabilities.
Despite being amazing, choosing one of the three can be tricky, especially with their cool features, affordability, and now even AI capabilities.
Since we know you deserve the best, we decided to come up with this post so we can help you pick the best one for your WordPress site.
In this post, we will be comparing the top three multilingual plugins for WordPress: WPML, Weglot, and TranslatePress. We will compare their translation features, and cost of these three contending multilingual WordPress plugins.
Table: WordPress Multilingual Plugins Compared: Price, Features, and AI Capabilities
| Feature | WPML | Weglot | TranslatePress |
| Starting Price | $99/year | €150/year | €99/month |
| Manual Translation | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Automatic Translation | ✅ (DeepL/Google) | ✅ (built-in) | ✅ (Google/DeepL) |
| AI Translation | ✅ (via DeepL/Google) | ✅ (Weglot AI) | ✅ (via APIs) |
| SEO Support | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Team member | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |
| WooCommerce Support | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Full Site Editing | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Menu Translation | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| String Translation | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Multiple Language | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Multisite Support | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Translation Management | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Support & Updates | 1 year | As long as you pay | 1 year |
WPML vs TranslatePress
WPML (WordPress Multilingual Plugin) is a popular multilingual WordPress plugin with the capacity to translate content on your WordPress site in up to 65 languages.
WPML also allows you to add your own language variants (like Canadian French or Mexican Spanish) using WPML’s languages editor.
This multilingual plugin can translate written content on posts, pages, taxonomy, forms, menus, widgets, and custom post types. It can also translate text in your WordPress admin dashboard and even media files such as images.
WPML gives you full control over your translations, whether you want the entire site translated automatically, or just specific posts and pages, or you want to do it manually.
The automatic translation feature, powered by PTC, Google, DeepL, and Microsoft, provides quality translation with high accuracy, saving 90% of your time. You can fine-tune the automatic translation and add a human touch using WPML’s review process.
Meanwhile, TranslatePress is a GPL and self-hosted WordPress translation plugin that anyone can use, including beginners.
With TranslatePress, you will be able to translate your website content from the front-end. It has a simple interface that allows you to translate the entire page at once. This includes output from page builders, shortcodes, and forms.
TranslatePress supports both manual and automatic translation, with support for editing translations. It can also translate images when you need to show an image with different translation text for each supported language.
The premium version comes with TranslatePress AI that provides real-time AI-translated words and advanced add-ons with multilingual sitemaps for compatibility with popular SEO WordPress plugins.
When it comes to setting up translation, TranslatePress gives you simplicity while WPML delivers flexibility. You can liken TranslatePress to an automobile with an automatic transmission — easy to drive, and WPML like a semi-automatic transmission automotive that gives you greater control.
WPML vs Weglot
Weglot is a versatile translation plugin that can be used on various platforms such as WordPress, Shopify, Wix, Squarespace, and Bigcommerce.
Weglot is easy to use and very compatible with most WordPress and plugins. It offers automatic translation using DeepL and Google Translate. And you can manually add your own translation or improve on the translation for clarity and accuracy with the visual editor.
WPML, on the other hand, offers more comprehensive options and high-quality translation to your WordPress site. It provides complete translation capabilities, including automatic and human translation. It comes with a centralized dashboard for editing translations. WPML is also compatible with most WordPress themes and plugins, and offers automatic translation with PTC, Google, DeepL, and Microsoft.
Both Weglot and WPML provide a customizable language switcher. That of Weglot is automatically added to the front-end of your WordPress site upon plugin activation, and you can customize the language switcher without any code.
On the other hand, WPML provides a range of different language switchers, including drop-down menus, flags, and custom HTML that matches your website’s branding. You can also select the order of language in the switcher, and you get to choose where you want to place it, be it footer, menu, footer, etc. You also have the option to customize the appearance of the language switcher using CSS.
Who Should Use WPML
WPML is for those who care about translation accuracy and want full control. It is for those seeking highly customizable and affordable multilingual WordPress plugins.
You should choose WPML if:
- You desire full control over every translation and want freedom to make modifications as desired.
- You are a WordPress developer or agency working with clients who own websites that require multilingual functionality.
- You are a business that intends to support more localized dialects that aren’t available automatically.
- You own a WooCommerce or online course website, and you want to translate products, cart, and the checkout flow.
- You want a deeply integrated and flexible multilingual plugin that is highly compatible with most WordPress themes and page builders.
WPML can be described as a Swiss Army knife for multilingual WordPress sites. It is reliable for most translation scenarios and purposes. It is precise and provides long-term scalability beyond flashy AI automation. If you would rather have a multilingual plugin that is fully integrated with WordPress and provides complete language control, then you should definitely choose WPML. It is a decision you won’t regret.
Who Should Use TranslatePress
TranslatePress is a very user-friendly multilingual plugin that you can easily set up and leave it to automatically translate your WordPress site. Its visual interface makes it the best option for beginners and users who just want something that automatically translates their website.
TranslatePress is perfect for you if:
- You are a WordPress user who prefers the WYSIWYG interface
- You are a non-tech-savvy users who want as little interaction with the WordPress backend as possible
- You are a personal blogger or site owner who just wants to go multilingual with minimal effort.
- You are a WordPress user interested in integrating Google Translate or DeepL for site content translation.
TranslatePress’ selling point is simplicity. With TranslatePress, “what you see is what you translate”. It’s like Canva or Elementor for website translation. It is intuitive and suitable for you if you don’t want to get frustrated setting up languages.
Who Should Use Weglot
Weglot is the best option for you if you want automated translation with a swift setup with minimal effort.
You should use Weglot if:
- You are a busy business owner who needs your WordPress site translated ASAP.
- You own a SaaS business or startup, intending to expand your global reach with minimum cost.
- You are a marketer trying to replicate your sales and landing pages with different translations.
- You are an AI lover and prefer AI translation for your language interpretations.
Weglot is like an autopilot translation team that just works as soon as you set it up. It’s a “set up and forget about it” solution.
Conclusion
After comparing WPML, TranslatePress, and Weglot, it is clear that each platform offers a unique approach to WordPress website translation.
WPML is perfect for those who desire advanced customizations and full control of their translation.
TranslatePress is perfect for those who want simplicity to avoid getting overwhelmed by setting up a WordPress plugin.
Weglot is ideal for users who want a straightforward translation setup with minimum effort.
Here at WPDiscounts, our top recommendation is WPML because of its flexibility and scalability. It also has automatic translation for those not interested in editing their translation from the start.
