You want to run your WordPress site bilingually or multilingually — typically German and English, and in German-speaking countries often Italian or French as well. Three plugins dominate the market: TranslatePress, WPML and Polylang. They differ considerably in operating logic, SEO behaviour and price. In my training sessions we often settle this question at the start of a project — decided wrongly, switching later costs considerably more than the original plugin licence. Here is my practical comparison.
The three plugins at a glance
TranslatePress (free tier + paid add-ons, around €99/year for the Personal plan): edits translations directly in the front end via a visual editor. Whoever is translating sees the page exactly as a visitor does and clicks on text to translate it.
WPML (purely commercial, from $39/year for Multilingual Blog, $99/year for Multilingual CMS): the older and more powerful market leader. Back-end centred, with string tables and deep WooCommerce integration.
Polylang (free tier + Pro licence, around €99/year): open source, based on WordPress's own language logic. A separate post version is created for each language.
Comparison at a glance
| Criterion | TranslatePress | WPML | Polylang |
|---|---|---|---|
| Translation UI | Front-end visual editor | Back-end string editor | Back end, per post |
| Automatic translation | DeepL / Google integrated | DeepL / Google integrated | Lingotek add-on |
| WooCommerce support | Solid | Very good (industry standard) | Pro add-on |
| Page builder compatibility | Very good (Elementor/Divi) | Very good | Good, but more effort |
| SEO plugin integration | Yoast/Rank Math directly | Deeply integrated | Deeply integrated |
| URL structure | /de/ /en/ subfolders |
Subfolder, subdomain, domain | Subfolder, subdomain |
| Entry price per year | €0 (free tier) | $39 | €0 (free tier) |
| Price for full feature set | ~€99/year | $99/year | ~€99/year |
| Performance load | Low | Medium | Very low |
| Learning curve | Very shallow | Medium | Medium |
TranslatePress — my recommendation for SMEs & solopreneurs
Strengths: I can get a client started with translating in five minutes. Click on text → type the translation → save. There is no parallel "set of posts per language" to manage — one page, one URL per language, but only one entry in the back end. Automatic translation with DeepL is one click in the Pro plan.
Weaknesses: On very large sites (1,000+ translation strings) the translations database table becomes sluggish. For complex WooCommerce shops with tax classes per region, WPML is more mature.
When to choose TranslatePress: service provider sites, associations, coaches, blogs, simple shops up to around 200 products. When the main person doing the translating is not technically minded.
WPML — the industry standard for complex setups
Strengths: The deepest integration with all the major ecosystems — WooCommerce, ACF, Yoast, Toolset and so on. Its own API for translation agencies. Over 50 supported languages, including right-to-left ones such as Arabic.
Weaknesses: More complex to onboard. It maintains two post versions per language → a larger database, somewhat slower. Paid — there is no free version.
When to choose WPML: shops with more than 500 products, multilingual B2B sites with complex custom post types, sites that work with professional translation agencies via XLIFF.
Polylang — the lean open source route
Strengths: Low performance load. Fully open source with a free tier. An architecture close to WordPress itself: each language has its own posts, linked with wp_set_post_terms().
Weaknesses: WooCommerce support only via a paid add-on. There is no front-end translation — everything is back-end based. Page builder content (Elementor) requires discipline: each language variant is its own Elementor page.
When to choose Polylang: if you have an open-source-first policy, very performance-sensitive sites, or want deliberate control so that each language can have a completely separate layout.
Do you want help making the choice — and to see the setup done properly once? In my online course I show you how I set up a complete multilingual site with TranslatePress in under two hours. → To the online course
The SEO points that really decide it
Whichever plugin you use — these three SEO points have to be right:
- hreflang tags must be set cleanly. All three plugins generate them automatically, but with custom templates they are often faulty. Check with the Search Console → International targeting report.
- A subfolder URL structure (
/de/,/en/) is the right choice in most cases. A subdomain (en.example.com) splits domain authority — better avoided. Separate domains only for clearly separated markets with their own brand identities. - A language switcher as an HTML link, not as a JavaScript dropdown. Google follows JavaScript switchers less reliably.
More on general WordPress SEO in my articles WordPress SEO fundamentals and Yoast SEO vs. Rank Math.
Automatic translation: DeepL is not "finished"
All three plugins can translate automatically, usually via the DeepL API. In 2026 the quality is good enough to deliver an 80 % result. But:
- Proper names, brand terms and products are sometimes translated when they should not be. Check afterwards.
- Calls to action and headlines are often technically correct but culturally off. Smooth them manually.
- Legal texts (imprint, terms and conditions, privacy policy) should never be translated automatically. Localise them for the specific jurisdiction, ideally with a local law firm.
The performance effect of multilingual plugins
Multilingualism always costs a little performance — typically +100 to +300 ms TTFB from additional database queries. If you are working on page speed anyway, that shows up quickly. See my pillar article WordPress Page Speed 2026 for the complete set of levers.
The reality of migration: switching is expensive
Changing plugin after the fact is possible, but laborious:
- TranslatePress → WPML: no direct importer. Transfer translations manually or via a CSV tool.
- Polylang → WPML: WPML offers an official importer.
- WPML → Polylang: Polylang likewise offers an importer.
- WPML → TranslatePress: only via export/import scripts or an agency.
Rule of thumb: on a small site (fewer than 50 pieces of content) a switch means at most one to two days of work. On large sites, plan a weekend project with a backup and staging.
Frequently asked questions
Which plugin do you use on wptraining.at?
I currently have no second language active. If I were to switch, TranslatePress would be my choice — it fits solo trainer setups best.
Can this be done without a plugin, using a second WordPress installation per language?
Technically yes. But you pay with double the maintenance, double the plugin licences, and you have to set hreflang manually. I only recommend it in special cases.
Can I translate individual pages only, without making the whole site multilingual?
With TranslatePress: yes, very granularly. With WPML/Polylang: also possible, but with somewhat more setup.
How does multilingualism affect cookie banners and GDPR?
Cookie banners are served in multiple languages. The privacy policy has to be adapted per language — and linguistically and legally suited to the respective audience. More in the existing article GDPR compliance in Austria.
Can a cheap shared host handle a multilingual WPML setup?
Up to a point. With caching, yes; without it, things get sluggish. With more than two languages plus WooCommerce, it is better to move to a WordPress-specialised host.
Conclusion
Three usable plugins, three clear use cases. TranslatePress for most solopreneurs and SMEs, WPML for complex e-commerce and large sites, Polylang for open source purists with a performance focus. Decide early and decide correctly — switching later is feasible, but unpleasant.
If you would rather not guess but make the right choice for your own site, my online course is the pragmatic route: together we evaluate your requirements and set up the right plugin live. → To the online course
Image source, featured & inline: illustrations created specifically in the pletzenauer design (no stock photos).
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