A meaningful share of internet users prefer browsing in their native language, and most websites still don’t offer that option. A translation plugin is how you close that gap without hand-building a separate site per language. This guide covers the plugins actually worth using, and one dead one to avoid if you’ve seen it recommended elsewhere.
Why Use a Translation Plugin
Manually maintaining separate language versions of a site doesn’t scale. A translation plugin automates the mechanics, content duplication, language switchers, SEO tagging, and in several cases connects directly to professional translation services when machine translation isn’t good enough.
Best WordPress Translation Plugins
1. WPML
WPML handles pages, posts, custom post types, menus, and widgets, with support for both automatic machine translation and professional translation service integration. The most fully-featured option here, and the one with the broadest plugin/theme compatibility.
2. Polylang
Polylang covers posts, pages, categories, tags, menus, and widgets, with RTL language support (Arabic, Hebrew) and compatibility with Elementor, Beaver Builder, and WooCommerce. Free version handles the basics; Pro adds automatic translation and site-wide language switcher placement.
3. Weglot Translate
Weglot is cloud-based rather than database-heavy: it auto-detects and translates content via Google, Microsoft, or DeepL, with human translation available on top, and serves the right language automatically based on browser or IP. Integrates with Google Analytics and Yoast SEO out of the box.
4. TranslatePress
TranslatePress translates directly from the front end with a real-time visual editor, no separate posts per language. Covers dynamic strings and SEO meta tags, with Google Translate API integration and WooCommerce support. Free version is genuinely usable; Pro unlocks more languages and automatic translation.
5. GTranslate
GTranslate wraps Google Translate into a WordPress plugin with URL translation, widget translation, and multilingual SEO across 100+ languages, plus a manual-edit option to clean up machine translation errors.
6. MultilingualPress
MultilingualPress takes a different approach: separate connected sites per language (single install or multisite) rather than one site with translated fields. Worth flagging directly: version 2 was retired in early 2025, if you’re running an older install, check the vendor’s site about upgrading to version 4 before relying on it further.
7. Ray Enterprise Translation (formerly Lingotek Translation)
Renamed since this post’s original version, Ray Enterprise Translation (8,000+ active installs, same underlying plugin) still covers cloud-based localization with translation memory and a real-time visual editor for posts, pages, tags, categories, and custom post types.
8. Google Language Translator
Google Language Translator adds a simple dropdown language switcher visitors can use themselves. Free, but requires a Google Translate API key to function, and covers 100+ languages once set up.
Dropped From This List: qTranslate X
An earlier version of this post included qTranslate X as a free option. It’s been closed on WordPress.org since August 31, 2021 for an unresolved security issue, and its own user reviews warn that removing it can corrupt your site’s database. If you’re currently running it, that’s worth treating as urgent: migrate to Polylang or TranslatePress rather than waiting for an update that isn’t coming.
Picking One
WPML and Polylang cover the most general use cases with the deepest plugin ecosystems. Weglot and TranslatePress are strong if you want to avoid managing separate content per language. GTranslate and Google Language Translator are the fast, low-effort options if perfect translation quality matters less than just having something available. Manual proofreading is worth it regardless of which one you pick, machine translation still makes mistakes a native speaker would catch immediately.