WPML is the standard for multilingual WordPress since 2009 and does almost everything well. Even so, many people look for an alternative, and almost always for one of these four reasons: the annual subscription, the burden on large sites, the dense initial setup, or that there's no way to try it for free.
This is the real list of what's available, with today's prices and without pretending that WPML is bad, because it's not.
Quick comparison
| Plugin | Free | Price | Model | Active installations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WPML | No | 39 / 99 / 199 € per year | Subscription | Not published |
| Polylang | Yes | 99 € per year (1 site) | Subscription, renews at 50 % | 800.000 |
| TranslatePress | Yes, 1 language | 99 / 199 € per year | Subscription | 400.000 |
| GTranslate | Yes, on the fly | From monthly subscription | Subscription | 900.000 |
| Weglot | Trial | Subscription by words | External service | 50.000 |
| WP-Translate | Yes | 89 / 169 / 289 € | One-time payment | Recent |
1. Polylang, the truly free alternative
It's the one most people search for when typing "WPML alternative", and with good reason: it has free version with no language limit and 800,000 active installations.
It works the opposite way to WPML. It doesn't set up a translation layer with its own tables: it declares the language as another WordPress taxonomy and links each content with its twin in another language. It's lighter and leaves your database standard.
Where it fits: content websites, tight budget, or when you want to write each language manually.
Where not: it does not come with its own automatic translation. Polylang Pro connects to DeepL, but with your own API key. And for WooCommerce you need a separate paid add-on.
2. TranslatePress, for translating while viewing the page
Its approach is different from the previous two: you open your website exactly as the visitor sees it and translate by clicking on any text.
What makes it valuable is that reaches texts that are not content: theme buttons, plugin notices, form messages. That is exactly what remains untranslated on most multilingual websites.
Where it fits: themes with a lot of layout, stores with scattered texts, and whoever prefers to see what they translate.
Where not: the free version only allows one language besides the original. With three hundred entries, translating by viewing each page is a lot of work.
3. GTranslate, when SEO doesn't matter
With 900,000 active installations, it is the most installed on the list, but it's worth understanding what it does in its free mode: translates on the fly in the browser and saves nothing.
That means you don't have a URL per language with its own content, and therefore you are not going to rank in any new market. Its paid plans do save and index, but then you're already on a subscription like the others.
Where it fits: that a foreign visitor understands your website, with no further ambition.
Where not: if the goal is to sell abroad, the free version is useless.
4. Weglot, if you don't want to maintain anything
Weglot translates and hosts the translations on its servers, serving them on subdomains or subdirectories. It works very well and is configured in a short time.
Where it fits: teams that prefer to pay not to deal with it.
Where not: the price goes up with words and languages, and your translations are not in your database. If you stop paying, they go with you out.
5. Loco Translate is not what you're looking for (and many people get confused)
It has a million active installations and always appears on these lists, but Loco Translate translates theme and plugin strings, not your website content. It's the tool to translate the texts of an English plugin into Spanish.
It's excellent at what it does and doesn't replace any of the above. It's often used alongside Polylang, precisely to cover what Polylang doesn't reach.
6. WP-Translate, if the problem is volume and subscription
If you've arrived here looking for a WPML alternative due to the annual price or because you have a lot of content sitting untranslated, this is the specific difference.
WP-Translate does not translate piece by piece: launches the translation of the entire site at once and marks each piece as pending review. You then correct what really sells —the pricing page, product sheets— and the rest works in the meantime.
What changes compared to WPML:
- One-time payment of 89 €, 169 € or 289 € depending on the number of sites, with a lifetime license, instead of 39-199 € each year.
- Several AI engines included: you don't open a DeepL account, manage API keys, or buy credits separately.
- The translations live in your database, with its URL per language and its hreflang.
- It has a free version, which is precisely what WPML doesn't offer.
What no changes: WPML is still better if you have professional translators, status-based approval workflows, and an unusual plugin ecosystem that needs its compatibility program. Changing just for the sake of changing makes no sense.
You can try it for free and compare with what you already have.
How to choose without making a mistake
Answer these three questions before looking at prices:
- Who will write the translations? If no one, you need automatic translation by default, and that rules out Polylang without add-ons.
- How much content do you have? Count posts, pages, and products, and multiply by languages. Below fifty pieces almost any is fine; above two hundred, the batch translation method decides.
- Where do your translations want to live? In your database or on someone else's server. The answer changes what happens the day you stop paying.
Frequently asked questions
Can you migrate from WPML to another plugin without losing translations?
Yes, there are migration tools, especially towards Polylang. But count on reviewing the result: internal links, slugs, and menus almost never survive intact. Do it on a copy rather than on the production website.
Is there any truly free and complete alternative to WPML?
Free and complete at the same time, no. Free Polylang is the closest you'll get: it doesn't limit languages, but it leaves out slug translation and automatic translation. Everything else is a trial version or a mode without SEO.
Why doesn't WPML have a free version?
It's a decision of their business model, not a technical limitation. Yes, it offers thirty days for returns, which in practice works as a trial.
What is the cheapest alternative for three years?
For three years and a single site: Polylang Pro costs around 198 € with its 50% renewal, WPML CMS for 297 € plus credits, and a single payment of 89 € remains 89 €. The calculation changes as soon as you need multiple sites, so do it with your numbers.