Polylang vs WPML Multilingual CMS
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| Feature | Polylang v3.9.1 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Free + paid · ★ 4.7/5 Visit Details | WPML Multilingual CMS v4.9.7 · checked 23 Oct 2026 Paid Visit Details |
|---|---|---|
| At a glance | ||
| Active installs | 900,000+ | — |
| Last updated | October 21, 2026 | — |
| Editions | Polylang · Polylang Pro ($) | WPML Multilingual CMS ($) |
| Pros | Unlimited languages with WordPress language packs; Language switcher widget and block; Language-specific URLs and multilingual sitemaps | Language URLs and a language switcher widget; Duplicates posts and media across languages; Translation management and string translation |
| Cons | Translation is manual in the free version; Machine translation and translated slugs need Pro; WooCommerce support is a separate add-on | Commercial licence needed for the core and translation services; Automatic translation depends on a paid subscription; Large plugin with many settings to configure |
| Mentioned in our posts | 1 | — |
| Features (Translation plugins checklist) | ||
| Machine translation | Paid | Paid |
| SEO-friendly URLs | Yes | Yes |
| WooCommerce | No | — |
| Languages limit | unlimited | — |
| Free version | Yes | No |
| More features | ||
| Other features | Language switcher widget and block, Multilingual sitemaps, Language-specific URLs, Translated slugs (preview, Pro) ($), Shared slugs (preview, Pro) ($), DeepL machine translation (preview, Pro) ($) | Language URL negotiation, Language switcher widget, Duplicate posts into other languages, Duplicate media attachments across languages, Synchronise scheduled posts across translations, Translation management and batches ($), Advanced Translation Editor ($) |
| Integrations | ||
| Storage | WP Offload Media Lite | — |
| Plugins | Yoast SEO, Jetpack | Elementor, Divi |
| Other | polylang.pro licence server ($) | ICanLocalize translation service ($), WPML translation proxy ($), WPML Advanced Translation Editor service ($) |
| Requires WordPress | 6.8 | — |
| Requires PHP | 7.4 | — |
| Tested up to | 7.1 | — |
| Phones home | No | Only if you agree |
| External services | polylang.pro | www.icanlocalize.com, tp.wpml.org, wpml.org, ams.wpml.org, ate.wpml.org, cdt.wpml.org, api.wpml.org, us.i.posthog.com |
| Blocks | 2 | — |
| Shortcodes | — | 1 |
| Custom tables | — | 4 |