WPML
by OnTheGoSystems
The established multilingual system with translation management, professional translation services and full WooCommerce support.
This link may earn us a commission. It never changes our rating.
What WPML does
The established multilingual system with translation management, professional translation services and full WooCommerce support.
It sits in the translation part of a WordPress stack and is sold by OnTheGoSystems on a premium basis. We recommend it in our translation guides because it does that one job well without asking you to rebuild the rest of the site around it.
Every plugin adds work to a page request, so treat this as a decision with a cost. Record a speed test before you install it and run the same test afterwards, on the same page, so you know exactly what it charged you.
Real user ratings
Score
5/5
Reviews
20
Active installs
5,000+
Downloads
158K
Latest version
0.7
Last updated
2026-08-10
These figures come straight from the public WordPress.org plugin directory API for version 0.7, not from us. Check them yourself on the WordPress.org listing. Our own editorial score is 4.4/5.
Where WPML ranks elsewhere
| Publisher | List | Position |
|---|---|---|
| Elegant Themes | Best WordPress Plugins | #23 of 40 |
Positions are read from the published articles themselves, so they reflect that publisher's order rather than ours. Lists get re-ordered over time, so follow the link if you want the current version.
What changed in the latest version
- Min Polylang version is now 3.8
- Add compatibility with ACF Multilingual #25
- Fix translated post types #24
- Fix flags not added to languages #31
- Fix database error with WooCommerce product categories #32
- Min Polylang version is now 3.4
- Fix deprecated notices with Polylang 3.4
- Fix infinite loop when processing objects without language with Polylang 3.4
- Complete rewrite to avoid issues with PHP memory limit and MySQL buffer size. Props Jeremy Simkins for lot of ideas. #19
- Simplify the UI and attempt to clarify error messages.
- Fix languages order not imported.
- Fix media translation setting not imported.
- Fix nav menu locations per language.
Release notes are the developer's own words, published on WordPress.org. Read the full changelog
Pros and cons
- Widest compatibility and support
- Paid support and updates from the vendor
- Actively maintained and used on production sites we test
- Premium only, and database heavy
- Renewal cost is annual and per site
How to use it
- 1Decide whether you need full translations or machine translation with review.
- 2Set the language switcher position and URL structure before translating.
- 3Translate menus, widgets and plugin strings, not just posts.
- 4Check hreflang tags are output for every language.
- 5Re-test speed, since extra languages add database work.
How it compares
Other translation plugins we recommend, with their rating and pricing model.
| Plugin | Our rating | WordPress.org | Pricing | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WPML | 4.4 | 5 (20) | Premium | Widest compatibility and support |
| Loco Translate | 4.8 | 4.8 (452) | Freemium | Best tool for fixing bad strings |
| MultilingualPress | 4.3 | n/a | Premium | No performance penalty per language |
| Polylang | 4.6 | 4.7 (2,984) | Freemium | Capable free multilingual setup |
| TranslatePress | 4.7 | 4.7 (1,654) | Freemium | Visual, front-end translating |
Guides that cover WPML
Alternatives
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