WPML and Polylang are both established WordPress multilingual plugins, both store translations in your database, and both have substantial install bases. The differences come down to AI translation (built into WPML by default; available only on Polylang’s Pro tier and only via DeepL), Elementor compatibility (a documented gap in Polylang Pro), WooCommerce depth (WPML’s is integrated; Polylang’s is a separate purchase without multi-currency), and free-tier capability (Polylang’s is genuinely competitive; WPML doesn’t have one).
At a Glance
| Dimension |
WPML
|
Polylang
|
|---|---|---|
| Pricing for an AI-translated WooCommerce site | €99/year (Multilingual CMS, 3 sites, all features, PTC AI included) | €139/year (Business Pack — Polylang Pro + Polylang for WooCommerce, 1 site) |
| AI translation in default install | PTC — built in, default for new sites | DeepL only, on Pro tier; free version has no AI |
| Free tier | None — 30-day money-back guarantee | Yes — manual translation, no AI, unlimited languages |
| Elementor compatibility | ✓Yes Dedicated compatibility code | ✗No Officially “currently not compatible” per Polylang’s own docs |
| WooCommerce | Included free (WCML); multi-currency & per-currency gateways | Separate purchase (Polylang for WooCommerce); no multi-currency |
| Central translation workflow | ✓Yes Translation Dashboard with queue, roles, 70+ professional service integrations | ✗No Per-page workflow only; no central queue |
| Setup Wizard for picking the right add-ons | ✓Yes Auto-detects what your site uses | ✗No Manual |
Translation Quality
WPML’s Private Translation Cloud (PTC) was scored higher than DeepL on the same source content in a recent translation quality review by WPML’s linguistics team — across Arabic, English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish. DeepL is one of the engines MultilingualPress AutoTranslate wraps. PTC outperformed DeepL on every quality dimension measured.
| What you get | DeepL (Polylang Pro’s engine) | PTC (WPML) |
|---|---|---|
| Average translation quality | Acceptable, visibly imperfect | Publish-ready in most contexts |
| Issues per page | Roughly one per page | A small fraction of that |
| Quality dimensions where it leads | None | All nine measured |
What this means in practice: with PTC, most pages are ready to publish without a human review step. With Polylang Pro’s DeepL integration, every page typically needs review before it’s safe to ship.
AI Translation Availability
Polylang’s free version doesn’t include AI translation at all — translations are entered manually or via third-party integrations. Polylang Pro adds machine translation through DeepL, with one caveat: even with the third-party “Polylang Connect for Elementor” plugin (not built by the Polylang team), DeepL machine translation does not work with Elementor content.
WPML’s automatic translation is built in (PTC) and is the default engine for new sites — no add-on, no API key, no extra purchase. The quality numbers above describe what you get out of the box. WPML still offers DeepL, Google Translate, and Microsoft Azure as alternative engines for users who prefer them, but PTC is the default and the engine WPML’s quality work is built on.
The Elementor Gap
Polylang’s own documentation states Polylang Pro is “currently not compatible with Elementor and some builders”. Compatibility is available via “Polylang Connect for Elementor”, a third-party plugin Polylang did not develop. Even with that connector, automatic translation through DeepL doesn’t work for Elementor content — pages built in Elementor have to be translated manually.
WPML maintains dedicated compatibility code for Elementor as part of its core support, including the recent 4.9.1 release in February 2026 with specific Elementor improvements. The Setup Wizard auto-detects an Elementor install and configures the right WPML add-ons accordingly.
Pricing — Different Shape, Similar Order of Magnitude (Until You Add WooCommerce)
Polylang Pro is €99/year for 1 site, with a 50% renewal discount in year 2 — a real ongoing-cost benefit. WooCommerce support is a separate €99/year purchase (Polylang for WooCommerce), or you can bundle both for €139/year via the Business Pack.
WPML’s Multilingual CMS at €99/year covers 3 sites and includes WooCommerce Multilingual (with multi-currency and per-currency payment gateways), String Translation, ACF Multilingual, and Media Translation as part of the same purchase. PTC translation credits run €0.0012–€0.003 per word, with the first 2,000 credits per month free for every account.
WooCommerce: Integrated vs Add-On
For WooCommerce stores, the comparison is straightforward. Polylang for WooCommerce covers the WC content side competently — products, variations, attributes, categories, and integrations with the major WC extensions including Subscriptions, Bookings, Bundle, Composite, Mix and Match, Dynamic Pricing. The gaps relative to WPML are multi-currency (Polylang doesn’t address it) and image-context translation for products (only available with PTC, which Polylang doesn’t have). Bulk catalog import via WPML Export and Import is also unique to WPML in this comparison.
Where Polylang Is the Better Fit
The Polylang free plugin has the largest install base of any general-purpose multilingual plugin in this comparison — 800,000+ active installs. For a bilingual or trilingual blog where someone translates by hand, doesn’t need AI, doesn’t use Elementor, and doesn’t need a central translation dashboard, free Polylang is genuinely competitive. The 50% renewal discount on Polylang Pro is a real ongoing-cost benefit if the bundle of features fits.
If your priorities are simple manual translation, no AI, no Elementor, and a free starting point, Polylang is a reasonable pick. For everything else this article describes — WooCommerce stores, AI translation quality, Elementor sites, team workflows — WPML is built for it.
For a side-by-side comparison of all six major WordPress translation plugins, see Best WordPress Translation Plugin: A Detailed Comparison (2026).
FAQ
Does Polylang work with Elementor?
Polylang Pro is officially “currently not compatible with Elementor and some builders” per Polylang’s own documentation. A third-party plugin called “Polylang Connect for Elementor” exists, but DeepL machine translation does not work for Elementor content even with that connector. WPML maintains dedicated Elementor compatibility code as part of its core support.
What’s the difference between Polylang Pro’s DeepL integration and WPML’s PTC?
Polylang Pro routes content to DeepL and returns the result — translation quality is whatever DeepL produces. WPML’s PTC is purpose-built for website content with proprietary processing on top: domain-tuned models, glossary handling, length-aware translation of SEO meta fields, image-context awareness on WooCommerce products, and a continuous QA loop driven by WPML’s linguistics team. See the PTC vs DeepL translation quality study for the measured comparison.
Is there a free version of WPML?
No. WPML doesn’t offer a free tier; instead all paid plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee. For sites that need free manual-translation handling and don’t use Elementor, free Polylang is a reasonable starting point. For sites that need AI translation, Elementor compatibility, WooCommerce depth, or team workflow, WPML’s paid tiers cover it from day one.
Comparison maintained by the WPML team. Vendor data captured April 26–28, 2026; refreshed when material changes appear.