Content is a king. But what’s the point if nobody can read it, right?

That is why, for many developers who create a website for an audience from different countries, it is so important to choose the appropriate tool for translating text on the website. Of course, you can spend several dozen hours translating each word separately, but this option is only suitable if your site has a lot of content.

In this article, we will look at the functionality and features of using one of the most popular plugins for creating multilingual websites – the WPML WordPress plugin.

Table of Contents

• What Is the WPML Plugin?
• WPML Overview
• WPML Main Features
• WPML Pros and Cons
• WPML Pricing
• WPML Alternatives
  • Polylang
  • Translate Press
  • Weglot
• FAQ
• In Conclusion

What Is the WPML Plugin?

WPML is a plugin that allows you to translate content on your website into 65 pre-configured languages. It helps translate not only articles or pages but also fields, menus, media, and custom post types. With its help, you don’t have to worry about being misunderstood, even if you’ve never learned, for example, Spanish.

WPML Overview

At first glance, WPML translation management and working with the plugin is very simple. After installation and activation, the system will ask you to configure how to work with the plugin.

Select which languages to translate from and into:

Choose between automatic and manual translation:

Additionally, indicate whether you need to check the translated text before publication.

It is very convenient for work. After setting up, you can proceed to translate pages manually, directly from the Dashboard if you already have them, start automatic translation, or combine both methods.

WPML Main Features

Let’s look at the main features of the WPML plugin.

Automatic translation

The automatic translation feature is convenient if you need to translate a large amount of text. With its help, you can scan and edit any text during verification. In this mode, the plugin quickly and efficiently translates everything you place or update on the website.

Translation from translators

If, for some reason, you do not like automatic translation, you can do it yourself or use the services of professional translators. If you don’t know such specialists, you can find a suitable performer using the WPML Translation Jobs service.

Add-ons for every occasion

WPML plugin add-ons allow you to:

• translate WooCommerce site content, including product variations, emails, etc.;
• add a media gallery in different languages;
• make a string translation;
• use form plugins support (Contact Form 7, Ninja Forms, and Gravity Forms);
• integrate with Mailchimp, Yoast SEO, and Rank Math;
• use sticky links functionality.

WPML Pros and Cons

Pros

• easy to install and use;
• fast automatic translation of large amounts of text;
• support for 65+ languages;
• translated content is saved in the database even after the plugin is deactivated or deleted;
• functionality to mix machine and manual translation easily;
• a large number of add-ons for translating different types of content: widgets, WooCommerce content, filters, etc;
• fully compatible with Crocoblock plugins;
• the plugin is fully AI-powered.

Cons

• automatic translation is not always accurate;
• can affect performance if there are many languages due to requests to the database (unlike some other SaaS-based plugins that use a dedicated CDN to store translations);
• support is provided mainly on the forum, but there is a live chat option that allows you to contact WPML support agents directly (when they are available).

The WPML WordPress plugin generally allows you to perform all content translation tasks on your website quickly and efficiently. Therefore, it is unsurprising that it is so popular among WordPress users.

WPML Pricing

The WPML plugin has several payment options, which is due to the peculiarities of its use. 

First, you need to choose the option to purchase the plugin. If you need it for only one site and don’t plan to use automatic translation, this WPML package will cost €39 per year.

If you need it for up to 3 sites and want to translate a wide variety of content using automatic translation, you can choose the €99/year package. It includes the automatic translation feature with 90,000 translation credits included and 2,000 free credits monthly.

The third option is suitable for those who need to translate many sites. This option costs €199 per year and includes 180,000 credits for automatic translations.

To translate your content, you must have credits in your account. Each word is worth a certain number of credits. For example, if you want your content to be translated automatically using DeepL, one of the most accurate translators, each word is worth two credits. If you prefer to use Google Translate for translations, each word will also cost two credits. And if you want a Microsoft translation, the cost will only be one credit per word. 

Each option has a 30-day money-back guarantee.

You have several options if you don’t have enough credits in your package and want to translate more content automatically. For example, you can prepay and pay €50 for 40,000 credits or €180 for 200,000 credits. These prepaid credits have no time limit on usage.

You can also pay for translations as you use them per month (“on-the-go” option). In this case, you get 2,000 free monthly credits; the following 8,000 cost €6. For all subsequent ones, the price goes down.

WPML Alternatives

Although WPML is the most popular translation plugin and has been a monopoly for a long time, it now has competitors.

There is a comparison table on the plugin’s website where you can set your parameters and decide which plugin is suitable in your case:

Here, I’ll look at a few translation plugins most often mentioned by users in our Crocoblock community. 

Polylang

Polylang plugin allows you to translate any content manually; it doesn’t have an automatic translation option like WPML. Therefore, it is suitable for small sites with not too much content.

You can place the translated site under a new slogan or subdomain. It’s not always convenient, but if you need translation to just one language, it won’t be a problem. 

Polylang is a freemium plugin, and the paid version starts at €99.

Translate Press

Translate Press is a freemium plugin that supports 11 languages. It allows you to manually translate content on your WordPress site using a visual editor. 

The free version has no automatic translation, which is inconvenient if you have a lot of dynamic content. But if your site is small, this option might work for you. Google Translate powers the automatic translation, so you must check your content carefully after translation. If you want to use DeepL for translation, which gives more accurate results, you can opt for the Business or Developer package, which costs €169 and €269 per year, respectively.

Weglot

The most expensive but the most convenient plugin for automatic translation among WPML competitors is Weglot. By the way, we have a detailed review of this plugin. 

Weglot allows you to make automatic translations into more than 100 languages using Microsoft, DeepL, and Google technologies. It translates all content on the site, including multimedia and dynamic content. The plugin is great for users with bulky sites with a lot of information.

The price starts at €15 and depends on the number of sites you need to translate and the website’s content.

FAQ

In Conclusion

Today, reaching a global audience is easier than ever. You can share your knowledge and information with people worldwide, regardless of their language. And it’s easy to do so, thanks to translation plugins.

Among all such add-ons, the most popular one is WPML. It allows you to take control of the translation, do it automatically or manually, review each text, or publish it automatically. The plugin will enable you to install add-ons to make every word understandable for any user, whether in a form, on a button, about a product, or in general site content.