A WordPress translation plugin does one of two very different jobs. Most translate your pages, either with machine translation you edit or by letting you write each language yourself, while a separate kind only translates the text built into your plugins and theme. Pick the job first, then check how visitors switch language. Ten free plugins follow, in no particular order.
Search for a translation plugin and you'll find the two jobs mixed together, which is how people end up installing a string editor and wondering why their posts are still in English. This guide splits them up, then covers two things Google says about multilingual sites that a plugin can get wrong for you.
The plugins are listed alphabetically, and each description comes from its own WordPress.org directory page. Before you translate anything, my guide to the translation mistakes businesses make is worth five minutes of your time.
Translation plugins side by side
All ten are free plugins in the WordPress.org plugin directory, as of Oct 2026, hence Yes in the free plan column. Several makers sell extra features on their own sites, so check each plugin's page for what the free version covers.
| Tool | Type | Good for | Free plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| ConveyThis | WordPress plugin | Translates into 200 plus languages with hreflang support | Yes |
| GTranslate | WordPress plugin | Adds machine translation with multilingual SEO URLs | Yes |
| Linguise | WordPress plugin | Automatic AI translation with a front-end translation editor | Yes |
| Loco Translate | WordPress plugin | Translates plugin and theme strings in the browser with a PO editor | Yes |
| Polylang | WordPress plugin | Lets you write each post and term in its own language | Yes |
| TranslatePress | WordPress plugin | Translates visually from the front end with automatic AI translation | Yes |
| Tranzly | WordPress plugin | Keeps one linked post per language across posts, pages and terms | Yes |
| Weglot | WordPress plugin | Translates into 110 plus languages with AI and a hosted dashboard | Yes |
| WP Multilang | WordPress plugin | Handles multilingual content with full WordPress support | Yes |
| wpLingua | WordPress plugin | Automatic AI translation with no word limits | Yes |
Each translation plugin in a sentence
ConveyThis
Best for: Translating a site into 200+ languages with AI and Google Translate, with hreflang and WooCommerce support listed for multilingual SEO.
GTranslate
Best for: Adding Google Translate based AI translation to a whole site, with multilingual SEO and WooCommerce compatibility named in the listing.
Linguise
Best for: Automatic AI translation into 85+ languages that you correct afterwards in a front-end translation editor, with SEO-optimized translations.
Loco Translate
Best for: Translating the words inside plugins and themes, such as buttons and labels, in a browser PO editor with AI translation providers built in.
Polylang
Best for: Writing each post and taxonomy term in its own language yourself, while you keep working in WordPress the way you already do.
TranslatePress
Best for: Visual translation from the front end, so you edit each page as you see it, with automatic AI translation for any theme or plugin.
Tranzly
Best for: One linked post per language, covering pages, terms, media, widgets and the site title, for sites that want every language kept separate.
Weglot
Best for: AI translation into 110+ languages that the listing says stays true to your brand, with multilingual SEO and WooCommerce support.
WP Multilang
Best for: Going multilingual with a localization plugin that the listing says has full WordPress support and gets you running in minutes.
wpLingua
Best for: Automatic translation with no word limits, editable translations and SEO-friendly multilingual pages, using its own AI translation API.
Three kinds of translation plugin
- Machine translation layers: translate your existing pages automatically with AI or Google Translate, and let you edit the result. Most of the list sits here.
- Write each language yourself: you create a linked version of each post, page and term in every language, and you or a translator write it.
- Strings only: translates the words built into your plugins and themes, such as buttons and labels, not your posts and pages.
The strings tool with a million installs
Loco Translate has 1,000,000+ active installs, as of Oct 2026, the most on this list. It translates plugin and theme text in your browser with a PO file editor. It doesn't translate your pages, so if you install it expecting a French version of your site, you won't get one.
That's the catch in this category. One keyword covers both jobs, and the install numbers make the plugins look like rivals when they do different things. A site can easily need one of each: a page translation plugin, plus a strings tool if a plugin's buttons still show up in the wrong language.
Another page that helps here: WooCommerce Dropshipping Plugins.
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Let visitors choose their language
Google Search Central's guidance on managing multilingual sites says to avoid automatically redirecting users from one language version of a site to another, because these redirections could prevent users, and search engines, from viewing all the versions of your site.
Some setups detect a visitor's browser language and send them straight to that version. It feels helpful, but it can hide your other languages from people and from Google. Before you commit, check that the plugin offers a language switcher people click, and that any automatic redirect can be switched off.
Curious about the neighbouring question? Try Instagram Feed Plugins for WordPress.
Machine translation still needs a human read
Google's spam policies describe scaled content abuse, and their examples include automated transformations like translating, where little value is provided to users. Machine translating every page and publishing the lot unread is the risky way to use these plugins.
Read and edit the pages that matter most in each language: your home page, your main service or product pages, and anything people buy from. Several plugins here have an editor for exactly that, and the write-it-yourself kind avoids the problem by design.
Do you make a WordPress translation plugin? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
My plain advice on choosing a translation plugin
Decide whether you want machine translation you edit, or languages you write yourself, and choose from that group. Keep a strings tool in mind for stray buttons, check the language switcher before you launch, and have a person read the pages that bring in business.
If you're taking an online store into new countries, my guide to localising an ecommerce website covers more than the words.
Want your tool on this list? Featured spots and reviews here are paid partnerships. Here's how to partner with me.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between machine translation and writing each language?
A machine translation plugin translates your pages automatically and lets you edit the result. The other kind gives you a linked copy of each post per language that you or a translator write.
Does a strings translation tool translate my pages?
No. A strings tool translates the text inside plugins and themes, such as buttons and labels, not your posts and pages.
Should my site redirect visitors by browser language?
Google's guidance says to avoid automatic redirects between language versions, because they can stop users and search engines seeing every version. Use a language switcher instead.
Is machine translation bad for SEO?
Publishing large amounts of unreviewed machine translation is the risky use. Google's spam policies name automated translating with little value to users as scaled content abuse, so review the pages that matter.
Are WordPress translation plugins free?
All ten here are free plugins in the WordPress.org plugin directory, as of Oct 2026. Some makers sell extra features on their own sites, so check each plugin's page.
