WordPress Translation Plugins: What Are the Differences Between WPML and Weglot?

One of the most common questions people ask is the differences between the WordPress translation plugins WPML and Weglot.

WPML, by developers OnTheGoSystems, has been a major player in the WordPress Directory for some time now.  While we’re not here to tell you what the best WordPress translation plugin is, we will talk about an alternative solution that we think users might find easier to navigate.

Introducing Weglot—a user-friendly website translation software that allows you to translate all your content into multiple languages within minutes.

Featuring an intuitive user interface, support for 110 languages, and continuous detection and translation of your content—all without involving a single line of code.

For skimmers, here's a table that summarizes the features of each. We'll then go into more detail to help you understand which one best fits your needs.

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WPML vs Weglot: Installation and Setup Process

Hoping to get the ball rolling on your website translation project ASAP? The setup process reveals major technical differences between these plugins.

Weglot uses a one-click installation from the WordPress Directory. In contrast, WPML requires downloading four separate plugin components. These components include the WPML core plugin, String Translation, Translation Management, and Media Translation modules.

Installing WPML

A basic understanding of how WordPress works “under the hood” is required for installation:

1. Create WPML account.
2. Download 4 components in 4 separate zip files:
   
   • WPML core plugin
   • String Translation
   • Translation Management
   • Media Translation
3. Go to Add Plugin section on your WordPress dashboard.
4. Click Upload Plugin > Select your 4 zip files > Upload Now.
5. Go back to the WordPress Plugins page and enable the newly added plugins.

WPML stores translations in your WordPress database. This approach creates duplicate posts for each language version. WPML requires manual configuration for each translation.

Note that installing WPML is only the first step in the process of your website translation project. At this stage, it has yet to translate any part of your site.

Installing Weglot:

Weglot uses a one-click installation from the WordPress Directory.

1. Create a Weglot account.
2. Enter your API key given in your Weglot Dashboard.
3. Select the current language of your website, and then choose the languages you want to translate it into.
4. Click save – and voila! Your multilingual website is up and running, complete with an automatically added front-end language switcher.

Weglot stores translations on external servers to reduce site load. This cloud-based approach means your WordPress database stays lean. Weglot translates your entire website automatically after installation. No additional configuration needed – your site becomes multilingual instantly!

How WPML and Weglot Detect and Translate Your Content

Content detection is the process of identifying translatable text on your website.

Weglot uses full-site scanning to detect all content automatically. This comprehensive approach finds text in posts, pages, widgets, menus, and plugins. Weglot translates everything in one click. Your entire website becomes multilingual instantly, including dynamic content.

WPML uses HTML rendering which can miss dynamic elements. The plugin scans the rendered HTML of your site's front-end, potentially overlooking JavaScript-generated content. WPML translates content string-by-string. You'll need to send manual commands for each piece of content you want translated.

Another key difference involves ongoing maintenance. Weglot automatically detects and translates updates. When you add new content or modify existing text, Weglot finds and translates it immediately. WPML requires manual commands for each update. You must actively manage new content translation through the WPML interface.

The storage methods differ significantly too. WPML creates duplicate posts for each language in your database. If you have five languages, you'll have five versions of every post. Weglot uses a cloud-based translation layer without duplicating content. Your WordPress database remains clean while translations load from Weglot's servers.

Things to note about translating your WordPress site with WPML:

• You’ll need to purchase the WPML Multilingual CMS add-on or Multilingual Agency package to have the automatic translation functionality.
• You can’t automatically translate the whole of your website in just one click.
• To translate your content, you’ll need to send a command manually, one post at a time, through your WPML interface.
• There are additional costs after 45,000 words of automatic translation.
• It uses the rendered HTML of your site’s front-end to detect the content to translate, which can result in incomplete translation.

Weglot handles the automatic translation of your website very differently:

• It combs through your entire website – not just the rendered HTML – to detect content.
• Your whole website, including any translatable content from your theme and plugins, will be automatically translated.
• No special compatibility required.
• Little manual setup work needed – once Weglot is installed, your site will be automatically translated.
• Automatic translation is free up to 2,000 words, with tiered plans to suit your needs

Curious about how Weglot would work on your website? You can test out the full capabilities of our translation plugin for WordPress through our 14-day free trial. No credit card needed.

This gives you enough time to see how the translation plugin works, and if you have any questions, you can ask the Weglot support team.

You can also use the Free version to translate up to 2,000 words of your site into one other language for as long as you like before seeing which of the other pricing options works best for you.

WPML currently doesn’t offer a free trial period. There is, however, a 30-day money-back guarantee if the translation solution does not meet your needs.  

Managing Translations: WPML Dashboard vs Weglot Dashboard

Both multilingual plugins use machine translation to instantly translate websites. Though it’s an excellent way to accelerate a translation project, you may want a human eye to fine-tune translations for complete accuracy.

Don’t know anyone up for the job? You can order professional translations for phrases and sentences you aren’t sure about. You’ll get your request in 2 business days.

Weglot provides a single unified dashboard for all translations. Every translation management feature exists in one interface for ease of use. WPML requires switching between multiple interfaces. You'll toggle between the WordPress editor and WPML's translation management screens.

The editing experience differs significantly. Weglot’s Visual Editor allows front-end editing with real-time preview. Click on any text element to edit while seeing your site's design. This is especially useful when translating to right-to-left languages to check alignment, as well as languages that naturally use more, or longer, words e.g. German.

WPML uses a back-end Advanced Translation Editor without visual context. You work with strings of text separated from your site's layout.

AI-Powered Translation Enhancement

Weglot now also includes an AI Language Model for brand-specific translations. This feature can be trained with your brand's tone and terminology to really match your company’s voice. The more examples and feedback you give it, the better it will get.

Both plugins support DeepL, Google Translate, and Microsoft Translator. However, Weglot automatically selects the best provider for each language pair. This optimization happens behind the scenes for better translation quality.

To get the full benefits of WPML’s translation management capabilities, you will again need to have the Multilingual CMS or Multilingual Agency package. You’ll then need to separately install their translation management plugin.

This is a significant difference with Weglot, as no matter what plan you’re on (even smaller websites using the Free plan of max 2,000 words), you will have access to all the translation management features and benefits in just one easy-to-use interface.

The WPML dashboard offers some of the same features as Weglot’s, such as outsourcing translations to professional translation services or teams of translators. Then, you can manage and edit every translation. But managing your translations within the Weglot Dashboard is more intuitive than WPML.

Firstly, you can search for your translations by page URL, media translations, or SEO metadata. Any content displayed on your website, including text generated from different plugins, will appear together.

With WPML, you’ll need to switch between two different editors to see the content from your website and content from outside the WordPress editor.

In addition, Weglot has also developed another even simpler way to manage your translations: a visual translation editor.

Simply go into the ‘Visual Editor’ tab through your Weglot Dashboard. You’ll see a live preview of your multilingual site. As you click on each translation to make a change, and click ‘OK’, it will automatically sync with your real site.

Support Response Times

Run into a problem? The support experience varies greatly between plugins. WPML users sometimes experience extended wait times for support responses. Getting help can take days or even weeks in some cases.

Weglot provides support responses within one business day. Our plugin has more than 1,500 5-star reviews thanks to our reactive support, no matter what plan you’re on.

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WPML and Weglot Compatibility with WordPress Themes and Plugins

When you’re creating a multilingual WordPress site, the natural place to start is your posts and pages.  But there’s a huge amount of other content on your site that will need localization to ensure the best experience across all languages.

This will include text generated by your site’s plugins (especially store plugins like WooCommerce, or SEO plugins like Yoast), site taglines, menu items, taxonomies, sidebars, and more.

Multiple Plugins vs Single Solution

WPML requires multiple plugins to translate different content types. Each component handles specific elements of your WordPress site. The WPML Multilingual CMS plugin handles posts and pages. This core component manages your main content translations.

WPML String Translation (included in the Multilingual CMS package) is needed for theme and widget text. Without it, your theme elements remain in the original language. For online stores, WooCommerce Multilingual is required for ecommerce content. Product descriptions, checkout pages, and cart text need this add-on. ACF Multilingual translates custom fields. Sites using Advanced Custom Fields require this additional component.

In contrast, Weglot translates all content types with a single plugin. Everything from posts to widgets to custom fields gets translated automatically. Using a free plugin like Weglot takes the hassle out of doing each of these by yourself. It's designed to automatically translate the content in each component, giving you a fully usable site in minutes.

Theme and Plugin Compatibility

WPML requires compatible themes and plugins for full functionality. Check compatibility lists before purchasing themes or installing plugins. Weglot is designed to work with any WordPress theme or plugin. No compatibility checks needed – it works universally.

When you use WPML, you can automatically translate and display the content of your WordPress site. A key difference between Weglot’s translation capabilities and WPML’s, however, is that WPML cannot translate any content that falls outside of the WordPress editor.

The way this is handled by WPML is through a separate interface where you can manage this type of content, which requires the purchase of the Multilingual CMS package or higher. You will need to manually translate these elements of your website and mark each translation as complete.

In contrast, with Weglot:

• All third-party apps are automatically translated by advanced machine translation with the option to make manual edits.
• Additional translations are handled the same way as your website copy – no manual work required.
• All translations are managed together on the same interface.
• Weglot also displays your content under language subdirectories for better SEO.
• Ensures your content remains organic search friendly with translated metadata and automatically added hreflang tags.
• Offers the option of ordering professional translation.

Language Support Comparison

Language availability differs between the plugins. WPML supports 65 languages. This covers most major world languages. Weglot supports over 110 languages including custom languages. You can even add regional variations like Brazilian Portuguese.

Currently, WPML offers 65 languages, whilst Weglot supports more than 110, including languages such as Brazilian Portuguese. You can view the full list of Weglot-supported languages, and if you don't see the language you require, you can always contact us.

WPML Credits vs Weglot Pricing: Understanding the Costs

WPML requires a yearly license fee plus translation credits. It's not a one-time purchase – you pay annually for continued access.

WPML provides 2,000 free credits monthly with paid plans. After that, you enter their Pay As You Go system. Additional WPML credits start at €50 for 40,000 credits, or approx. 20,000 words,, depending on the service provider you choose:

• Microsoft Translate: 1 credit per word
• Google Translate: 2 credits per word
• DeepL: 2 credits per word

Alternatively, you can estimate the number of words you need to translate, and get a custom price.

Weglot’s Simpler Pricing Model

Weglot has a simpler model: free plans have a 2,000-word allowance, the starter plan has a limit of 10,000 words, and so on. You don’t need to keep track of how many credits you used for a specific provider, making it easier to manage your usage.

Learn more about our pricing to find a plan that works best for your needs, with additional features like more team members, translated URLs, and more.

To check your current word usage, log onto the Weglot Dashboard. Under Home, you’ll see a white box to your left titled Plan usage. There you’ll find how many words Weglot has translated on your WordPress website.

Trial and Guarantee Differences

WPML offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. You pay upfront and can request a refund if unsatisfied. Weglot provides a 14-day free trial with no credit card required, so you can test all features – including the AI Language Model – before committing to a paid plan.

What’s more, we offer immediate support for all types of content. Whether it’s content from pop-ups, plugins, or URL slugs, you won’t have to worry about compatibility issues when choosing a multilingual plugin.

Language Switcher

This is what’s displayed on the front-end of your site and the way a user will switch between different languages.

One of the key differences between WPML and Weglot is that Weglot actually automatically adds a language switcher to your website once you’ve installed the plugin. With WPML, you’ll need to use your own custom code or hire a developer to add a language switcher to your WordPress theme.

While with Weglot, you can choose the order in which you want the languages displayed in your language switcher. You can also select where you want it displayed, either in the menu, widget, footer, or link (above or below your blog posts).

By default, with Weglot as your translation plugin for WordPress, you’ll have a fully functioning language switcher automatically added to your site. You can even customize your language switcher without any technical knowledge or any code.

When you first install Weglot, your language switcher will be automatically placed on the bottom right of your site. Then, once you go to your WordPress admin dashboard, you can select the following options:

• To have it displayed as a dropdown menu.
• To display country flags.
• The design of the flag – rectangle mat, rectangle shiny, square, or circle.
• To display the language name beside the country flag.
• To display the full language name or just the two-letter country code – e.g., English vs. EN.
• The location of your language switcher.

Easy! Now, compare this to WPML’s language switcher setup for a better overview.

Recommended reading: 9 Best WordPress Translation Plugins for Multilingual Success

Your Next Step: Choosing Your Translation Solution

Hopefully, the above information has answered your question about the differences between these two translation plugins for WordPress.

WPML’s main disadvantages include its greater complexity, lack of front-end editing, and multiple plugin requirements. The need for more manual configuration, slower support response times, and database storage impact can make WPML challenging for users seeking quick implementation.

Weglot provides a streamlined WPML alternative that addresses these pain points. The single-plugin solution, automatic detection, and cloud-based architecture simplify multilingual site creation.

If the Weglot translation solution sounds interesting, we offer a 14-day free trial, which gives you access to all the features of the paid package. Try it yourself and see how you can have a WordPress multilingual website up and running in just 5 minutes!