WPML or Polylang for our multilingual WP, choosing deeper.
WPML wins on WooCommerce translations and plugin compatibility. Polylang Pro wins on speed and simplicity. For SMB marketing sites, Polylang often suffices.
Try this first
- 1Test on staging for a few days with the full stack. Blog and pages say little; also translate forms, custom post types and dynamic content.
- 2WPML: String Translation for stray strings (button labels, error messages), built-in translation-bureau hooks, smooth Woo product translation.
- 3Polylang Pro: lighter, simpler UI, strong on content types with per-language slugs. Limit: Woo translations via Polylang for WooCommerce aren't always as smooth as WPML.
- 4Performance: WPML adds joins to queries; noticeable on large sites. Polylang lighter, but both can balloon DB queries.
- 5Backups and migrations: both survive a normal host move. Test on staging before going live.
- 6Ask both vendors for full feature lists for your use case. Marketing pages only show top features.
When to bring us in
500+ Woo products across six languages? WPML with an experienced consultant is the honest call. Setting up translations wrong costs weeks of data cleanup later.
See also
- WordPress, plugins and theme have gone 6+ months without updatesOut-of-date WP is the number-one entry for malware. Don't just hit 'update all', back up first.
- Theme update broke the layout or threw a fatal errorThemes overwrite custom CSS on update unless you use a child theme.
- WordPress shows a blank screen after a plugin install or updateWSOD (white screen of death) is usually one crashing plugin. You isolate it.
None of the above fits?
Describe your situation below. We pass your input plus the steps you already saw to our AI and return tailored next-step advice. If it's too risky to DIY, we'll say so.
Or skip the DIY entirely
Our Managed IT clients do not look these things up. One point of contact, a fixed monthly price, resolved within working hours.