A client approached us with a task: translate their corporate website into three languages — Russian, English, and German. They already had WPML, but it was slow: average page load time was 3.2 seconds, and the license was expensive. We suggested Polylang — a free open-source alternative. Polylang is installed on more than 500,000 sites, supports translation of any post types, taxonomies, and strings, and most importantly — consumes 30-50% less memory than WPML. After migration, load time dropped to 1.8 seconds, and license savings amounted to up to 70% per year. Setup took one day, and the site became twice as fast. This article shares our experience setting up Polylang and key points to know when migrating from WPML.
Why Polylang is better than WPML for most projects?
Polylang consumes 30-50% less memory than WPML and requires no annual payment. In practice, we see that Polylang processes 50 pages 40% faster under the same server configuration. License savings amount to up to 70% per year.
How it works
Polylang does not create separate sites in a network (like Multisite) — it adds languages as a taxonomy to existing posts, pages, and custom post types. Each post is assigned a language, and translations are linked via metadata. This makes it lightweight and compatible with any plugins and themes.
Installation and setup in an hour
To quickly get multilingual functionality, follow these steps:
- Install the plugin: download Polylang from the WordPress repository (free).
- Add languages: go to "Languages → Languages → Add Language" and select the desired languages (Russian, English, German, etc.).
- Configure URLs: in "Languages → Settings → URL modifications" choose "Directories" (e.g.,
/ru/,/en/). This is the best option for SEO. - Create menus for each language: in "Appearance → Menus" create separate menus and assign them to a language.
- Add a language switcher: use the "Polylang Language Switcher" widget or Gutenberg block.
The entire process takes no more than an hour. After setup, your site will correctly display content in all languages.
How to translate content and theme strings?
In the posts list, language flags appear — the pencil icon opens an existing translation, "+" creates a new one. In the Gutenberg editor, the Polylang block is available for selecting language and linking translations.
To translate theme strings, use "Languages → Strings Translations". In PHP, a string is registered like this:
pll_register_string( 'my-plugin', 'Submit button text', 'my-plugin-strings' ); And output using pll_e( 'Submit button text' ).
Programmatic API
$lang = pll_current_language(); // 'ru', 'en', 'de' $translated_post_id = pll_get_post( $original_post_id, 'en' ); $home_en = pll_home_url( 'en' ); $languages = pll_languages_list(); // ['ru', 'en', 'de'] These functions allow creating custom solutions without limitations.
How does Polylang affect site performance?
Polylang is optimized for speed: it does not execute unnecessary SQL queries, and all language data is stored in taxonomy. This positively impacts Core Web Vitals: LCP decreases due to smaller CSS/JS, and TTFB improves thanks to lightweight architecture. In our projects after migrating from WPML, we recorded LCP improvements of 25%.
For online stores: WooCommerce
For online stores, Polylang Pro is required. It adds support for translating products, categories, and attributes, as well as synchronizing prices and stock. Without the Pro version, WooCommerce content is not translated. Our engineers can help migrate from free to Pro without data loss.
What's included in Polylang setup service
We offer a comprehensive service that includes:
| Stage | Description | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Current site audit | Assessment of content volume, plugins, and theme | 2-3 hours |
| Polylang installation and configuration | Language selection, URL setup, switcher | 1 day |
| Content translation | Translation of up to 30 pages (via translator or manually) | 2-3 days |
| SEO optimization | Hreflang setup, sitemaps, meta tags | 1 day |
| Testing and launch | Checking all languages, fixing errors | 1 day |
Note: For large projects with WooCommerce or custom post types, Polylang Pro is required. Our engineers are WordPress-certified with over 5 years of market experience. Get a consultation — we'll evaluate your project for free.
Comparison of free and Pro versions
| Feature | Polylang Free | Polylang Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Post translation | ✅ | ✅ |
| Theme string translation | ✅ | ✅ |
| REST API | ❌ | ✅ |
| WooCommerce | ❌ | ✅ |
| Field synchronization | ❌ | ✅ |
Timelines and cost
Estimated timelines: from 1 to 5 days depending on content volume and complexity. Cost is calculated individually. Contact us for WPML migration — we'll evaluate your project for free.
Common mistakes when setting up Polylang
- Incorrect URL structure: choosing subdomains can confuse search engines.
- Forgetting to assign a menu to a language: the same menu is displayed everywhere.
- Not translating theme strings: some content remains in the default language.
- Using incompatible plugins: some sliders may not support Polylang.
Get a consultation on setting up Polylang for your project.