Loco Translate is the strongest GTranslate alternative for most sites because it lets you edit translations directly rather than relying on GTranslate’s automatic machine layer, giving you full control over wording with no ongoing fees. Polylang is the pick for a true multilingual site, and TranslatePress shines for visual, in-page translating. We ranked these from our index of 55,000+ WordPress plugins.

Why people switch from GTranslate

• People who want to correct or own their translations instead of trusting GTranslate’s automatic output move to Loco Translate.
• Those who want a genuine multilingual site with human translations and clean URLs move to Polylang or TranslatePress.
• Businesses wanting fully automated, hands-off translation as a service move to Weglot or ConveyThis.
• Users who dislike GTranslate’s reliance on external redirects and widgets move to a plugin that stores translations in WordPress.

Loco Translate – Editing translation strings

Loco Translate from Tim Whitlock lets you translate and edit the text strings in themes and plugins directly inside WordPress, managing the underlying translation files. Against GTranslate, it gives you precise, human control over wording instead of automatic machine output. The important drawback is scope: it is built for editing interface translations, not for creating a full multilingual front end that lets visitors switch languages.

Choose Loco Translate if you want to hand-edit theme and plugin translations with full control.

Polylang – True multilingual sites

Polylang lets you build a genuinely multilingual site, creating separate versions of posts and pages in each language with proper language URLs. Against GTranslate, it gives you human-quality content and clean, indexable multilingual structure rather than on-the-fly machine translation. The drawback is that you provide the translations yourself, which is real work, and some conveniences like string translation management are reserved for the Pro version.

Choose Polylang if you want a real multilingual site with translations you control.

Weglot – Automated hands-off translation

Weglot is a cloud translation service that automatically translates your whole site and lets you refine the results, with strong multilingual SEO handling. Against GTranslate, it combines fast automatic translation with an editable, well-structured multilingual layer. The drawback is that it is a subscription SaaS priced by word count and language, so costs rise quickly on large or multi-language sites.

Choose Weglot if you want fast automatic translation with editing and multilingual SEO handled for you.

ConveyThis – Automatic translation service

ConveyThis is a cloud-based translation service that automatically renders your site in many languages and offers manual refinement. Against GTranslate, it provides a more structured multilingual setup with editable translations. The drawback is that it is an external SaaS with a limited free word allowance, so ongoing or higher-volume use depends on a paid plan.

Choose ConveyThis if you want automatic multilingual translation you can fine-tune.

TranslatePress – Visual in-page translation

TranslatePress from Cozmoslabs lets you translate your site visually, editing text directly on a live preview of each page, with optional automatic translation to start from. Against GTranslate, it gives you an editable, self-hosted multilingual site rather than a machine-translated overlay. The drawback is that multiple languages and automatic translation depend on the Pro version, and translating large sites page by page can be time-consuming.

Choose TranslatePress if you want to translate your site visually on a live preview.

When to stay on GTranslate

Stay on GTranslate if you want the quickest possible way to make your site readable in many languages without translating anything yourself. Its automatic, widget-based approach is genuinely easy to switch on, and for informational sites where perfect wording is not critical it does the job. If you do not need editable, SEO-friendly translations, switching adds effort you may not need.

How we ranked these

Every plugin here is scored by the WPS Score, a single 0 to 10 rating built from 21 signals covering maintenance, support responsiveness, compatibility, performance, and ratings quality across our index of 55,000+ plugins. Rankings are derived from that data, not editorial preference, and no plugin author can pay to change a score. How the WPS Score works.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between GTranslate and Loco Translate?

GTranslate automatically machine-translates your site into many languages using services like Google Translate, with little manual control. Loco Translate instead lets you hand-edit the text strings in themes and plugins. They solve different problems: GTranslate is for automatic front-end translation, while Loco Translate is for editing interface translations.

What is the best free way to make a WordPress site multilingual?

Polylang has a strong free version for building a true multilingual site with separate content per language. TranslatePress also offers a free tier for visual translation in a single extra language. Loco Translate is free for editing theme and plugin translations, though it does not create a language switcher for visitors.

Does GTranslate translate content automatically?

Yes. GTranslate uses automatic machine translation to display your site in other languages, so you do not translate anything manually. The trade-off is limited control over wording and, in the free version, translations that are not stored as indexable content on your own site.

The verdict

The best all-round GTranslate alternative depends on your goal: Loco Translate for hand-editing translations, Polylang for a true multilingual site, and TranslatePress for visual in-page translating. Weglot suits those wanting hands-off automation. If you just need quick automatic translation, staying on GTranslate can be perfectly valid.