/ Plugin Category

/ Multilingual & Accessibility

/ Translation & Multilingual Management

/ Bogo

Bogo

By Rock Lobster Inc.

Multilingual & Accessibility / Translation & Multilingual Management

Reviewed by Omar Dabbas

Trusted WordPress expert with 20+ years of experience evaluating plugins for the WP ecosystem.

Bogo Review - In-Depth Analysis

Bogo is a straightforward multilingual plugin for WordPress. It allows you to easily build a multilingual blog without creating additional database tables. Manage languages and translations efficiently with this reliable plugin.

Performance Overview

WPS Score

6.78/10

User Rating

4.5/5 (based on 48+ reviews)

Active Installations

10,000+

Update Frequency

Average It is calculated using the weighted average of same category plugins.

Security Score

5 / 10 (Medium Risk) It is calculated using the weighted average of all versions.

What It Does

Bogo is a straightforward multilingual plugin for WordPress. The core of WordPress itself has the built-in localization capability so you can use the dashboard and theme in one language other than English. Bogo expands this capability to let you easily build a multilingual blog on a single WordPress install.

Bogo plugin assigns one language per post. It plays nice with WordPress – Bogo does not create any additional custom table on your database, unlike some other plugins in this category. This design makes Bogo a solid, reliable and conflict-free multilingual plugin.

To get started with Bogo, first install language packs for the languages you use on the site. You can view and install language packs in the Language Packs screen. Bogo lets each logged-in user select a language for their admin screen UI. You can translate your posts and pages by creating a translation post through the editor screen for the original post.

Bogo provides a Language Switcher widget for your site visitors. You can also use the shortcode to put a language switcher inside a post content. With the default configuration, this plugin does not track users by stealth, write any user personal data to the database, send any data to external servers, or use cookies.

Comparing to Alternatives

Bogo is a minimalist multilingual plugin that stands out for its simplicity and developer-friendly approach. It competes with several established alternatives in the WordPress multilingual space.

Top alternatives

Strengths

Lightweight and minimalistic design, avoiding bloat.
Built on WordPress native localization features for better integration.
Developer-friendly with many hooks and filters for customization.
Simple language switcher shortcode for quick setup.
No custom database tables, which keeps the site clean.

Weaknesses

Limited language selector customization options.
Basic language switcher layout that is difficult to style without code.
Lacks advanced features found in competitors, such as flag or label toggling.
No built-in browser language detection control.

User Sentiment Analysis

With a strong majority of 5-star and 4-star ratings, users appreciate Bogo's simplicity and developer focus. However, a small portion of users express dissatisfaction with its limited feature set and customization options.

Positive highlights

"By far the best multilingual plugin for WordPress" - Thomas Barregren
"Great neat PlugIn" - Henrik
"Bogo is exactly what developers crave: minimal, transparent, and fast." - pcatapan
"It just works!" - basbuis
"Solid multilingual plugin for simple projects like brochure site or blog." - Jean Werk

Common complaints

Lacks options to enable/disable language flags and labels.
No ability to customize the layout of language icons beyond a vertical list.
Cannot disable browser language detection to force a specific language display.

Weaknesses

Limited language selector customization complicates integration with site design.
Documentation is thin, requiring source code reading to discover filters and hooks.
Security risk due to a medium severity vulnerability fixed only in recent versions.

Who Should Use This?

Best for

Developers and site owners seeking a lightweight, minimalistic multilingual plugin that integrates closely with WordPress core and allows for extensive customization through code.

Not ideal for

Users needing a feature-rich multilingual solution with advanced language switcher customization, visual controls for flags and labels, or those concerned about past security vulnerabilities without updating to the latest version.

Pricing & Value

Free version includes

The free version offers a straightforward multilingual setup with basic language switching and post duplication for translations, suitable for simple multilingual sites.

Final Verdict

Bogo excels as a minimal and developer-friendly multilingual plugin that leverages WordPress native features, making it ideal for simple multilingual sites and those comfortable with code customization. Its lightweight nature and clean integration are major strengths appreciated by many users.

However, it lacks advanced features and customization options found in alternatives, and users should be aware of a past medium severity security vulnerability that requires updating to the latest version. Those needing more out-of-the-box functionality or visual customization may prefer other plugins.