Comparing Polyglot and Weglot for multilingual apps. Understand the difference between code-level i18n with AST detection and website-level translation via proxy.
Weglot and Polyglot solve multilingual content in fundamentally different ways. Weglot is a website translation layer — it sits between your site and your users (as a proxy or a JavaScript snippet) and replaces text with translations. Polyglot works at the code level — it scans your source code, finds hardcoded strings, and produces translation files that your i18n library renders at runtime.
This isn't a "which is better" question — they're different tools for different use cases. The confusion happens because developers often try Weglot first (it's easy to set up), then realize they want translations in their codebase for an app with lots of dynamic or non-website content.
| Feature | Polyglot | Weglot |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | Code-level (AST detection + catalog files) | Website-level (proxy or JS snippet) |
| String detection | ✓Yes (tree-sitter AST) | ✓Yes (detects visible text on pages) |
| Works with SPAs/React apps | ✓Yes (native) | ✓Yes (dynamic content can need extra setup) |
| Works with static sites | ✓Yes | ✓Yes (excellent) |
| Works with mobile apps | Detection for React Native and Flutter (runtime support varies) | ✕No |
| Translation approach | LLM with context | AI translation + human editing |
| Local preview | ✓Yes (polyglot preview) | Live on site (proxy) |
| SEO (hreflang, subdomains) | You manage it | Automatic |
| CLI support | Primary interface | ✕No |
| Free tier | Free local scanning, 500 source strings (lifetime) | ✓Yes (2,000 words) |
| Starting price | $0 | €15/mo (≈$17; Starter, 10,000 words) |
| Translations in your repo | ✓Yes (catalog files) | No (hosted on Weglot) |
| Framework support | Detection: Next.js, Astro, SvelteKit, Vue, Angular, React Native, Flutter | Any website it can serve or load its script on |
Weglot's plans are priced by translated words; page views are tracked but not billed per view. Competitor pricing checked September 22, 2026.
Weglot is excellent at what it does — website translation:
Add a script tag or DNS change, and your entire website is translated. For marketing sites, landing pages, and content-heavy sites, this is genuinely the fastest path to multilingual.
Weglot handles hreflang tags, subdirectories or subdomains, and search engine indexing automatically. For WordPress sites and static marketing pages, this is a significant time saver.
Weglot's dashboard shows your actual website with translations overlaid. Translators edit strings in context, seeing exactly how they appear on the page.
Weglot is one of the most popular WordPress translation plugins. If your site is WordPress, Weglot is the path of least resistance.
Polyglot works at the code level, so translations for SPAs, dynamic content, and client-side rendering live in your i18n library's catalogs. Detection covers Next.js, Astro, SvelteKit, Vue, Angular, React Native and Flutter; runtime support varies by setup, and Next.js App Router with next-intl is the best-tested path. With a website-level layer, content that appears after user interaction — modals, toasts, error states — can take extra configuration to catch.
Polyglot finds hardcoded strings in your source files — strings that are in your code, not yet rendered on a page — and flags them inline via a VS Code extension as you write. Weglot detects strings that appear in the rendered page.
Polyglot translates with fine-tuned LLMs, sending component context and glossary terms with each string. It scored 4.96/5 across 49 languages on our June 2026 pipeline, AI-judged — reproducible benchmark. Weglot offers AI translation with manual editing in its dashboard.
Polyglot writes translation files to your repo — JSON, YAML, ARB, iOS .strings, or Android XML. They're in git, reviewable in PRs, and deployed through your CI pipeline. Weglot hosts translations on its servers and serves them through its service.
Your app loads translations through your own i18n library. It doesn't depend on Weglot's service being online. With Weglot, if the service is unavailable, your site can show untranslated content.
Polyglot's detection covers React Native and Flutter, and it can export iOS .strings and Android XML. Check runtime support for your setup. Weglot is web-only.
Weglot translates your rendered output (HTML). It doesn't know about your code, your components, or your build process. It works on what your site sends to the browser and replaces text.
Polyglot translates your source code's strings. It understands your component structure, identifies likely user-facing strings (via AST analysis), and produces translation files that your i18n library uses at runtime.
This means:
Start in your terminal
Install the CLI, run a scan, and see exactly what you're missing. Free, no account required.