# General Translation Knowledge Base: Weglot alternatives: General Translation vs. Weglot URL: https://generaltranslation.com/en-GB/kb/general-translation-vs-weglot.mdx Docs index: https://generaltranslation.com/llms.txt Description: Weglot is a website translation service that translates rendered pages through plugins, a snippet, or a proxy, and Weglot 2.0 adds JSON translation workflows in GitHub. General Translation is a localisation platform that combines source-code internationalisation, file translation, shared context, Dashboard review, and locale routing. Category: Workflow Tools Last updated: 2026-10-28 Authors: General Translation Team Published: 2026-10-28 Weglot is a website translation service: its standard integrations detect and translate text on rendered pages through a CMS plugin, a JavaScript snippet, or a reverse proxy. Weglot 2.0 also offers JSON translation workflows in GitHub. General Translation is a localisation platform that brings source-code internationalisation, translation across app and docs file formats, shared context, review, and locale-aware application routing into one workflow. ## What Weglot is Weglot's [technical overview](https://weglot.com/technical-presentation/) lists three ways in: a JavaScript snippet, a reverse proxy that serves each language on a subdomain or subdirectory, and integrations for WordPress, Shopify, Wix, BigCommerce, Webflow, Squarespace, and Drupal. It [picks DeepL, Google Translate, or Microsoft for each language pair](https://support.weglot.com/article/114-available-languages), and you edit the output in its translation list or visual editor. From the Starter plan up, you can [order professional translation](https://support.weglot.com/article/198-how-to-order-professional-translations). Weglot's [pricing](https://weglot.com/pricing) is a subscription tiered by translated words and target languages. Words are [counted per target language](https://support.weglot.com/article/59-total-number-translated-words), so 8,000 source words in three languages come to about 24,000 translated words. The limit doesn't renew monthly, and translation stops at it unless auto-upgrade is on. ## Weglot vs. General Translation at a glance | | Weglot | General Translation | | -------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Category | Website translation with developer tools | Localisation platform: i18n libraries, CLI, Dashboard, and [Locadex](/docs/platform/locadex/quickstart) | | How it connects | Proxy, snippet, or CMS integration; Weglot 2.0 GitHub Action; React package in preview | Open-source SDKs in your code, the [`gt` CLI](/docs/cli/quickstart), and Locadex pull requests | | What gets translated | Rendered page text, JSON files through the GitHub Action, or JSX through the preview React package | Content marked with [``](/docs/react/reference/components/t) or `gt()`, plus files such as JSON, Markdown, and HTML | | Context | Page context and glossary rules; AI Language Model adds custom instructions, per-language tone, and existing manual translations | JSX structure, [`context`](/docs/react/reference/components/t#context) notes, and Context Groups shared across projects | | Where translations live | Dashboard; JSON files in your repository through the Weglot 2.0 GitHub Action | Files in your build or General Translation's CDN | | Language URLs and hreflang | Site integrations can provide subdomains or subdirectories; snippet and preview React package share URLs; JSON Action leaves routing to your app | [`createNextMiddleware`](/docs/react/nextjs/reference/functions/create-next-middleware) serves `/de/about` and localised slugs from your app | | Review | Translation list and visual editor | Dashboard review with annotations, version history, and roles | | Continuous translation | Rendered content detection, including on staging; JSON translation pull requests through the Weglot 2.0 GitHub Action | Translates only changed content in CI; Locadex opens pull requests | | Professional translation | Order in Weglot | Your team edits in the Dashboard | | Pricing | Subscription tiers by translated words and languages | [Usage-based, with no seat charges](https://generaltranslation.com/pricing) | ## Why teams choose General Translation over Weglot ### Source-code internationalisation and release integration Weglot's standard website integrations translate rendered pages, including on [staging sites](https://support.weglot.com/article/314-how-to-switch-from-a-staging-to-a-live-environment). Translations are managed in its dashboard, where [import and export](https://support.weglot.com/article/432-what-can-we-export-import) require the Advanced plan or higher. For a Weglot 2.0 project, the [GitHub Action](https://github.com/weglot/translate-action) translates JSON locale files in CI, writes them into your repository, and can open or update translation pull requests. It can also sync Dashboard edits back to the repository on a schedule. With General Translation, you wrap copy in [``](/docs/react/reference/components/t), or let the compiler [wrap JSX automatically](/docs/cli/guides/using-auto-jsx), then run [`npx gt translate`](/docs/cli/reference/commands/translate) before `next build`. It translates only content whose source changed, and Locadex can open the translation pull request for you. ### Indexable languages from your own app Weglot says its JavaScript integration "does not offer SEO benefits", because translations are inserted in the browser. Its WordPress [plugin](https://support.weglot.com/article/99-wordpress-how-weglot-manage-seo) serves indexable languages on your site; its subdomain and subdirectory proxy integrations serve them through Weglot. [`@weglot/translate-react`](https://developers.weglot.com/frameworks-and-ai/react) is in preview, and its docs say all languages share the same URLs, so search engines index the source language only. With JSON files from the GitHub Action, your app supplies locale routing and SEO tags. General Translation's `gt-next` middleware serves each language at its own URL, such as `/de/ueber-uns`, and [`getGT`](/docs/react/nextjs/reference/functions/get-gt) translates titles and descriptions inside `generateMetadata`. No proxy sits in front of your site. (See [language redirects and SEO](/kb/locale-routing-seo).) ### Context and consistency Weglot's [glossary rules](https://support.weglot.com/article/130-translations-exceptions) make a term always or never translate. Its [AI Language Model](https://support.weglot.com/article/438-how-to-use-weglot-language-model) uses site context and custom instructions, supports different tones by language, and can apply glossary rules and existing manual translations. These AI improvements consume credits included with each plan. General Translation's [``](/docs/react/reference/components/t) keeps a sentence together with its markup and variables, [``](/docs/react/reference/components/var) keeps dynamic values out of translation, and [``](/docs/react/reference/components/plural) follows each locale's rules. A [Context Group](/docs/platform/dashboard/guides/defining-context-for-translations) applies the same Glossary and Custom Prompts to your app, docs, and marketing site, and a consistency check compares new translations with existing ones. ### Review and runtime dependency General Translation's [Dashboard](/docs/platform/dashboard/guides/reviewing-translations) shows each translation next to its source, with annotations, version history, and roles; Enterprise plans add SSO and audit logs. Its libraries are MIT-licensed and work without an account, and an app that ships translations with its build makes no network calls to General Translation at run time. Cursor localises its web product and docs into 14+ locales with General Translation. (See [production deployments](https://generaltranslation.com/enterprise).) ## When Weglot makes sense * **A site builder or CMS nobody codes.** The site runs on WordPress, Shopify, Webflow, Squarespace, or Wix, and no developer maintains it. General Translation doesn't offer plugins for those builders. * **Languages live before a release.** A marketing team needs translations up without waiting for engineering. * **Professional translation in one tool.** You want to order human translation where you edit. * **Third-party widgets.** Much of the page comes from embeds you can't mark up. ## Moving from Weglot to General Translation For a site built in code, run `npx gt@latest`: the [set-up wizard](/docs/cli/quickstart) detects the framework and writes `gt.config.json`. Mark copy with [``](/docs/react/reference/components/t), then generate translations with [`npx gt translate`](/docs/cli/reference/commands/translate). Keep the URLs search engines already know. If Weglot served subdirectories such as `/fr/`, `gt-next`'s middleware can serve the same prefixes, and its [`pathConfig`](/docs/react/nextjs/reference/functions/create-next-middleware#path-config) option reproduces translated slugs such as `/fr/qui-sommes-nous`. If Weglot served subdomains such as `fr.example.com`, redirect each old URL to its new one with a permanent redirect, which Google's [redirects guide](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/301-redirects) recommends when a page's URL changes. (See [subdirectory vs. subdomain](/kb/multilingual-url-structure) for the trade-offs.) Export Weglot's glossary rules (Advanced plan) and import the file into a [Context Group](/docs/platform/dashboard/guides/defining-context-for-translations), which accepts CSV, TSV, JSON and text files. Then review your highest-traffic pages in the [Dashboard](/docs/platform/dashboard/guides/reviewing-translations). ## Is General Translation an alternative to Weglot? Yes, for websites and apps whose copy lives in code. General Translation combines source-code internationalisation, file translation, review, and locale routing. Weglot offers rendered-site integrations and JSON translation workflows in GitHub. For a site builder or CMS store no developer maintains, Weglot is the simpler choice. ## Other Weglot alternatives * **Smartling:** its Global Delivery Network translates websites as a proxy, alongside AI and human translation. (See [General Translation vs. Smartling](/kb/general-translation-vs-smartling).) * **Transifex:** Transifex Live translates a website through a JavaScript snippet. (See [General Translation vs. Transifex](/kb/general-translation-vs-transifex).) * **Lokalise:** its LiveJS in-context editor works on websites. (See [General Translation vs. Lokalise](/kb/general-translation-vs-lokalise).) (For CMS plugins such as WPML and site builders such as Webflow Localize, see [How do I make a website multilingual?](/kb/make-website-multilingual).) ## Key takeaways * Weglot translates rendered websites and offers JSON file translation and pull requests through its Weglot 2.0 GitHub Action. * Weglot's WordPress and proxy integrations provide indexable language URLs; its snippet and preview React package share URLs. With the JSON Action, routing is your app's responsibility. * Weglot charges by translated words per language, and translation stops at the limit unless auto-upgrade is on. * General Translation ships every language in the release, with code context, consistent terms, locale routing, translated metadata, and Dashboard review. * Use Weglot for a CMS or site-builder site that no developer maintains. ## Related questions - [How do I make a website multilingual?](https://generaltranslation.com/en-GB/kb/make-website-multilingual.mdx): Pick where translations live, in a proxy, CMS plugin, site builder, or your own code, then give each language its own URL, as Google recommends. Translate full pages plus titles and meta descriptions, link the versions with hreflang, and offer a language switcher instead of auto-redirecting visitors. - [Smartling alternatives: General Translation vs. Smartling](https://generaltranslation.com/en-GB/kb/general-translation-vs-smartling.mdx): Choose General Translation when you want app translations generated from code as part of your release. Smartling combines a translation management system, AI and human services, and a website translation proxy. General Translation keeps copy in your components, carries its context into translation, and gives your team a Dashboard for review. - [Transifex alternatives: General Translation vs. Transifex](https://generaltranslation.com/en-GB/kb/general-translation-vs-transifex.mdx): Choose General Translation to translate marked JSX with its structure and developer context, then bundle the results or serve them from its CDN. Transifex Native also keeps strings in code, but publishes them through its content delivery service. Transifex is a strong fit for teams using its translation partners, quality scores or snippet-based website translation. - [Subdirectory vs. subdomain vs. ccTLD for multilingual SEO](https://generaltranslation.com/en-GB/kb/multilingual-url-structure.mdx): Use subdirectories such as example.com/de/ when one product shares a site and release process. Only a ccTLD signals a country, subdomains allow separate hosting, Google discourages ?lang= parameters, and it treats vanity domains such as .io and .ai as generic. - [Language redirects and SEO: URL, cookie, or Accept-Language?](https://generaltranslation.com/en-GB/kb/locale-routing-seo.mdx): Let the URL decide the language of every page you want indexed, because Googlebot sends no Accept-Language header and crawls mostly from US addresses. Use a saved cookie choice, then Accept-Language, only to pick where a neutral root such as / redirects, with a temporary 302 or 307. ## Previous and next questions - Previous question: [How do I translate YAML locale files?](https://generaltranslation.com/en-GB/kb/translate-yaml-files.mdx) - Next question: [What are locale codes, such as en-US and en-GB?](https://generaltranslation.com/en-GB/kb/locale-codes.mdx) ## Sitemap See the [Knowledge Base sitemap](https://generaltranslation.com/en-GB/kb/sitemap.md) for every article.