Website localisation: A guide to the best Shopify translation Apps

In today’s global ecommerce marketplace, where competition is increasingly fierce, brands need to really think ‘user first’ to succeed. A one-size-fits-all approach with a .com store in English, even with multi-currency payment options, isn’t enough to drive international sales and revenue.

When considering international expansion, it’s vital for commerce merchants to offer a localised shopping experience to have any chance of connecting with and converting new audiences who may have never even heard of your brand. As we discussed in our article about prioritising content localisation, effective localisation of all aspects of the customer journey - from homepage to checkout - is key to ensuring your store is accessible, appealing, and visible to local markets.

Part of the process when expanding internationally is to pinpoint your target markets and decide which languages to translate your store into. Within the Shopify app store, merchants can choose from 52 multilingual translation applications, allowing you to translate your store into several different languages. These apps can also allow customers to select their preferred language via a dropdown menu, often with a language and flag selector (also known as a territory switcher). 

Initially, many of the apps will appear to serve all your needs. But they don’t always function in the same way or offer the same features. Some will auto translate your store, some will not. Some offer a hybrid approach where automatic translations are free, but they are AI-driven (which cannot guarantee 100% accuracy - we always recommend having any outward facing machine translation proofed and edited by a native speaker or translator). Some apps offer a proofreading service whereby professionals can check the content for you.

Prices can also vary widely. Some Shopify apps are free but charge for professional translations. Others charge a monthly fee based on the number of words, languages, and users. It’s up to you to decide which option will best suit your business needs.

Why should I translate my website?

There are a host of reasons why you should consider a multilingual store for your business if you want to sell internationally. Research shows that 76% of consumers feel more confident buying from stores which feel familiar, and almost half of users will never buy if they can’t understand the language of the website. Read more about why website localisation is so important and our 9 benefits of website localisation.

When considering cost-effective options for translating and localising your ecommerce website, there are many key features and factors merchants need to consider carefully before choosing the right translation app.

10 key features and factors to consider when choosing a translation app

1. Language support: Ensure that the translation app supports the languages you need for your target audience. Look for apps that offer a wide range of languages to cater to diverse customer bases.

2. Translation quality: Assess the quality of translations provided by the app. Look for apps that offer accurate and contextually appropriate translations to maintain the integrity of your website content.

3. Machine vs. manual translation: Decide whether you prefer automatic translations generated by machine translation algorithms, or manual translations done by professional translators. Some apps offer both options, allowing you to choose based on your requirements.  

4. SEO optimisation: Be sure to opt for a translation app that optimises translated content for search engines. This includes maintaining SEO elements such as meta tags, URLs, and keywords in the translated versions of your website. Some will allow URL translation, which is essential for international SEO, but others may not.

5. Customisation options: Look for apps that offer customisation options to tailor translations to your brand's tone and style. This may include the ability to edit translations, customise language switchers, and maintain brand consistency across languages. Some will even offer translation glossaries, which can be useful to ensure keywords, brand terms, or creative content like slogans or taglines are always localised correctly.

6. Ease of use: Choose a translation app with a user-friendly interface and intuitive navigation. This makes it easier for merchants to manage translations and make adjustments as needed without technical expertise. An easy-to-use dashboard is especially useful if you want to hire external professionals to review automated translations on your behalf to ensure full accuracy.

7. Compatibility: Ensure that the translation app is compatible with your ecommerce platform. Whether you're using Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, or another platform, make sure the app integrates seamlessly with your website. The ‘Built for Shopify’ status is awarded to apps on the Shopify App Store that work seamlessly on the Shopify platform. According to Shopify, their badge “indicates the highest level of app excellence and outranks other app highlights”, meeting their quality standards for speed, ease of use, and merchant value.

8. Scalability: Consider the scalability of the translation app, especially if you plan to expand your business to more new markets in the future. Look for apps that can accommodate growth and handle large volumes of content efficiently. Some will offer free plans only for one or two languages, and others have subscription models based on the number of words you want to translate. The right app for a small business that only wants to localise into a couple of territories with limited budget will not necessarily be the right choice for an enterprise sized business wanting to dominate global markets in multiple languages.

9. Support and maintenance: Check the level of customer support provided by the app developer. Look for apps that offer responsive customer support channels such as email, live chat, or phone support, as well as regular updates and maintenance to ensure smooth operation. Customer reviews can also be a useful source of information for how they deal with issues or queries, as clients often mention the level of support in their appraisal of the app.

10. Cost and pricing structure: Evaluate the pricing plans and structures of different translation apps to find one that aligns with your budget and offers good value for money. Consider factors such as subscription fees, translation volume, and additional features included in each plan. You can always start with a free plan or trial, and upgrade later if you are happy with the app and the support offered.

By considering these factors, merchants can select a translation app that effectively meets their needs and helps them create a localised and user-friendly ecommerce website for their global audience.

Top 8 translation apps for Shopify

Choosing the right app to create a multilingual store can be a daunting task. There are so many options  and it’s difficult to determine which is right for your expansion plans - especially if you are not a linguist or experienced international expert.

To help ecommerce store owners make an informed choice, we’ve evaluated the top apps available on the Shopify App store based on:

• Features and functionality
• Pricing
• Free trials and plans
• App store ratings
• If they are officially approved by Shopify

Our guide should help answer some of the most important questions you need answers to when searching for the perfect app for your store.

 Shopify Translate & Adapt

Shopify’s native app was first launched in August 2022, and with just 871 reviews to date, this is one of the newest Apps on the market for Shopify merchants.

Features:

• Free auto-translation: Auto-translate two languages using Google Translate and expand further with manual additions and post editing functionality
• Side-by-side editing: Simplify translation review and adjustments, ensuring cultural relevance and accuracy
• Effective localisation when used with Shopify Markets: Seamlessly translate and customise your store content to resonate with diverse markets
• Enhanced SEO & trust: Elevate traffic, SEO, and credibility by catering to global audiences with localised content
• Optimised management: Manage localised content with ease directly from your Shopify admin, even translating URL slugs for improved SEO

Pricing: Free for the first 2 languages. Currently there is no paid option to add more languages, but we are almost certain that this could be in the Shopify development roadmap for future release.

User interface: Can be used directly from your Shopify admin and integrates well with Shopify Markets, so it’s easy to navigate and manage localised content.

Customer support: Live chat through Shopify help centre

Compatibility: Compatible with all Shopify themes and many apps

Current limitations: The app doesn't offer Arabic, Hebrew, or 14 other languages. You can only translate your store into 2 languages, with no option for adding more at present. It doesn't offer URL translation although you can make manual edits to URLs in the app.

Langify

Created in 2013 by a German developer to help a Shopify merchant translate his store, Langify is one of the most well established translation apps. Merchants like its seamless integration with Shopify and other apps, as well as its extensive and efficient customer support.

Features:

• Automatic and manual translations
• SEO-friendly URLs
• Language-specific domains
• Customisable language switchers

Pricing: Subscription-based pricing with different tiers based on the number of translated languages.

User Interface: Generally user-friendly with straightforward navigation.

Customer Support: Provides customer support via email - You can raise a ticket from within the dashboard with your query and the Langify support team will respond promptly. 

Compatibility: Compatible with many Shopify themes and apps including; Cross-Sell, Store Pickup + Delivery, Searchanise, Boost Product Filter & Search, Yoast SEO ‑ SEO for everyone, Appstle℠ Subscriptions.

Current limitations: There is no built-in currency conversion feature or free plan available with this app.

WEGLOT

Founded in 2016 by a French pair of developers, this plugin stands out for its ease of use, comprehensive platform support and SEO-friendly and quality of translations.

Features:

• Automatic translation
• SEO optimisation
• Language switcher customisation
• Real-time translation editor

Pricing: Subscription-based pricing with tiers based on page views.

User Interface: Intuitive interface with easy integration.

Customer Support: Offers customer support via email and live chat.

Compatibility: Compatible with a wide range of Shopify themes and apps including Sufio, Klaviyo, Instant Search +, Pagefly, Yotpo, Judge.me.

Current limitations: Plans have a limit on the number of words you can translate, and there is no currency conversion built-in.

LangShop

Created by Aheadworks – leading provider of Magento extensions, merchants praise its intuitive interface, quality, speed and accuracy of translations. This app also boasts the ‘Built for Shopify’ badge of quality.

Features: 

• Automatic and manual translation
• SEO optimisation
• Customisable language switchers

Pricing: Subscription-based pricing with tiers based on features and translated languages.

User Interface: Intuitive interface with easy navigation.

Customer Support: Provides customer support via email.

Compatibility: Compatible with various Shopify themes and apps including Shopify Flow, ReConvert, LimeSpot, AfterShip Tracking, DeepL Translator, Google Translator, Speed & SEO Booster.

Current limitations: You can only edit automated translations on the paid plans. Again, there is no built-in currency convertor, or advance switcher customisation.

G | Translate

Launched in 2017 by GTranslate Inc, merchants like its ease of use and excellent customer support.

Features:

• Automatic translation with support for over 100 languages
• SEO optimisation
• Customisable language switchers

Pricing: Offers both free and premium plans based on usage and additional features.

User Interface: User-friendly interface with easy setup.

Customer Support: Offers customer support via email.

Compatibility: Compatible with various Shopify themes and apps including google translate.

Current Limitations: URLs are not localised on the free plan, there is no currency converion, translations are not stored, and you can only make manual edits on the paid plan.

Translation Lab

Developed in 2019 by Sherpas Design, this native to Shopify app, merchants like its ability to translate both content and currency, and for its responsive customer support.

Features:

• Provides automatic translation
• SEO optimisation
• Customisable language switchers
• Support for over 100 languages

Pricing: Subscription-based pricing with tiers based on usage.

User Interface: User-friendly interface with easy setup.

Customer Support: Offers customer support via email.

Compatibility: Compatible with many Shopify themes and apps including PageFly, GemPages, LayoutHub, Shogun, Judge.me.

Current Limitations: There are limitations to the number of translations per month. This app doesn't integrate with Google or DeepL which provide more accurate translations.

Transcy

This ‘Built for Shopify’ approved app was launched by OneCommerce.io in 2020. Merchants like its excellent customer support, and superior features including the ability to translate 3^rd party apps and integration with DeepL for high quality translations.  

Features:

• Automatic and manual translations
• SEO optimisation
• Real-time multi-currency conversion
• Customisable language and currency switcher
• Support for 148 languages

Pricing: Subscription based pricing with tiers based on usage.

User interface: User friendly interface and easy navigation

Customer support: Contact form, live chat, email, FAQs

Compatibility: Compatible with most Shopify themes and able to translate all third-party apps including Yotpo, Shipping Bar, BOGOS, GemPages PageFly EComposer, Ali Reviews Judge.me Vitals

Current Limitations: You can't make manual edits on the free plan. There is no currency conversion built-in. 

Hextom: Translate My Store

Features:

• Automatic and manual translations
• Supports SEO translations
• Offers customisable language switchers

Pricing: Subscription-based pricing with tiers based on the number of translated words.

User Interface: Simple and intuitive interface.

Customer Support: Offers customer support through email and live chat.

Compatibility: Compatible with most Shopify themes and apps including PageFly Page Builder, Yotpo Product Review, Judge.me Reviews, Free Shipping Bar, supports more than 200 Apps, Stamped Product Reviews & UGC.

Current Limitations: There is no autopilot translation on the free plan.

We’ve taken the main features of each of our 8 top translation apps and listed these to help you to compare and contrast the most important features for your store at a glance in our quick comparison table.

 

Key takeaways

There are many apps Shopify merchants can choose from to localise their store for international markets. The main challenge is recognising which will be the most suitable one for your store.

Making the right choice involves selecting the features that most matter to you, be that price, customer support, available languages, level of customisation, or positive reviews.

There is no one-size-fits all approach to app selection. Each app has its own pros and cons, but these are apps considered to be some of the best on the Shopify platform. We hope our comparison of our top 8 apps provides some useful insight to help you make the right choice for your store when it comes to localising your store for international markets.

One final word of advice – we would NEVER recommend using only machine translation to launch into new markets without having the translations proofed by a professional. If you do use an app to blanket tranlsate your store, a robust post-editing strategy by a professional who has a deep understanding of the language, the market trends and international SEO is crucial if you want to have half a chance of competing with native competitor brands to drive sales, build your brand reputation in a new market, and avoid potentially costly mistakes. Even the biggest brands have made some terrible faux pas over the years. Such incidents can cost a brand their reputation in a new market.

We offer localisation packages to suit all size of brands and budgets, which will ensure you can be confident your fully localised store will read naturally to a native person, and be fully optimised for the right search engines to drive traffic and revenue to your store from the outset.

If you need any help considering the options, with translation proofing or with any aspect of international expansion or marketing, we’d love to hear from you, so feel free to get in touch and discover how Herd can help you to drive your global growth.