Next.js i18n Solution Comparison

Internationalization (i18n) is an important requirement for modern web applications. In the Next.js ecosystem, there are three main solutions: next-intl, next-i18next, and Payload's built-in localization.

next-intl is currently the most recommended i18n solution for Next.js App Router, supporting Server Components, type-safe translation keys, and middleware-based language routing. It has a clean configuration and excellent performance.

next-i18next has a long history and a rich community, but is primarily designed for the Pages Router. Using it with App Router requires extra configuration, and its support for Server Components is not native.

If using Payload CMS as your content management system, the built-in Localization feature can achieve multilingual support at the data layer, while frontend routing internationalization can be combined with next-intl—the two complement each other.

For URL strategy on language switching: path prefixes (such as /en/about, /zh/about) are recommended over subdomains or query parameters. This approach is most SEO-friendly and relatively straightforward to implement.