Hemingway Editor highlights long, dense sentences and weak words so you can make your writing clearer, and its web version is free. It is worth using for anyone who writes for the public and wants plainer prose. It is not a full Grammarly replacement, since it has no browser extension or Word and Google Docs plugin, and its AI features cost extra.
What Hemingway Editor is
Hemingway Editor is a writing tool focused on clarity. You paste or type text, and it shows a readability grade plus colored highlights on the sentences and words that make your writing harder to read Hemingway readability help ↗ Hemingway desktop app ↗.
It comes in three forms. The free web version runs in your browser. Hemingway Editor Plus is the paid tier with AI features. Hemingway Editor Classic is a one time purchase desktop app for Mac and Windows Hemingway home ↗ Hemingway desktop app ↗.
The company also offers free single purpose tools on its site, including a grammar checker, paraphrasing tool, AI proofreader and readability checker Hemingway home ↗. Hands on testing is in progress.
What it does well
Clear visual feedback. Hard to read sentences turn yellow and the hardest turn red Hemingway readability help ↗. The desktop app also flags adverbs, passive voice and complicated words Hemingway desktop app ↗. You see at a glance where to cut.
A useful readability target. Hemingway scores your text as a grade level. The default goal is grade 9, about the average US adult reading level Hemingway readability help ↗. Plus subscribers can switch the target to Accessible or Technical Hemingway readability help ↗.
It teaches rather than rewrites. Hemingway itself says its highlights and scores are a guide, not a list of required fixes Hemingway readability help ↗. Because you make the edits, you learn the habits, which many writers prefer to accepting AI rewrites.
The basics are free. eesel notes the web version is completely free and does real time, color coded scoring eesel Grammarly alternatives ↗.
Privacy and offline options. eesel reports Hemingway does not train AI on user content eesel Grammarly alternatives ↗. The Classic desktop app works with no internet connection Hemingway desktop app ↗.
Good for bloggers. The desktop app publishes to WordPress in one click, exports HTML or Markdown, imports Word files and can save a PDF with the highlights for feedback Hemingway desktop app ↗.
Where it falls short
It does not follow you around. eesel lists no real time browser extension and no Google Docs or Word plugin as drawbacks eesel Grammarly alternatives ↗. You have to bring text to Hemingway, which slows down email and chat writing.
AI is limited and paid. AI sentence fixes sit in the Plus plans, and the lower Plus tiers cap how many AI sentence credits you get eesel Grammarly alternatives ↗. The Classic desktop app does not include the new AI features at all Hemingway desktop app ↗.
No plagiarism checker eesel Grammarly alternatives ↗.
Pricing is hard to find. The Hemingway home page promotes Plus and a trial but does not show prices Hemingway home ↗. We relied on a third party summary for plan prices eesel Grammarly alternatives ↗.
It is not a style guide for every kind of writing. Long sentences are sometimes right, and Hemingway admits as much Hemingway readability help ↗. Fiction writers and academics may find the highlights noisy.
Pricing and plans
Web version: free, with readability grade and highlights eesel Grammarly alternatives ↗.
Hemingway Editor Plus: eesel lists Individual 5K at $8.33 per month and Individual 10K at $12.50 per month, both billed annually eesel Grammarly alternatives ↗. The tiers differ mainly in how many AI sentence credits you get eesel Grammarly alternatives ↗.
Team 10K: $12.50 per user per month, billed annually eesel Grammarly alternatives ↗.
Trial: Hemingway offers a 2 week trial of Plus with no credit card required Hemingway home ↗.
Hemingway Editor Classic (desktop): $19.99 one time, for Mac or Windows, with no AI features Hemingway desktop app ↗.
Who should (and shouldn't) use it
- Good fit: bloggers, marketers and business owners who want web copy and emails that are easy to read.
- Good fit: anyone who wants to learn to write more plainly rather than let AI rewrite for them.
- Good fit: writers who want a cheap, offline desktop editor.
- Skip it if: you want corrections everywhere you type, in the browser, Gmail or Word.
- Skip it if: you need plagiarism checks or deep grammar reports.
- Skip it if: your writing is meant to be complex, such as legal or academic text.
Alternatives worth a look
- Grammarly: real time corrections across more than 1 million apps, from $12 per month on an annual plan eesel Grammarly alternatives ↗.
- ProWritingAid: 25 plus writing reports and a lifetime license option, from $10 per month billed annually eesel Grammarly alternatives ↗.
- QuillBot: free unlimited grammar checking plus paraphrasing, with Premium at $8.33 per month billed annually eesel Grammarly alternatives ↗.
What’s good
- Focus on clarity
- Free web version
- Trial with no card
What to know
- Prices not shown on vendor page
- Fewer AI features than rivals
Key features
- Readability highlighting
- Hemingway Editor Plus
- Desktop Classic app
Questions people ask
Is Hemingway Editor free?
Yes. The web version is free and shows readability grades and highlights eesel Grammarly alternatives ↗. AI features need a paid Plus plan eesel Grammarly alternatives ↗.
How much does Hemingway Editor cost?
Plus starts at about $8.33 per month billed annually, per eesel eesel Grammarly alternatives ↗. The Classic desktop app is a one time $19.99 Hemingway desktop app ↗.
Does Hemingway Editor have a free trial?
Yes. Hemingway Editor Plus has a 2 week trial with no credit card required Hemingway home ↗.
What does the Hemingway readability grade mean?
It is the reading level of your text expressed as a school grade. The default goal is grade 9, roughly the average US adult reading level Hemingway readability help ↗.
Where this comes from
Checked Oct 9, 2026. Vendor pages describe their own products; independent sources add outside views. Hands on testing is in progress.
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