Grammarly and Hemingway are both popular tools in their category, but they serve different needs and audiences. This guide compares their features, pricing, and best use cases to help you choose the right one.
Grammarly and Hemingway Editor both promise to make your writing better, but they attack the problem from opposite directions. Grammarly hunts down grammar mistakes. Hemingway strips away complexity. Choosing between them depends on what “better writing” means to you.
Quick Verdict
- Choose Grammarly if you need comprehensive grammar checking, tone detection, and writing support across every app you use.
- Choose Hemingway if you want to cut the fluff and write clearer, more readable prose.
- Use both if you want grammar accuracy and readability — they cover different ground.
Pricing Comparison
| Plan | Grammarly | Hemingway Editor |
|---|---|---|
| Free | ✅ Basic grammar & spelling | ✅ Web editor (unlimited) |
| One-time purchase | — | $19.99 (desktop app) |
| Monthly (individual) | $12/mo (Premium, billed annually) | — |
| Team plan | $15/user/mo | — |
| AI features | Included in Premium | $10/mo (Hemingway AI add-on) |
Grammarly runs on a subscription. Hemingway’s desktop app is a one-time purchase, which makes it the cheaper option long-term if you only need readability analysis. The free web version of Hemingway is fully functional for editing, though it lacks offline access and the newer AI rewrite features.
For a full breakdown of Grammarly’s tiers, see our Grammarly pricing guide.
Grammar Checking Accuracy
Grammarly
Grammar checking is Grammarly’s core product. It catches misspellings, punctuation errors, subject-verb disagreement, misplaced modifiers, and dozens of other issues. Premium adds advanced corrections — split infinitives, comma splices in compound sentences, and subtle word-choice problems that simpler checkers miss.
Accuracy is strong across both casual and formal writing. The explanations beneath each suggestion help you understand why something is flagged, which is genuinely useful for learning.
Hemingway Editor
Hemingway was never designed to be a grammar checker. It catches basic issues — passive voice and adverb overuse, primarily — but it won’t flag a misplaced comma or a dangling modifier. If a sentence is grammatically correct but hard to read, Hemingway will highlight it. If a sentence is easy to read but grammatically wrong, it might not.
Winner: Grammarly, by a wide margin. Grammar checking is simply not Hemingway’s job.
Readability and Style Analysis
Hemingway Editor
This is where Hemingway shines. It color-codes your text to expose problems:
- Yellow highlight — hard to read (consider simplifying)
- Red highlight — very hard to read (needs rewriting)
- Purple highlight — simpler word available
- Blue highlight — adverb (consider removing)
- Green highlight — passive voice
The readability grade (based on the Automated Readability Index) gives you a single number to target. Most web content should aim for grade 6–9. Hemingway makes it dead simple to see whether you’re hitting that target.
Grammarly
Grammarly’s Premium plan includes readability scores and clarity-focused suggestions. It flags wordy sentences and suggests concise alternatives. The tone detector tells you whether your writing sounds formal, friendly, confident, or concerned.
It covers some of the same ground as Hemingway, but the feedback is less visual and less focused. You get individual suggestions rather than a full-text heat map.
Winner: Hemingway. The color-coded view is more actionable for improving readability than Grammarly’s inline suggestions.
AI Writing Features
Grammarly (GrammarlyGO)
GrammarlyGO is Grammarly’s generative AI layer. It can:
- Rewrite selected text in a different tone
- Compose replies in Gmail and Slack
- Generate drafts from brief prompts
- Adjust formality, length, and clarity
Free users get 25 AI prompts per month. Premium unlocks 1,000. The AI works inline — select text, click the wand icon, and choose a transformation. It’s seamless for quick rewrites, though it’s not built for generating long-form content from scratch.
Hemingway (AI Rewrite)
Hemingway added AI-powered rewriting in late 2025. When the editor flags a sentence as hard to read, you can click “Fix it” and the AI suggests a simpler version. It’s narrowly focused: the AI only simplifies. It doesn’t change tone, generate new content, or compose replies.
The AI rewrite feature requires a $10/month subscription on top of the desktop app or web editor.
Winner: Grammarly. GrammarlyGO is more versatile and more deeply integrated across platforms.
Browser Extensions and App Support
Grammarly
Grammarly works practically everywhere:
- Browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Edge, and Safari
- Desktop apps for Windows and macOS
- Mobile keyboards for iOS and Android
- Integrations with Google Docs, Microsoft Word, Slack, and more
This is Grammarly’s strongest advantage. You don’t need to copy-paste text into a separate editor — corrections appear wherever you’re writing.
Hemingway Editor
Hemingway runs in two places:
- The free web editor at hemingwayapp.com
- The $19.99 desktop app (Windows and macOS)
There’s no browser extension, no mobile app, and no integration with other writing tools. You write or paste text into Hemingway’s editor, make your changes, then copy it back. This workflow is fine for blog posts and long documents but impractical for emails, chat messages, or social media.
Winner: Grammarly. The browser extension alone makes it far more convenient for daily use.
Who Should Use What
| If you are… | Best choice |
|---|---|
| A blogger or content writer | Both — Grammarly for grammar, Hemingway for readability |
| A student | Grammarly (free plan covers most needs) |
| A business professional | Grammarly Premium (works in email, Slack, Docs) |
| A non-native English speaker | Grammarly (grammar accuracy matters most) |
| A novelist or long-form writer | Hemingway + a dedicated grammar tool |
| On a tight budget | Hemingway free web editor + Grammarly free |
Students and non-native speakers benefit most from Grammarly’s grammar engine. Writers focused on prose quality will get more from Hemingway’s readability analysis. Business users need Grammarly’s integrations — there’s no practical way to run Hemingway in a Slack message.
For more options beyond these two, check our roundup of the best AI writing tools in 2026.
Can You Use Both?
Yes, and the combination works well. Here’s a practical workflow:
- Draft your content in your normal editor with Grammarly active
- Fix grammar and tone issues as Grammarly flags them
- Paste the cleaned-up text into Hemingway Editor
- Simplify any sentences highlighted in yellow or red
- Copy the final version back
This two-pass approach gives you grammatically correct and readable writing. The only cost is the extra copy-paste step, since Hemingway doesn’t integrate with other tools.
Bottom Line
Grammarly and Hemingway solve different problems. Grammarly is a grammar and writing assistant that works everywhere. Hemingway is a focused readability editor that forces you to write simpler. Comparing them head-to-head isn’t quite fair — it’s like comparing a spell checker to a style guide.
If you can only pick one, Grammarly is the more practical choice for most people. Its free plan handles grammar basics, the browser extension works across every writing surface, and Premium adds AI features and deeper corrections.
If you already write grammatically clean prose and want to sharpen readability, Hemingway is the better investment — especially at a one-time $19.99.
For the best results, use both.
→ Read our full Grammarly review → Grammarly vs ChatGPT for writing → Best Grammarly alternatives in 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Grammarly or Hemingway better?
It depends on your needs. Grammarly and Hemingway excel in different areas — compare features, pricing, and use cases above to find the best fit for your workflow.
Can I use Grammarly and Hemingway together?
Yes, many teams use both. Grammarly and Hemingway can complement each other depending on your workflow requirements.
Which is cheaper, Grammarly or Hemingway?
Check the pricing comparison table above for current plans. Both offer free tiers, but paid plan pricing varies significantly based on team size and features needed.