Grammarly vs. Hemingway: I tested both, and here’s the winner

I remember when a friend introduced me to Hemingway Editor. At the time, I was already using Grammarly, and my first thought was, “why do I need another writing tool?” It just looked like an extra Google Doc to me.

Of course, I didn’t know much about it back then. The story is different now.

Grammarly and Hemingway Editor are popular writing tools. Both are excellent. But they serve different purposes based on your writing needs. This is why choosing the right one can be tricky.

Grammarly focuses on grammar, spelling, punctuation, and style. It helps you catch errors and fix your writing. It also provides detailed feedback. 

Hemingway Editor, on the other hand, is about clear and straightforward writing. It focuses on Readability, sentence structure, and conciseness.

So, is one better than the other?

I compare both tools based on their features, strengths, and weaknesses. I also share other user experiences to help you decide whether to use one or both. Read on to find out.

TL;DR: For the best experience, I recommend using both. Start drafting on Hemingway Editor to keep your writing clear and well-structured. Then, go to Grammarly to check for errors and plagiarism and polish your grammar.

Grammarly & Hemingway editor at a glance

The table below shows each tool’s unique strengths and weaknesses, making it easy to pick the right one for your writing needs.

Features	Grammarly	Hemingway Editor
Focus	Grammar, spelling, punctuation, and style	Readability, sentence structure, and clarity
Grammar and spelling check	Uses advanced AI-powered grammar and spelling checker	Does basic spell check only
Tone suggestion	Adjusts tone, clarity, and engagement	No tone suggestions, just readability fixes
Real-time feedback	Provides suggestions to improve your writing as you type	Highlights sentences to point out potential issues
Integration	Works with various platforms, including Google Docs, browsers, and even the Hemingway editor	No direct integrations
Readability analysis	Offers basic readability insights	Accesses text readability, provides a score based on sentence length and complexity
Offline access	Requires an internet connection	The desktop app works offline
Plagiarism checker	Available in Premium	Not included
Pricing/plan	Free, premium & business	Free & plus (offers a 2-week free trial). A one-time payment for the desktop app.

I recommend Grammarly if you:

• Write professional content, emails, reports, or academic papers.

• Need to check your grammar, spelling, and punctuation.

• Need a plagiarism checker to ensure originality.

• Want suggestions and feedback as you type.

• Prefer seamless integrations.

I recommend Hemingway Editor if you:

• Write blog posts, articles, or creative content that needs a smooth flow.

• Want to make your writing clear and more concise.

• Want to avoid wordiness.

• Prefer a writing tool with no distracting features.

Grammarly vs. Hemingway: Which one is better?

Writing tools are designed to improve your text and make your writing process fast and easy. They help you structure your content and make suggestions to improve SEO. However, Grammarly and Hemingway Editor have their distinct feature to offer. Below is a detailed feature comparison.

Grammarly

You may not notice every mistake you make while speaking or writing. That's what makes you human. But these mistakes, if not corrected, can make you look unprofessional. Imagine putting in all the long hours just to write content that confuses your readers and weakens your message.

This is where Grammarly comes in:

• It checks every word to detect spelling errors and suggests corrections as you type.

• It shows you all typos, grammar mistakes, and awkward phrasing.

• Then, it provides suggestions for clarity, engagement, and tone improvements.

• Its plagiarism checker (available in premium) scans your text against billions of web pages to ensure originality.

Here's the good part:

Grammarly works everywhere. Once added to your extension, it works with Google Docs, MS Word, email, social media pages, and browsers for seamless editing. It is also available on desktop and mobile.

Who can use Grammarly?

Anyone who writes, whether for work, study, or personal use. These include content writers, students, marketers, copywriters, and business professionals.

Grammarly ease of use:

The tool has a simple interface and a clean design, which makes it easy for users to navigate. But it's not as straightforward as the Hemingway Editor.

To sign in to Grammarly, you will provide your email address and password or use your Facebook or Google account.

Once you are in, you can start using the free version. If you want in-depth use and features, subscribe to the paid version.

After pasting your document into Grammarly, it prompts you to set writing goals. This includes your preferred target audience, intent, formality and domain.

Then, you see your overall score at the top. This increases as you accept corrections or adjust errors. It also shows review suggestions for correctness, clarity, engagement, and delivery. In addition, there are options to write with generative AI and check for AI text and plagiarism. 

Overall, Grammarly makes editing effortless.

You can accept or ignore suggestions with a single click. When satisfied with your result, copy or download your content (I recommend this). The download option will keep your document intact, especially if it contains images, tables, and other visuals.

Generative AI and plagiarism check feature:

With its AI-powered feature, Grammarly can help you with content generation. It allows users to brainstorm ideas, expand sentences, or summarize text. It also suggests alternative phrasing for clarity, engagement, or tone adjustments.

Grammarly Premium includes a plagiarism detection tool to detect copied content. It works by scanning web pages & databases. Then, it highlights duplicate text and provides links to sources. You can ensure originality by rephrasing flagged sections.

Readability checking:

Grammarly gives some insights on readability, but not as much as the Hemingway Editor.

Pricing:

Grammarly offers three pricing plans based on your needs:

• The free plan offers basic grammar, spelling, and punctuation checks.

• The premium or pro plan is $144 annually or $30 monthly. You will get advanced grammar, clarity, tone, fluency, plagiarism checks, and AI-powered rewrites.

• Contact the Grammarly sales team to access the business or enterprise plan. It offers everything in premium + team collaboration features, style guides, and analytics.

Hemingway Editor

When communication isn't clear, confusion may set in. This can be a major turn-off for your audience if not managed.

Fortunately, the Hemingway Editor can help you do just that. Here's how it works

• The tool highlights complex sentences in different colors to show where to simplify.

• It also grades your writing based on readability.

The different color suggestions and their meaning:

• Red: Sentences are very hard to read. This suggests a major restructuring.

• Yellow: Sentences are hard to read. So, consider breaking them up.

• Green: Grammar and spelling issues (not available in the free version)

• Blue: Adverbs, passive voice, and qualifiers detected. Too many can weaken your writing.

• Purple: Suggests that you should use a simpler alternative for complex words.

You can write directly in the online editor or desktop app. No pop-ups or unnecessary features. The tools also provide formatting options like adding bold, italics, headings, and links within the editor.

Note: ​Hemingway Editor Plus, launched in July 2024, is an enhanced, AI-powered version of the classic Hemingway Editor. Like Grammarly, it fixes grammar issues and more, while retaining its focus on readability.

Who can use Hemingway Editor?

The tool is best for bloggers, journalists, and content writers aiming for clarity.

Hemingway Editor ease of use:

The tool is designed to be simple and user-friendly. Unlike Grammarly, you don’t need an account to use it; just start typing. You can also paste or import your document.

Once you start typing, the editor shows your grade, word count (you can drop down the arrow here for more stats), and colour-coded suggestions.

These suggestions help you instantly see what needs improvement. The readability score changes as you type to show how clear your writing is.

Overall, Hemingway Editor is best for improving readability and making your writing clearer.

Generative AI and plagiarism check feature:

Hemingway does not offer generative AI capabilities. It does not generate or rewrite content like Grammarly's AI. It only shows areas for improvement, and then users can rewrite. 

It also does not offer plagiarism checking. For this, Grammarly is the best choice.

But the Hemingway Editor Plus offers:

• AI-Powered Rewrites: It suggests corrections for complex sentences, grammar issues, and passive voice. You can accept these corrections with a single click. ​

• Grammar and Tone Adjustments: Offers real-time feedback on grammatical errors. Also, it provides tone suggestions for your intended audience and purpose.

Readability checking:

Since its primary focus is readability, Hemingway Editor takes the lead here. It encourages concise writing by helping writers to remove fluff and complex sentences. It also helps improve readability for different audiences.

Hemingway Editor assigns readability scores to grade your text (e.g., Grade 5, postgraduate, etc.). Lower grades mean easier-to-read content, which is ideal for most audiences.

Pricing:

The classic Hemingway editor offers 2 pricing options:

• The free online version, where you can assess the basic readability analysis functions. No offline access.

• One-time desktop app payment ($19.99). This offers all free version features + offline access. It also provides export options (Markdown, HTML, PDF, Word) and direct publishing to Medium & WordPress. Works on Mac & Windows.

The Hemingway Editor Plus operates on a subscription basis. See details here.

Looking for free content creation tools? Check here.

What other users say

While Grammarly and Hemingway remain popular writing tools, user experiences vary based on their needs

Some praise Grammarly for its comprehensive grammar checks and AI-powered suggestions. It has helped them concentrate on writing rather than worrying about errors. Grammarly has also helped increase their confidence.

Emma Plumb shared:

"You know that feeling when you send an important email, only to then realise (too late) that you’ve written "Let’s defiantly schedule a call" instead of "definitely"? Yep… me too. Which is why Grammarly has quickly become my new best friend. ✔️ It catches typos before they embarrass me. ✔️ Stops me from writing emails that sound like a bored robot. ✔️ Gently tells me that maybe — I don’t need five exclamation marks in that one sentence."

Ben Utzer said:

"I use Grammarly Pro, because English is my second language and it helps me with my business correspondence and such. I like it. It's by no means perfect (and I don't expect it to be) but it does its job well enough. It will spot common errors and also has some good suggestions regarding repeating words, style, etc. As long as it's non-fiction you want to write, it can be a handy tool to clean up your errors. Is it worth $140 per year for the Pro version? That's something you have to figure out for yourself. Can't quite remember what the free version can do, but maybe check it out?"

On the other hand, users love the Hemingway Editor for its readability improvements and concise writing.

PCMAG told me:

"Hemingway Editor improves your writing whether you use the free or Plus version. It's an excellent resource for people who have to create all kinds of writing, though AI suggestions for paying subscribers are hit or miss."

Grammarly can be too rigid, making writers doubt their writing judgment. In contrast, some users also find the Hemingway Editor too simplistic or limiting for complex writing styles.

Which tool is best for you: Grammarly or Hemmingway?

Grammarly is best for grammar and style checks, AI-powered suggestions, and plagiarism detection. On the other hand, if you prefer concise, clear, and easy-to-read writing, Hemingway Editor is a great choice.

However, these tools work best together. That’s why I recommend using both.

• Start with Hemingway to simplify your writing and improve readability.

• Then, use Grammarly to refine grammar, tone, and clarity.

Have you used Grammarly or Hemingway Editor? What was your experience like?

Also, if you have other favorite writing tools, please share your recommendations.

Was this comparison useful? Reach out to Adejumoke, on LinkedIn, Facebook, or comment below to let her know!