Grammarly vs Hemingway Editor: Which Should You Choose?

Christy Walters

on

April 12, 2022 (Updated: May 4, 2023)

How confident do you feel about your team’s writing when they create content? Even with a team of professional writers, it’s helpful to have an extra level of review before submitting content. Luckily, there are artificial intelligence (AI) copywriting tools available to help you feel proud of the work your marketing department develops. Today we’re comparing Grammarly vs. Hemingway AI tools to see which one is the right fit for you and your business.

What Is Grammarly?

screenshot of grammarly vs. hemingway editing tool at work with web app

Image via Grammarly

Grammarly is an AI proofreading tool that’s been on the market since 2009. The program consistently goes through updates as engineers and linguists tweak its algorithms to detect and understand good writing patterns. The tool checks content for over 250 types of grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors. It can also improve word choice for variety and clarity.

What Is Hemingway?

screenshot of the hemingway vs. grammarly editor at work

Image via Hemingway

Hemingway is both a writing and editing tool that’s been around since 2014, thanks to writers and brothers Adam and Ben Long. And yes, they named it after Ernest Hemingway. This tool goes beyond pointing out mechanical writing errors. It’s designed to help teams plow through writer’s block and then go back to fix mistakes. Hemingway’s primary focuses include shortening long sentences, writing in plain English, and making content readable for all audiences.

Grammarly vs. Hemingway: The Features

These programs differ in features such as:

Apps and Interface

Your team can access Grammarly almost anywhere they want to write. The program encourages users to create an account, and then use one of the following methods:

  • Grammarly web app for uploads
  • Windows and iOS desktop plugins
  • Google Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge plugins
  • iPhone and iPad plugins
  • Android plugins

 

screenshot of the Grammarly plugin at work within Google Chrome

It’s also possible to use the Grammarly program within various web and desktop settings, like word processors and email clients. To see errors, Grammarly underlines mistakes within the text. Hover over them and click on suggestions to change a piece of writing. Hemingway has two interfaces: the web app and a desktop editor for iOS and Windows. Both options allow users to copy and paste or type directly into the editing window to create content. Hemingway uses a color-coding system to highlight mistakes. Hover over the suggestions in-text and make changes by clicking a recommendation.

Language

Grammarly and Hemingway both support texts written only in English. Grammarly can detect different dialects, such as American, Canadian, British, and Australian. Because Hemingway does not include a spell checker, it does not recognize errors among dialects.

Mechanics

Grammarly free edition reviews copy for grammar, spelling, and punctuation mistakes. It helps condense sentences to make them easier to understand. Grammarly free also uses tone detection to tell how content sounds to the audience. Hemingway allows users to write within its interface, so it includes writing tools that Grammarly doesn’t, like:

  • Text styling
  • Headings
  • Blockquotes
  • Ordered and unordered lists
  • Linking

 

It provides a word count for content and a readability grade level ranging from 0 to doctoral student. Hemingway reviews the use of adverbs and passive voice and tells writers how many instances of each appear in the text. It makes suggestions on how many occurrences are acceptable for the length of content. Hemingway also tells writers when to use a simpler word choice and if certain sentences are hard or very hard to read.

Price

Grammarly has three plans: a free account, premium for individuals, and business. Premium and business share most of the same features, including:

  • All capabilities of a free account
  • Fluency checks
  • Consistency checks
  • Sentence re-writes for clarity
  • Formatting suggestions

 

With Grammarly business, marketing team directors or business owners can buy more licenses for the software and access additional team management tools like an analytics dashboard and style guide. Premium starts at $12 per month, and business starts at $12.50 per member per month.

The Hemingway web app is free to use for everyone. The desktop app is $19.99 for either version. It provides the same features as the web app but allows team members to use it without internet access. It also provides one-click publishing integration with WordPress blogs and Medium, and the ability to export content as a PDF or Microsoft Word document. Like with any online tool, pricing may change.

Are There Downsides To Using These Programs?

Though the features sound great, the most important thing to remember when picking an AI writing tool is that it’s still a robot. While these programs can help your team, the top priority should always be clarity and readability for your audience. Machine learning can’t replace human thought and reasoning, no matter how hard it tries.

The robots can make suggestions, but if they don’t fit in context or make the piece more confusing, writers can ignore them. You and your team are still the humans and get the final say on what will or won’t make the most sense for your audience.

Should I Pick Grammarly Or Hemingway?

Picking between Grammarly vs. Hemingway comes down to what you want the tool to do for your team. Marketing departments can actually use both of them together to get a comprehensive check on all their content, not necessarily just that put out by the copy and content writers. Our entire team at CopyPress uses both to write content for our own company and clients alike.

And speaking of CopyPress, if you’re looking to develop high-quality content for your marketing plan, why not leave it to the professionals? We do it all, from long-form text to snappy product descriptionsGet started with us today to begin your next campaign.

Author Image - Christy Walters
Christy Walters

CopyPress writer

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