Grammarly vs. Hemingway (2023 Comparison)

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Grammarly and Hemingway have been my go-to writing tools since forever.

However, I rarely use both at the same time.

Grammarly is my pick when I’m writing the first draft. It helps me remove grammatical errors from my posts, write in a clear voice, and (occasionally) check my writing for any signs of plagiarism.

Hemingway only appears on my laptop’s screen once I’m done with the first draft. I turn to this writing tool when I’m convinced that my writing is up to the mark but could still do with improved readability.

This means that as far as I’m concerned, Grammarly and Hemingway complement each other in improving my writing. There’s no reason why they cannot do the same for you.

Here’s how Grammarly and Hemingway compare with each other.

Our rating:

• Grammarly: 4.5/5
• Hemingway: 4/5

Criteria	Grammarly	Hemingway
Ease of Use	User-friendly interface	Incredibly easy to use
Customization	Allows you to pick the writing style that better fits with the project you’re working on	No customization on offer
Analysis Reports	Pretty basic	Ditto
Rephrasing Tools	Allows you to rephrase your writing pretty much any way you want	Only flags areas of your writing where you could do better
Integrations	Integrates with almost every app a writer could use	Same options in the free plan (web app) and paid one (desktop app)
Pricing and Support	Prices aren’t cheap but won’t blow a hole in your pocket either	Online app: Free Desktop app: $19.99 (lifetime)
Accuracy	Most of the time	All the time
Writing Style	Lets you adopt any writing style (formal, educational, informal, academic, etc.) you want	No options for writing style
Plagiarism Checker	There are better (and more reliable) options out there	No plagiarism checker
Mobile Integration	Yes	Doesn’t offer mobile apps
Educational Material	I am yet to come across any	No educational material
User Reviews	Routinely gets 4.5* out of 5	Routinely gets 4.5* out of 5
Free vs Paid Plans	Free plan: No restrictions and includes tone detection Paid Plan: Includes a plagiarism checker	Same options in free plan (web app) and paid one (desktop app)
Writing Goals	Lets you set your writing goals in advance as well as change them down the line	Doesn’t let you outline your writing goals
Language Support	Only English	Only English

Ease of Use: How user-friendly are the interfaces of each product?

As noted above, Grammarly and Hemingway have been my writing companions since forever.

Based on my extensive experience of using these writing tools, I can confidently say that Hemingway offers a cleaner interface.

Which shouldn’t come as a surprise.

That is because Grammarly offers you suggestions for almost everything that concerns your writing. That includes grammar, style, clarity, engagement, delivery, and more.

Here’s an example:

Hemingway, on the other hand, only concerns itself with what it considers the most important stuff – readability. Here’s the proof:

Here’s a summary of everything said above:

• Hemingway offers a cleaner interface
• Grammarly’s interface, although more crowded, is far more useful for anyone willing to take their writing to the next level.

Customization: How customizable are the settings and options for each product?

When it comes to customization, Grammarly and Hemingway sit on the opposite side of the spectrum.

While Grammarly gives you more customization options than you’d ever need, Hemingway offers ZERO ways to fine-tune the suggestions it would then present to help you refine your writing.

Here are some of the customization options Grammarly offers:

• Create a personal dictionary
• Make your writing seem more diplomatic
• Use gender-neutral pronouns
• Replace bland words with vivid/descriptive ones
• Adopt a different writing style to yours
• … and many more

Keep in mind that Grammarly doesn’t let you customize suggestions from its app. Instead, it requires you to log into its web-based application for the same.

That is something that shouldn’t bother you as it would take you less than five minutes to hop onto Grammarly’s website, sign in, and go to the customization page.

In fact, if you write to earn a living, I’d highly recommend customizing the suggestions Grammarly gives. This would surely give your writing an edge over that of writers who are blindly trusting this writing tool for suggestions.

Analysis Reports: What types of reports does each product offer to help users improve their writing?

Here’s one area where I cannot pick a winner (perhaps because there isn’t one).

Grammarly sends you a weekly report to your email address highlighting things like how prolific you were over the last 7 days compared to your fellow writers using this tool, how many errors you made in your writing, and how accurate you were.

That being said, for anyone in a hurry, there’s always the option of going to Grammarly’s webpage and getting a report in real-time (screenshot below)

Compare the above with this report that Hemingway prepared for me (see screenshot). Remember, this report can be seen at all times on the right side of your device’s screen whenever you’re on Hemingway’s webpage.

As you can see, the reports generated by each app only cover the ‘readability’ aspect of your writing. They don’t provide information about stuff like repetitive words, consistency, eloquence, alliteration, etc.

If you want more comprehensive reports (and are willing to pay for them), I’d suggest ProWritingAid. It might be pricier than Grammarly and Hemingway, but repays by helping you improve your writing in more ways than one.

Integrations: How well does each product integrate with other platforms and tools?

One of the things I like the most about Grammarly is that it integrates with almost every writing processor under the sun.

Besides integrating with Microsoft Office on Windows and Mac, it helps you improve your writing across 500,000+ apps and websites.

Unfortunately, Hemingway only integrates with Medium and WordPress blogs. You cannot integrate it with word processors the way you can with Grammarly.

So, if you don’t have a WordPress blog or Medium account, there are only two ways you can use Hemingway:

• Type or paste your work into Hemingway online app
• Type or paste your writing into the Hemingway Desktop editor

Pricing and Support: How do the pricing plans and customer support options compare between the two products?

Here’s what Grammarly charges for its services:

Hemingway’s website is free to use. You don’t even need to create an account to enjoy its services.

However, there’s a one-time $19.99 fee to download the Hemingway Editor 3 desktop app on your Windows and/or Mac devices.

Despite the high upfront cost, it’s Grammarly that seems more cost-effective to me. The range of suggestions this app gives to help you improve your writing makes the $12/month fee it charges for the premium version worth it.

Accuracy: How accurate are the suggestions and corrections offered by each product?

Since Grammarly offers a lot of suggestions and corrections, it’s up to the writer to decide which ones to implement.

Otherwise, if you’re like I was over a decade ago, Grammarly would ask you to make so many changes your authentic voice would be lost.

In fact, one of the main reasons why some writers don’t use Grammarly is because they’re worried all the changes it would ask them to make to their writing would make the last draft unrecognizable from the first.

Everything said above can be repeated for Hemingway.

In its quest to make your writing more readable, this app would flag every sentence you have written (especially if you’re a non-native English speaker). Whether that is good or bad is for you to decide.

If you ask me, I’d recommend taking each suggestion one at a time. Don’t obliterate everything you have written just because a piece of software asked you to.

Else, your work may not stand out from those of thousands of others who are acting on that tool’s advice.

Writing Style: How well does each product cater to different writing styles and genres?

Grammarly lets you pick from six different writing styles, including:

• Academic
• Business
• General
• Technical
• Casual
• Creative

Hemingway offers no such feature.

It only has one writing style against which it judges your writing. This makes it a better option for general writers. But if you are into academic or technical writing, Grammarly may prove to be a better option.

Plagiarism Checker: How effective are the plagiarism-checking tools for each product?

Hemingway doesn’t offer a plagiarism checker.

While Grammarly does offer a plagiarism checker in its premium plan, I’ve personally found its duplication detector to be less reliable than that of tools designed to flag plagiarism (such as Copyscape).

In fact, there have been times when Grammarly’s plagiarism checker green-lighted my entire content, only for my client (who was using Copyscape) to tell me that there was some duplication in my writing.

As such, if the success of your job hinges on whether or not your writing is plagiarism free, I’d never recommend Grammarly.

Mobile Integration: How well does each product integrate with mobile devices?

Grammarly has a mobile app that lets you check your writing, get reports, and customize suggestions on the go.

Another thing I like about the Grammarly app is that it doesn’t inundate you with floods of data that are of no use to you.

You only get the information that will help improve your writing in real-time, with the heavy stuff invisible in the background.

Unfortunately, Hemingway doesn’t offer a mobile app. You’re thus left with no choice but to browse its webpage on your smartphone.

Educational Material: What types of educational material and resources do each product offer to help users improve their writing skills?

Grammarly and Hemingway don’t offer much in terms of educational material.

In fact, after using Grammarly for over 12 years, I’m yet to recount reading a single piece of educational material made available by this app. Either the helpful stuff doesn’t exist or I’ve been too lazy to find it.

User Reviews: What do users have to say about their experiences with each product?

Grammarly and Hemingway have their own loyal followers who would (try to) convince you that their pick is better than the other.

The ‘Grammarly Gang’, which is what I call them, includes students, professionals, writers, teachers, and pretty much everyone who has ever opened a laptop to write.

Hemingway’s followers generally tend to be writers who earn a living from putting words on paper (or on a screen).

Whether you belong to the former or the latter camp, chances are that you won’t find many things to complain about your writing tool of choice.

Free vs Paid Plans: How do the free and paid plans for each product compare in terms of features and value?

There’s no difference between Hemingway’s Free and Paid plans, except that the latter lets you download the Hemingway Editor on your laptop.

However, Grammarly’s free and paid plans cannot be more different.

Here’s why I’m saying that:

Features	Grammarly Free Version	Grammarly Paid Version
Basic Editing Checks	Yes	Yes
Suggestions To Improve Correctness	Yes	Yes
Suggestions To Improve Clarity	Yes	Yes
Suggestions To Improve Reader Engagement	No	Yes
Style Guide	No	Yes
Plagiarism Checker	No	Yes
Passive Voice Misuse Checker	No	Yes
Improper Formatting Checker	No	Yes
Alternate Word Suggestions	No	Yes
Get Help From Expert Writers	No	Yes

Writing Goals: How well does each product help users achieve their specific writing goals?

Since Grammarly lets you customize the suggestions, pick from different writing styles, and even get advice from expert writers, it’s far better than Hemingway than helping users achieve their specific writing goals (whatever they may be).

That said, if the main reason you’re using (or intend to use) a writing tool is to make your content easier to read, Hemingway can be an equally good fit.

Language Support: How many languages do each product support for grammar and spelling checks?

Grammarly only provides English language support.

Though it lets the user customize their writing to a specific English audience, including American, Canadian, Australian, and British.

Hemingway also only supports the English language.

Alternatives: What alternatives are there to both of these tools?

Here are the various alternatives to these apps you’d do well to check out:

• Grammarly
• WordTune
• ProWritingAid
• Autocrit
• Scrivener
• Ginger
• ChatGPT

Frequently Asked Questions

Grammarly Vs. Hemingway: Which One Comes Out On Top?

Grammarly and Hemingway both appeal to different sets of users

Pick Grammarly if you:

• Are writing your first draft and need help with grammar and clarity
• Rely on various integrations with different writing platforms
• Appreciate a mobile app for on-the-go writing assistance
• Prefer a tool with a plagiarism checker
• Are willing to invest in a paid plan for more features

Choose Hemingway if you:

• Appreciate a tool that focuses on one primary aspect of writing – readability
• Mainly use Medium or WordPress blogs for your writing
• Do not need a plagiarism checker or have another one you already use
• Are no fan of extensive customization options
• Don’t feel the need to customize your writing style