What is the difference between Grammarly and Hemingway?

Grammarly is best for Anyone wanting AI-powered writing improvement, while Hemingway is best for Writers wanting to improve readability and clarity. Grammarly starts at Free and Hemingway starts at Free.

Is Grammarly or Hemingway cheaper?

Grammarly starts at Free with a free tier. Hemingway starts at Free with a free tier.

Is there a free alternative to Hemingway?

Both Grammarly and Hemingway offer free tiers.

Grammarly vs Hemingway

Grammarly is AI writing assistant for grammar, clarity, tone, and style across every platform, while Hemingway is writing editor that highlights complex sentences, passive voice, and readability issues. Grammarly is built for anyone wanting ai-powered writing improvement, whereas Hemingway targets writers wanting to improve readability and clarity.

At a glance

	Grammarly	Hemingway
Best for	Anyone wanting AI-powered writing improvement	Writers wanting to improve readability and clarity
Starting price	Free	Free
Free tier	✓	✓
Open source	—	—
Free tier available	✓	✓
Open source	—	—
Clarity	✓	—
Desktop App	—	✓
Export	—	✓
Grammar	✓	—
Highlights	—	✓
Plagiarism	✓	—
Readability Score	—	✓
Tone	✓	—

Grammarly

Strengths

Includes Grammar as a core feature, purpose-built for ai writing workflows
Includes Clarity as a core feature, purpose-built for ai writing workflows
Free basic grammar checks — generous enough for most small teams to get real work done
Established product with 17+ years on the market and a mature ecosystem

Weaknesses

Free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade
Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
Ecosystem of third-party integrations is smaller than the market leaders in ai writing
Mobile experience lags behind the desktop version in features and polish

Try Grammarly → Full review

Hemingway

Strengths

Includes Readability Score as a core feature, purpose-built for ai writing workflows
Includes Highlights as a core feature, purpose-built for ai writing workflows
Free web editor — generous enough for most small teams to get real work done
Established product with 13+ years on the market and a mature ecosystem

Weaknesses

Free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade
Fewer built-in features means you may need additional tools to cover gaps
Ecosystem of third-party integrations is smaller than the market leaders in ai writing
Limited team/admin features if your organization eventually scales up

Try Hemingway → Full review

The bottom line

Pricing: Both tools offer free tiers, so you can test each before committing. Grammarly's free plan: Free basic grammar checks. Hemingway's free plan: Free web editor.

Feature gaps: Grammarly offers Clarity, Grammar and Plagiarism that Hemingway lacks. Hemingway brings Desktop App, Export and Highlights that Grammarly does not have.

Team fit: Grammarly is geared toward any size teams, while Hemingway is aimed at individual users and small setups. Pick the one that matches where your team is today and where it is headed — migrating tools later is always painful.

Where each tool shines: Grammarly's biggest strengths are: includes grammar as a core feature, purpose-built for ai writing workflows. includes clarity as a core feature, purpose-built for ai writing workflows. Hemingway's biggest strengths are: includes readability score as a core feature, purpose-built for ai writing workflows. includes highlights as a core feature, purpose-built for ai writing workflows.

Watch out for: With Grammarly, users commonly note that free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade. With Hemingway, the main complaint is that free plan exists but key features are locked behind the paid upgrade.

Choose Grammarly if...

You need a tool built for anyone wanting ai-powered writing improvement
You specifically need Clarity and Grammar
You care about includes clarity as a core feature, purpose-built for ai writing workflows
Your team size fits the any size profile Grammarly is designed for
The free tier works for you: free basic grammar checks

Choose Hemingway if...

You need a tool built for writers wanting to improve readability and clarity
You specifically need Desktop App and Export
You care about includes highlights as a core feature, purpose-built for ai writing workflows
Your team size fits the individuals profile Hemingway is designed for
The free tier works for you: free web editor