Hemingway Editor vs ProWritingAid
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Hemingway Editor
Readability editor that flags wordy, hard-to-read sentences
ProWritingAid
Grammar, style and story-critique toolkit for book writers
Where they differ
- Hemingway Editor starts at $8.33 per month, billed annually ($100); desktop app $19.99 once. ProWritingAid starts at $10 per month, billed yearly ($120).
- Only ProWritingAid lists a browser extension.
- Hemingway Editor can be bought with a one-time purchase.
- ProWritingAid also covers long-form writing.
At a glance
| Hemingway Editor | ProWritingAid | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $8.33 per month, billed annually ($100); desktop app $19.99 once | $10 per month, billed yearly ($120) |
| Free plan | The free web editor highlights hard-to-read sentences, passive voice and weak wording and grades readability. Grammar fixes and AI rewrites need Hemingway Editor Plus. | Grammar, spelling and punctuation checks on up to 500 words at a time, 2 runs of each line-editing report, 10 Rephrases, 3 Sparks and 3 Creative Nudges a day. |
| Free trial | 2-week free trial of Hemingway Editor Plus, no credit card required. It ends on its own without a charge. | None listed |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | Boondoggle Studio, LLC | Orpheus Technology |
| Price read from | hemingwayapp.com | prowritingaid.com |
| Checked | Oct 5, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Who each one suits
Hemingway Editor
- Writers who want to cut wordy sentences and passive voice
- A quick readability check in the browser at no cost
- People who want an offline editor for a one-time payment
ProWritingAid
- Fiction writers who want feedback on a chapter or a whole manuscript
- Authors who edit in Scrivener, Word or Google Docs
- Writers who would rather buy a lifetime license than subscribe
Worth knowing
Hemingway Editor
- Grammar, spelling and punctuation fixes and all AI rewrites require Hemingway Editor Plus.
- AI rewrites are metered: 5,000 or 10,000 AI sentences a month on the individual plans.
- The $19.99 desktop app does not include the AI features and is bought separately for Mac or Windows.
- Plan prices are shown on annual billing; the toggle advertises a $200 saving over paying monthly.
ProWritingAid
- The Free plan checks at most 500 words at a time and allows 2 runs of each report per day.
- Manuscript Analysis, Virtual Beta Reader and the other full-story tools need Story Credits, bought separately from a subscription.
- An internet connection is required for the Web Editor and every integration, including the desktop apps.
- Plagiarism checks are sold separately in bundles, and each check covers up to 2,000 words.
Key features
Hemingway Editor
- Readability highlights
- Sentences more complex than the target readability score are highlighted in yellow, and the hardest ones in red, so they can be split or simplified.
- Weak-writing checks
- Flags adverbs and other weakeners, passive voice and words that have a simpler alternative, and each type of highlight can be hidden.
- AI sentence rewrites
- Editor Plus rewrites a highlighted sentence, a paragraph or a whole document on request. Each sentence rewritten uses one AI sentence credit.
- Tone and style changes
- Editor Plus can shorten a passage, add detail or make it more confident, friendly, casual, formal or persuasive, and it accepts custom instructions.
- Document review and feedback
- Editor Plus comments on a draft as a reviewer would, for example on tone and repeated words. Reviews are unlimited on every paid plan.
- Desktop app
- Hemingway Editor 3 for Mac and PC imports Word files, exports to text, PDF, Word, HTML or Markdown, and can save a PDF with the highlights intact.
ProWritingAid
- Grammar Checker and Writing Reports
- Fixes grammar, spelling, punctuation and consistency issues, and more than 25 reports analyze readability, sentence structure, sticky sentences and word choice.
- Rephrase and Sparks
- Rephrase offers alternative phrasings for a sentence, and Sparks suggests rewrites in different styles. Free accounts get 10 Rephrases and 3 Sparks a day.
- Chapter Critique
- Feedback on the pacing, dialogue and prose of a single chapter. Premium includes 1 critique a day and Premium Pro 30 a day.
- Full-manuscript analysis
- Manuscript Analysis, Plot Analysis, Character Analysis, Virtual Beta Reader and Marketability Analysis each cost 1 Story Credit per run on stories up to 300,000 words.
- Planning and writing tools
- Story Canvas gives guided prompts on characters, plot, setting and structure before drafting, and Writing Sessions provide a distraction-free writing space.
- Works inside other writing apps
- Desktop Everywhere for Windows and Mac covers Word, Scrivener and other desktop apps, and Chrome, Edge and Firefox extensions cover Google Docs, Atticus and web pages.
Plans
Hemingway Editor
Hemingway Editor$0
The free web editor, with readability highlights and grade-level scoring but no AI fixes or grammar checking.
Individual 5K$8.33
per month, billed annually ($100)
Editor Plus for 1 user: 5,000 AI sentence rewrites a month, with unlimited advanced grammar fixes, document reviews and AI synonyms.
Individual 10K$12.50
per month, billed annually ($150)
Editor Plus for 1 user with 10,000 AI sentence rewrites a month.
Team 10K$12.50
per user / month, billed annually ($150)
Up to 50 users on one bill with role-based admin controls and 10,000 AI sentences a month for each user.
EnterpriseCustom
Unlimited users, 20,000 AI sentences a month per user, optional single sign-on, security assessments and priority email support.
Hemingway Editor 3 (desktop)$19.99
one-time purchase, Mac or Windows
The classic desktop app. Works without an internet connection and publishes to WordPress, but does not include the AI features.
ProWritingAid
Free$0
Grammar, spelling and punctuation checks on up to 500 words, with 10 Rephrases, 3 Sparks and 2 runs of each report per day.
Premium$10
per month, billed yearly ($120); $30 billed monthly
Unlimited word count, report runs and Rephrases, 25+ writing reports, a custom style guide, 1 Chapter Critique and 5 Sparks a day.
Premium Pro$12
per month, billed yearly ($144); $36 billed monthly
Everything in Premium, plus 30 Chapter Critiques and 50 Sparks a day, live workshops, daily cowriting sprints and a 200+ workshop library.
Premium (Lifetime)$399
one-time payment
The Premium feature set for a single payment instead of a subscription.
Premium Pro (Lifetime)$699
one-time payment
The Premium Pro feature set for a single payment instead of a subscription.
Ways to pay less
Hemingway Editor
- Annual discount
Annual billing advertised as saving $200
Individual 5K costs $100 a year on annual billing, or $8.33 a month. The plan toggle labels the annual option as saving $200 compared with paying monthly.
- Lifetime license
One-time desktop license for $19.99
Hemingway Editor 3 for Mac or PC is a single $19.99 purchase with no subscription. It works offline but excludes the AI features of Editor Plus.
ProWritingAid
- Annual discount
Save 67% with yearly billing
Premium is $10 a month billed yearly ($120) against $30 billed monthly, and Premium Pro is $12 a month ($144) against $36. The pricing page states a 67% saving.
- Lifetime license
Lifetime licenses from $399
A one-time payment of $399 buys Premium and $699 buys Premium Pro, each with a 3-day money-back guarantee.
- Education
20% student discount on annual plans
Students get 20% off annual subscriptions by verifying through the Student App Centre with an academic email address or other evidence of student status.
- Education
Free ProWritingAid for Education license
Primary and secondary school teachers can apply for a free ProWritingAid for Education license for themselves and their students.
