LanguageTool vs WhiteSmoke (2026): which should you pick?

Pick LanguageTool if

• Fits if you write in several languages and not only English
• Works for people who write in LibreOffice, Thunderbird or Apple Pages and want a checker inside them

Look elsewhere if

• Pricey if you pay monthly, at $24.90 against $69.90 for the whole year
• Tight if you're staying free, as it checks 2,000 characters per text field and allows 3 AI rephrasings a day
• Watch out: there's no Premium trial, only a 14-day money-back guarantee, and Teams is sold from 2 users
• Skip it if you want an app on an Android phone, as none appears on the site
• Too light for plagiarism checks, AI-text checks or summarising, which some rivals include

Pick WhiteSmoke if

• Fits if you want grammar checks and a translator in one subscription
• Works for people who write in Word, Outlook and Gmail

Look elsewhere if

• Skip it if you want a free plan or trial, as none is listed
• Tight if you want one licence to cover many machines: Premium is one computer, Business three
• Watch out: every price is a 50% sale with no end date, and list prices are double
• Watch out: the store page names Windows 7, 8 and 10 for desktop, and extra plagiarism credits cost more

LanguageTool

• The free Basic plan checks 2,000 characters per text field and allows 3 AI rephrasings a day.
• There is no free trial of Premium; LanguageTool offers a 14-day money-back guarantee instead.
• Monthly billing is $24.90, more than four times the per-month cost of the annual plan.
• Apps are listed for Windows, macOS and iOS; no Android app appears on the site.

WhiteSmoke

• All prices are shown as 50%-off sale prices with no end date given; the crossed-out prices are twice as high.
• Premium is licensed for one computer and Business for three.
• Plagiarism checks use credits, 500 of which are included; extra credits are sold separately.
• The store page lists Windows 7, 8 and 10 for the desktop editions; newer versions are not named.

LanguageTool

Grammar, spelling and style checks

Checks grammar, punctuation, spelling, casing and style. Premium adds more than 20,000 extra checks for English, German, French, Spanish, Dutch, Polish and Portuguese.

AI paraphrasing

Rephrases a sentence to be more formal, more fluid or shorter. Basic accounts get 3 rephrasings a day and Premium removes the limit.

Long-text checking

Premium checks up to 150,000 characters per text field, against 2,000 on the Basic plan.

Style guide and dictionaries

Custom rules enforce consistent wording. Teams share a style guide and a dictionary of approved terms, with admins deciding who can add to them.

Add-ons and apps

Browser add-ons for Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Safari and Opera, plugins for Google Docs, Word, Apple Pages and LibreOffice, email add-ons, and apps for Windows, macOS and iOS.

Open-source core and API

The core checker is open source, with code on GitHub, and users can set up their own LanguageTool server. A hosted Proofreading API accepts up to 60,000 characters per request.

WhiteSmoke

Grammar and style checking

Checks spelling, grammar, punctuation and style, and explains each error. The vendor says it uses patented natural-language technology.

Plagiarism checker

Included on all three plans with 500 credits; the store page says more credits can be bought.

Translator

Translates full text between more than 50 languages, with a dictionary in the Premium edition.

Microsoft Office integration

The Premium and Business editions work inside Word and Outlook and, per the store page, Gmail.

Templates

Over 100 document and letter templates are listed with the Premium edition.

Mobile app

A separate app for Android and iOS checks text and shows error explanations and writing tutorials.

LanguageTool

• Basic$0

  Grammar, punctuation and spelling checks on up to 2,000 characters per text field, with 3 AI sentence rephrasings a day.

• Premium$5.83

  per month, billed annually ($69.90); $24.90 billed monthly

  Up to 150,000 characters per text field, 20,000+ extra checks, unlimited AI paraphrasing and a personal style guide. Also $49.90 a quarter or $119.80 for 2 years.

• Teams$66.40

  per user / year, for a team of 2 users

  Every Premium feature plus user management, a team style guide and a team dictionary. Sold from 2 users, with a lower per-user price for larger teams.

WhiteSmoke

• Web$5

  per month, billed yearly as one payment of $59.95

  Browser-based grammar and plagiarism checker and translator; shown at 50% off a crossed-out $10.00.

• Premium$6.66

  per month, billed yearly as one payment of $79.95

  Windows or Mac edition with Word, Outlook and Gmail integration, 1-computer license; shown at 50% off $13.33.

• Business$11.50

  per month, billed yearly as one payment of $137.95

  Premium features for 3 computers, plus phone support and extended download warranty; shown at 50% off $22.99.

LanguageTool

• Annual discount

  Longer billing terms cost less per month

  Premium is $24.90 billed monthly, $49.90 a quarter, $69.90 a year or $119.80 for two years, which works out to about $5.83 and $4.99 a month on the two longest terms.

• Education

  Up to 20% off for students and educators

  Students, teachers and professors can claim an educational discount of up to 20% off a Premium subscription.

• Other savings

  Team seats priced below individual plans

  On Teams, each seat costs less than the $69.90 individual annual price: $66.40 per user for 2 users and $62.91 per user from 10 users.

• Other savings

  Limited-time 20% discount on Premium

  The pricing page was advertising a limited-time 20% discount on Premium, with a countdown, when it was checked on 2026-10-05.

WhiteSmoke

No public discounts listed.