Hemingway Editor is a readability editor that marks long sentences, passive voice and adverbs so you can make your writing clearer, with a paid tier that adds AI rewrites and grammar fixes. What decides it is whether a free readability check is enough for you, or whether you want AI help that is metered by the sentence.
What is Hemingway Editor?
Hemingway Editor is made by Boondoggle Studio, LLC, based in Durham, North Carolina, in the United States. It comes in three forms: a free web editor, a subscription called Hemingway Editor Plus that runs in the browser, and Hemingway Editor 3, a desktop app for Mac and Windows sold as a one-time purchase.
The desktop app works offline but does not include the AI features. Hemingway works only inside its own web and desktop editors: there is no browser extension, no Word or Google Docs add-in, and no mobile app or keyboard.
Its AI works in English, with support for US, British, Canadian, Indian, Australian, Irish, South African and New Zealand English, so spelling and grammar follow the dialect you pick.
How Hemingway Editor edits your writing
The free version scores the readability of your text and highlights what makes it harder to read: wordy and complex sentences, passive voice, adverbs and words with simpler alternatives. A yellow sentence is one to shorten or split. A style guide lets you switch Hemingway's own checks on or off, though it does not take your own rules or terms.
Individual highlights can be hidden, but there is no personal dictionary of words to skip. These readability checks are on the free version as well as the paid one.
Hemingway Editor Plus adds the AI. It rewrites a sentence you pick, follows your own instructions for a rewrite, and applies one of eight styles, such as more confident, formal or friendly. It can also adjust the tone of a passage to sound more professional or friendly. The AI matches the tone of the text you are editing; there is no saved brand voice built from writing samples.
Advanced grammar fixes go beyond spelling and are unlimited on every Editor Plus plan. Editor Plus also imports Word documents (.docx), Markdown (.md) and HTML files.
Hemingway edits what you have written: it rewrites, shortens, expands and restyles your text, but it does not draft new pieces from a prompt or brief. There is no plagiarism checker, AI detector, humanizer or citation tool. A free online paraphrasing tool is offered separately.
The desktop app imports and exports Word files and publishes straight to WordPress.
Working with other people
Team 10K is built for groups of up to 50 users, with licenses managed on a single bill, admin roles and a larger AI allowance per person. Enterprise adds single sign-on, more AI sentences per user and an unlimited number of users. There is no public API.
Hemingway Editor pricing: what each plan gives
The free web editor gives you the readability score and highlights, with no AI rewrites or advanced grammar fixes. Hemingway Editor Plus is metered in AI sentences: each time the AI rewrites one of your sentences, it uses one credit. Grammar fixes do not use credits.
- Individual 5K: $25 a month, or $100 a year ($8.33 a month) billed yearly, for 5,000 AI sentences a month and 1 user.
- Individual 10K: $30 a month, or $150 a year ($12.50 a month) billed yearly, for 10,000 AI sentences a month and 1 user.
- Team 10K: $30 per user a month, or $150 per user a year ($12.50 a month), for 10,000 AI sentences per user a month and up to 50 users.
- Enterprise: custom pricing, with 20,000 AI sentences per user a month, single sign-on and unlimited users.
Editor Plus has a 14-day free trial with no credit card required, and the trial ends on its own without charging you. Hemingway Editor 3, the desktop app, is a separate $19.99 one-time purchase per license and does not include the AI features.
Privacy and security
Hemingway is clear on training: "We and our AI providers do not use this content to train, fine-tune, or improve AI models." It also does not store your documents on its servers.
A Data Processing Addendum covers qualifying business use, including self-service plans, and transfers from the EEA and the UK use the EU Standard Contractual Clauses and the UK addendum. Single sign-on is on the Enterprise plan.
Who Hemingway Editor suits
Hemingway Editor suits writers who want a plain readability check, and the free web version does that at no cost. Editor Plus suits people who edit their own drafts and want sentence-level rewrites, tone changes and unlimited grammar fixes, with a firm promise that their text is not used for training. Small teams of up to 50 get admin roles and one bill.
It suits less well anyone who wants an AI to draft new content from a brief, since Hemingway only edits what you have written. Writers who work mainly in Google Docs, Word or email will find no add-in or extension, and there is no plagiarism checker, AI detector or support for languages other than English.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Hemingway Editor cost?
The web editor is free. Hemingway Editor Plus starts at $25 a month, or $100 a year, for 5,000 AI sentences a month, and the 10K plans cost $30 a month or $150 a year per user. The Hemingway Editor 3 desktop app is a one-time $19.99 purchase without AI.
Does the Hemingway desktop app include the AI features?
No. Hemingway Editor 3 for Mac and Windows works offline and imports and exports Word files, but the AI rewrites and grammar fixes are part of the Editor Plus subscription.
Can Hemingway Editor write content for me?
No. Hemingway rewrites, shortens, expands and restyles text you have written, including on your own instructions, but it does not draft new pieces from a prompt or brief.
Does Hemingway train AI on my writing?
No. Hemingway and its AI providers do not use your content to train, fine-tune or improve AI models, and Hemingway does not store your documents on its servers.
