Ernest Hemingway, master of short sentences, is known for his simple and direct writing. Hemingway Editor is a web and desktop app that helps writers focus on what matters and cut the rest. It detangles long sentences and makes the passive voice active. While Hemingway is a writing app, it doesn’t compare with the likes of Final Draft or Scrivener, which let you store and organize your writing but don’t try to improve it. Hemingway is more like the writing-improvement app Grammarly, and in both apps, you need to be adept at choosing which suggestions to take and which to ignore. Hemingway Editor is a helpful tool if you need specific suggestions for how to improve your writing, and there’s a free version so you can try it risk-free, though the paid option has a lot more.Recent ImprovementsSince last reviewing Hemingway Editor in 2023, one big improvement is that you can export files from the web app if you have a Plus account, whereas previously this was only an option if you were using the desktop app.
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On top of that, the web app with Plus membership remembers your text and no longer deletes everything you worked on. Previously, your work used to be at risk if your browser crashed. Now, you can shut down the window or the browser altogether without issue and you won’t lose the text.Those are major improvements that certainly make the app more usable than it used to be.
How Much Does Hemingway Editor Cost?Hemingway Editor is free to use, but only in the browser, where it highlights dense sentences and other issues. The desktop app for Mac or Windows costs $19.99. The web app and desktop app do not sync or connect in any way.One benefit of the desktop app is that it can publish directly to WordPress or Medium. You also need the app to export the files to HTML or Markdown language or even to a PDF or Microsoft Word file. The desktop app also works offline and can save your writing, which the browser version cannot do (more on this in a bit). If you don’t need these features, forgo the desktop app and just paste your writing into a different app when you finish working in the Hemingway browser app.Another paid option is Hemingway Plus, which is for the web app only. Plus uses AI to suggest rewrites for the kinds of sentences that the free version only points out. For this membership, you must make an account, unlike the free version of the web app where it’s optional. The price for Hemingway Plus starts at $10 per month or $100 per year for the Individual 5K plan. This subscription includes 5,000 credits per month, with each credit going toward one suggested sentence rewrite. Longer content uses more credits, so watch out for that. A two-week free trial for Hemingway Plus gives you 200 sentence corrections.You can get 10,000 credits per month from the Individual 10K plan ($15 per month or $150 annually). Then there’s the Team 10K plan, which costs $15 per person per month or $150 per person per year. As the name suggests, this plan is for teams that collaborate.Unlike Grammarly, Hemingway does not have browser extensions or a mobile app. The Hemingway web app works on mobile browsers, but it’s not optimized for smaller devices. Grammarly charges a lot more for its paid plans, however, starting at $30 per month or $144 per year.
(Credit: Hemingway Editor/PCMag)
Getting Started With Hemingway EditorUsing Hemingway is straightforward. When you open the editor, you see sample text that Hemingway uses to show the app’s features. When you’re ready to use the app, you overwrite this sample text with your own. Hemingway highlights words and sentences using different colors depending on what it thinks of them. In the desktop app, blue calls out adverbs, and Hemingway advises that fewer is better. Purple shows phrases that could be simpler. Yellow marks sentences that are hard to read, and red marks those that are very hard to read. Green marks grammar and spelling issues, and you only see green if you have a Plus account. Whether you choose to edit anything is up to you.Hemingway’s Readability ScoreYour decision to edit or not affects your readability score. Hemingway prides itself on this feature because no other app does it quite the same way. Basically, it analyzes the text and decides which US grade level is required to understand it, using a standard called the automated readability index. The idea is to use this information to better tailor your text to your audience. To be clear, if your text has a grade 7 readability level, for example, it doesn’t mean you’re targeting teens—just that someone needs at least a 7th-grade education to understand what you wrote.Other apps, such as Microsoft Word, WordPress, and Grammarly, have readability scores, too. Grammarly’s is a more complex score that takes into account the word count and vocabulary used, which the automated readability index does not do. Grammarly’s scores are more detailed, helping you better adjust your text by shortening sentences or introducing new words you haven’t used yet. Microsoft has a similar feature built into some Microsoft 365 apps. Using the Flesch-Kincaid grade-level test, Microsoft Word assigns a score to each document after analyzing the sentence length and the average number of syllables per word. The lower the score, the easier it is to read.Hemingway Editor is equipped with various formatting elements. You can apply bold or italics to text, introduce H1, H2, and H3 headers, add quotes and bullet points, and insert links. If you use the desktop app, you can download your text with HTML formatting applied. The formatting options are nothing extraordinary; every text editor except Notepad has them. Still, they can be helpful.The platform also supports Markdown language, so you can apply formatting that way if you prefer.Writing and Editing in HemingwayOne of the things I like about Hemingway is that it lets you write your text without interference. The only thing you have to do to push away distractions is choose the Write tab instead of the Edit tab. In the Write tab, you have only your centered text and a floating ribbon at the top with very basic formatting and styling options. You don’t see any highlights in your text while you’re writing. You can write in the Edit tab, but here, you see highlighting added to your text as you go, which can be distracting. That said, each writer has their own preferences for how to work. It’s nice that Hemingway gives you a choice.When it’s time to edit, you go to the Edit tab, which introduces the highlights that point out potential areas to improve your writing. To the right are the readability score, word count, and a tally of all issues Hemingway Editor found. You can hover your mouse over the blue, green, and purple phrases to see Hemingway’s suggestions. If you want, you can even click the Omit button that pops up to delete the word. You have to deal with yellow and red highlighted text on your own since those edits involve paring down sentences. Overall, though, instantly getting a sense of which areas of your text you can improve is very helpful.The Hemingway desktop app looks and acts exactly the same as the free browser-based version. You get the same options to switch back and forth between the Writing and Editing modes, get the same formatting ribbon, and so on, minus the AI options. You can even import and export files (in .docx, .html, and .md) in the online version, something you couldn’t do a year ago.
(Credit: Hemingway Editor/PCMag)
Hemingway AI Edits: Hit or Miss?Hemingway Editor crosses over into the world of artificial intelligence (AI) with the online Plus version. When you pay for Hemingway Editor Plus, the web app can suggest corrections to 5,000 sentences per month (or 10,000 if you pay more). Hemingway Editor Plus tells you what problem it thinks it has found when you click on a highlighted sentence. In my case, the following sentence was flagged for being too long and complex: While Hemingway is a writing app, it doesn’t compare with the likes of Final Draft or Scrivener, which are apps for storing and organizing your writing, not improving it.The AI editor offered to “fix” the sentence for me. A window shows you the original phrase and the AI suggestion, complete with the readability grade. Hemingway Plus offered this alternative: Hemingway is a writing app. But, it can’t compare to Final Draft or Scrivener. Those are apps for storing and organizing your writing, not for improving it.While the rewritten paragraph is correct and hasn’t changed my meaning, I’m not a fan of the suggestion. It sounds choppy rather than clear and concise.
(Credit: Hemingway Editor/PCMag)
Hemingway Plus also uses AI to give you readability recommendations based on a target level you choose. Changing the target for your text is easy because you get only three options. “Accessible” targets a lower grade level for younger audiences. “Default” aims for an average adult reading level. “Technical” is for those with a technical or academic background.One thing to keep in mind with the AI suggestions is that every time you click a highlighted phrase and select Fix it for me or Simplify it for me, you use one of your credits. It doesn’t matter whether you accept the change or not. Asking for another suggestion uses another credit. The only exception is when the suggestions don’t lower the reading level of your text.The Push and Pull of Suggested ChangesThe app advises that each highlight be treated as a suggestion rather than a hard and fast rule, and I couldn’t agree more. While some suggestions streamline your ideas or quickly fix actual mistakes, others are not ideal. You also need to watch out for the AI stripping away your personality, voice, and style.As someone who’s been writing for a living for nearly half my life, I’ve developed a style—every writer does. Seeing my text become completely flat from AI leaves me conflicted. Here’s an example from an earlier draft of this very article:My sentence: As with any other AI, it comes down to personal preference whether you accept any changes or suggestions.Hemingway Editor Plus’ first suggestion: When it comes to AI, it’s up to you if you want to accept changes or suggestions.Hemingway Editor Plus’ second suggestion: Like any AI, it comes down to personal preference. It’s up to you to accept any changes or suggestions.The difference between the original and the first suggestion is subtle yet obvious (and my editor thinks the “up to you if you want to” is clunky). The second suggestion is just wrong.Could my text be more readable? Perhaps. Can it be more search-engine friendly? Certainly. Do we really need to bring down the readability level that much? I believe readers are smarter than some software thinks.
(Credit: Hemingway Editor/PCMag)
Verdict: If You Like It, It’s Worth Paying for PlusThe subscription-based AI-led Plus version of Hemingway Editor is far better than the free version, thanks to its comprehensive suggestions. As long as you can exercise some judgment over which suggestions to accept, Hemingway Editor Plus is a helpful tool. It’s extremely useful to certain types of writers, such as students who are still refining their style, those who overcomplicate their paragraphs, and non-native speakers. If you don’t want AI suggestions, stick with either the free web version or buy the desktop app that allows for file exports.
Pros
Easy to access via browser or desktop app
Color-coded sentence highlights for text improvements
Premium AI-generative editing is available
Good free version
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The Bottom Line
Hemingway Editor improves your writing whether you use the free or Plus version. It’s an excellent resource for people who have to create all kinds of writing, though AI suggestions for paying subscribers are hit or miss.
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About Gabriela Vatu
Contributor
I have been a writer since 2006 when I covered various domains for local publications. In 2012, I started covering technology broadly and I’ve written thousands of articles since then. I’ve written social media and cybersecurity news, software and hardware reviews, streaming guides, how-tos, tech deals, and more. I have bylines in numerous publications, including MakeUseOf, Pocket-Lint, Android Police, How to Geek, XDA, Softpedia, as well as here at PCMag. When I’m not working, I like to spend time with my family, read, game, paint, listen to music, and run around after our many pets asking what it is they’re chewing on this time.
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