Hemingway EditorFree plan
Paid from
$25 a month
View plans and limitsUpdated 4 September 2026 · Independent comparison
Hemingway Editor vs Lex:
which should you use?
Hemingway Editor and Lex, side by side. Find the one that fits what you need to do.
Find your best fitThe 30-second answer
Hemingway Editor is built for writing, communication & language.
Lex is built for writing, communication & language.
Pricing, simplified
Start free. Upgrade when you need more.
LexFree plan
Paid from
$24.99 a month
View plans and limitsThe 30-second comparison
If you only read one section, make it this one. Rows where both sides say the same thing are left out — the point is where they differ. Where each row came from is listed underneath.
| Category | Hemingway Editor | Lex | Better fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it's built for | Marks the sentences that are hard to read and the adverbs you did not need, and does nothing else. The free web version has no sign-up. | A word processor that happens to have AI in it, so the writing surface comes first and the suggestions stay out of the way until asked. | Tie |
| Free plan | Yes. Free in the browser with no sign-up: the readability marking, and no AI at all | Yes. Free tier available | Tie |
| Cheapest way to pay | $25 a month. | $24.99 a month. | Lex |
| What the paid tiers cost |
|
| Tie |
| What to watch out for | Readability is not the same as quality — it will flag a precise technical sentence as difficult. Deliberately narrow. The free browser version carries no AI; that sits in Hemingway Editor Plus, where paying monthly rather than annually costs two to three times as much, and where the tiers differ only by how many AI sentence rewrites a month you get. | Fewer features than a dedicated editing tool, by choice. There is one paid tier, and the $30 of AI credits it includes each month is worth more than the subscription at either billing term, so what you are buying is model access more than software. | Tie |
| Who it is usually for | students, working professionals | working professionals, students | Tie |
| Made by | Boondoggle Studio — US. | Lex — Syracuse, US. | Tie |
Lex is ahead on 1 of the 7 rows compared — cheapest way to pay — and it is not about how well it does the job. On fitness for the work, it and Hemingway Editor are level. Treat this as a tiebreaker, not a recommendation.
Lex
A word processor that happens to have AI in it, so the writing surface comes first and the suggestions stay out of the way until asked.
✓ A word processor that happens to have AI in it, so the writing surface comes first and the suggestions stay out of the way until asked.
✓ You want the cheaper paid plan, $24.99 against $25
✓ It is built for writing, communication & language
✓ Free tier available
Marks the sentences that are hard to read and the adverbs you did not need, and does nothing else.
Hemingway Editor is the better answer when the job is what it was built for rather than what the pick above does broadly.
✓ Marks the sentences that are hard to read and the adverbs you did not need, and does nothing else.
✓ It is built for writing, communication & language
✓ The free web version has no sign-up.
✓ Free in the browser with no sign-up: the readability marking, and no AI at all
How we know
Every row that separated these two, and where it came from. Nothing here is a hands-on test — if a line rests on a vendor’s own pricing page, it says so and links it.
| Row | Favours | Weight | Where it came from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheapest way to pay | Lex | Everything else | From each vendor’s own pricing page. Dates and pages are listed below. |
The prices
Hemingway Editor. Read by hand off hemingwayapp.com on 4 September 2026. It is not on the monthly re-check, so confirm there before paying. hemingwayapp.com/hemingway-editor-plus
Lex. Read by hand on 4 September 2026, because Lex cannot be read automatically: lex.page/pricing returns 200 with the plans drawn in JavaScript. Priced by hand from the single Lex Pro card on both billing terms; the free tier is not shown on that page. lex.page/pricing
The ratings
The category these two share. Writing, Communication & Language — both are listed there in the catalogue, and the fit recorded against each listing is a judgement made here, by hand.
The nine-category grid below. Derived from what each product is listed for, by one script, once per build — so the same pair always reads the same. It is a derivation, not a review.
What this is not
Neither product was run side by side to produce this page. Nobody was paid to appear on it and nothing here is ranked by commission.
To put the same question to both and read the answers yourself, run them side by side — that is a live test, and this is not.
Choose based on what you’re doing
All ten categories, including the ones where neither of these is the answer. These ratings are derived from what each product is listed for, not from running it — a rating here is a reading of the record, and the record is linked.
01
General-Purpose AI Assistants
Questions, brainstorming, explanations, everyday tasks, decision-making, general advice.
Hemingway Editor
Not a good fitLex
Not a good fitBest choice: Neither
02
Search, Research & Academics
Web research, deep research, books, academic papers, citations, news, fact-checking.
Hemingway Editor
Not a good fitLex
Not a good fitBest choice: Neither
03
Writing, Communication & Language
Emails, reports, essays, editing, summarizing, translation, presentations.
Hemingway Editor
Built for thisLex
Built for thisBest choice: Tie
04
Coding, Data & Technical Work
Programming, debugging, data analysis, spreadsheets, math, engineering, technical research.
Hemingway Editor
Bad fitLex
Bad fitBest choice: Neither
05
Business, Finance & Professional Work
Business strategy, investing, market research, legal, sales, HR, accounting, consulting.
Hemingway Editor
Not a good fitLex
Not a good fitBest choice: Neither
06
Image & Design
Image generation, photo editing, logos, graphics, product design, advertising creatives.
Hemingway Editor
Bad fitLex
Bad fitBest choice: Neither
07
Video
Video generation and editing, clipping, subtitles, avatars, animation and motion capture.
Hemingway Editor
Bad fitLex
Bad fitBest choice: Neither
08
Audio, Voice & Music
Voice generation, transcription, music, dubbing, sound cleanup and podcast production.
Hemingway Editor
Bad fitLex
Bad fitBest choice: Neither
09
Marketing & Content Creation
Social media, SEO, advertising, copywriting, content ideas, scripts, brand development.
Hemingway Editor
Not a good fitLex
Not a good fitBest choice: Neither
10
Productivity, Automation & Personal Life
AI agents, workflows, scheduling, meetings, organization, shopping, travel, personal finance.
Hemingway Editor
Not a good fitLex
Not a good fitBest choice: Neither
Marks the sentences that are hard to read and the adverbs you did not need, and does nothing else.
by Boondoggle StudioMarks the sentences that are hard to read and the adverbs you did not need, and does nothing else.
It is built for writing, communication & language
The free web version has no sign-up.
Free in the browser with no sign-up: the readability marking, and no AI at all
A word processor that happens to have AI in it, so the writing surface comes first and the suggestions stay out of the way until asked.
Syracuse, USA word processor that happens to have AI in it, so the writing surface comes first and the suggestions stay out of the way until asked.
You want the cheaper paid plan, $24.99 against $25
It is built for writing, communication & language
Free tier available
Pricing, simplified
The plans people actually compare, read from each vendor’s own page.
PricingSimple, up-to-date plan overview.
Lexby LexFree version
Hemingway Editor
Yes — Free plan availableFree in the browser with no sign-up: the readability marking, and no AI at all
Lex
Yes — Free plan availableFree tier available
Individual plans
Hemingway Editor
Individual 5K
$25 / month$8.33 / month (annual)
Individual 10K
$30 / month$12.50 / month (annual)
Lex
Lex Pro
$24.99 / month$14.99 / month (annual)
Business plans
Hemingway Editor
From $30 / user / monthFrom $12.50 / user / month (annual)Team 10K
LexNot sold to teams
Enterprise
Hemingway EditorNot published
LexNot published
Tell us what you use AI for
Pick your main job and the verdict below changes to match. Every answer is on the page already, so this works as a reader, not a lookup.
The verdict for that job
Evenly matched
Close call. Both cover writing, communication & language at the same level; both have a free plan you can start on; Lex is cheaper to start paying for, $24.99 against $25.
7 rows compared
Frequently asked questions
Is Hemingway Editor or Lex better?
Lex is ahead on 1 of the 7 rows compared — cheapest way to pay — and it is not about how well it does the job. On fitness for the work, it and Hemingway Editor are level. Treat this as a tiebreaker, not a recommendation. both have a free plan you can start on; Lex is cheaper to start paying for, $24.99 against $25. Hemingway Editor: Marks the sentences that are hard to read and the adverbs you did not need, and does nothing else. The free web version has no sign-up. Lex: A word processor that happens to have AI in it, so the writing surface comes first and the suggestions stay out of the way until asked.
Is Hemingway Editor or Lex cheaper?
Lex — paid plans start at $24.99 a month against $25 a month.
Do Hemingway Editor and Lex both have free plans?
Yes. Hemingway Editor: Free in the browser with no sign-up: the readability marking, and no AI at all. Lex: Free tier available.
What should I watch out for?
Hemingway Editor: Readability is not the same as quality — it will flag a precise technical sentence as difficult. Deliberately narrow. The free browser version carries no AI; that sits in Hemingway Editor Plus, where paying monthly rather than annually costs two to three times as much, and where the tiers differ only by how many AI sentence rewrites a month you get. Lex: Fewer features than a dedicated editing tool, by choice. There is one paid tier, and the $30 of AI credits it includes each month is worth more than the subscription at either billing term, so what you are buying is model access more than software.
Read more
Hemingway Editor
What it is for, who makes it, what it costs and what to use instead.
Lex
What it is for, who makes it, what it costs and what to use instead.
Best AI for Writing
Emails, reports, essays, editing, summarizing, translation, presentations.