Skip to content
Store
AZBuy(opens in a new tab)

An offline readability editor for clear, plain English

Plainly is a readability editor in one file that opens in your browser. Write or paste your text, and it marks the sentences and words that slow readers down. Nothing is uploaded: no account, no AI, no internet needed.

Buy on Gumroad(opens in a new tab)$15

Runs in your browser on Windows, Mac and Linux. English only.

Plainly: Readability Editor That Works Offline

What Plainly does

  • Hard and very hard sentences

    Marked against the grade you aim for.

  • Adverbs

    Marked where a stronger verb could replace them.

  • Passive voice

    Marked so you can say who does what.

  • Simpler words

    427 wordy words and phrases, each with plainer options you can swap in with one click.

  • Qualifiers

    Filler such as "very", "kind of" and "I think".

  • A grade in plain words

    Flesch-Kincaid and the Automated Readability Index, averaged into one US school grade with an explanation: grade 8 is text a 13 or 14 year old could follow. It also counts words and shows reading and speaking time.

  • Built for long documents

    Plainly rechecks only the paragraph you change. Every build is tested by typing into a 10,000-word document, where the checks take about a millisecond per keystroke.

  • Open and export

    Opens .docx, .md, .txt and .html. Exports Word, Markdown, plain text, a web page, or PDF through your browser's print dialog.

Who it is for

  • Bloggers, marketers and copywriters editing for clarity
  • Students and non-native writers checking how hard their English is to read
  • Hemingway Editor users who want the same kind of checks on Linux or in a browser

Details

Works in
Chrome, Edge or Brave 105 or newer, Safari 17.2 or newer, Firefox 140 or newer
Language
English only
Opens
.docx, .md, .txt and .html
Exports
.docx, .md, .txt, .html and PDF
Updates
Free for all 1.x versions
Price
$15, paid once

How it works

  1. 1

    Open Plainly.html in your browser. It works offline.

  2. 2

    Write or paste your text. The highlights and the grade update as you type.

  3. 3

    Point at a highlight to see why it is marked, and click a suggestion to swap the word in.

  4. 4

    Export to Word, Markdown, plain text, HTML or PDF.

Questions

How does Plainly compare with the Hemingway Editor app?

Hemingway Editor 3.0 is sold as a separate desktop app for Windows and for Mac. Plainly is one file that runs in a current browser, so one copy works on Windows, Mac and Linux. Both work offline, and Plainly has no AI features, by design.

Does it check grammar and spelling?

Plainly checks style and readability, not grammar. Your browser's own spell check underlines spelling mistakes, and you can turn it off in Settings.

Is my writing uploaded anywhere?

No. Plainly runs in your browser and keeps your documents in that browser on your computer. It never connects to the internet.

Where are my documents saved?

In your browser's storage. Clearing the browser's site data deletes them, so export or back up anything you want to keep. Each browser keeps its own documents.

Does it work in other languages?

No. The checks are made for English.

Can I try it first?

Yes. Plainly Lite is free: the same editor and checks for one document, without export.

Get Plainly

Readability Editor That Works Offline

Need help after you buy? Reply to your receipt email and describe what happened. We will help you get it running.

Buy on Gumroad(opens in a new tab)All products

More from the store

All products