Vale
Open-source linter that checks prose against style-guide rules
- #10 of 10 in best grammar and proofreading tools
- Free and open source
- Free to use
- Open source
- WindowsmacOSLinuxCommand line
Ranked 10 of 10 in best grammar and proofreading tools
Open-source linter that enforces house style rules and ships published styles from Microsoft, Google and Red Hat. It needs YAML setup and is aimed at documentation teams.
Best for Style rules for documentation and code repositories
About Vale
Vale turns a style guide into YAML rules. Its substitution rules can swap a term for the preferred one, and the site lists published style packs from Microsoft, Google and Red Hat. The project says it is markup-aware, so comments and text inside markup are checked as prose. The vale test command lets rule authors test their rules before using them.
Vale is a command-line tool written in Go. It runs on macOS, Windows and Linux, works offline, and the site's sponsor pages describe its use in documentation pipelines and as a CI check. The source is MIT-licensed on GitHub. Vale suits teams that review documentation in repositories, and it needs setup and rule writing before it gives useful results.
Key features
- Style guides as YAML rules
- Published styles from Microsoft, Google and Red Hat
- Markup-aware checks
- vale test for rule authors
- Offline command-line tool
Strengths
- Free and open source under the MIT license
- Published style packs from Microsoft, Google and Red Hat
- Runs offline on macOS, Windows and Linux
Limits
- Needs YAML rules and setup before it is useful
- Aimed at documentation teams, not individual drafts
Where Vale ranks
How Vale compares
| Product | Score | Price | Platforms | Where checks run | Rewrites and paraphrasing | Style guidance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
#6 Antidote | 85.5 | Subscription | WindowsmacOSWebiOS, iPadOS | Windows and Mac apps, plus web | Suggestions for reworking sentences | Style suggestions and language guides |
#7 QuillBot | 83.5 | Free plan, paid upgrades | WebBrowser extension | Chrome extension and web tools | Paraphraser included | Tone analysis |
#8 Ginger | 80.5 | Free plan, paid upgrades | WindowsmacOSBrowser extensioniOSAndroid | Browsers, Word add-in and desktop apps | Rephrase suggestions | Synonyms and phrasing alternatives |
#9 Hemingway Editor | 79.5 | Free plan, paid upgrades | WebWindowsmacOS | Web editor | Paraphrasing tool | Readability checker; tone on Plus |
| #10Vale | 77.5 | Free and open source | WindowsmacOSLinuxCommand line | Command line on macOS, Windows or Linux | None; rule-based substitutions | Custom style-guide rules in YAML |
The full comparison table for best grammar and proofreading tools has all 10 products.
Questions about Vale
- Is Vale free?
- Vale can be used without paying: Free and open source under the MIT license. Check the vendor’s pricing page for current limits.
- Is Vale open source?
- Yes. Vale publishes its source code under the MIT license.
- Which platforms does Vale support?
- Vale is available on: Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line.
- What is Vale best for?
- Style rules for documentation and code repositories. In our ranking of grammar and proofreading tools it is number 10 of 10 with a score of 77.5.
- What are the best alternatives to Vale?
- The highest-ranked alternatives on listme.name are Grammarly, LanguageTool, Harper, ProWritingAid.
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