# Vale review, pricing and alternatives

Source: https://listme.name/software/vale
Website: https://vale.sh/

Open-source linter that checks prose against style-guide rules

Vale is an open-source command-line linter for prose, written in Go and licensed under MIT. It applies YAML rules from a team's style guide, and it ships published styles from Microsoft, Google and Red Hat. It runs on macOS, Windows and Linux.

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.

- Free and open source | Windows, macOS, Linux, Command line | open source (MIT)
- Price: Free and open source under the MIT license
- Checked: 2026-10-10

## 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

## Rankings

- #10 of 10 in [best Grammar and proofreading tools](https://listme.name/best/grammar-and-proofreading-tools), score 77.5: 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.

## Alternatives

- [Grammarly](https://listme.name/software/grammarly), score 92.5
- [LanguageTool](https://listme.name/software/languagetool), score 91.0
- [Harper](https://listme.name/software/harper), score 89.5
- [ProWritingAid](https://listme.name/software/prowritingaid), score 88.0
- [Microsoft Editor](https://listme.name/software/microsoft-editor), score 86.5
- [Antidote](https://listme.name/software/antidote), score 85.5
- [QuillBot](https://listme.name/software/quillbot), score 83.5
- [Ginger](https://listme.name/software/ginger), score 80.5