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

A free readability checker that works offline

Plainly Lite is the Plainly editor in one free file. Paste or write your text and it marks what slows readers down, with a readability grade. It runs in your browser, works offline and uploads nothing.

Get it free on Gumroad(opens in a new tab)Free

Runs in your browser. English only. Free.

Plainly Lite: Free Readability Checker

What Plainly Lite 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".

  • The grade

    Flesch-Kincaid and ARI with a plain explanation, plus word counts and reading time.

  • One document

    Write and Edit modes, headings, lists and Markdown shortcuts, saved in your browser as you type. Opens .docx, .md, .txt and .html files.

Who it is for

  • Writers who want a quick readability check without an account
  • Students checking an essay against a target grade
  • Anyone trying Plainly before buying the full version

Details

Works in
Chrome, Edge or Brave 105 or newer, Safari 17.2 or newer, Firefox 140 or newer
Language
English only
Documents
One
Export
Not in Lite
Price
Free, or pay what you want

How it works

  1. 1

    Get it on Gumroad: type 0 as the price at checkout.

  2. 2

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

  3. 3

    Paste your text, then point at any highlight to see why it is marked.

Questions

Is it really free?

Yes. Enter 0 at checkout. If it helps you, you can pay what you like.

What does the full Plainly add?

Any number of documents, export to Word, Markdown, plain text, a web page and PDF, and a one-click backup of all your documents.

Can I move to the full version later?

Yes. In Chrome and Edge, the first time you open the full Plainly it copies in your Lite document. In other browsers, copy and paste your text into it.

Is my writing uploaded anywhere?

No. It runs in your browser on your computer and needs no internet.

Does it work in other languages?

No. The checks are made for English.

Get Plainly Lite

Free Readability Checker

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

Get it free on Gumroad(opens in a new tab)All products

More from the store

All products