Vale

An open-source, command-line prose linter that enforces your own style guide.

Verified facts: 4 of 4
Alternatives ranked: 4
Approved reviews: 0
Visits sent from here: 0

About Vale

Vale is a linter for prose: it checks Markdown, AsciiDoc, reStructuredText, HTML and code comments against style rules you define, the way code linters check source code. Rules are written in YAML, and ready-made packages implement well-known guides such as Microsoft's, Google's and Red Hat's, so documentation teams can enforce terminology, capitalisation, tone and banned words consistently. It runs offline on macOS, Windows and Linux, integrates with editors like VS Code, Neovim, Sublime Text, Zed, Emacs and JetBrains IDEs through extensions or a language server, and slots into CI pipelines and pull-request checks. It is free and MIT-licensed, funded by sponsors and grants. Vale doesn't use AI and doesn't fix grammar or rewrite text; it only reports what breaks your rules, so it is often paired with a grammar checker. Setting it up takes some technical comfort, but for docs-as-code teams it has become a standard tool.

Best for: Documentation teams that want style-guide rules checked in editors and CI.

What works

Enforces custom style rules consistently across a team
Ready-made packages for Microsoft, Google and Red Hat styles
Runs offline and in CI pipelines

Why people leave

No grammar correction or AI rewriting
Command-line setup needs technical comfort
Writing good rules takes effort

Top Vale alternatives

See all 4

1
Harper
Adds actual grammar and spelling checks, also open source and offline.
66.5
2
LanguageTool
Grammar and style checks in many languages, self-hostable.
62.6
3
WRITER
Commercial enterprise option with brand and terminology rules for non-technical teams.
59.6
4
Hemingway Editor
Simple readability highlights without writing any rules.
57.2

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Vale: common questions

Is Vale free?

Yes. Vale is free, open-source software.

Is Vale open source?

Yes. The source code is on GitHub at vale-cli/vale.

What platforms does Vale run on?

Vale is available for macOS, Windows and Linux.

What are the best alternatives to Vale?

The highest-ranked Vale alternatives right now are Harper, LanguageTool and WRITER. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.

See all 4 Vale alternatives

Vale facts

4 of 4 verified

License: MIT; Checked Oct 25, 2026vale.sh(opens source in a new tab); “OPEN SOURCE · MIT · 6.3K STARS ↗ Your style.”
Platforms: macOS, Windows, Linux; offline; Checked Oct 25, 2026vale.sh(opens source in a new tab); “macOS, Windows & Linux · Runs offline”
Install: Homebrew, plus other package managers; Checked Oct 25, 2026vale.sh(opens source in a new tab); “brew install vale MacPorts also packages Vale, and may lag behind releases.”
Editor integrations: VS Code, Neovim, Sublime, Zed, Emacs, JetBrains; Checked Oct 25, 2026vale.sh(opens source in a new tab); “VS Code Neovim Vim and Neovim (ALE) Sublime Text Zed Emacs JetBrains”