textlint textlint/textlint

Pluggable Node.js linter for natural-language text, like ESLint for prose; you install rules from npm for the checks you want.

Creator kit + Compare GitHub ↗ Install guide (official) ↗

textlint at a glance

Checked 16 Oct 2026

textlint is a pluggable linter for natural language (v15.8.0, August 2026), MIT-licensed and run with Node.js 20+. It ships with no rules: you add rule packages from npm for things like terminology, sentence length or spelling, and it checks Markdown and plain text out of the box (HTML and others via plugins). Language support depends on the rules you pick; its rule ecosystem is especially strong for Japanese. No built-in grammar engine, AI rewriting, tone changes or plagiarism checks.

Cite this pageRepoQuarry. “textlint.” Checked 16 Oct 2026. https://repoquarry.dev/projects/textlint

How much of Grammarly does it replace?

1 of 5 jobs. Configurable rule-based style checks for docs in CI or editors; no built-in rules, grammar engine or AI rewrite.

Grammar and spelling checks Not covered

Style and clarity suggestions Partial replacement

AI rewriting and tone changes Not covered

Works in the browser and other apps Not covered

Plagiarism check Not covered

For grammar and spelling checks, AI rewriting and tone changes, works in the browser and other apps, plagiarism check, see other Grammarly alternatives. You may also need to build an interface, an API server and hosting yourself.

Facts, with sources

Every answer links to where we found it. We read the documentation; we did not install it.

Report a correction

QuestionAnswerSourceChecked

Runs on my machine? Yes, Node.js command-line tool You can install the textlint command using npm github.com · textlint#installation ↗ 1d ago

Code licence MIT github.com · LICENSE ↗ 1d ago

Model weights licence No separate model weights github.com · textlint#readme ↗ 1d ago

Commercial use Yes, MIT (check each rule package's own licence) github.com · LICENSE ↗ 1d ago

Paid services needed? None required github.com · textlint#readme ↗ 1d ago

Hardware Node.js 20 or later; no other requirements documented Node.js 20+ github.com · textlint#installation ↗ 1d ago

Operating systems README and usage documentation describe a Node.js CLI/library, not an operating-system matrix. Older release instructions listing OSes concern the separate Semgrep migration tool, not textlint itself github.com · textlint#readme ↗ today

Setup effort Easy, npm install textlint plus the rule packages you want npm install --save-dev textlint textlint-rule-no-todo github.com · textlint#usage ↗ 1d ago