Silent Scribe vs LanguageTool: Which Privacy-First Writing Assistant Is Right for Technical Documentation?

LanguageTool excels at multilingual grammar checking across 30+ languages. Silent Scribe specializes in technical documentation, docs-as-code workflows, and developer-centric writing assistance. Both respect your privacy—but they solve different problems.

100% Local Processing
Built for Docs-as-Code
Code-Aware Linting
Silent Scribe logo

Silent Scribe

Privacy-First Writing Assistant for Technical Documentation

Technical Documentation & Docs-as-Code

Built specifically for developers and technical writers who need privacy-first writing assistance integrated into their docs-as-code workflow.

P

LanguageTool

Multilingual Grammar Checker

Multilingual Grammar Checking

Integrated AI writing assistant for Proton Mail users who need email composition help with multi-language support and privacy-conscious processing.

Last updated: October 8, 2025

Which Tool is Right for You?

Both tools excel at different use cases. Here's an honest comparison to help you choose.

Silent Scribe Ideal For

Technical Documentation & Developer Workflows

  • Software developers writing technical documentation alongside code
  • Technical writers working in GitHub/GitLab-based documentation systems
  • Open-source project maintainers managing README files and contributor guides
  • DevRel teams creating API documentation and developer tutorials
  • Teams enforcing consistent technical writing style across documentation repositories
  • Organizations using docs-as-code methodology (treating docs like code with version control, pull requests, CI/CD)

LanguageTool Ideal For

Alternative Workflow

  • Multilingual writers needing grammar checking across multiple languages
  • Privacy-conscious users wanting self-hosted grammar checking
  • European organizations working primarily in German, Spanish, French, or other EU languages
  • Academic writers needing advanced grammar rules beyond English
  • Content creators producing material in multiple languages
  • Organizations with strict data sovereignty requirements for general business writing
  • Developers needing grammar checking API for applications

API Documentation

Writing comprehensive API reference documentation with consistent parameter descriptions and endpoint formatting

Best: Silent Scribe

Multilingual Content Creation

Creating business communications, marketing materials, or documentation in German, French, Spanish, or 25+ other languages

Best: LanguageTool

Open Source README Files

Creating installation guides, usage examples, and contribution guidelines for GitHub projects with code examples

Best: Silent Scribe

Academic Writing

Writing research papers, essays, or academic content requiring advanced grammar rules and multilingual support

Best: LanguageTool

Developer Guides & Tutorials

Technical tutorials with code examples, step-by-step instructions, and mixed prose/code content

Best: Silent Scribe

General Business Writing

Emails, reports, presentations, and documents across Microsoft Office or LibreOffice

Best: LanguageTool

Team Style Guide Enforcement

Ensuring consistent terminology and writing standards across documentation team with version-controlled rules

Best: Silent Scribe

Self-Hosted Privacy Compliance

Grammar checking for sensitive corporate communications with self-hosted infrastructure

Best: Both

💡 Honest Assessment

These tools serve fundamentally different purposes and aren't direct competitors.Silent Scribe is built for developers and technical writers managing documentation, while LanguageTool is designed for Proton Mail users who need email writing assistance.

Many users may benefit from using both tools for their respective strengths rather than choosing between them.

Feature-by-Feature Comparison

A comprehensive breakdown of capabilities, integrations, and requirements

Core Writing Assistance

Primary Focus

Silent Scribe
Technical documentation specialization
LanguageTool
Multilingual grammar checking

Technical Writing Features

Silent Scribe
  • Passive voice detection for instructions
  • Code-aware parsing (ignores code blocks)
  • Technical terminology management
  • Documentation pattern recognition
  • Inclusive language for tech
  • Acronym governance
LanguageTool
  • 6,000+ English grammar rules
  • General writing assistance
  • Basic style checking
  • No technical context
  • Translation support
  • Mother tongue settings

Code Block Handling

Silent Scribe
Intelligently ignores code blocks, function names, API endpoints
LanguageTool
No code awareness - flags code as errors

Style Guide Support

Silent Scribe
Built-in support for Google Developer Docs, Microsoft Writing Style Guide
LanguageTool
No built-in support for major technical writing style guides

Privacy & Data Handling

Processing Model

Silent Scribe
100% local WASM processing - always
LanguageTool
Dual mode: Cloud (default) OR Self-hosted

Privacy Setup Complexity

Silent Scribe
Zero setup - local by default
LanguageTool
Cloud requires trust in third-party; Self-hosting requires Docker setup

Hardware Requirements

Silent Scribe
Any modern browser, <50MB memory, no GPU
LanguageTool
Self-hosting: dedicated server recommended, optional 8GB+ n-gram data for accuracy

Offline Functionality

Silent Scribe
Full functionality without internet
LanguageTool
Cloud mode requires internet; Self-hosted works offline

Premium Features & Privacy

Silent Scribe
All features available with local processing
LanguageTool
Self-hosted version lacks ALL premium features

Data Collection

Silent Scribe
Zero telemetry, no analytics, no data collection
LanguageTool
Privacy policy states no long-term storage (cloud), but requires account for premium

Platform Integration & Availability

Browser Extensions

Silent Scribe
Chrome (Phase 1), Firefox (planned)
LanguageTool
Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge - 2+ million active users

Desktop Applications

Silent Scribe
VS Code native extension (planned)
LanguageTool
Native apps for Windows, macOS, Linux

Office Integration

Silent Scribe
Not applicable (developer-focused)
LanguageTool
Microsoft Word, Outlook, LibreOffice, OpenOffice

Developer Platform Integration

Silent Scribe
  • GitHub web editor (native)
  • GitLab web editor (native)
  • Web-based IDEs
  • CI/CD pipeline support
LanguageTool
No integration with version control or developer tools

Mobile Apps

Silent Scribe
Planned (Phase 2)
LanguageTool
iOS app available, Android via browser

Technical Documentation Features

Markdown Syntax Awareness

Silent Scribe
Full understanding of heading levels, lists, links, code fences
LanguageTool
May suggest changes that break markdown syntax

API Documentation Patterns

Silent Scribe
Recognizes endpoints, parameters, responses - applies appropriate style rules
LanguageTool
No awareness of technical documentation conventions

Parameter List Validation

Silent Scribe
Checks consistency in parameter descriptions
LanguageTool
Not supported

Version Control Integration

Silent Scribe
Understands PR comments, commit messages, issue descriptions
LanguageTool
Cannot integrate with Git workflows or CI/CD pipelines

Technical Terminology

Silent Scribe
Extensive built-in awareness of programming languages, frameworks, tools, APIs
LanguageTool
No awareness of technical terminology conventions (camelCase, snake_case, etc.)

Customization & Team Collaboration

Project-Level Glossaries

Silent Scribe
Store glossary.yml in repository root, automatically enforces terminology
LanguageTool
Personal dictionary (word lists only)

Custom Rule Creation

Silent Scribe
User-friendly interface for creating custom style rules
LanguageTool
Premium custom rules require understanding XML-based rule syntax

Team Configuration Sync

Silent Scribe
Version-controlled team settings
LanguageTool
No team sharing capabilities

CI/CD Integration

Silent Scribe
Run style checks in GitHub Actions, GitLab CI
LanguageTool
Designed for real-time assistance, not automated validation

Rule Severity Levels

Silent Scribe
Configure errors (block merge), warnings, suggestions
LanguageTool
Not available

Language Support

Languages Supported

Silent Scribe
English (US/UK variants)
LanguageTool
30+ languages including German (5,200+ rules), French (6,900+ rules), Spanish, Dutch, Portuguese, Italian, Polish, Russian, Chinese, Japanese

Technical Documentation Depth

Silent Scribe
Deep, specialized support for technical English
LanguageTool
Broad multilingual support without technical specialization

Dialect Recognition

Silent Scribe
US/UK English with style guide awareness
LanguageTool
Regional variants (UK/US English, German-DE/AT/CH, Portuguese-BR/PT)

False Friend Detection

Silent Scribe
Not applicable (English-focused)
LanguageTool
Catches common translation errors between language pairs

Future Language Expansion

Silent Scribe
Spanish, German, French technical docs based on demand
LanguageTool
Already comprehensive

API & Developer Integration

HTTP API

Silent Scribe
Planned (Phase 2)
LanguageTool
Free tier (20 req/min, 20KB limit) and Premium API

Self-Hosted API

Silent Scribe
Not needed (runs client-side)
LanguageTool
Full API access when running own instance

CI/CD Actions

Silent Scribe
Pre-built GitHub Actions and GitLab CI templates
LanguageTool
Not available

Extension API

Silent Scribe
Developers can extend rule sets and create custom integrations
LanguageTool
Well-documented API, 1.2k+ GitHub stars

Open Source

Silent Scribe
Roadmap includes open-sourcing core components
LanguageTool
Open source core (LGPL 2.1), code auditable

Real-World Scenario Walkthroughs

See exactly how each tool handles common workflows in practice

A

Silent Scribe

  1. 1
    Install Chrome extension (one-click from Web Store)
  2. 2
    Create .silentscribe.yml config file defining project terminology and style preferences
  3. 3
    Add glossary.yml with approved technical terms and definitions
  4. 4
    Edit README.md in GitHub web interface - extension provides real-time feedback
  5. 5
    Contributors see same linting feedback when submitting documentation PRs
  6. 6
    Add GitHub Action to automatically check all doc changes in CI pipeline
  7. 7
    Documentation quality improves uniformly without manual review burden
B

LanguageTool

  1. 1
    Install Chrome extension and create account for premium features
  2. 2
    Manually configure personal dictionary with library's technical terms
  3. 3
    Edit documentation - receive generic grammar suggestions
  4. 4
    Constantly dismiss false positives on technical terms and code snippets
  5. 5
    Every code block flagged as errors - hundreds of false positives
  6. 6
    No way to share dictionary with contributors
  7. 7
    Cannot run automated checks in CI - designed for interactive use
  8. 8
    Documentation quality depends on each contributor's setup

Pricing & Value Comparison

Transparent breakdown of costs, tiers, and what you get with each tool

Silent Scribe Pricing

Product-led growth: Start free, upgrade when you see value

Free

per forever
$0
  • Full individual functionality
  • Unlimited processing
  • All core linting features
  • No account required
  • Privacy always included

Team

per during beta
TBD
  • Shared style guides
  • Team analytics
  • Collaboration features
  • Priority support

Enterprise

Custom
  • Custom rule development
  • Dedicated support
  • Priority feature requests
  • SLA guarantees

LanguageTool Pricing

Included with select plans or available as add-on

Free

$0
  • Browser extensions
  • Basic grammar rules
  • Limited checks
  • 10,000 character limit per check
  • Significantly fewer grammar rules than premium

Premium Individual

per per month (annual billing)
$4.99
  • 100,000 character limit (10x free)
  • 6,000+ additional English rules
  • AI-powered paraphrasing
  • Advanced punctuation and style checks

Team Plans

per per user/month
$9.48+
  • Starts at 2 users
  • Team management
  • Scaling with team size

Enterprise

Custom
  • API access
  • Self-hosting support
  • SLA guarantees
  • Custom integrations

Self-Hosted (Maximum Privacy)

Free (open source)
  • 100% local processing
  • Full privacy
  • Unlimited requests
  • Lacks ALL premium features
  • Thousands fewer grammar rules
  • No AI paraphrasing
  • No advanced style checking
  • Requires technical setup

Important Pricing Note

LanguageTool is notably not available for single-user Proton Unlimited subscribers, which has been a point of user frustration. To access LanguageTool, Unlimited users must upgrade to multi-user plans (Duo, Family) designed for multiple people.

Silent Scribe has no such restrictions—individuals get full access to the free tier without forced plan upgrades.

💰 12-Month Cost Comparison

Silent Scribe (Individual)

$0

Free tier for individuals

LanguageTool (Via Proton Duo Upgrade)

$72/year

Additional cost to access from Unlimited plan

Platform Availability

Where each tool works today and what's coming in the future

Silent Scribe

Available across developer tools and documentation platforms

Available Now

  • Chrome Extension
    Works in GitHub, GitLab, web-based IDEs
  • GitHub web interface
    Native integration with real-time feedback
  • GitLab web interface
    Native integration with markdown editor
  • Web-based IDEs
    CodeSandbox, Repl.it, Gitpod support
  • Notion
    Works in editing mode
  • Confluence
    Cloud editor support
  • Any contenteditable element
    Universal web platform support

Coming Soon

  • VS Code extension
    Native IDE integration - Phase 2
  • JetBrains IDE plugins
    IntelliJ, PyCharm, WebStorm - Phase 3
  • CI/CD pipeline checks
    GitHub Actions, GitLab CI templates
  • Mobile support
    Responsive web interface

Not Currently Supported

  • Microsoft Word
    Not planned (developer-focused)
  • Desktop applications
    Browser-based by design

LanguageTool

Exclusive to Proton Mail ecosystem

Available Now

  • Browser Extensions
    Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge - 2M+ users
  • Desktop Applications
    Windows, macOS, Linux native apps
  • Microsoft Office
    Word and Outlook add-ins
  • LibreOffice/OpenOffice
    Direct integration
  • Google Docs
    Via browser extension (occasional issues reported)
  • iOS App
    Native mobile application
  • Email Clients
    Gmail, Outlook.com via browser extension
  • HTTP API
    Free and premium tiers for custom integrations

Not Supported

  • GitHub/GitLab integration
    No version control workflow support
  • CI/CD pipelines
    Not designed for automated documentation checks
  • Docs-as-code workflows
    No specialized developer integration

📱 Platform Strategy Difference

Silent Scribe prioritizes developer platforms and documentation tools, focusing on where technical writing happens (GitHub, GitLab, web IDEs).

LanguageTool is exclusively integrated into the Proton Mail ecosystem, designed specifically for email composition rather than documentation workflows.

Frequently Asked Questions

Get answers to common questions about Silent Scribe vs LanguageTool

Ready to Choose the Right Tool for Your Writing Needs?

Whether you need multilingual grammar checking or specialized technical documentation assistance, both tools offer powerful, privacy-first solutions tailored to their specific use cases.

Learn About LanguageTool

Last updated: 2025-10-04