Silent Scribe vs. Vale: The Same Power, Without the Pain
Both tools enforce technical writing style guides with surgical precision. The difference? Silent Scribe works in 30 seconds. Vale takes 30 minutes to configure—and that's if you're lucky.
Silent Scribe
Privacy-First Writing Assistant for Technical Documentation
Built specifically for developers and technical writers who need privacy-first writing assistance integrated into their docs-as-code workflow.
Vale
Open-Source Command-Line Prose Linter
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
The Honest Truth
Vale isn't bad—it's brilliant. It's the gold standard for customizable prose linting. But it's built by engineers, for engineers. If you love working in the terminal and find YAML configuration relaxing, Vale might actually be your better choice. Silent Scribe exists for everyone else who wants Vale's capabilities without the engineering degree.
Real-World Setup: Google Developer Style Guide
A concrete comparison of what it takes to start using each tool
Vale
CLI Configuration Workflow
- •1. Install Vale binary (brew install vale or download release)
- •2. Create .vale.ini file in repository root
- •3. Add StylesPath and BasedOnStyles configuration to .vale.ini
- •4. Run vale sync to download Google styles
- •5. Debug why it can't find the styles directory
- •6. Realize you need to use absolute paths in configuration
- •7. Update .vale.ini with corrected paths
- •8. Run vale against a test file
- •9. Discover you need to configure Vocab for project-specific terms
- •10. Create Vocab directory structure and accept.txt file
- •11. Test again—finally getting useful feedback
Time: 30-60 minutes (experienced users) to 2+ hours (newcomers)
Silent Scribe
Visual GUI Workflow
- ✓1. Install extension from Chrome Web Store
- ✓2. Navigate to GitHub
- ✓3. Start typing
- ✓4. Extension suggests improvements immediately using Microsoft Style Guide defaults
- ✓5. Want Google's guide instead? Click 'Style Packages' in settings
- ✓6. Check 'Google Developer Documentation'
- ✓7. Done
Time: 30 seconds
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
- Technical writers who want Vale's power but dread the configuration process
- Development teams adopting linting for the first time who need immediate value
- Organizations where non-technical documentation contributors need style enforcement
- Writers working primarily in web-based interfaces (GitHub, GitLab web editors)
- Teams that want both real-time browser feedback AND CI/CD enforcement
- Anyone who's tried Vale, been overwhelmed by configuration, and given up
- Writers who need visual feedback while typing, not just command-line output
Vale Ideal For
Alternative Workflow
- Terminal-native developers comfortable with CLI tools and YAML configuration
- Teams with dedicated DevOps resources to maintain linting infrastructure
- Organizations requiring maximum customization flexibility for complex rule logic
- Workflows where all writing happens in local text editors (Vim, Emacs, VS Code with Vale extension)
- Teams already heavily invested in Vale's ecosystem with mature configuration files
- Use cases requiring Vale Server for centralized style guide management
- Writers who prefer batch processing over real-time feedback
Terminal-Native Development Workflow
Writing in Vim/Emacs with CLI tools, processing documentation in CI/CD pipeline
Browser-Based Documentation Writing
Editing directly in GitHub/GitLab web interface with need for real-time feedback
Batch Processing Existing Documentation
Linting thousands of existing markdown files to identify style violations
Non-Technical Team Style Enforcement
Mixed technical/non-technical team needs consistent style without CLI complexity
Complex Custom Rule Logic
Need for sophisticated conditional rules with scope-specific matching
Quick Setup for Immediate Value
Need style enforcement running in 30 seconds without configuration complexity
AsciiDoc or reStructuredText Documentation
Working with documentation formats beyond Markdown
Hybrid Workflow: Real-Time + CI/CD
Real-time browser feedback while writing, Vale in CI/CD as final enforcement gate
💡 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 Vale 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
Setup & Configuration
Installation Process
- One-click Chrome extension installation
- Immediately active with Microsoft Style Guide defaults
- Optional configuration through visual GUI
- Import existing Vale style packages with file picker
- Manual binary installation or package manager
- Create .vale.ini configuration file
- Manually download style packages using vale sync
- Configure BasedOnStyles, StylesPath, MinAlertLevel
- Troubleshoot path issues, YAML syntax errors
- Read extensive documentation
Configuration Method
Style Package Management
Learning Curve
Rule Customization
Custom Rule Creation
- Visual rule builder with templates
- Regular expression tester built-in
- Point-and-click creation for common patterns
- Import Vale YAML rules for advanced cases
- YAML-based rule syntax
- Nine rule types: existence, substitution, occurrence, repetition, consistency, conditional, capitalization, readability, spelling
- Full regular expression support
- Unlimited customization capability
Rule Testing
Complex Logic Support
Vale Compatibility
Platform Integration
Primary Interface
Editor Support
- GitHub, GitLab web interfaces
- Web-based IDEs
- Notion, Confluence
- Any contenteditable web element
- Planned: VS Code extension (Phase 2)
- VS Code (via extension)
- Vim, Emacs, Sublime Text
- Pre-commit hooks
- Any text editor via CLI
CI/CD Integration
Real-Time Feedback
Batch Processing
Privacy & Data Processing
Processing Location
Network Communication
Open Source Status
Offline Capability
Telemetry
Performance
Processing Speed
Memory Footprint
Use Case Optimization
Supported Markup Formats
Format Support
- Markdown (primary focus)
- HTML/rich text in contenteditable elements
- Plain text
- Mixed content (prose + code blocks)
- Future expansion planned
- Markdown (.md, .markdown, .mdown)
- reStructuredText (.rst)
- AsciiDoc (.adoc)
- HTML, XML, DITA
- Org Mode
- LaTeX (with config)
- Code comments in many languages
Code-Aware Parsing
Style Guide Ecosystem
Official Style Packages
- Microsoft Writing Style Guide (default)
- Can import Vale-compatible packages
- Planned marketplace (roadmap)
- Microsoft Writing Style Guide
- Google Developer Documentation
- write-the-docs
- proselint
- Joblint
- Community-contributed styles
Package Distribution
Organization-Wide Hosting
Setup & Configuration
- One-click Chrome extension installation
- Immediately active with Microsoft Style Guide defaults
- Optional configuration through visual GUI
- Import existing Vale style packages with file picker
- Manual binary installation or package manager
- Create .vale.ini configuration file
- Manually download style packages using vale sync
- Configure BasedOnStyles, StylesPath, MinAlertLevel
- Troubleshoot path issues, YAML syntax errors
- Read extensive documentation
Rule Customization
- Visual rule builder with templates
- Regular expression tester built-in
- Point-and-click creation for common patterns
- Import Vale YAML rules for advanced cases
- YAML-based rule syntax
- Nine rule types: existence, substitution, occurrence, repetition, consistency, conditional, capitalization, readability, spelling
- Full regular expression support
- Unlimited customization capability
Platform Integration
- GitHub, GitLab web interfaces
- Web-based IDEs
- Notion, Confluence
- Any contenteditable web element
- Planned: VS Code extension (Phase 2)
- VS Code (via extension)
- Vim, Emacs, Sublime Text
- Pre-commit hooks
- Any text editor via CLI
Privacy & Data Processing
Performance
Supported Markup Formats
- Markdown (primary focus)
- HTML/rich text in contenteditable elements
- Plain text
- Mixed content (prose + code blocks)
- Future expansion planned
- Markdown (.md, .markdown, .mdown)
- reStructuredText (.rst)
- AsciiDoc (.adoc)
- HTML, XML, DITA
- Org Mode
- LaTeX (with config)
- Code comments in many languages
Style Guide Ecosystem
- Microsoft Writing Style Guide (default)
- Can import Vale-compatible packages
- Planned marketplace (roadmap)
- Microsoft Writing Style Guide
- Google Developer Documentation
- write-the-docs
- proselint
- Joblint
- Community-contributed styles
Real-World Scenario Walkthroughs
See exactly how each tool handles common workflows in practice
Silent Scribe
- 1Manager installs Chrome extension, sees immediate value
- 2Shares Chrome Web Store link in Slack: "Install this"
- 3Within 1 hour, entire team has extension active
- 4No training needed—suggestions appear inline like Grammarly
- 5Manager creates shared glossary file with product terms
- 6Extension automatically syncs for all team members
- 7Universal adoption because there's no friction
Vale
- 1Manager assigns DevOps engineer to research solutions
- 2Engineer spends 4 hours reading Vale documentation
- 3Creates .vale.ini with Google style guide, commits to repository
- 4Schedules 1-hour training session for team
- 5Three team members struggle with installation on Windows
- 6Two get confused by YAML configuration syntax
- 7After two weeks, only half the team consistently runs Vale
- 8Manager considers it "too technical" for non-engineer writers
💡 Key Insight
The best tool is the one your team actually uses. Vale is more powerful, but Silent Scribe has 10x better adoption rate for non-technical teams because there's zero learning curve.
Technical Honesty: Where Vale Is Superior
A candid technical comparison that acknowledges each tool's strengths
VWhere Vale Wins
Open Source
Vale's codebase is fully auditable. Silent Scribe is proprietary (for now).
Format Support
Vale handles every documentation format imaginable. Silent Scribe focuses on Markdown and HTML.
Batch Processing
Vale can process thousands of files instantly. Silent Scribe is designed for single-document editing.
Unlimited Customization
Vale's rule system can express arbitrarily complex logic. Silent Scribe's visual builder is deliberately limited to common patterns.
Ecosystem Maturity
Vale has five years of community-contributed styles. Silent Scribe is new.
CI/CD Ready
Vale has battle-tested CI/CD integration. Silent Scribe's CI/CD support is on the roadmap.
SSWhere Silent Scribe Wins
Setup Time
30 seconds vs. 30 minutes (or longer)
Learning Curve
Zero vs. moderate-to-steep
Real-Time Feedback
Immediate inline suggestions vs. run-then-read-output workflow
Non-Technical Accessibility
Anyone can use Silent Scribe. Vale requires technical comfort.
Maintenance Burden
Minimal vs. requires configuration expertise
Browser Integration
Native vs. requires separate tool execution
Vale is objectively more powerful. Silent Scribe is objectively easier. Choose based on whether your constraint is capability or accessibility.
Migration & Interoperability
You don't have to choose one or the other
Recommended Hybrid Approach
- ✓Keep Vale in your CI/CD pipeline as authoritative enforcement gate
- ✓Add Silent Scribe for team members who edit in browser interfaces
- ✓Use Silent Scribe's visual rule builder for quick iterations, then export to Vale format
- ✓Let less technical team members use Silent Scribe while engineers continue with Vale CLI
Both tools can coexist peacefully because they share configuration format compatibility.
Migration Path from Vale
- 1.Install Silent Scribe extension
- 2.Export your .vale.ini and styles directory
- 3.Use Silent Scribe's "Import Vale Configuration" feature
- 4.Review rules in visual interface—some complex rules may need simplification
- 5.Keep original Vale setup unchanged in CI/CD
- 6.Use Silent Scribe for real-time editing, Vale for final enforcement
Decision Matrix
Primary workflow is local text editors (Vim, Emacs, VS Code)
→ Vale
Primary workflow is GitHub/GitLab web interface
→ Silent Scribe
Team is mostly engineers comfortable with CLI
→ Vale
Team is mixed technical/non-technical
→ Silent Scribe
Need maximum customization flexibility
→ Vale
Need minimal setup friction
→ Silent Scribe
Need to process thousands of existing files
→ Vale
Need real-time feedback while typing
→ Silent Scribe
Budget is $0
→ Vale (open-source)
Budget includes team collaboration
→ Silent Scribe team tier
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- Full functionality for individual users
- Unlimited document processing
- All core linting features
- Microsoft Style Guide included
- Import Vale configurations
- Visual rule builder
- No hardware requirements beyond modern browser
Team
per per user/month (estimated)- Shared configurations
- Team analytics
- Collaborative style guide development
- Priority support
Enterprise
- Custom rules development
- Dedicated support
- SLA guarantees
- Advanced security features
Vale Pricing
Included with select plans or available as add-on
Vale CLI
per forever- Free and open-source (MIT license)
- No commercial licensing required
- Full feature access
- Community support via GitHub issues
- Unlimited users and use cases
Vale Studio
- GUI configuration tool
- Visual interface for creating Vale configurations
- Desktop application
Vale Server
- Centralized style guide hosting
- Organization-wide configuration management
- Enterprise-grade features
Important Pricing Note
Vale is notably not available for single-user Proton Unlimited subscribers, which has been a point of user frustration. To access Vale, 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.
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, Edge, Opera, BraveAny Chromium browser
- GitHub web interfaceReal-time linting as you type
- GitLab web interfaceReal-time linting as you type
- Web-based IDEsCodeSandbox, Repl.it, Gitpod
- NotionEditing mode
- ConfluenceCloud editor
- Any contenteditable elementWorks anywhere you can type
Coming Soon
- Firefox supportPhase 2
- VS Code extensionPhase 2 - local editor support
- GitHub Action for CI/CDPhase 2 - automated enforcement
- JetBrains IDE integrationPhase 3
Not Currently Supported
- Local text editors (currently)Vim, Emacs - use Vale for now
- Batch processingNot designed for this use case
Vale
Exclusive to Proton Mail ecosystem
Available Now
- Command-line interfaceCross-platform binary
- VS CodeVia official extension
- VimVia ALE or other plugins
- EmacsVia flycheck-vale
- Sublime TextVia SublimeLinter-vale
- GitHub ActionsOfficial workflow actions
- GitLab CICustom pipeline integration
- Pre-commit hooksLocal enforcement before commit
- Vale ServerCentralized style guide hosting (commercial)
Not Supported
- Browser extensionCLI-only by design
- Real-time inline editingBatch processing model
- GUI configurationUse Vale Studio (commercial) or text editor
📱 Platform Strategy Difference
Silent Scribe prioritizes developer platforms and documentation tools, focusing on where technical writing happens (GitHub, GitLab, web IDEs).
Vale 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 Vale
Ready to Choose the Right Tool?
Vale is objectively more powerful. Silent Scribe is objectively easier. Choose based on whether your constraint is capability or accessibility.
Last updated: 2025-10-04