Compare LanguageTool and Weava: Which Extension is the Best?

LanguageTool impressed us as a solid grammar-checker alternative to Grammarly. It provides excellent multilingual support, is easy to use, and is more affordable but may struggle with longer texts.
Weava Highlighter was once a popular choice, but now it’s filled with ads and has a poor user experience. Better options like Web Highlights do the job better without the hassle.
Key Features
  • Style Suggestions: Offers synonym replacements, concise rephrasing, and formal alternatives.
  • Spell Checker: Identifies and corrects spelling errors.
  • Multilingual Support: Supports over 25 languages including English, German, Spanish, and French.
  • Plagiarism Detection: Checks for duplicate content.
  • Personal Dictionary: Allows users to add custom words for future checks.
  • Privacy: GDPR compliant and ensures secure, encrypted connections and no IP address storage.
  • Web & PDF Highlighting: Easily highlight text on web pages and PDFs using various colors.
  • Annotations: Add detailed notes to your highlights for better reference and organization.
  • Cloud Syncing: Seamlessly access your highlights and notes across multiple devices.
  • Organize with Folders: Structure your highlights with folders and sub-folders for easy retrieval.
  • Citation Creation: Automatically generate citations for your highlighted text, simplifying your research process.
Our Rating
8.8
7.0
Total users
3,173,195
200,000
Total ratings
16,550
2,728
Average rating
4.8 ⭐
4.1 ⭐
Entry Level PriceFreeFree
Chrome
Chrome Web Store logo
4.8
4.75
11.4K+ ratings
2.0M+Users
Chrome Web Store logo
4.1
3.01
2.7K+ ratings
200.0K+Users
Edge
Microsoft Edge Store logo
4.8
4.62
567 ratings
801.3K+Users
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Firefox
Mozilla Firefox Add-ons Store logo
4.7
4.58
4.6K+ ratings
371.9K+Users
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Safari
-
-
Features
9.0

LanguageTool offers a comprehensive set of features that go beyond basic grammar and spelling checks. It supports over 20 languages, making it a versatile tool for multilingual users. The advanced grammar checks are particularly impressive, catching complex issues that many other tools miss. Compared to competitors like Grammarly, LanguageTool holds its own with unique features like custom dictionaries and plagiarism detection.

8.5

Weava offers basic but functional features like web and PDF highlighting, annotations, and folder organization.

The basic functionalities work great but the lack of innovative or advanced functionalities, especially compared to competitors, limits its appeal.

Top 3 Features of Weava Highlighter

1. Highlight Websites and PDFs

Highlighting text with Weava

Similar to our favorite highlighter Web Highlights, you can highlight text on any website or PDF. Choose different colors to customize your highlights and make important information stand out.

2. Organize Research into Folders

Organize in folders

Weava lets you save your highlights and organize them into folders, making it simple to keep your research organized and find what you need fast.

3. Collaborate with Your Team

Share folders with your co-workers

Weava allows you to share folders with your team, making collaboration on research projects easy. Everyone can add and view highlights and notes all in one place.

Performance
8.0

LanguageTool does a good job of spotting grammar and style issues. However, it can take a while to process longer texts, and sometimes, clicking on suggestions causes the page to jump to the top, which can be a bit frustrating.

7.0

Weava performs adequately when it comes to basic highlighting and syncing. However, the overall performance is marred by the intrusive ads and occasional bugs that make the experience less smooth than it should be.

Design
8.0

The design is clean and intuitive, making it easy for users to navigate and utilize the tool effectively. The browser integration is seamless, and the user interface is straightforward.

6.0

The design is where Weava really struggles. The interface is cluttered with ads, making it not only visually unappealing but also frustrating to use.

Here's a screenshot showing one of their ads taking up nearly half the height of their sidebar:

Ads are covering half of the sidebar

The overall design feels outdated and lacks the intuitive flow found in other tools. This poor design significantly hampers the user experience.

Value for Money
9.5

The free version gives you the basics, but the premium version really shines with its advanced features.

While Grammarly can be expensive, LanguageTool offers great value at a more affordable price. So, if you’re seeking a budget-friendly alternative to Grammarly, LanguageTool is a solid choice.

6.8

The free version of Weava offers basic features, and their premium plan at $3.99/month is priced similarly to competitors.

However, given the ads in the free version and the overall user experience, you can find better value in alternatives that provide more features and a cleaner interface for the same or even lower cost.

Ease of Use
9.0

LanguageTool is very user-friendly, with a minimal learning curve. Most users will find it easy to get started and make the most of its features right out of the box.

6.5

Weava’s basic highlighting functionality is straightforward, but the poor design and mandatory account creation add unnecessary friction. The ads make navigation cumbersome, and while it’s not difficult to learn, using the tool effectively can be a challenge due to these barriers.

Security & Privacy
9.5

LanguageTool takes privacy seriously. No account is required for basic features, and the tool ensures that user data is not sold or made public. This focus on privacy is a significant plus.

LanguageTool states that it is GDPR compliant which makes it especially interesting for users in Europe.

7.0

Weava does take steps to protect user data, and their privacy policy is clear about not selling personal information. However, the requirement to create an account and the potential for data collection through ads could be a concern for privacy-conscious users.

Conclusion

LanguageTool is a reliable and efficient writing assistant that supports multiple languages. Its advanced grammar and style checks make it a valuable tool for writers and professionals. While the premium version offers excellent features, the free version is somewhat limited. Overall, LanguageTool is a solid choice for anyone looking to improve their writing.

Compared to Grammarly, LanguageTool holds its own, especially if you need to write in multiple languages. When it comes to writing in different languages, LanguageTool is the way to go. But if you’re only writing in English, Grammarly still delivers better results.

Weava Highlighter may still be a popular choice, but its current state leaves much to be desired. The overwhelming presence of ads and a clunky design significantly detract from the user experience, making it hard to justify its use when other tools offer a more polished and ad-free environment.

If you’re serious about your productivity, it’s worth exploring alternatives like Web Highlights, which delivers all the benefits of Weava without the downsides.

Our Recommendation

In our comparison between LanguageTool and Weava, LanguageTool came out on top, scoring 8.8.

LanguageTool is the most widely used, with over 3 million users and 17k+ reviews—and it also delivered the strongest performance in our tests. User reviews for LanguageTool reflect our findings, while we rate Weava lower than users do.

Notably, LanguageTool has the highest user rating in the Chrome Web Store at 4.76, which supports its strong performance in our review.

There are big differences between these extensions, so it's important to look at the details below to find the best fit for your needs.


  • Looking for the richest feature set? LanguageTool stands out with a rating of 9. On the other hand, Weava lags behind in this area with a rating of 8.5.
  • Need top performance? LanguageTool stands out with a rating of 8. On the other hand, Weava lags behind in this area with a rating of 7.
  • Design lovers, take note: LanguageTool stands out with a rating of 8. On the other hand, Weava lags behind in this area with a rating of 6.
  • Want to get the most for your money? LanguageTool stands out with a rating of 9.5. On the other hand, Weava lags behind in this area with a rating of 6.8.
  • If you hate complicated tools, LanguageTool stands out with a rating of 9. On the other hand, Weava lags behind in this area with a rating of 6.5.
  • With privacy and security becoming ever more important, LanguageTool stands out with a rating of 9.5. On the other hand, Weava lags behind in this area with a rating of 7.

If you want a quick recommendation, LanguageTool is our top pick. But as always, the best choice depends on what matters most to you.