Readability Analysis Tool (RAT) vs Text Inspector

Readability Analysis Tool (RAT) checks German text for readability anomalies using configurable rules. It accepts .docx files and marks detected issues as comments in a separate copy with a -rat.docx suffix, leaving the original intact. RAT also creates an HTML report with statistics, readability formulas, anomalies, and a quality gate indicating whether text may be too trivial or difficult. Its documented formulas are Flesch and Wiener Sachtextformel. Report details can include reading and speaking time, sentence and word counts, average word and sentence measures, common parts of speech, and configured keyword percentages. Users can adjust anomaly rules and thresholds; the report records anomalies they reject as false positives or mark as incorporated. RAT runs from the command line using a Java JAR, with configuration and output-directory options. The project lists performance of 40 seconds for 10,000 words, or 50 pages. It runs on Linux and Windows, uses Java, UIMA, and DKPro Core, and is licensed under GPLv3.

Text Inspector analyses English text for difficulty, readability, lexical diversity, and CEFR levels. Its overall difficulty score draws on more than 200 metrics, while the CEFR Level Checker gives individual words a level along with their commonness and difficulty. Listed tools include Statistics and Readability, Lexical Diversity, Scorecard, Tagger, EVP, BNC, COCA, Academic Word List and Phrases, Knowledge-Based Vocabulary Lists, and Metadiscourse Markers. An API lets people and organisations add analysis and scoring to their own products. The maker describes it as useful to language professionals, academics, and students preparing teaching materials or tests and evaluating student work. English is fully supported; other languages may receive limited statistics or lexical-diversity information. The Free plan covers 250 words and automatically deletes analysis data after six hours. The Organisation plan allows up to 13,000 words, the largest stated limit. A 30-day trial is listed for API access, which starts from £360 per year.