textstat

Free plan LinuxSelf-hosted

What textstat is

textstat is a Python library for measuring readability and describing the structure of text. It calculates scores such as Flesch Reading Ease, Flesch-Kincaid Grade, SMOG, Coleman-Liau, ARI, Dale-Chall, and Gunning Fog. Its text_standard function combines several readability tests to estimate the school grade level needed to understand a passage. Alongside grade-level analysis, textstat counts words, sentences, characters, letters, syllables, polysyllabic words, and monosyllabic words, and estimates reading time from character count.

English is the default language. The library also includes language variants for some formulas and specific measures for Spanish, Arabic, Italian, and German. It uses Pyphen for syllable calculation in most languages and nltk.corpus.cmudict by default for en_US. Developers can install the MIT-licensed package through pip, Poetry, Pipenv, pipx, or GitHub source; pipx can also install it as a standalone command-line tool. PyPI lists Python 3.6 or later as a requirement and identifies developers, education, and science or research as intended audiences. Textstat accepts text input. Its documentation notes limits for some formulas: SMOG is statistically invalid below 30 sentences, while two Spanish formulas have restricted reliability or scope.

Who it suits

textstat suits developers, educators, and science or research users who need readability scores, grade-level estimates, or text counts. It is also suited to workflows that can supply text and use a Python package or standalone command-line tool.

What it does well

Provides several named readability formulas and a combined grade-level estimate.
Counts words, sentences, characters, letters, syllables, and word-length groups.
Estimates reading time from character count.
Offers language-specific measures for Spanish, Arabic, Italian, and German.
Free package distributed under the MIT license.

What to know first

Requires Python 3.6 or later.
SMOG is statistically invalid for texts under 30 sentences.
Two Spanish formulas have stated reliability or scope limits.

Limits

SMOG is statistically invalid for texts under 30 sentences, although textstat returns a result from at least three sentences. Gutiérrez de Polini scores are unreliable for complex Spanish text, and Crawford is valid only for elementary-school-level text.

Plans

Plan	Billed and limits	Price
textstat	Python package · MIT license	Free

As github.com lists them, read 8 Oct 2026. The maker's own page has the final word.

Getting started

Open the textstat project on GitHub.
Install the package with pip, Poetry, Pipenv, or pipx, or install from GitHub source.
Use pipx if you want the standalone command-line tool.
Provide text input for readability analysis and text counts.

Verdict

Choose textstat if you need a free Python library for readability scores, grade-level estimates, and text statistics. Its formula-specific constraints matter when interpreting short texts or using the restricted Spanish measures.

Questions

How much does textstat cost?

The listed plan is free. The package is open source under the MIT license.

What platforms does it support?

The listed platforms are Linux and self-hosted.

What does textstat measure?

It calculates readability and grade-level measures, counts text elements such as words and syllables, and estimates reading time.

Which languages does it cover?

English is the default. Listed language variants and specific measures include Spanish, Arabic, Italian, and German.

What is required to run it?

PyPI lists Python 3.6 or later as a requirement.

How can users get help or contribute?

The project directs users to open GitHub issues for problems and pull requests for fixes or contributions. Security vulnerabilities can be reported by email.

Facts from textstat's own pages

Command line: The documentation says Textstat can be installed standalone as a command-line tool with pipx. · docs.textstat.org, 4 Oct 2026
Consensus score: Its text_standard function estimates the school grade level needed to understand text based on multiple readability tests. · github.com, 8 Oct 2026
Formula limitations: The documentation says the Spanish Gutiérrez de Polini scores are unreliable for more complex text and the Crawford formula is valid only for elementary-school-level texts. · github.com, 8 Oct 2026
Installation: The project documents installation with pip or easy_install, from GitHub source, or from PyPI. · github.com, 8 Oct 2026
Integrations: For syllable calculation, it uses Pyphen in most languages and defaults to nltk.corpus.cmudict for en_US. · github.com, 8 Oct 2026
Language coverage: English is the default, and the documentation lists language variants for some formulas, including German, Spanish, French, Italian, Dutch, Polish, and Russian. · github.com, 8 Oct 2026
Language-specific formulas: The library includes Spanish-specific formulas, an Arabic Osman score, an Italian Gulpease index, and the German Wiener Sachtextformel. · github.com, 8 Oct 2026
License: The repository identifies its license as MIT. · github.com, 8 Oct 2026
Other metrics: Its functions include reading time, syllable, word, sentence, character, letter, polysyllable, and monosyllable counts. · github.com, 4 Oct 2026
Purpose: Textstat is a Python library for calculating text statistics to assess readability, complexity, and grade level. · github.com, 8 Oct 2026
Readability formulas: It includes measures such as Flesch Reading Ease, Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, SMOG, Coleman-Liau, ARI, Dale-Chall, and Gunning Fog. · github.com, 8 Oct 2026
Reading time: It estimates reading time using a default assumption of 14.69 milliseconds per character. · github.com, 8 Oct 2026
Runtime requirement: PyPI lists Python >=3.6 as a requirement. · pypi.org, 4 Oct 2026
Security reporting: The security policy asks people to report vulnerabilities by email and says Textstat does not offer a paid bug bounty programme. · github.com, 4 Oct 2026
SMOG limitation: The documentation says SMOG is statistically invalid for texts under 30 sentences, although textstat requires at least 3 sentences to return a result. · github.com, 8 Oct 2026
Spanish formula limits: The project says Gutiérrez de Polini scores for complex text are unreliable and Crawford is valid only for elementary-school-level texts. · github.com, 4 Oct 2026
Support: The project asks users to report problems by opening a GitHub issue. · github.com, 4 Oct 2026
Support and contributions: The project directs users to open GitHub issues for problems and pull requests for fixes or contributions. · github.com, 8 Oct 2026
Supported users: PyPI classifies the intended audience as developers, education, and science/research. · pypi.org, 4 Oct 2026
Text counts: It can count syllables, words, sentences, characters, letters, polysyllabic words, and monosyllabic words. · github.com, 8 Oct 2026

Where textstat stands on Freedom251

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