Instant plain language audits based on ISO 24495

Takes the slog out of plain language audits. With our automated platform, get objective scores in under 60 seconds, identify what needs rewriting, and benchmark against industry averages.

Start screening your documents

What you get

Leaderboards

See all your documents ranked from best to worst. Identify which files need urgent attention and which are already in good shape.

Detailed insights

Drill down into each criterion to see flagged excerpts, understand what's wrong, and get clear recommendations.

Enterprise benchmarks

Compare your documents to each other and to your competitors'. See where you stand and track your progress over time.

Export reports

Download reports as PDFs. Share with stakeholders or use for audit trails and compliance records.

How it works

1

Upload documents

Customise your company's terminology preferences. Then copy the URL into the platform or use a PDF.

2

Get scored

Each document receives scores across seven criteria. Results in just a few minutes.

3

Identify priorities

Our leaderboard shows exactly which documents need rewriting.

4

Download reports

Export as a PDF with all your scores and recommendations.

This is your first check before expert human review. It automates the tedious parts, so you have time for the strategic.

Assessment criteria

We evaluate documents across seven rigorous plain-language criteria. At the moment, three are active. The remaining four are in development.

Vocabulary complexity Active

Detects any complex words and jargon that may confuse readers, all according to your customised dictionary.

Sentence structure Active

Detects complex grammatical constructions like nested clauses and ambiguous passive voice. So you can improve readability.

Language efficiency Active

Detects wordy phrases, redundancy, and nominalisations. So you can write more directly and save your readers' time.

The remaining four criteria (document architecture, visual design, cognitive load, structural clarity) are in development and will be added in phases 2 and 3.

Pricing

Beta pricing while we build out the full seven criteria. Prices will increase as we add more assessment features.

One-off assessment

£95

3-day access

  • Up to 10 document uploads
  • All active assessment criteria
  • Detailed reports and exports
  • Perfect for project-based work

Annual licence

£5,495

per year

  • Up to 500 document uploads
  • Up to 10 team members
  • Company benchmarking
  • Track progress over time
  • Priority support

Enterprise

Custom

tailored to your needs

  • Unlimited users
  • API integration
  • White-label options
  • Dedicated account manager
  • Custom training

Plain language ISO 24495

What is plain language?

According to the definition of plain language in the plain language standard:

Plain language is communication in which wording, structure and design are so clear that intended readers can easily find what they need, understand what they find, and use that information.

– ISO 24495-1:2023, clause 3.1

Plain language governing principles

The standard gives four governing principles:

  • Principle 1: Readers get what they need (relevant).
  • Principle 2: Readers can easily find what they need (findable).
  • Principle 3: Readers can easily understand what they find (understandable).
  • Principle 4: Readers can easily use the information (usable).

Why plain language is key to financial and legal businesses

  1. Compliance with Consumer Duty and other regulations: Recent guidance makes clear that consumers have the right to understand.
  2. Trust earned: Even highly qualified specialists prefer concise, transparent wording over jargon. Clarity boosts confidence in complex decisions.
  3. International consistency: National standards bodies worldwide have adopted the plain-language standard. It's used in 14 languages and 21 countries.
  4. Scalable with AI: The standard allows us to scale our efforts responsibly, in a structured way. Narratology has workflows and methods that apply to each principle of the governing standard.

How we help you reach the standard

Plain language is a strategic choice. It's not an editing checklist. These are some of the ways we can help you to meet the standard:

Training in plain language, ISO 24495

Our ISO 24495 courses are unique in that they deal with plain language, accessibility and inclusive design. All these approaches are related so it's useful to learn about them together. We also give our clients a workflow to meet all the standard's principles.

Editorial tools and workflow advice

We provide guidance on style sheets, glossaries and other editorial tools to make plain language easier for your organisation. We also help teams set up the right processes for reviews and understand what content you can re-use across documents.

Rewriting and editing

We work with all stakeholders, from marketing to legal and compliance. This multi-disciplinary approach helps to make sure your communications are responsible, ethical and will meet business and legal needs. We are linguists, so we use researched best practices and not 'gut feel' when we rewrite.

User testing and research

Finally, we know how to evaluate plain language. We use a combination of heuristic guides, AI-aided assessment tools, and research. Our research is both quantitative and qualitative. We don't believe that research stops at user tests.

Ready to see the platform in action?

Book a demo to see how our automated assessment tool can streamline your plain language reviews.

Book a demo