Writing technology has come a long way since the Apple IIGS that I started writing book reports on back in the day. I remember using a thesaurus and dictionary to expand my vocabulary and spell words correctly.
But those days are long gone! For good or for bad, today’s computers and software will help ensure idiots like me are not misspelling words and making grammatical errors. Honestly, I think this technology has made me dumber since I rely on it so heavily now…but it’s totally worth it for the time I save!
Little known fact: I misspell the word “affiliate” EVERY SINGLE TIME I type it out! However, you’d never see that since technology catches my errors before posts go live.
If you’ve been a victim of the mistaken belief that nobody cares about your grammar, think again. Research shows that individuals with grammatically flawless profiles have a better chance of landing a high-end job than their counterparts.
While one might get away with minor errors behind the “keeping it casual” style (I live by this), major grammar errors are hideously noticeable. Non-native English writers can gain massively from assistive software that helps them identify any nuanced transgression in the language. But native English writers have also begun relying on this software as their virtual proofreaders.
Why Consider a Grammarly Alternative?
When it comes to grammar check and proofreading language software, Grammarly is perhaps the leading tool in the industry. Hell, it is in my best affiliate management tools to help affiliate managers improve their productivity. It’s convenient to use and is sponsored just the right way to derive massive popularity. On the flip side, Grammarly comes with somewhat pricier plans for its users and offers very limited features in its free version.
So while one cannot deny the enticement that lies in Grammarly’s hoard of features, provided you subscribe to one of its paid plans. Many users are forced to seek Grammarly alternatives for reasons of affordability.
Here is a list of the best alternatives that I have tested and found to be legit.
10 Best Grammarly Alternatives Worth Checking Out.
1) ProWritingAid.
ProWritingAid is the top Grammarly alternative, especially when you take pricing into account. The best thing about ProWritingAid is that its free plan is as feature-rich as the paid ones. Once incorporated in your browser, you can use the tool to analyze text in your Gmail, word files, Facebook posts, etc. The software works well with both MS Word and Doc files.
You can work with ProWritingAid without installing the software. Simply go to the site and sign up. Alternatively, you can install the extension, identify the small icon while you are editing your text on any site, and take your cursor over to the icon. As you select the icon, the software will highlight any discrepancy including grammar, repetitive phrases, redundant words, style revisions, etc. This makes it a fairly simple tool to use.
Given the vast range of test types, ProWritingAid is one of the best software to improve text readability.
Features:
- Developers can integrate the software with their app using the API access.
- ProWritingAid can perform 25 different types of tests including, but not limited to, sentence structure, grammar, wordy or incomprehensible texts, etc.
- Contains a wide assortment of writing styles, including general, academic, business, blogs, etc.
- Offers text synchronization in different English dialects such as British, US, Canadian, etc.
- A wide thesaurus option will help you with diversity in word choices; simply hover the cursor over the word and select the alternative from the list.
Pros:
- The software comes with a 14-day money-back guarantee so there is literally no risk involved.
Cons:
- Its feature assortment, although wide, does not include translations. At the same time, translation is not one of the most sought-after features for general users and will not trouble you so long as you use it as a proofreading tool.
- You will have to pay an additional amount to use their plagiarism checker.
Pricing:
You can subscribe to the ProWritingAid yearly plan at a reasonable rate of $60. A lifetime subscription will cost you an affordable $210.
2) Ginger.
Ginger is another awesome proofreading software that is compatible with a wide range of operating systems, including Windows, iOS, Android, Mac, Chrome, and Safari. There are two ways to use the text. You can use Ginger’s proofreading features as you edit the text on the site such as WordPress, or paste the text on Ginger’s site to check the deficiencies for you.
A prompt error- detector, the Ginger Software comes with user-friendly operations. Simply hover the cursor over the highlighted words and select better or correct alternatives, as you do with Grammarly. The platform can be adjusted to either the British or American English dialect. One of its great features is a text reader that helps with pronunciation.
Features:
- Ginger’s reach is pretty extensive and you can even look up words on social media and search sites such as YouTube.
- Instead of dealing with a single suggestion at a time, you can choose “Approve all”, and get all the changes incorporated instantly.
- The software can translate your text into 40 different languages that include some of the most commonly spoken tongues such as French, Chinese, Russian, Arabic, Urdu, etc.
- Provides users with a dictionary for variety and restructures lengthy sentences
- Like Grammarly, you can create a personal dictionary for Proper Nouns or words that you do not wish to get highlighted for errors in the future.
Pros:
- Ginger’s great advantage is its extensive range of features that most tools miss out on such as text readers and translations.
- Given its potential, Ginger comes with an affordable pricing plan.
Cons:
- Cannot check plagiarism
- Shows synonyms and definitions by switching to a new tab which can be slightly burdensome
Pricing:
Ginger offers a free plan with limited features and a paid premium plan with extended options. You can subscribe to their annual plan at an affordable $7.49/month.
3) Hemingway.
When it comes to improving the readability of your texts, the Hemingway Editor can get the job done. Hemingway offers both an online version or a desktop app to its users, although the latter comes with an additional payment.
You can use Hemingway for texts in WordPress or the Medium editor. Hemingway highlights the texts for various levels of readability and grades them accordingly. You can also use it to identify sentences in the passive voice. There are other options to choose from that help you tweak the outlook of your text, such as italic, bullets, bold, and links, etc.
Features:
- Provides readability grades
- Identifies intricate sentence construction for an easier read
- Allows hyperlink
Pros:
- Certain features, such as pasting a text for a hyperlink or inserting links to external sources are absent in more renowned tools like Grammarly.
- The Hemingway app is quite affordable.
Cons:
- Doesn’t make a great bargain as a grammar proofreading tool
- Very limited test features make it a better tool for readability optimization than correcting grammar
Pricing:
You can access the software’s desktop app for a one-time payment of $19.99.
4) Language Tool.
Language Tool is a very convenient spell checker that is great for users who are not too keen on imposing assistance. Some of the tool’s features can be toggled off, for example, the read underlines if you find them too jarring. You can either install the software or copy the text in the pasting box on the site.
Language Tool will highlight the severity of your mistakes by a scheme of color gradients. With red symbolizing the most significant errors. By selecting the alternative suggestions given in the list, you can easily replace these mistakes. For mistakes that are not too severe, or simply suggestions, the software uses orange highlights. Finally, blue underlines indicate readability issues, such as repetitive sentence structures, as opposed to grammatical errors.
There is an inbuilt thesaurus and you can replace a word with a better synonym for diversity and richness of text by simply hovering over the word. You can also toggle off the option in case you do not like the clutter.
Features:
- Contains a wide assortment of test types as well as languages for proofreading
- Can proofread various dialects of English, such as British, American, Canadian, New Zealand, South African, and Australian
- Can proofread foreign languages to boot, including but not limited to, Chinese, Japanese, German, Persian, Spanish, Polish, etc.
- You can create a personal dictionary, like Grammarly, to keep the software from flagging certain words in the future.
Pros:
- Contains extensions for Firefox, Chrome, Microsoft Word and LibreOffice.
- Easy to adapt with user-friendly features.
- Performs better than Grammarly on Google Docs.
Cons:
- It’s better to install the Chrome extension instead of using it online. When you copy-paste the text on-site, it only highlights limited deficiencies.
- Certain features, such as translations and text readers, will not be available.
Pricing:
Language Tool is free to use.
5) WhiteSmoke.
Another prompt proofreading tool, WhiteSmoke offers an extensive suite of important features that helps users both with readability as well as grammatical precision. The software is compatible with any operating system or device such as Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Google Chrome, etc.
WhiteSmoke also offers translation. This feature is grounded in the Statistical Machine Translation resulting in a high degree of translation accuracy while supporting some 55 languages.
Like Grammarly, there is a simple way to deal with the highlighted or underlined deficiencies. Simply hover the cursor over the underlined word and you can choose from the extensive list of suggestions. WhiteSmoke also provides a brief explanation for why it highlights or underlines a word. Moreover, it tests the documents for some 16 different types of discrepancies including, tense, punctuation, sentence fragments, etc.
Features:
- Contains an inbuilt thesaurus to select synonyms for richness
- Provides definitions of the words selected
- Comes with a plagiarism check that is indispensable for foolproof writing
- The software uses a set color scheme to highlight mistakes with various severity indexes or error types.
- The add-on can help you with Outlook, MS Office, and similar editing boxes.
Pros:
- White Smoke provides its users with over 100 different writing templates including Resumes, cover letters, reports, thank you notes, etc
- Provides users with tutorials on basic grammar rules and Parts of Speech such as Prepositions, Adverbs, Verbs, Nouns, Pronouns, Passive voice, etc.
- You can also reach out to their customer support via email.
- Very affordable
Cons:
- Offers a very limited refund and trial policy.
- Their trial policy only lasts four days while any request for a refund must be made within 48 hours.
Pricing:
You can subscribe to WhiteSmoke’s essential monthly plan for $4.16, and its premium annual plan for $6.67
6) SlickWrite.
Another popular grammar checker is SlickWhite. It works the same way other proofreaders work. You can paste the text in the text editor and select “check” on the side.
You can also configure the settings in a few minutes and enable the features or test types that you want your document to undergo. Users may now choose from the extensive list of alternatives, spell checks, and suggestions to improve grammar and readability. It also improves redundancy, passive tenses, transitions, etc.
With the extensive list of test types, you can easily improve the flow and readability of your texts. SlickWrite offers various suggestions for more optimized and precise writing. Like Grammarly, SlickWrite does a prompt check of unnecessarily complex and wordy sentences.
Overall its extensive set of operations and rules make it a very convenient and user-friendly assistive software. Just click on the suggestion or alternative, and like Grammarly, they are instantly incorporated in the text.
Features:
- Offers several integrated features;
- Integrated with Google and Wikipedia to access related information
- Contains an inbuilt thesaurus; by selecting a word you can opt for its synonyms or learn the definitions.
Pros:
- It's one great feature is the graphical details about sentence structure, word count, and the flow of text.
- Offers detailed aggregate statistics of words, phrases, and sentences.
Cons:
- The extensive list of rules and disabling options can prove slightly inconvenient for novice users.
Pricing:
As of yet, the software is free to use with no Premium version.
7) PaperRater.
PaperRater is a great tool for analyzing texts and capturing subtle grammar mistakes using Artificial Intelligence and Data Science. It is specially designed to help students with grammar and spelling checks. You will, however, have to copy and paste your text in the edit box on their site since the software does not come with either an extension or a desktop version.
Among its list of features, there is spelling, grammar, word choice, vocabulary words, style, etc. Its publishing feature allows students to publish original data. With their vocabulary feature, you can simply insert the word and learn not just the definition but usage through example sentences.
Features:
- Driven by state-of-the-art AI technology and computer algorithms
- Integrated plagiarism checking tool that also provides the percentage of unoriginal text
- Comes with an automated text grading functionality
- Lends feedback and writing instructions in real-time; a conveniently fast proofreader with a 5-second average response rate
- You will have to paste the text separately in the plagiarism box to find the similarity index.
Pros:
- An extremely diligent tool for students who can check content originality and assess writing level
- Its vocabulary builder tool is an effective medium for users to incorporate sentence variations and add diversity.
Cons:
- The free version has several limitations.
- Files cannot be imported and you can only scan up to five pages of text.
- Without a subscription to the paid plan, the plagiarism tool will only give the similarity index without highlighting the unoriginal content.
Pricing:
You can use the free version for limited features or upgrade to the Premium plan for $11.21/month or $71.55 annually.
8) 1Checker.
In the list of the best Grammarly alternatives, 1Checker is one of the most basic tools but comes with convenience and ease of use. The software will prove a suitable match for confident English writers who only need a quick check to adjust spelling or basic grammar mishaps.
Users have the choice to either use the online proofreader or download the available desktop apps for Windows and Mac. It does not come with a Chrome extension, and Chromebook users can access the checker on site.
Features:
- A small search bar at the top allows users to access definitions they are unsure about. This bar is integrated with a small dictionary to help users with meaning and vocabulary.
- You can also use this search bar to find translations.
Pros:
- Mistakes flagged by the website come with an explanation so you learn not to repeat them each time you make one.
Cons:
- Its limited number of features and test types make it a good quick-fix tool, but cannot be relied on for extensive proofreading and text editing.
Pricing:
The software is free to use but it requires users to create an account before they can access it.
9) Online Correction.
OnlineCorrection comes with a sleek and simple design that helps users easily navigate their operations for a quick spelling and grammar check. The software identifies and highlights errors using a severity-based color scheme. Its free version is a decent alternative for Grammarly when you’re dealing with the basic errors of spelling and grammar.
As you hover the cursor over the highlighted words, you can choose from the suggested alternatives for a quick optimization. Other than grammar, it also searches for lapses in style, duplication, repetition, and punctuation.
Features:
- Identifies stylistics issues and suggests alternatives
- Comes with the auto-correction feature
- Also provides variations for sentence structures and vocabulary
- Its best part is its comparatively wider range of language support features; Online Correction can check issues in Spanish, Russian, French, German, Italian, Polish, and Portuguese.
Pros:
- Comes with an easy-to-use, minimalist design
- You do not have to sign up to access the tool
Cons:
- Limited features make it somewhat non-reliable for more comprehensive tasks
- There is no plagiarism check
Pricing:
Online Correction is a free Grammarly alternative and does not come with an upgraded plan yet.
10) Readable.
As the name indicates, Readable is particularly designed to help users with improving the readability of their texts. It not only corrects your grammar and spelling errors but also provides you with a readability score. This is an important feature both for students as well as professional bloggers who are typically responsible for keeping their writings accessible to the general audience.
These readability scores can vary based on the method of assessment that the software employs. Some of the commonly used methods are the Flesch Reading Ease Score and the Gunning Fox Index. The former ranges from 0-100 with the score of 100 representing the greatest readability. The Flesch Reading Score is a common text assessing method employed in government and educational institutions.
Similarly, the Gunning Fox Index is popular among business and professional writers. This is an index representing the number of syllables used in a sentence and words that are more than 12-letter long. Tools such as these do a commendable job in keeping your writing lucid and to the point.
Features:
- Provides users with graphical statistics around word count, sentence count, paragraphs, etc.
- Grades texts with issue counts
Pros:
- User-friendly
- A convenient two-in-one tool to optimize grammar and readability; great for professional writers.
Cons:
- Feature limitations; may not prove the most roust in the long-run
Pricing:
ContentPro : $4/month (billed annually as $48)
CommercePro: $ 24 (billed annually as $288)
AgencyPro: $69 (billed annually as $69)
FAQs.
Although this list is by no means exhaustive, it’s a great starting point if you’re looking for the best Grammarly alternative. Here are some popular FAQs if you wish to learn more.
Is Grammarly free?
There are two versions available in Grammarly: free and Premium (paid plan). There is also a Business Plan for corporate use. When you install Grammarly, you are allowed to use all of Grammarly’s limited features but for more advanced features you will have to upgrade to the paid plan.
Is Grammarly worth the money?
To answer simply, yes. Grammarly is definitely worth your money. Its Premium version will provide you with diverse suggestions and quality assurance. You can incorporate its tips into your writing, and use its advanced vocabulary to produce error-free drafts even the first time.
Is there a free alternative to Grammarly?
Some of the proofreaders listed above, such as Ginger, Language Tool, SlickWrite, 1Checker, and PaperRater are either completely free Grammarly alternatives or offer free plans with limited features.
What are the pros and cons of Grammarly?
Grammarly’s greatest edge is the sheer diversity of test types and features that it offers its customers. If you happen to be a premium user, the proofreader and plagiarism detector can prove to be solid writing assistance tools. On the downside, it's a bit pricier than many of the other proofreading tools available.
What is the best alternative to Grammarly?
For students, editors such as PaperRaters can prove quite beneficial. On the other hand, bloggers and business writers can benefit more from tools such as Readable or Hemingway. In our opinion, some of the best Grammarly alternatives are
- ProWritingAid
- Language Tool
- Ginger
- Hemingway
- WhiteSmoke
- SlickWrite
- Readable
- 1Checker
- Online Correction
Some honorable mentions include Reverso, JetPack, and Scrivener.
Is ProWritingAid better than Grammarly?
ProwritingAid is one of the best Grammarly alternatives. A closer look at the feature assortment offered by each shows that both come with their own sets of pros and cons. Grammarly shows a higher level of accuracy in error detection, but ProWritingAid is more feature-rich when it comes to fiction writing.
Which is better: QuillBot or Grammarly?
Both Grammarly and QuillBot are efficient writing optimization tools, however, Grammarly is focused on correcting all sorts of errors within a document for a sleek finished piece. QuillBot is a high-end AI-powered content writing software whose unique set of SEO features make it a convenient tool for bloggers and businesses for greater outreach.
Did You Decide on Your Go-to Writing Tool in the Future?
Hopefully, this detailed listicle helped you a little closer to your go-to writing optimization tool for the future. You must, however, keep one thing in mind. No assistive writing technology, regardless of its degree of accuracy, can be a complete replacement for a human proofreader. These tools must be treated exactly as they were envisioned, i.e., as assistive technology to help you perform better.
At the end of the day, your own intuitive understanding of the text, the audience, and your writing goals must determine the extent to which tools such as these should shape your documents.
So, which of these tools do you think has the potential to become your writing-pal in the near future? Feel free to leave your replies below!
