Grammarly is one of the most popular online text editing software. It is a tool that most writers turn to for checking plagiarism, syntax, grammar, and vocabulary.
But it isn’t perfect for everyone.
Luckily, countless other tools are equally as effective in performing the tasks that Grammarly is famous for.
Out of all the alternatives, ProWritingAid leads the pack; and just like Grammarly, it is easily integrated with MS Word, Gmail, Google Docs, Google Chrome, Apache Open Office, Scrivener, etc.
Tip: Whether you are a pro writer or just a beginner, you need a grammar checker to sort of fine-tune some aspects of your text.
However, there are many factors to consider when selecting a grammar checking tool. Don’t just purchase any paid tool without knowing whether the premium plan is worth it—does the full package have a “full package”?
Most of these tools have free versions and trial plans, so try them before you buy to see if the tool is better suited to your specific needs.
Grammarly Quick Review
Before we start reviewing the alternatives, there are questions that ought to be answered.
What is Grammarly, and what does it do?
It’s a writing tool. Well, it, sort of, leans on the editing part of writing. It identifies grammar and punctuation mistakes, checks spellings, checks your text for plagiarism, checks the text’s writing style (gives a readability score, checks sentence-length, etc.), among other multitudes of tasks.
Who Should Use Grammarly?
- Authors
- Academicians
- Bloggers
- Students
- Proofreaders
- Anyone who cares about their writing
Grammarly Pros
- Faster real-time response.
- Very easy to use, intuitive interfaces.
- Versatile.
- In-depth and educative explanations and suggestions.
- Customizable: you can set the language, add words to the dictionary, and set your writing goals.
Grammarly Cons
- A bit pricey.
- Has a limited free version.
Our Top 3 Grammarly Alternatives at a Glance
1. ProWritingAid
ProWritingAid is by far the best Grammarly alternative–It has similar features and is equally efficient. This tool is very similar to Grammarly premium.
This text editor and style checker software eliminates errors, optimizes vocabulary, and improves sentence structure.
You can edit any content on ProWritingAid; blog articles, novels, academic texts, social media posts, etc.
Pricing
ProWritingAid offers free, premium (around $20 monthly, $79 annually), and premium+ (around $24 monthly, $89 annually) packages. They also offer lifetime plans: premium (around $399), and premium+ (around $499)
Features:
- Offers comprehensive and well-detailed reports—close to 2 dozen different types of reports, handy when analyzing your content.
- Provides readability analyses that help you to gauge how easily readable your content is.
- Offers content-tailored Thesaurus suggestions (suggests synonyms based on the wording used in your writing).
- Compatible with Mac and Windows.
- Integrates with MS Word, Gmail, Google Docs, Google Chrome, Apache Open Office, Scrivener, etc.
Cons:
- Doesn’t have a mobile app for Android or iOS.
- Aggressive package plans that stuff key features in the premium version.
- Slower than Grammarly.
ProWritingAid vs Grammarly
ProWritingAid is a worthy rival to Grammarly Premium with its quick and accurate real-time editing capabilities.
Just like Grammarly, ProWritingAid packs extra additional text checking features. Among the many features, it checks for clichés, vague words, redundancies, and weak alliterations.
Plus, if you use Scrivener, then it’s an excellent tool for you because it supports Scrivener among other word processing tools.
So, it’s up there with Grammarly, just that it’s a bit slower and not as sleek as Grammarly.
Read more in the ProWritingAid review.
2. Ginger Software
Ginger software is a great alternative to Grammarly, and the most exciting thing is that it’s free. I love this software, and I have its keyboard on my android.
It is so versatile; apart from the mobile app, it also has a desktop version and plug-ins for various web browsers.
Do not waste your money on $15 proofreaders; Ginger will help you find the proper spellings, correct grammatical mistakes, and offer various other proofreading features. Everything is in real-time, so you’re notified as soon as you commit an error.
The Ginger software has advanced natural language programming and also offers grammatical suggestions by providing alternative vocabulary for commonly used terminology.
And most of these features are for free? Yup! And there’s a lot more, actually.
Ginger also has a built-in translator that helps you translate your writing in 60 different languages, again, for free.
Pricing
Ginger has a free version. It also has a premium version which costs $20.97 / month when paid monthly, $7.49/month when paid annually, and $6.66 / month when paid biyearly.
Features
- Language Translation: translates text into 60 different languages.
- It has a personal dictionary for adding new, personal words to the vocabulary.
- Supports many systems and web browsers: Windows, Chrome, Safari, iOS, Mac, and Android.
- Has Emojis and customizable themes for your mobile phone keyboards. Matches typed words to emojis and suggests appropriate emojis to speed up your writing.
Cons:
- Does not work on Google Docs.
- Takes longer to correct errors than Grammarly.
- Has a limited free version.
Ginger vs Grammarly
Ginger performs better for users who speak English as a second language. Ginger offers support to more than 60 languages.
Both Ginger and Grammarly are accurate and comprehensive checkers, but again, Grammarly edges out Ginger because it is faster and detects more errors than Ginger.
3. WhiteSmoke
Cost-efficient software alternative to Grammarly
Whether you’re a student, freelance writer, business exec, blogger, or English learner, WhiteSmoke will help you churn out mistake-free work.
With the aid of Natural Language Processing technology that utilizes unique and patented artificial intelligence and algorithms, you’ll be able to analyze and edit your text fast and efficiently.
WhiteSmoke offers grammatical and punctuation corrections, plagiarism checking, spell checking, style checking, and supports translations of about 55 languages.
The tool integrates well with word processors MS Word, Google Docs, and MS Office and supports various web browsers like Chrome, Safari, and Firefox.
Pricing
WhiteSmoke has an online solution package that costs $5 per month (works with all web browsers and operating systems). It also has Premium and Business packages which cost $6.66 and $11.50, respectively.
Features
- Integrates with Microsoft Word & Outlook.
- It has spelling, grammar, punctuation, style & plagiarism checkers.
- Comes with over 100 document & letter templates.
- It has a translator for over 50 languages.
- It has a personal dictionary.
- Offers error explanations and text enrichment.
- Works On Mac OS, Windows, and all browsers.
Cons
- Slower than Grammarly.
- Has no free browser extensions.
WhiteSmoke vs Grammarly
In WhiteSmoke, I see another grammar and spelling checker with all the necessary basic tools but lacks other essential ones that make Grammarly a convenient tool.
Of course, it offers many similar grammar and plagiarism checking features at a lower price than Grammarly, but its apps (mobile and desktop) lack the sophistication that Grammarly apps have.
The apps don’t allow you to upload documents, so you have to paste everything, I mean, EVERYTHING.
More Grammarly Alternatives
The grammar checker software category is flooded with tools. Here are more Grammarly alternatives.
4.Hemingway
Bulky paragraphs filled with irrelevant content are an annoyance. The Hemmingway App helps you shed off and fix the extra irrelevant and reprehensible body of your text, thereby improving readability.
The Hemmingway app is different from the other proofreading tools; instead of focusing on grammar and spellings, the Hemmingway tries to While the other analyze and break down complex sentences and correct adverbs and weakening phrases, lengthy sentences, and passive voice.
The editor uses a convenient color scheme to suggest changes.
- Yellow highlighting indicates lengthy, complex sentences and common errors; this means that you have to shorten or split the sentence.
- Green highlighting means that there has been the use of passive voice.
- Blue highlighting indicates unnecessary adverbs and weakening phrases.
- Red highlighting indicates dense hard-to-read text.
- Purple highlighting suggests that a shorter word can be used in place of the highlighted ones.
Pricing
The Hemmingway online editor is free, but the desktop app will cost you around $19.99.
Features
- Allows offline use .
- Has a one-click prose formatting feature.
- Has a one-click publishing feature; publish your text to Medium or WordPress directly.
- Work can be shared with Hemingway’s highlights for third-party analysis.
- Once edited, your work can be exported to regular word processors like MS Word.
Cons:
- Weak grammar checker tool.
- Lax detection of missing words.
5. After The Deadline
After The Deadline is a zero-cost proofreading tool for web developers. It is a cloud-based software that uses AI and natural language processing technology to help you produce error-free work.
With After the Deadline, you can check your work for grammar errors, misspelled words, and style issues.
All for free!
After the Deadline supports and can be deployed on the following platforms: cloud, SaaS, and web browsers.
Pricing:
After the Deadline is a free-to-use tool.
Features
- Grammar checker.
- Contextual Spelled.
- Spell Checker .
- Errors Explanation.
- Style Checker .
Cons:
- Unstable chrome extension.
- No offline usage.
6. Reverso
This tool is powered by Ginger software. Reverso is a web translator, a spelling, punctuation, and grammar checker.
Reverso—which offers translations in 14 languages—translates words, phrases, idioms, and other sentences. Apart from its translation capabilities, it checks grammar errors, misspellings, and punctuation.
If you like working with larger texts at a time, then there’s one thing you won’t like about Reverso; it has a 600-character limit. It’s a total turn-off because that means that you can only analyze short texts.
Pricing
Reverso is completely free.
Features
- Offers Convincing translations in multiple languages.
- Can be used offline.
- Flashcards for Memorizing words.
- It has a search history.
Cons:
- Has a 600-character limit.
- Has no desktop app.
7. Linguix
Just like most grammar checkers that I have reviewed, Linguix is a premium writing assistant that has both paid and free versions. The free version has basic grammar and spelling checking features.
And, expectedly, the premium version has a lot of the juice; it offers vocabulary enhancements, snippets, and has more grammar and spelling checks.
Linguix works via various platforms; it has a Chrome browser extension, a web-based editor, and a smartphone keyboard (Android and iOS).
At the moment, Linguix doesn’t have either a Word add-in or desktop app.
Pricing
There’s a free version. The premium version costs $18.95/month when paid monthly, $12/month when paid quarterly, and $8/month when paid annually.
Features
- Chrome extension.
- Android/iOS keyboards.
- Has snippets for economizing your time.
- Comprehensive analytics .
Cons:
- Doesn’t have a desktop app.
- Has no MS Word add-in.
8. LanguageTool
LanguageTool is one of the most diverse content checking tools; the tool checks text in more than 20 languages.
As a proofreading software, LanguageTool offers grammatical, style, and spelling checking features.
Apart from the grammar and spelling features, both the Free and Premium versions also offer you access to a personal dictionary, quality scores, et cetera.
This multilingual grammar and style checker can be used via a desktop application (which can be used offline). It also has plugins for web browsers including Chrome, Opera, and Firefox; add-ins for Google Docs, Microsoft Word, OpenOffice, and LibreOffice.
Pricing
LanguageTool has a free package. The premium versions cost $19/month paid monthly, $13/month paid quarterly, $4.92/month paid yearly, and $4.13/month paid biyearly.
Features
- Highly accurate multilingual grammar and style checks
- Has more web browser extensions (including Opera, which Grammarly doesn’t have)
- Add-ins for Google Docs, Word, OpenOffice, and LibreOffice.
Cons:
- No plagiarism checker.
- Doesn’t flag passive voice.
9. Slick Write
Cloud-based and more in-depth checks for non-native speakers. Very convenient.
Currently, Slick Write doesn’t have any premium plan, it is completely free.
All you need is a working internet connection and your content. Let’s go.
It flags—in real-time—redundancies, passive voice, unnecessary adverbs, repeated pronouns and other words, et cetera.
Pricing
Slick write doesn’t have premium plans (completely free).
Features
- Quick and comprehensive analysis.
- Plugins for Chrome and Firefox.
Cons:
- Has no plagiarism checker or punctuation checker.
- No desktop or mobile app is available (online only).
10. 1Checker
Best Tool for Non-Native English Speakers
This tool was specifically designed for non-native English speakers who haven’t fully grasped the fluidity and intricacy of English grammar.
1Checker performs the “natural online grammar checker” tasks like spelling, grammar, style, and vocabulary enhancement.
However, since it was designed for non-native English speakers, it can also flag mistakes that are usually committed by non-native, including Incorrect use of articles subject-verb agreement, wrong verb tenses, and incorrect order of adjectives.
Pricing
1Checker is an entirely free tool.
Features
- Flags mistakes often made by non-native English speakers.
- Provides personalized suggestions.
- Add-ins for Word and Outlook.
Cons:
- Slower than most grammar checkers.
- Doesn’t flag passive voice.
- Doesn’t thoroughly distinguish nouns.
11. Scribens
Before reading a couple of reviews, I considered Scribens to be the perfect choice for any penny-pinching writer like myself.
When I discovered it, I thought, “this is it, right here, the king of freebies.”
Having seen a couple of blogs initially hyping it and claiming that it was the best completely free Grammarly alternative, I discovered that it was nowhere near Grammarly Premium or ProWritingAid Premium.
And it was a paid tool. What?
Imagine the heartbreak, Bloggers…
Still, this tool does a great job.
Scribens uses advanced syntactical algorithms to identify and remedy over 250 types of grammar, spelling, and stylistic errors.
The tool has a free version that offers you a lot of error corrections, educative grammar explanations, offers synonyms, conjugations, definitions, and detects repetitions and redundancies.
Pricing
It has free and premium versions. The premium version costs €9.90/month paid monthly, €19.90/month paid quarterly, and €49.90 paid annually.
Features
- Simple and comprehensive user interface.
- Extensions for Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Safari.
- Add-ins Word (Windows and Mac), Excel, LibreOffice, OpenOffice, Google Docs.
- 250 different kinds of grammar, spelling, and stylistic error-checks.
Cons:
- Can be a bit inaccurate.
- No plagiarism checking.
- Not multilingual.
12. SpellCheckPlus
SpellCheckPlus is an online grammar and spelling checker that does a similar job to the 1Checker grammar checker—it is designed for people who speak English as a second language.
Apart from correcting grammar mistakes, spellings, and punctuation, the tool focuses on common errors made by non-native English speakers including commonly confused words, capitalization, apostrophes, et cetera.
SpellCheckPlus has a free and a paid version. But, on the free version, users are only allowed to submit a maximum of 2000 characters, limiting the amount of text you can analyze at a time.
Although SpellCheckPlus is designed for non-native English speakers, the web editor has a box you can tick to specify that you’re Anglophone so that the tool depresses some checks.
Pricing
SpellCheckPlus offers a free version. You can access extra features by purchasing a one-year license which costs a meager $14.99.
Features
- Designed for second language learners
- Visual teaching tool
- Flags common errors committed by non-native English speakers
- A learning tool
- Gives summary reports
- Provides suggestions
- Thesaurus
- Enables archiving
- Interactive grammar exercises
Cons:
- Only available via the web-based app.
- Fewer features than other grammar checkers.
Notable Mentions
Apart from the grammar checkers that I have reviewed in this article, there are others that do an equally excellent job. Here’s a couple of intelligent grammar checking software that are at least worthy of mention. If there are any that I have missed, let me know, and I might just review them in an updated post.
- Microsoft Word
- Google Docs
- Paper Rater
- SentenceCheckup
- Writer.Com
Having Seen the Alternatives, Is Grammarly Premium Worth It?
With so many alternatives (paid and free), Grammarly free doesn’t seem to be the best proofreading tool. Most of the tools do a better job than Grammarly free.
However, the Premium version is faster, sleeker, more intuitive, and flags far more errors than its competition. So, for a serious writer, the worthiness of Grammarly isn’t a topic that should be up for debate.
It is worth every penny; in fact, it is a must-have. If you want variety and can afford multiple checkers, go ahead and purchase other plans from other proofreading tools. But it’s prudent to be more focused on one checker that seems to represent your writing style and needs.
Why Do We Need Grammarly Alternatives?
Grammarly is a comprehensive proofreading tool and the pricing plans stem from the consideration of the quality of all its features.
For some people, grammar and spelling checks are enough; for them the extra features are not useful. And to fork out all that money for mere grammar and spelling checks is a bit wasteful.
Therefore, subscribing to a cheap alternative that is basically a grammar and spelling checker with fewer extra features seems like a very good deal.
Moreover, some grammar checkers are built to aid non-native English speakers better than Grammarly does. So, in a certain aspect (probably a very minute aspect), some of these alternatives are better than Grammarly.
Is There a Cheaper Alternative to Grammarly?
Grammarly is pricey and a lot of its competitors are cheaper. However, most of them are cheaper for a reason.
Some of them are new tools and lower their subscription fees just to undercut the competition. Others know they offer less value, so they know they can’t compete with Grammarly’s prices.
But the only alternative that is relatively inexpensive but offers excellent value is ProWritingAid (it is something that I have repeatedly said in this article and the ProWritingAid review).
Is there something better than Grammarly?
Hmm… No?
NO!
For some reason (I presume paid campaigns by grammar checkers) claim that Grammarly isn’t the best. But objectively speaking, there’s isn’t anything better out there.
Is there something more affordable? Yes.
Is it better? I don’t know. Am I a better writer than Hemmingway?
The answers to these questions are similar.
So, What’s The Best Grammarly Alternative?
All of Grammarly’s competitors are pretty much the same. They have similar features and pricing averages are almost the same.
But, ProWritingAid is the best among them. The desktop app enables you to work with Scrivener files, seamless integrations and has a lifetime subscription offer.
Which grammar checker—apart from Grammarly—could possibly be better?
