Whether you’re sending an email to a client or posting a blog about your business, writing is an essential skill. Strong writing makes you appear more professional, convincing, and persuasive. Fortunately, numerous tools on the market can help you improve your writing. One of the most well-known options is Grammarly. However, it’s not the only grammar and writing tool available. If you plan to rely on a writing tool to optimize your communication and content, it’s crucial to choose the best one for your needs.
This article explores some of the best grammar and style checkers available, showcasing their features, pricing, and how they can enhance your writing skills. Let’s dive in!
Overview of Grammarly
Initially designed to detect spelling and grammatical errors, Grammarly now offers a wide array of features that go beyond basic corrections. It has evolved into a comprehensive writing assistant that analyzes your text for various aspects, making it a go-to tool for many writers.
Applications
Grammarly provides several applications to enhance your writing:
- Chrome Extension: The Grammarly extension for Chrome allows you to utilize Grammarly’s suggestions in Gmail, WordPress, and any other web content you write.
- Desktop Application: You can download Grammarly as a desktop application for Windows, enabling you to drag and drop any document you want to proofread.
- Microsoft Office Add-in: There’s a specific application for Microsoft Office, which helps you write Word documents or Outlook emails.
- Mobile Applications: Grammarly offers apps for Android and iOS to review your texts or documents on the go.
- Online Editor: If you prefer not to install anything, you can use Grammarly’s online text editor directly from your web browser.
What Grammarly Is Used For
Grammarly analyzes your text and assesses various aspects, including:
- Correction: Identifies spelling, grammatical, and punctuation errors.
- Clarity: Provides suggestions to enhance the clarity of your writing.
- Engagement: Evaluates if your writing is exciting and engaging.
- Tone of Voice: Analyzes the tone, determining if it sounds formal, casual, assertive, or timid.
While correction and clarity features are available in the free version, engagement and tone analysis are part of the premium offering. You can set specific writing goals for each document, such as whether your writing should be formal or informal, and who your target audience is.
Grammarly also assigns a “score” to your text, which you can improve by accepting its suggestions.
Grammarly Pricing
Grammarly offers three pricing plans:
- Grammarly Free: Includes basic grammar and spelling checks, along with some suggestions for clarity.
- Grammarly Premium: Priced at $30 per month, $60 per quarter, or $144 per year. It includes grammar checks, plagiarism detection, tone-focused suggestions, and rewriting assistance.
- Grammarly Business: Pricing depends on the number of users, starting at $12.50 per month per user. It offers everything in the Premium plan, plus brand style guides and team analytics.
Why Choose an Alternative to Grammarly?
While Grammarly offers many features that can significantly improve your writing, it may not be the best solution for everyone. Here are several reasons to consider alternatives:
- Cost: Although Grammarly provides a free version, its premium plans are not the cheapest on the market. You may find other options that offer the specific features you need at a better price.
- Limited Rewriting: Grammarly offers helpful suggestions, but if your primary goal is to rewrite your work, it may not be the best choice.
- Language Limitations: Grammarly focuses mainly on English and does not support other languages. If you need multilingual support or translation, you may need a different tool.
- Integration Options: While Grammarly integrates with many applications, other tools may offer integrations that better suit your business needs.
Most alternatives on this list offer free versions or affordable basic plans, allowing you to try them out and see which works best for you.
The 13 Best Alternatives to Grammarly
Let’s explore 13 alternatives to Grammarly, detailing their key features and pricing.
1. ProWritingAid
ProWritingAid is one of Grammarly’s main competitors, providing many similar features. In addition to grammar and spelling checks, the free version of ProWritingAid offers style suggestions. To access the full suite of features, you’ll need the Premium version.
ProWritingAid includes unique reports, such as alliteration analysis and dialogue tag checks, which are not available in Grammarly. The free version runs checks only on the first 500 words of your document.
Key Features:
- Grammar checker
- Plagiarism checker
- Style checker
- Synonym suggestions
- Browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge
- Integrations with Microsoft Office, Google Docs, Scrivener, etc.
- Extensive writing reports
Pricing:
- Free version available
- Premium: $20 per month, $79 per year, or $399 for a lifetime license
2. Hemingway App
Named after the renowned writer known for his concise style, the Hemingway App helps you eliminate unnecessary words and complex phrases from your writing. You can paste your work into the free online editor, which highlights adverbs, passive voice, and difficult-to-read sentences, giving your text a readability score.
For users looking to publish directly to their blogs, the desktop version of Hemingway, available for $19.99, allows easy integration with WordPress.
Key Features:
- Highlights long, complex sentences, adverbs, and passive voice
- Readability score
- Online editor
- Desktop applications for Windows and macOS
- Integrations with Medium and WordPress
- Export options to Word or PDF
Pricing:
- Free online version
- Desktop application: $19.99
3. WhiteSmoke
WhiteSmoke features a grammar checker, style checker, plagiarism detector, and translation tools. Its features are somewhat basic compared to Grammarly, but it shines in certain areas, including support for more browser types and native desktop applications for macOS and Windows.
One downside is that WhiteSmoke does not offer a free version, but its web-based plan is cheaper than Grammarly Premium and includes its style checker.
Key Features:
- Grammar checker
- Style checker
- Plagiarism checker
- Browser extensions for Chrome, Safari, Opera, and Firefox
- Desktop and mobile applications
- Email and document templates
- Translation tools
Pricing:
- No free version
- Web: $59.95 per year, $124.95 for three years
- Premium: $79.95 per year, $199.95 for three years
- Business: $137.95 per year, $317.50 for three years
4. Readable
Readable evaluates the readability of your text using algorithms like Flesch-Kincaid and Gunning-Fog. It offers grammar and style checks to identify issues like passive voice, clichés, and excessive adverbs.
Readable’s URL checker allows you to analyze existing web pages, with Premium users able to see a complete history of their URL scores. Although it doesn’t have a free version, a seven-day trial of the ContentPro plan is available.
Key Features:
- Grammar checker
- Style checker
- Readability tests
- Keyword density checking
- Web, document, and email compatibility
- URL analysis
- Integrations with Dropbox and Slack
Pricing:
- Seven-day free trial of ContentPro
- ContentPro: $8 per month or $48 per year
- CommercePro: $48 per month or $288 per year
- AgencyPro: $138 per month or $828 per year
5. WordTune
WordTune distinguishes itself by focusing on rewriting complete sentences rather than just checking grammar. Hovering over a sentence prompts multiple suggestions for rephrasing. For example, if you write, “I’m looking for the best grammar tool to create impressive content for my website,” WordTune might suggest alternatives like, “My website needs a good grammar tool if I want to write compelling content” or a more formal option.
The Premium version allows users to specify whether they want formal or informal rewrites and whether to shorten or lengthen sentences.
Key Features:
- Multiple rewriting suggestions for sentences
- Synonym highlighting
- Chrome extension and online editor
Pricing:
- Free version available
- Premium: $24.99 per month or $119.88 per year
6. Ginger
Ginger Software offers many features similar to Grammarly, including rephrasing suggestions. The free browser extension has a limit of 600 characters and provides basic grammar checks. However, it does offer rewriting suggestions and synonyms.
The Premium plan provides additional style suggestions and the ability to translate text into over 40 languages.
Key Features:
- Grammar checker
- Rewriting suggestions
- Dictionary search
- Translation tools
- Online editor
- Chrome extension
- Desktop and mobile applications
Pricing:
- Free version available
- Premium: $13.99 per month, $89.88 per year, or $167.76 for two years
7. Sapling
Sapling is designed to work with CRM and messaging platforms, helping sales and support teams draft personalized responses. It offers grammar correction and style suggestions while enabling users to quickly insert frequently used text snippets.
Administrators can review team writing scores and error reports to ensure professional communication with clients. Sapling integrates with many helpdesk solutions like Zendesk and marketing tools like Salesforce and Hubspot.
Key Features:
- Focus on customer service teams
- Integrates with many CRM and helpdesk tools
- Browser extensions for Chrome, Edge, and Firefox
- AI learns from past interactions
Pricing:
- Free version available
- Premium: $25 per user per month
8. LanguageTool
LanguageTool is an open-source grammar checker that supports multiple languages, making it an excellent choice for international teams. Users can download it as a browser extension or desktop application, allowing them to correct grammar mistakes and style issues in real-time.
The premium version features advanced grammar checks, plagiarism detection, and customized dictionaries.
Key Features:
- Grammar and style checker
- Plagiarism detection
- Real-time suggestions
- Browser extensions and desktop application
- Supports over 25 languages
Pricing:
- Free version available
- Premium: €19 per month, €39 per quarter, or €59 per year
9. Textio
Textio specializes in enhancing business writing, particularly in job descriptions and recruitment materials. Its AI-powered insights help users refine their writing to attract more applicants. Textio’s features focus on inclusivity and language to foster better engagement with potential hires.
Textio is primarily designed for large organizations and can also analyze writing across various business communications, offering insights and suggestions to enhance effectiveness.
Key Features:
- AI writing assistant
- Style suggestions
- Inclusivity checker
- Business-focused
- Comprehensive analytics
Pricing:
- Free trial available
- Pricing available upon request
10. Quillbot
Quillbot is primarily a paraphrasing tool that helps users rewrite sentences, paragraphs, and articles with its AI-driven technology. While it doesn’t offer full grammar checks, it provides options for synonym changes and structure adjustments.
Quillbot is great for anyone who needs to rewrite existing content quickly or enhance creativity in writing.
Key Features:
- Paraphrasing tool
- Grammar checker
- Summarizer tool
- Browser extension
- Integrations with Google Docs and Microsoft Word
Pricing:
- Free version available
- Premium: $14.95 per month, $79.95 per year
11. Outwrite
Outwrite is designed to help students and professionals improve their writing. It provides grammar checks, style suggestions, and a plagiarism checker, offering writing insights in real time.
The browser extension can analyze texts in various formats, such as Word or Google Docs, to provide in-context suggestions.
Key Features:
- Grammar checker
- Style checker
- Plagiarism detection
- Real-time suggestions
- Supports various document formats
Pricing:
- Free version available
- Premium: $19.95 per month or $99.95 per year
12. Slick Write
Slick Write is a free tool that offers grammar and style checks, as well as detailed reports on your writing. Users can analyze sentence structure, readability, and even potential errors in their writing.
Slick Write’s minimalist interface allows you to quickly paste text, making it an excellent option for anyone looking for fast, straightforward corrections.
Key Features:
- Grammar checker
- Style checker
- Readability analysis
- Detailed reports
- Browser-based
Pricing:
- Free
13. SpellCheckPlus
SpellCheckPlus is another grammar checking tool aimed at helping English learners improve their writing. It focuses on correcting common mistakes while offering suggestions for style improvements.
The interface is user-friendly, making it easy for beginners to navigate and understand their writing issues.
Key Features:
- Grammar and style checker
- Supports English learners
- Simple interface
Pricing:
- Free version available
- Premium: $14.95 per month
Conclusion
While Grammarly is a popular choice among writers and professionals, numerous alternatives can meet your specific writing needs. Each tool listed above offers unique features and pricing structures, making it essential to evaluate your requirements before deciding.
Consider factors such as the type of writing you do, the level of support you need, and your budget when choosing a grammar tool. Many of these options offer free trials or versions, allowing you to test their effectiveness before committing to a premium plan. With the right tool, you can elevate your writing and enhance your communication skills, ensuring that your content resonates with your audience.