Grammarly is a popular online service that offers grammar assistance while writing on the web. It has millions of users thanks to the free tier the company provides. Having said that, many find the free version to be pretty limiting as it does not paraphrase the sentence or offer advanced suggestions to make your writing clear and precise. So if you are on the lookout for the best free Grammarly alternatives, then you have come to the right place. Here, we have curated a list of services like Grammarly, which are free or have an affordable premium plan. So on that note, let’s go through the list.
1. LanguageTool
LanguageTool is my favorite online grammar checker, and it is a perfect alternative to Grammarly. To clarify, the service is not free and has a similar freemium model as Grammarly. However, LanguageTool can check for errors more robustly under the free version, and you don’t even need to create an account. Also, it checks for punctuation and writing style like Grammarly, so that is great.
That said, LanguageTool has a limitation of 10,000 characters per text under the free version, so keep that in mind. Despite its hamstrung free version, the reason I recommend LanguageTool over Grammarly is its affordable price of the premium version.
You can get the premium service for $4.92 per month in comparison to $11.66 per month for Grammarly (billed annually). And in India, the LanguageTool subscription comes down to just Rs. 92 per month, which is incredible. All in all, LanguageTool is one of the best free Grammarly alternatives, and you should give it a shot.
PROS CONS Robust algorithm to check errors Limitation of 10,000 characters per text Web app Extension and add-ins available Quite affordable
Check Out LanguageTool (Free, Premium subscription starts at $4.92/month)
2. ProWritingAid
ProWritingAid is another excellent Grammarly alternative that offers both free and paid services. It does not have many limitations in the free version. Just like Grammarly, it performs grammar and spell checking, reduces redundancies, improves readability, and much more. To get started with ProWritingAid, you need to install its extension and create a free account.
But, keep in mind, it does not have a web editor. That means you will have to either install its app or use its browser and app extensions. Note that some of the app extensions, like the ones for Google Docs or Microsoft Office 365, will only work with a paid subscription. To sum up, if you are looking for a free grammar checker but can move to a premium plan for more features, then ProWritingAid makes a lot of sense.
PROS CONS Advanced proofreading Need to create an account Compatible with online services Need a premium plan for Google Docs / Office 365 integration Readability score Extension available
Check Out ProWritingAid (Free, Premium subscription starts at $20/month)
3. Ginger
Ginger is a popular alternative to Grammarly that offers its services to both free and paid users. Just like Grammarly, it uses an AI-powered model to rephrase sentences, and offers contextual suggestions, synonyms, and more. Ginger can also help you get creative with your writing by suggesting new phrases rather than index words.
The best part about Ginger is that it is compatible with almost every text field. No matter if you are writing on Twitter, Facebook, or Google Docs, it will work. It checks your grammar, spelling, and punctuation to ensure a proper sentence structure. I think Ginger and Grammarly are pretty similar in terms of features, and you should give it a try. On top of that, Ginger is comparatively cheaper, coming at $6.24 per month (billed annually).
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| AI-powered error checking | Some advanced features available to paid users only |
| Compatible with any text field on the web | |
| Smart suggestions for phrases | |
| Affordable premium plan |
Check Out Ginger (Free, Premium subscriptions starts at $6.24 per month)
4. Sapling.ai
Sapling.ai is not just a grammar checker, but it’s also an AI-based writing assistant that can help you improve your writing style by many folds. The best part is that it also offers a free service and offers spell and grammar checks, autocomplete suggestions, and more. What I love about Sapling.ai is that its Chrome extension works on almost every text field on the web, except for Microsoft Office 365. You have to install a separate add-on to make it work with your Office documents.
As for the technology, Sapling uses deep learning technology to suggest smart recommendations while you are writing on the web. And due to this tech, it can also detect the tone of the writing and recommend changes accordingly. To conclude, Sapling.ai is a worthy alternative to Grammarly that is free, and it works wonderfully well.
PROS CONS Uses Deep Learning technology Premium plan is quite expensive Autocomplete suggestions Adjust the tone of the writing Extensions available
Check Out Sapling.ai (Free, Premium subscription starts at $25/month)
5. Hemingway Editor
In a way, Hemingway Editor is a proper alternative to Grammarly because it allows you to edit texts and documents directly on the web without asking you to install an extension or add-on. Apart from that, it offers you six parameters to judge your writing. For instance, it detects adverbs in your content and asks you to limit it to a particular number. Similarly, it discourages the use of passive voice and underlines the text for quick assessment.
And if there is a simpler alternative to a phrase or a word, Hemingway Editor recommends that word as well. Not to mention, it also gives a readability score so you can get a fair idea of where your text stands in terms of natural reading and comprehension. All in all, Hemingway Editor is a great free grammar checker just like Grammarly, and you should give it a shot. If you are looking for a premium version, you can go for its dedicated application for Windows and macOS which costs $19.99.
PROS CONS Offers web app Free version is limited Five parameters to judge writing Readability score Easy to use
Check Out Hemingway Editor (Free, One-time purchase of $19.99)
6. SlickWrite
Sometimes, just checking your grammar is not enough and that is when you require more than just a free tool. That is exactly where SlickWrite comes in. Although it is a free tool, it offers tons of advanced features that allow you to do a detailed analysis of your writing. Yes, of course you could check if you are using Passive Voices or Adverbs and other grammatical elements way too much. However, it does not end there. You can also check the Flow and Vocabulary Variety of your writing.
That’s still not the end of what all you can do with SlickWrite. You could also pull up the Statistics of you writeup and check how many words it comprises of. You have to use it to believe it, and for a free tool, it certainly does surpass all expectations. Easily, one of the best free Grammarly alternatives to use out there.
PROS CONS Completely free Does not offer suggestions Highlights even the most basic of grammatical errors Very easy to use interface
Check Out SlickWrite (Free)
7. WordTune
There aren’t many Grammarly alternatives that look as good as WordTune. With it, you can take your writing to the next level by taking advantage of a variety of features. It is possible to reframe your sentences in an effective manner by utilizing the Rewrite feature. Additionally, you can spice up your writing by adding spice, selecting a Casual or Formal tone, and shortening/expanding sentences. In addition to preventing double reading, this allows you to ensure that your writing is clear and concise.
In addition, it’s also pretty easy to use, and won’t leave you scratching your head for long. If you need more rewrites or spices than what the free version offers, you can upgrade. The Unlimited and Business plans offer pretty much unlimited everything. So, those two premium plans are surely the better deals. I actually rewrote this entire bit using the free WordTune rewrite suggestions. Pretty cool, eh?
PROS CONS Great interface to work with Basic premium plan does not offer unlimited rewrites and spices Offers up to a certain number of free rewrites The Spices feature comes in very handy as well
Check Out WordTune (Free, WordTune Plus starts at $9.99/month)
8. Outwrite
Outwrite is a simple grammar checker that focuses on basic proofreading under the free version and has a robust algorithm to detect errors if you choose to get the premium version. Like Grammarly, the free version supports spell checking, basic grammar and punctuation checking, paraphrasing tool, and thesaurus. The best part is that you have a web editor as well, where you can paste your text and edit instantly.
Not to mention, you also have an extension for Chrome, a separate add-in for Microsoft Word, and more. And if you get the premium version, then you will get features like Eloquence improvement, sentence rewriting, experimental suggestions, and much more. So, to sum it all up, you are looking at one of the best free Grammarly alternatives in Outwrite.
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| Offers web app | Slow in identifying errors |
| Basic grammar check and some advanced proofreading | |
| Extensions available for various services | |
| Thesaurus support |
Check Out Outwrite (Free, Premium subscriptions starts at $9.95 per month)
9. WhiteSmoke
WhiteSmoke is a premium Grammarly alternative that you can use to detect grammatical errors and spelling mistakes. Although WhiteSmoke has a free version of it, I wouldn’t use it. The rather claustrophobic 250 characters limit does not make any sense other than giving you a quick glimpse into how the tool works. However, the actual premium version of it is worlds apart from the supposedly free web version.
Moving to the premium version, it is a web application as well. Yes, disappointing I know. However, once you start using it, you won’t run into any issues as such. Moreover, the paid version does bring a whole lot to the table, including a plagiarism checker, punctuation checker, grammer checker and more.
PROS CONS Compatible with browsers, MS Office, Gmail, etc Basic paid plan does not offer MS Office integration Paid plans are very affordable Free version has a measly 250 characters limit Super easy to use Web-based application
Check Out WhiteSmoke (Free, Premium starting at $59.95/year)
10. Sentencecheckup
Last but not least, we have Sentencecheckup, which is another free Grammarly alternative that you can use. There are no paid plans to purchase either. So, don’t keep a whole lot of expectations when trying it out. This is a very basic yet useful tool for checking for grammatical errors. I used it for a while for my day-to-day writing and I found it to be pretty useful. For a free tool, it is pretty good and gets the job done.
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| Compatible with browsers, MS Office, Gmail, etc | Basic paid plan does not offer MS Office integration |
| Paid plans are very affordable | Free version has a measly 250 characters limit |
| Super easy to use | Web-based application |
Check Out Sentencecheckup (Free)
So, these are our 10 best picks for the best free Grammarly alternatives. You can pick any one of them based on your need to get started with improving your writing. Personally, I like LanguageTool because it has a clean UI and offers a web-based text editor. Not to mention, it’s pretty affordable too. Anyway, that is all from us. In case you are looking for the best writing apps for Mac, then head over to our linked article. And if you have any questions, then do let us know in the comment section below.
Anshuman Jain
