The Best Grammarly Alternatives Of 2020 (Reviews & Pricing)

Are you looking for Grammarly alternatives or proofreading software that will transform your writing into a polished masterpiece? 

It’s no secret that Grammarly is one of the best online grammar checkers on the market. Powerful Word and Outlook integrations combine with artificial intelligence to make it great for writers, authors and bloggers alike. 

I use it almost daily, but Grammarly isn’t for everyone.

Fortunately, there are lots of editing tools that writers can pick from.

In this article, I’ll go over the features, pricing and pros and cons of the five best Grammarly alternatives on the market (including two that are great for non-native English speakers). 

I’ll also cover some free alternatives to Grammarly.

If you’re searching for different features, a lower price point, or simply a new grammar checker tool, you’ll find it here!

Ready to fine-tune your writing skills and publish killer content? 

Let’s go!

Please note, this list of Grammarly alternatives contains affiliate links meaning I earn a small commission if you sign up. I only ever recommend products I use and trust.

1. ProWritingAid

Most people consider ProWritingAid the best Grammarly alternative. 

Why?

It offers similar features with the same level of accuracy! This text editor and style checker software eliminates errors, optimizes vocabulary, and improves sentence structure. 

ProWritingAid is a great writing and editing tool for all types of content, including blog articles, books, social media posts, and editor’s notes.

The online editor will also check for:

• Overused words
• Clichés
• Sticky sentences (long sentences that should be edited down)
• Readability
• Passive voice
• Incorrect tenses
• And more!

The ProWritingAid app also has a web browser plug-in for nearly all web browsers like Google Chrome and Firefox.

Unfortunately, there’s currently no mobile app for iOS or Android. 

Want a detailed look at ProWriting Aid? Check out my in-depth ProWritingAid Review.

ProWritingAid vs Grammarly

Like Grammarly, ProWritingAid is quick and accurate, and it has several useful features that mirror Grammarly’s. It also contains additional grammar checking features for fiction writers. For example, you can open up large files (like your novel) and check it at once. It also checks for clichés, writing styles and vague words.

ProWritingAid also offers you a house style tool. 

What’s a house style tool?

This software allows users to save and apply a specific tone and writing style to the text. It is especially useful for companies looking to implement a consistent writing style for their content. 

But that isn’t all.

ProWritingAid also supports Scrivener. If you use Scrivener as your word processing tool, you’ll have no trouble linking it to ProWritingAid.

Pros

• Built-in thesaurus
• Readability analysis
• Integrates with Microsoft Word, Google Docs, Scrivener, Open Office and more. 
• Insightful writing style checker 
• Sentence fragment checker
• House style tool
• Inappropriate colloquialisms checker
• Powerful self-editing features
• Free version available

Cons

• Many key features are limited to the premium version
• Slower than Grammarly
• Less beneficial for people who struggle to write and spell in the English language
• No mobile checker app for Android or iOS

Price 

The web browser extension is a free tool, but the desktop version is paid.

ProWritingAid Premium costs:

• $0 per month (free Chrome extension)
• $20 per month (paid monthly)
• $5.83 per month (paid yearly)
• $240 for lifetime access (one-time payment)

Want to learn more? Read my ProWritingAid review.

Note: The plagiarism checker software costs extra. Ten checks cost $10, 100 checks cost $40, 500 checks cost $120, and 1000 checks cost $200. Alternatively, you can choose Premium Plus which comes with 60 plagiarism checks per year, for a slightly higher monthly cost.

2. Ginger

Created back in 2007, Ginger software is now one of the world’s most reliable Grammarly alternatives. It’s offered as a mobile app, a desktop version and a plug-in for web browsers— helping you write and correct wherever you want!

Like most proofreading software, Ginger helps you write and edit in real-time with its grammar, spell check and proofreading features. Ginger highlights grammatical suggestions in blue and provides alternative vocabulary for commonly used terminology. The software also has advanced natural language programming to function as a human editor.

What’s more?

Ginger software has a text reader that verbalises your text back to you, allowing you to listen to your flow, analyse the level of text engagement and eliminate passive voice. 

However, that isn’t all. 

Ginger can even translate your text into 60 different languages including Spanish, French and German for free! This is great for non-native speakers who struggle to write and spell in English.

Ginger vs Grammarly

The pricing differences between the two are minimal, and both churn out accurate edits. Ginger, however, is better suited to users writing in multiple languages. It even gives you English grammar lessons to sharpen your writing skills. 

Ginger software will also provide sentence length and structure suggestions for lines that don’t read well. The tool instantly understands a sentence and rearranges the words, making it smoother and more readable.

Pros

• Identifies errors that other software overlooks
• Translates your text into 60 different languages
• Includes a powerful Chrome browser extension
• Allows addition of unique words to a personal dictionary 

Cons

• Requires more time to correct errors than Grammarly
• Limited-time free version
• Costly premium plans when compared with other Grammarly alternatives

Pricing

• $0 per month (free Chrome extension)
• $29.96 per month (paid monthly)
• $12.48 per month (paid yearly)
• $9.99 per month (paid every two years)

Ginger also offers a 7-day, 100% money-back guarantee. 

3. WhiteSmoke

Established in 2002, WhiteSmoke is a competitive proofreading tool that includes:

• Grammatical edits
• Punctuation edits
• A plagiarism checker
• A spell checker 
• Over 100 templates 

Templates inside of this proofreading software include resumes, thank you letters, cover letters, condolences and more. It’s the perfect option for anyone looking to craft a quick document to send out immediately!

WhiteSmoke supports nearly 55 languages and provides suggestions through Statistical Machine Translation. 

This illustrates the way linguists on the WhiteSmoke team constantly work to improve translation quality and text.

It ensures your translations are contextually and grammatically sound.

This software supports most web browsers, including Google Chrome, Safari and Firefox. It can also work with dedicated writing tools like MS Word, Google Docs and MS Office. 

WhiteSmoke will check 16 different kinds of sentence structure including fragments, run-on sentences, incorrect punctuation, and dangling modifiers.

WhiteSmoke vs Grammarly

Though not as fast or intuitive as Grammarly, WhiteSmoke offers some similar features, but at a lower price.  

Unfortunately, the mobile app and desktop version don’t have very intuitive interfaces. For example, users must paste their content into WhiteSmoke. They can’t directly upload docs. 

However, as a free plagiarism checker software, WhiteSmoke is still a powerful tool. 

Pros

• Translates text into over 50 languages
• Offers built-in plagiarism checker
• Provides good proofreading features
• Suitable for businesses

Cons

• The interface isn’t intuitive on iOS, Android or desktop 
• Slower than Ginger and Grammarly
• Uploading docs not available 
• No free browser extension

Pricing

• WhiteSmoke Chrome Extension – $8.33 per month (paid yearly)
• WhiteSmoke Essential – $10 per month (paid yearly)
• WhiteSmoke Premium – $13.33 per month (paid yearly)
• WhiteSmoke Business – $22.99 per month (paid yearly)

Want to see how the WhiteSmoke checker app rivals Grammarly, ProWritingAid, and Ginger? Check out my review of the best grammar checkers. 

4. Hemingway Editor

Hemingway Editor is a fast and efficient editing tool that largely focuses on improving readability. 

While the other tools on this list point out grammar mistakes and spelling errors, the Hemingway app focuses solely on complex sentences.

Whether it’s lengthy sentences, run-on sentences or the use of passive voice, Hemingway’s sentence rephraser will point out these errors. It’ll then break your writing into smaller and shorter sentences. 

How does it do this?

It points out your “very hard to read” sentences (marked in red) and slowly progresses through a series of five colours (of declining difficulty levels) to help you simplify your text.

The Hemingway app also lets writers publish directly to WordPress and Medium to save time. 

However, due to its lack of grammar, punctuation and spell check features, I suggest you use it only as a secondary tool for polishing your sentences.

Hemingway vs Grammarly

While Hemingway has more readability features than Grammarly, it can’t compete with Grammarly’s grammar checking features. If you plan to use the Hemingway app, you’ll probably have to use a secondary grammar checker tool for copyediting rather than relying on it to catch all of your grammatical mistakes.

While Hemingway’s sentence rephraser simplifies sentences, it can be problematic for text covering complex ideas and details. 

How?

For instance, a scientific study about brain neurotransmitters will likely have a lot of red highlights because it’s difficult to read. This isn’t necessarily a reflection of poorly written work — it’s just a complicated topic!

On the upside, Hemingway maintains formatting when you copy and paste your text to it. 

Pros

• Better editing features than Microsoft Word
• Clean, easy-to-use interface
• Works offline
• Complements other editing tools

Cons

• Lacks a strong grammar checker tool
• Doesn’t consider the context of the content
• Unable to detect missing words
• Has the potential to oversimplify text

Pricing

• Web app – Free
• Desktop app – One-time payment of $19.99 (I use the desktop app)

5. Virtual Writing Tutor

Virtual Writing Tutor is an online grammar checker that’ll help you correct:

• Spelling errors
• Grammatical mistakes
• Punctuation flaws
• Paraphrasing hiccups
• Vocabulary pitfalls

It’s useful for developing the writing skills of non-native speakers because of its English-as-a-second-language intelligence. 

This free tool also offers proofreader training for novice teachers. It even lets teachers assign work to students to lessen their grading workload. 

Virtual Writing Tutor can also gamify the grammatical correction process by highlighting  grammar errors interactively. As well, it has a Target Structure Checker to help writers instantly improve the structure of their work. 

Virtual Writing Tutor vs Grammarly

While Virtual Writing Tutor offers some comparable features to Grammarly, the site creators suggest using a “two-pronged approach” for editing. 

Run your text first through Virtual Writing Tutor and then through a free proofreading software like Grammarly to ensure that it is error-free. 

While Grammarly is a better editing tool with a nicer interface, Virtual Writing Tutor is a completely free grammar tool. 

If you’re a writer on a budget, this may be the ideal proofreading tool for you, even if it’s not as comprehensive as Grammarly.

Pros

• Completely free
• Powerful target structure checker
• Good customer support
• Gamified approach to grammar edits
• Built-in language translation

Cons

• Limited capabilities when compared with Grammarly (e.g. no ability to check writing by style)
• The web interface contains distractions and some ads
• Does not support Android
• Developer recommends using Grammarly as well

Pricing

• Visual Writing Tutor is a free tool

6. Antidote

Antidote is a lesser-known grammar checker, even though it has been around for years. In fact, the team at Antidote recently released version 10 of this tool. While I spent a lot of time researching tools for this Grammarly alternative guide, I didn’t come across Antidote until their team reached out to me.

It contains many comparable features to the other tools in this guide, but also has some unique characteristics. You can paste a document directly into Antidote or add their plugin to Word. It checks for language, typography and style errors. Antidote also supports a personal dictionary, meaning you can add frequently used words (e.g. a technical term or character name)

After buying an Antidote license, you can use a beta version of this Grammarly alternative online too.

Antidote vs Grammarly

Grammarly and Antidote offer desktop versions. However, the Grammarly version requires internet access whereas Antidote runs locally on your desktop. That’s particularly useful for writers who want to check sensitive documents without uploading any information online or to a cloud server.

I’ve never run into issues checking my writing using grammar checkers that work online, but I can see how a tool like Antidote could help lawyers or those working on commercially sensitive materials. 

Antidote also includes useful statistics and estimates. One feature that stood out is the billing time by rate and word. This suggests it’s a good tool for professional proofreaders and editors.

Pros

• Works on your computer, without internet access
• Powerful grammar checking features for professional writers
• Available for mobile
• Supports British, American, Canadian English, and French
• Ideal for those who dislike monthly subscriptions

Cons

• Not as intuitive or fast as Grammarly
• The array of checks and possible errors is overwhelming, at first
• No free trial
• Desktop version takes up a lot of drive space

Pricing

• Windows, Mac or Linux license – One-time payment of €119 ($130)
• Business pricing available upon request

7. 1Checker

A team from the University of Cambridge designed 1Checker as a tool for non-native English speakers. The tool checks for a range of writing elements, including spelling, grammar, style, vocabulary and context-related errors using artificial intelligence and natural language processing technologies.

1Checker aims to catch the most common errors made by non-native English speakers that are often overlooked by other tools, such as:

• Incorrect use of articles
• Incorrect use of prepositions and pronouns
• Confused words
• Subject-verb agreement
• Incorrect tenses and adjective order

The platform is available as an online tool, as a Word plugin, as an Outlook plugin, or for download for Windows or Mac iOS.

At first glance, 1Checker has a simple design that feels a bit outdated when compared to similar tools. However, the analysis results are clear and easy to understand.

After you run the content through analysis, 1Checker provides an overview, which details the number of spelling, grammar, and other mistakes. The errors are clearly marked in blue and red, and the suggestions appear to the right with explanations and examples.

1Checker vs Grammarly

When compared to Grammarly, 1Checker is a more limited tool, as it doesn’t identify all the errors or nuances that Grammarly does. However, 1Checker does provide a lot of great features for a free tool. Since 1Checker is designed to identify errors that non-native English speakers often make, this is one of the Grammarly alternatives that’s best suited for those who are still learning to write in English.

Pros

• Identifies errors non-native English speakers often make
• Checks for context-related errors
• Logs user preferences for suggestions they often choose
• Includes plugins for Word and Outlook

Cons

• Takes longer than other tools to analyse text
• Doesn’t recognise stylistic choices
• Doesn’t check for passive voice
• Doesn’t recognise proper nouns

Price

The 1Checker tool is completely free. You need to create an account to access it, which requires an email address or a Facebook account.

8. Slick Write

Slick Write is a free, cloud-based proofreading solution that allows users to check their documents for grammatical errors and stylistic issues. This tool checks for a number of writing elements, including:

• Grammatical errors
• Vocabulary variety
• Passive voice
• Readability and reading time
• Word, sentence, and paragraph length
• Sentence and structural flow

Slick Write is available online as a plugin for Chrome and Firefox, but you cannot download it to your computer for offline use.

Slick Write has a simple user interface. After submitting the text for analysis, you will see the errors and suggestions underlined in different colours, and when you click on the word or phrase, you see an explanation of the issue and suggestions for improvement.

Two unique features are the Statistics and Associator options. Statistics gives you a convenient overview of the writing, including stylistic elements such as readability and sentence length. The Associator provides the user with a list of associated words for a chosen word.

Slick Write vs Grammarly

Though Slick Write offers fewer features than Grammarly, it is still a valuable free tool. With its stylistic review, Slick Write is ideal for those who have the basics of writing down but want to improve their writing style and readability. The program is only available through the online site and as a plugin for Chrome and Firefox, which means it is not the best option for those who need offline or mobile access.

Pros

• Easy to use
• Checks for stylistic choices
• Analysis is quick
• Includes plugins for Chrome and Firefox

Cons

• No plagiarism checker
• No punctuation checker
• Not available for desktop
• Not available for mobile

Price

Slick Write is a free application that does not require you to create an account or log in.

9. Paper Rater

Powered by AI, Paper Rater provides online proofreading, grammar, and spelling checks without the need to download a program. This tool focuses on providing opportunities for users to improve their writing through word choice, style, and vocabulary suggestions. The tool also offers a plagiarism checker, which is ideal for students who are submitting academic papers.

While the company promises real-time analysis in less than 10 seconds, the program takes a significant amount of time to analyse text, especially if you are using the plagiarism checker. The design is a bit outdated, and the interface is not the most user-friendly.

However, Paper Rater does offer unique features, such as word choice and style, to help elevate the user’s writing. Given the way that suggestions are phrased in the analysis section, this tool is designed with students in mind. It even offers a letter grade rating based on different elements of the writing.

Paper Rater vs Grammarly

Many of the features of Paper Rater are limited in the Basic subscription, so users who want access to the full capabilities of the tool will need to upgrade to a paid subscription, which is currently more costly than Grammarly. The tool is a great resource for students who need a free plagiarism and grammar check before submitting a paper. But it’s important to note that there is a five-page limit for the free subscription.

Pros

• Identifies stylistic issues
• Detects passive voice
• Plagiarism checker in the Premium subscription
• Offers feedback on vocabulary

Cons

• Maximum submission lengths based on the subscription level
• Limited plagiarism checks with the Basic subscription
• Cannot upload files with the Basic subscription
• No options for offline use

Price

• Basic: Free (limited features).
• Premium: $95.40/year or $14.95/month.

10. Microsoft Word

Well-known for its proofreading tool, Microsoft Word features intelligent technology that offers spelling, grammar and stylistic writing suggestions in real-time as you create documents. Microsoft Word is available for download or as part of Office 365, a cloud-based software solution that includes a variety of applications for creating, collaborating and presenting in the office.

Everyone is familiar with the red squiggly lines that identify your errors in a Word document. Microsoft has improved Word over the years, improving the usability and accuracy of its proofreading and grammar checker while making it simple to make changes to the document based on Word’s suggestions.

Microsoft Word vs Grammarly

For those who want an effective word processing program with grammar and spell check included, Microsoft Word is a great tool. When testing the two, Microsoft Word found most of the grammar issues that Grammarly did, but not all. Microsoft Word does not offer a free option, but it is affordable for households or offices with more than one user. If you really want to cover your bases, you can use Grammarly with Microsoft Word through its plugin.

Pros

• Supports a variety of languages
• Available both online and offline
• Supports mobile use
• Recognises proper nouns
• Both web and offline versions available

Cons

• Only works in Word documents
• Doesn’t catch all comma errors
• Doesn’t suggest vocabulary enhancements
• No plagiarism detector

Price

• Office 365 Home: $99.99/year or $9.99/month (For up to 6 users).
• Office 365 Business Essentials: $5/month (web and mobile versions only).

11. Google Docs

You’re probably already familiar with Google Docs, a web-based application where you can create, edit and store documents and spreadsheets online for free. You can access the documents you create in Google Docs from any computer or device with an Internet connection and web browser. Based on machine translation, the grammar and spelling checker on Google Docs recognises errors as you type and offers helpful suggestions.

Google Docs features a grammar and spelling checker that checks grammar automatically. It offers suggestions as you type, which you can accept or dismiss. The web-based application also offers a spelling and grammar check in the tools menu. Google Docs takes a unique approach to grammar in that it translates phrases from improper English to proper English.

Google Docs vs Grammarly

Overall, Google Docs does not recognise as many errors or offer as many suggestions as Grammarly does. For instance, it may not detect improper word choice or subject-verb agreement when the subject is a proper noun. However, the technology may continue to improve over time as Google makes adjustments. For now, it is one of the free Grammarly alternatives available. 

Pros

• Provides all the features of a word processing tool
• Free and easy to use
• Offers real-time checking as you write
• Works well in identifying punctuation errors

Cons

• No offline access
• Can’t purchase or access the spell-checker on its own
• Doesn’t offer effective word choice suggestions
• Doesn’t always recognise subject-verb agreement issues

Price

Google Docs is free for personal use. All you have to do to get started is to create an account. If you use Gmail as your email provider, then you already have access to this tool.

12. Reverso

Best known for its translation capabilities, Reverso is a web-based tool that also features a spelling and grammar checker. It immediately checks for improper words and punctuation once you copy and paste your content into the tool. Reverso is actually powered by Ginger Software, mentioned earlier in this article.

Reverso is a tool with a user-friendly interface that catches basic grammar issues such as misspellings and punctuation issues. Then, it fixes them for you. The tool only allows you to check 600 characters at a time, which limits the type of content that you can put through the checker.

Reverso vs Grammarly

Reverso is effective in spotting basic grammar errors and translating content. Since it limits the amount of content that you can put through the checker, it may not be ideal for everyone. However, even with its 600-character limit, it can work well for users who need to check shorter types of content, such as emails or social media posts. Though it does not have all the features that Grammarly offers, it works for those who want to quickly check short documents for basic errors.

Pros

• Translates text in a variety of languages, such as English, Spanish, French, Arabic, Russian and more
• Includes a comprehensive resource library about grammar and syntax
• Helps you eliminate repetition issues with synonyms and conjugations
• Allows you to build a personal dictionary with often-used terms and phrases

Cons

• No desktop application available
• Only checks 600 characters at a time
• Offers no support for plagiarism

Price

Reverso is absolutely free – all you have to do is sign up for an account.

13. SentenceCheckup

SentenceCheckup is a free online “sentence checker” that helps users identify run-on sentences and fragments. This tool also helps correct grammatical errors and improve stylistic choices. SentenceCheckup is available through the online platform with no downloading necessary.

SentenceCheckup has a simple design that makes checking your text easy. All you need to do is copy and paste it into the text box and click the Checkup button. You can review the text in both American and British English. The tool mostly focuses on improving sentence structure and readability while detecting run-on sentences and sentence fragments. It works quickly, providing you with an analysis in just a few seconds.

SentenceCheckup vs Grammarly

SentenceCheckup is ideal for those who want to improve their sentence structure and improve readability. Though it doesn’t offer all of the robust features that Grammarly does, it does provide basic grammar and spelling checks with some level of accuracy.

Pros

• Identifies run-on sentences
• Automatically corrects sentence fragments
• Makes suggestions to improve readability

Cons

• No offline or mobile access
• Doesn’t offer plagiarism checker
• Doesn’t offer many features

Price

SentenceCheckup is free without the need to create an account.

14. LanguageTool

LanguageTool is a proofreading software that offers a grammar, style and spelling checker. In addition to the online tool, LanguageTool also has a desktop version for offline use and plugins for Firefox, Chrome, Google Docs, Microsoft Word and LibreOffice. The tool checks content in English as well as many other languages, including French, German, Greek, Russian, Japanese and others.

LanguageTool is easy to use with a simple user interface. All you have to do to utilise the tool’s features is copy and paste your content into the online text box and click on the Check Text button. If you use the Chrome plugin, LanguageTool will check your grammar and spelling as you type, identifying errors and suggesting changes.

LanguageTool vs Grammarly

While LanguageTool detects basic grammar and spelling errors in English, it is also ideal for those who want to check their grammar and spelling in other languages. The free subscription is somewhat limited, as it only allows you to check 20,000 characters at a time and doesn’t detect as many errors as the premium subscription.

Pros

• Provides simple analysis with color-coded errors
• Offers a high degree of accuracy
• Available online and as a plugin
• Allows you to check grammar in many different languages

Cons

• Only allows up to 20,000 characters for the free subscription
• Free subscription is limited in its error checks
• Doesn’t identify passive choice
• No plagiarism detection
• Doesn’t tell you which style guides are used

Price

• Free: Limited to 20,000 characters per check and doesn’t include a plugin for Microsoft Word.
• Premium: $4.92/month or $59/year – includes detection of more than 2,500 additional errors.

Jetpack as a Grammarly Alternative

Jetpack is a WordPress plugin that provides a variety of features, including custom CSS, Publicize, Sharing, Photon, and Related Posts. Older versions of Jetpack included a proofreading module that checked your content in real-time, underlining issues and suggestions in different colours. This module checked for grammar issues such as passive voice, bias language, complex phrases and more. As of version 7.3 of Jetpack, the proofreading module is no longer available.

What’s the Best Grammarly Alternative?

This isn’t a comprehensive list of alternatives to Grammarly.

However, I’ve featured my favourite examples of proofreading software in this guide. 

Except for Hemingway App, each example has comprehensive grammar punctuation and writing style features to help you avoid writing pitfalls like:

• Grammatical errors
• Run-on sentences
• Passive voice

These tools have everything you need to take your writing to the next level, so why not try one and get started today?

• Try ProWriting Aid 
• Try Ginger
• Try WhiteSmoke
• Try Hemingway
• Try Visual Writing Tutor
• Try Antidote
• Try 1Checker
• Try Slick Write
• Try Paper Rater
• Try Microsoft Word
• Try Google Docs
• Try Reverso
• Try SentenceCheckup
• Try LanguageTool