Grammarly Review – The Best or Not?

I have been using Grammarly for quite some time and thus feel qualified to review it today to determine if it is the best tool available. They are currently the most popular spelling/grammar checker there is with over 10 million users. I have been using other checkers (A lot of them) and would like to compare Grammarly against them to let you see how it has been working out for me.

I absolutely hate one-sided opinions, don’t you? If you have experience with the platform, please be so kind as to add your opinion to mine as this will help others to make a more informed decision.

Thank you, it will be appreciated!

 

Website

grammarly.com

 

What is Grammarly?

In summary, Grammarly is a tool that analyzes text, checks for spelling errors, corrects word/line usage, suggests better wording, and so forth. The free version of Grammarly offers you the basics, such as spelling, punctuation, and such, whereas the paid versions are much more extensive, with best writing practice suggestions, a plagiarism checker, and so much more.

Grammarly review

 

Who Does Grammarly Benefit?

Anyone who writes and would like for their work to be near perfect can benefit from Grammarly, however, Grammarly is especially suited for those who write professionally, people such as:

  • Copywriters
  • Students
  • Social Media Marketers
  • Bloggers
  • Website Developers
  • Content Marketers
  • Freelance Writers
  • Email Marketers
  • Ghost Writers

 

Grammarly – Main Features that Stand Out for Me

Grammar & Punctuation – The tool detects punctuation and grammar errors, alterations, fragments, and so on.

Plagiarism – Detects plagiarism in text/content. (I use this one A LOT)

Spell Check – All text is automatically scanned, and spelling errors are outlined, suggestions of correct version/s and such are also provided.

Writing Style – Gives you tips and suggestions regarding your writing style.

Explanatory feature – Not only does Grammarly reveal your mistakes along with corrections, but the reason it is a mistake is explained, as well as the reason for the correction, allowing you to learn from your mistakes and improve for the future.

Feedback – A weekly email that provides feedback on your previous week’s work, keeping you updated on writing skills, writing skills, grammar and spelling improvements, vocabulary, productivity, and so forth. The email also highlights frequent mistakes and gives tips on how to avoid them in the future. It is a great way to show you your improvements, and keep you motivated, not to mention help you in the future. No other spell checker provides this amount of detail and updates.

Grammarly review

 

How Does it Work?

If Grammarly is enabled, it will automatically scan texts for mistakes, underlying the mistakes in red or blue depending on what sort of mistake it is (Spelling or Grammar). By clicking on these underlined words/phrases, corrections and suggestions will be provided for you to choose from or to ignore, depending on your choice. It is that simple.

Grammarly is available on multiple platforms including:

Web Tool: The web tool is the Grammarly user interface where you can copy and paste text to have it scanned, or you can just create a new document using the Grammarly word processor/platform. Documents can also be uploaded from the computer.

Mobile: The Grammarly app is available in the Google Play Store and on the Apple Store, and can be downloaded and applied on mobile devices such as phones, tablets, and such. It scans texts, messages, emails, and so forth and even includes predictive text to help speed up the writing process.

Browser Extension: By far the easiest method of using Grammarly and easy to enable. Just download the plug-in/program, install it on your device, enable it in the browser and you are all settled. Grammarly will scan all text in your browser on a variety of pages/sites, including Google docs, Emails, WordPress, and so forth. It does allow you to remove certain pages and such if you do not want it scanning texts on those sites.

Grammarly for Microsoft Office: Grammarly can be installed along with Office, and with the add-in enabled, Grammarly will assist you within MS Office, whether it be Microsoft Word or the other platforms that MS Office offers.

Desktop App: The desktop version of the web tool. Download the program, install it on your device, and use it at your discretion.

Keep in mind:  Grammarly is an online tool and will need an internet connection to work no matter which version it is you use.

Grammarly review

Grammarly – Pricing and Features

Basic Plan – Free to use for life.

The free version includes the basics of the program including:

  • Spelling
  • Grammar
  • Punctuation
  • Plagiarism on text smaller than 1000 words (Web-Tool)

Premium Plan – Starts at $12 per month.

Style, Clarity improvements, additional advanced Corrections, and more. The basic plan and the following:

  • Tone adjustments
  • Fluency
  • Clarity-focussed sentence rewrites
  • Word choice
  • Inclusive language
  • Additional advanced suggestion

Business Plan – Starts at $15 per month, per member, annually or $25 per member, per month.

Grammarly Business is intended for 3 – 149 members, anything larger and you have to request a quote from the company. It includes the premium plan and the following:

  • Centralized billing
  • User management tools
  • Company Style guide
  • Team usage statistics
  • Priority email support
  • SAML SSO for an account that has 50+ users

Grammarly Business Enterprise – Contact for quote

Includes Grammarly business and the following:

  • Bulk User Management
  • Advanced Security Features
  • Phone Support during business hours
  • Unlimited number of team members
  • Domain authorization
  • A Dedicated customer success manager

Grammarly Education – Contact for quote.

Grammarly Education provides teachers and students alike with Grammarly features.

Grammarly for Desktop – Free of charge

The Grammarly tool and its features for everything installed on your desktop such as email, browser, Word, and so forth.

Grammarly for Windows – Free of charge

The Grammarly tool with its features for windows devices and all programs/apps installed.

Grammarly for Mac – Free of cost.

The Grammarly tool and its features for Mac devices and all programs/apps installed.

Grammarly Keyboard – Free of cost.

The Grammarly tools for mobile devices.

Grammarly for Outlook and Microsoft Office – Free of charge.

A Grammarly add-in for Outlook and Microsoft Office.

 

Are There any Up-Sales?

The free versions can be used for as long as you like as they are free for life, and if you choose a paid plan, you will only have to pay for the plan you chose, with no extra costs whatsoever. They will also not bug you about enlisting other services. No up-sales whatsoever.

 

What About Support?

A standard submit-a-ticket support system is in place and it is very responsive. Additionally, there is phone support and such for aid plans.

 

Do They Have Training and/or Tutorials?

Grammarly does indeed provide tutorials, covering all of the aspects regarding their apps/software. Tutorials include everything from installation to enabling the plug-ins, and even how to use the tool properly.

 

User Interface

The Grammarly platform is not that complicated and has a rather simple interface. The tool works mostly well with all platforms without issue, however, I have discovered that Grammarly and Firefox are not the best of combinations as whenever Firefox does an update, which we all know is rather often, then Grammarly stops working properly for a day or two until the bug is fixed, but only on Blogger, leading me to believe that Blogger, Firefox and Grammarly have issues to get along properly.

In general, the software/app is rather stable and does not interfere with other apps/programs.

Grammarly review

 

What About Online Safety?

In the time that I have used Grammarly, (Give or take 3 years) I have not experienced any security issues whatsoever. Data has always been safe and protected, as they use a combination of technical, physical, and logical security safeguards. Grammarly furthermore does not scan and/or process any data entered into password fields and so forth.

 

Grammarly – Pros

It’s simple to understand, and easy to use.

One of the most accurate and comprehensive word processors there is available.

Grammarly explains in short why words or phrases are incorrect rather than just telling you the error and how to fix it.

Unlike many other programs, the Grammarly free version isn’t just a watered-down version, it has a lot of great quality tools, and you can use it for as long as you like.

If you use words that are not part of the dictionary, then you can add them to your private Grammarly dictionary and they will not be flagged in the future.

Grammarly offers tailored writing suggestions built on your goals and audiences.

Grammarly reviews

Cons

Paid versions are a bit more expensive than other spell checkers.

Grammarly does not jell well with Blogger on Firefox, which is not a con per se, but still something worth mentioning.

 

Let’s Sum This Up…

 

I am not a genius nor do I have a high understanding of English, especially considering that it is not my first language. When I first started blogging back in 2011, writing content was my biggest struggle. I had no choice but to depend greatly on spelling and grammar tools to help put my experiences and thoughts into words that others could understand. Proofreaders were not an option as they mostly turned lively works into dull robotic content.

Since I started using Grammarly, creating a blog post, has become much less of a hassle, grammar, and spelling-wise, not to mention how much my English has improved since then. It is said that human editors cannot be replaced, and I will not argue, but replacing editors with Grammarly improved my work vastly. I have used many grammar tools, and I can say that Grammarly is the best.

As I went back to edit/update much older content that was checked with other spelling/grammar checkers, I was beyond horrified to find the mountains of mistakes that were left behind when Grammarly picked them up.

As an Afrikaans-speaking individual, the words has/have/had, have given me the most trouble in all of my work, I could never quite figure it out, even still. A lot of programs miss these same mistakes, but Grammarly does not.

On the other hand, most programs indicate your mistakes and how to fix them, but Grammarly teaches you why it is a mistake, and how to correct it in the future, improving your writing skills as you are working.

As for the free version, it works better than most paid versions of other programs, but I do however recommend that if you are a pro blogger, freelancer, ghostwriter, or anything that requires a lot of writing, that you consider the paid versions as they do offer more tools and such.

Grammarly review

 

Well, that is it for this review. Please remember to leave a comment if you have something that needs to be added as the opinions of others always matter to bring quality to a post.

Thank you and have yourself an awesome day!

 

Looking for something else to read while here?  Check out my latest article on the popular options to make money online.

 

Internet Download Manager Review

With this Internet Download Manager Review, I would like to have a go at one of the most popular download managers around, to see if it is worth the space it takes up on my hard drive. I have been using the program for more than a decade and thus feel qualified enough to give an honest opinion about it.  I will include my own user experience and also include the features, pricing, and user interface to help you make a more informed decision prior to buying.

Website

www.internetdownloadmanager.com

 

Pricing

30-Day Trial Available – No need to provide credit card details

One-year license for 1 PC – $11.95

Lifetime license for 1 PC – 24.95

One-year license for 2 and more PCs – $9.95 for each PC

Lifetime license for 2 and more PCs – $19.95 for each PC

 

How Does it Work?

IDM is easy to install and manage with a few steps:

Download and install the program on your computer and restart.

Once it is installed, open your browser/s and give IDM permission to integrate, restart your browsers/s once completed. You will now be able to download files/audio/videos and so forth. A “download” button will appear next to content that is downloadable and enable you to choose from the different types of files available for download.

If you open the program on your computer, there will be many other options like Resume, Grabber and queues, Add URL, Delete, and so forth. In addition, you will access “help files”, fine-tune your setting, and manage your registration.

Internet download manager review

What About the Free Trial Version?

IDM offers a 30-day no-obligation trial to test the program. Most of the main features work in this version and you will be able to download content directly from a page. After 30-days the program will stop working and you will need to purchase a license key to get the full version.

 

How Safe/Stable is the Program?

I’ve been using IDM for more than 10 years and I can honestly say that it has never caused problems on my computers. Uses very little CPU power and barely uses up the RAM as many other programs do. In addition, it does not interfere with the performance of my browsers or antivirus program.

NB:  Download IDM from their own website to avoid an unstable program or scams.

 

What About Support?

You will find articles on the IDM website that explain how the program works and how to use certain functions. These can also be found when you open the program on your computer. In addition, they also have a “support Webform” that can be filled out if you fail to manage a problem.  To sum it up support is standard and not above average, but then again, I never had problems to the extent where I needed expert help.

 

Any Upsales or Advertisements?

No up-sales whatsoever and IDM is without advertisements that are linked to the program or download bar.

 

How To Make Money Online – Popular Options

 

Internet Download Manager Review – Key Features and Pros

Download with just one click.

IDM supports HTTP, HTTPS, FTP, and MMS protocols.

Supports all the popular browsers like Chrome, Mozilla, IE, UCBrowser, AOL, and so forth.

By using the “Advanced Browser Integration” feature, it can be integrated into any application to take over a download.

IDM is multilingual and can be translated into many languages like Bulgarian, Chinese, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Arabic, Dutch, Hebrew, and French to only name a few.

IDM can accelerate your downloads by up to five times. It segments files dynamically and reuses connections.

Automatic antivirus checks that make downloads free from Trojans and viruses. “Download All” feature that enables you to download all files that are linked to a current page.

Quick and easy installation wizard that ensures a trouble-free installation and makes the necessary setting changes.

Advanced browser integration – When enabled it can be used to catch any download from any application.

IDM can connect to the internet at a set time and then download files you specified with the built-in scheduler and shut down your computer when the download is done.

Program updates are regular and quick, and normally once a week. Be sure to update the program to have it run smoothly.

IDM will resume unfinished downloads from the place where it was left off. The resume capability and error recovery will then restart broken or interrupted downloads caused by network problems, computer shutdowns, or dropped connections.

Supports a variety of proxy servers like Microsoft ISA and FTP, to only name a few.

You can drag and drop downloaded files out of IDM and also Drag and drop links to IDM.

Internet download manager review

Cons

I have a hard time finding anything negative about the program and will only mention points that might be a problem for others.

Besides the Q&A and web form, there are no other methods to solve a problem. I never encountered a problem with their platform (It is that easy to work with), and thus I do not see the need for additional support.

Firefox, my favorite browser, does not always integrate well with IDM. Sometimes the download option will be available on Facebook but not on YouTube. This, however, has NOTHING to do with IDM at all, but rather interference when Firefox updates. Once, IDM updates, after a Firefox update, it works fine again. This does not happen often though and all the other browsers seem to handle IDM just fine.

 

Conclusion Drawn From Own Experience…

I have been using Internet Download Manager for more than 10 years and cannot go without it. In my opinion the best download manager with a beyond user-friendly interface that works well and is reasonably priced.

Video on Facebook is usually the “come and go” type of content; once your timeline refreshes, it is almost impossible to find them again. In addition, there are not that many download managers with the capability to download FB videos. With IDM’s download button below/above videos, it is just a click and you have the video in your download folder to watch later. Facebook usually has a lot of content on the timeline that will include multiple videos. With other downloaders, I have found that it will download the wrong content, however, with IDM, that is never the case. It will grab it correct video all the time.

 

YouTube is bliss with IDM and will list all the file formats available for download. I like to listen to “music remixes” while working and most of them are like an hour to 2 hours long. On a slow connection, it takes forever to load and I have found that IDM actually downloads the video faster than the actual load speed. A must-have for those who struggle with slow connections.

Internet download manager review

To sum it up…

IDM is a beyond-impressive program that allows you to download almost any type of file. I would say that it is definitely under-priced for what it does and its stability. No annoying advertisements or up-sales which makes it bliss to have around all day.

IDM is a trustworthy company with a product that delivers!  When I buy something online, I usually get a bad feeling that it would most likely be one of those purchases where I will be overcharged or have a charge that goes off without permission. (Happens often since I review products). Each time I purchased IDM, the transaction was secure with no over-charging and I got exactly what I paid for.

TAKE NOTE

Just because you can download any type of file, does not mean you should!

A lot of content has copyright and it is considered stealing when you download those without paying for them. There is also common courtesy and please consider that content creators work endless hours to bring you awesome videos and such. Be kind and share/like/recommend their stuff. It is also good manners to ask if you can download their content for personal use before doing so.

 

Well, that is it for this review. Do you use IDM or used it in the past? Please be so kind to help me refrain from making this a one-sided opinion by sharing your experience. It would be much appreciated!

Have yourself an awesome day!