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!
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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.
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.
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 – 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.
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.
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.
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.
