7+ Best Grammarly Alternatives for Writers in 2025

Grammarly is easily one of the most popular writing tools on the market. The free version catches grammar and spelling mistakes, while the premium version adds suggestions for style, clarity, and even tone.

But what if Grammarly Pro feels a little too pricey? Or maybe you’re just looking for a tool that offers more for free.

The good news?

Grammarly isn’t your only option, not by a long shot.

In this guide, I’ll walk you through the top alternatives to Grammarly, including which ones are best for authors, which have the strongest free plans, and which tools give you the most bang for your buck.

What Does Grammarly Offer?

Before we dive into the alternatives, let’s take a quick look at what Grammarly brings to the table. Knowing what it does (and where it falls short) makes it easier to see how the other tools stack up.

Grammarly Features

Grammarly comes in both free and premium versions. Below, I’ve broken down the core features and whether or not you’ll need to pay to access them. (And yes, anything in the free plan is also included in Premium.)

Free Version Includes:

• Browser extension
• Spelling checker
• Grammar checker
• Punctuation checker
• Double-click to see definitions and synonyms
• Emailed performance stats
• Limited style suggestions

Premium Adds:

• Microsoft Word and Outlook plug-ins (desktop only)
• Passive voice checker
• Sentence structure suggestions
• Advanced grammar and spelling checker
• Inclusive language suggestions
• Formatting and fluency improvements
• Tone and intent analysis
• Subject-specific suggestions
• Plagiarism checker

Grammarly Pro definitely adds some firepower, but as you’ll see, some alternatives offer similar (or better) features at a lower price.

Grammarly Pro Pricing

It's no secret: Grammarly Pro has a lot of significant features. But you definitely pay for those features. And for some, the price may not be worth it.

• Monthly – $30 per month
• Annually – $12 per month (billed as a $144 payment)
• Grammarly Business – $15 per user per month (minimum of three users)

Okay, now that we've rehashed the basics of Grammarly, let's dive into the alternatives!

1. ProWritingAid (The Best Grammarly Alternative)

ProWritingAid (PWA) is my top pick for authors looking for a Grammarly alternative. It does everything Grammarly does (and a whole lot more) while costing less and offering deeper analysis for long-form writing.

Grammarly is great for catching basic mistakes, but ProWritingAid goes further. It helps you improve your style, tone, pacing, sentence variety, and even echoes, things that really matter when you’re writing a book or trying to polish up an article.

Whether you're working on a fantasy novel, a blog post, or an academic paper, PWA gives you insights that go beyond grammar rules. And that's a big reason I recommend it.

ProWritingAid Features

The free version gives you a solid taste of what the tool can do, though most of the advanced features live behind the Premium or Premium Pro plans.

live behind the Premium or Premium Pro plans.

Free Features:

• Browser extension
• Spelling and grammar checker
• Punctuation checker
• Definitions and synonyms (double-click)
• Limited style suggestions
• Sentence structure tips
• Access to 20+ writing reports (with limits)
• Emailed writing stats

Premium Adds:

• Passive voice detection
• Advanced grammar and style suggestions
• Inclusive language checks
• Genre- and tone-based enhancements
• Formatting and fluency improvements
• Full access to in-depth writing reports
• Plagiarism checker (with Premium Plus plan)
• Integrations with Google Docs, Word (Windows), and more

Premium Pro Adds (AI Tools):

• AI Rephrasing Tool
• AI Sparks (creative suggestions to enhance your writing)
• Context-specific rewrite suggestions
• AI-powered snippet expansions
• 10,000 AI credits/month included

If you're looking for Grammarly-level feedback with stronger customization and optional AI features, Premium Pro gives you all of it under one roof, and it still costs less than Grammarly in most cases.

PWA Integrations

One reason authors love ProWritingAid? It works where we write. You can use it in Word (Windows), Google Docs, and most major browsers. It even plays nicely with Scrivener and, better yet, Atticus.

That’s not something you get with Grammarly.

While it doesn’t have a native integration with Atticus, you can easily copy your writing over for analysis, which is what I do. If you're formatting your book with Atticus, it's a smooth handoff.

ProWritingAid offers integrations with:

• Google Docs
• Microsoft Word (Windows only)
• Outlook (Windows only)
• Open Office
• Browsers: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge
• Atticus and Scrivener (via manual copy-paste workflow)

Whether you’re editing a blog post or a 90,000-word manuscript, ProWritingAid has the flexibility and depth to support your writing process.

ProWritingAid Pricing

You have a few different options for PWA pricing. And remember, you can try out the free version before you buy! Honestly though, the free version is the best free Grammarly alternative, as well. You really can't go wrong with this tool.

• Premium Plan:
  • Monthly: $30/month
  • Yearly: $10/month ($120 billed annually)
  • Lifetime: $399 one-time payment
• Premium Pro Plan:
  • Monthly: $36/month
  • Yearly: $12/month ($144 billed annually)
  • Lifetime: $699 one-time payment

Of course, if you're a Kindlepreneur reader, you get a 20% discount on the annual plans and a 10% discount on lifetime. See below:

• Premium Plan:
  • Yearly: $8/month ($96 billed annually) – 20% discount
  • Lifetime: $359.10 one-time payment – 10% discount
• Premium Pro Plan:
  • Yearly: $9.60/month ($115.20 billed annually) – 20% discount
  • Lifetime: $629.10 one-time payment – 10% discount

Click here to try ProWritingAid at Kindlepreneur's special discounted price. Or, check out our in-depth review here. 

We also have an in-depth ProWritingAid vs. Grammarly guide.

When you consider that the best deal for Grammarly Pro comes out to $144 a year, ProWritingAid is significantly cheaper for better functionality.

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2. Ginger

Ginger has been around for a while, making them a well-known and viable Grammarly alternative. The tool finds spelling errors and grammatical mistakes. It can also read your text back to you, which is an excellent way to find awkward sentences and strange phrasings. You can even use this feature to listen to articles instead of reading them! #LifeHack

The best thing that Ginger has going for it is the translation feature. It can translate into over 40 languages! It does this with neural machine translation, which is something neither Grammarly nor PWA can do. Plus, if you're not a native English speaker, it offers some grammar tutorials to help you improve your writing.

However, it should note noted that Ginger's interface and update cadence are noticeably slower than both Grammarly and ProWritingAid, which could impact usability (depending on the speed of your machine)

Ginger Features

• Grammar and spelling checker
• Rephrase suggestions
• Browser extension (not for Firefox)
• Translates to over 40 languages
• Grammar lessons
• Desktop and mobile apps available
• Microsoft Office add-in
• Free version

Ginger Pricing

Ginger's pricing isn't much better than Grammarly's. And it doesn't have as many features as Grammarly does, either. Still, you can always try the free version and see how you like it.

• Monthly – $19.99 per month
• Quarterly – $15.98 per month
• Annual – $12.48 per month

Ginger has regular discounts, so it's worth checking the price if you're interested! You can also check out our Ginger review to learn more. 

3. WhiteSmoke

WhiteSmoke is another proofreading tool that has been around for some time. In addition to checking spelling and grammar errors, WhiteSmoke uses Natural Language Processing (NLP) to make suggestions based on your writing style. This is a good way to ensure that the style suggestions don't leave your writing flat and lacking personality (unless you want it to).

It checks for things like passive voice, subject-verb agreements, mechanical errors, and sentence structure. WhiteSmoke also includes a translation feature and plagiarism checking. Unfortunately, there's no free trial and no free version of the software. You can't try before you buy. That said, there are some other useful features included.

WhiteSmoke Features

• Grammar checking
• Spell checking
• Style checking
• Translator
• Plagiarism checker
• Video tutorials
• Over 100 templates for professional writing needs (business, medical, and legal writing, among others)

WhiteSmoke Pricing

This tool is cheaper than Grammarly, but you can't try it before you purchase. And it's more of a tool for professional writers in fields like law, medicine, and academia. Still, the pricing isn't bad! The lowest price tier only gets you the web version. Premium gets you the web version and the desktop version. Business gets you three licenses.

• WhiteSmoke Web – $5.00 per month (one yearly payment of $59.95)
• WhiteSmoke Premium – $6.66 per month (one yearly payment of $79.95)
• WhiteSmoke Business – $11.50 per month (one yearly payment of $137.95)

Check out my WhiteSmoke review to take a closer look!

4. PerfectIt

I've found that sometimes what I really need is a virtual editor rather than a virtual proofreader. If this piques your interest, PerfectIt might be right for you. Instead of pointing out spelling and grammar errors, PerfectIt looks for consistency across your document. Essentially, it's designed to help editors get the job done quickly and efficiently.

PerfectIt looks at things like hyphens, dashes, capitalization, abbreviations, headings, and bullet points. It will point out inconsistencies, allowing you to correct them with a couple of clicks. There are several style sheets you can work from, like the Chicago Manual of Style, so you can ensure clean, concise, and consistent writing.

And in 2024, it launched an enhanced AI consistency engine that helps match corporate style guides even more precisely.

PerfectIt Features

• Checks spelling consistency (won't flag spelling errors)
• Checks formatting, headings, abbreviations, lists, tables, and figures
• Generates reports of all corrections
• Provides different style sheets and allows you to customize your own
• Only available for MS Word but works on both Mac and PC
• 14-day free trial available

PerfectIt Pricing

You'll get the most use out of this tool if you're a proofreader or an editor. Or, if you write industry-specific papers a lot.

• Yearly – $70 per year

Want to know more? Check out my in-depth PerfectIt review.

5. LanguageTool

LanguageTool is a spelling and grammar tool that operates much like Grammarly or ProWritingAid. It's an open-source tool that you can try for free without even giving over your email address. If you regularly write in a language that's not native to you, LanguageTool is an excellent proofreading option.

With the “Mother tongue” features, you can select your native language and the other language you write in. This tool then looks for common mistakes between the two, in addition to looking for basic grammar and spelling errors. You can also use “Picky mode” to ensure you maintain your voice and style throughout your writing. The free version also does many of the same things Grammarly does, like highlighting passive voice and suggesting synonyms with a click of the mouse.

LanguageTool Features

• Basic grammar and spell check functions
• Checks punctuation
• Passive voice detection
• One-click synonyms
• Free version available
• Works in over 30 languages
• Ideal for those who write in a non-native language
• Affordable premium option

LanguageTool Pricing

The two major features that this tool doesn't have are reports and plagiarism detection. But if you purchase yearly, the price of the premium version may just make it worth your while! Definitely check out the free browser version to see if you like it before purchasing.

• Monthly – $19.90 per month
• Quarterly – $13 per month
• Yearly – $59.90 (comes to $4.99 per month)

Check out my full LanguageTool review.

6. PaperRater

PaperRater is a free online writing analysis tool that checks your grammar, spelling, punctuation, and includes automatic scoring and a basic plagiarism checker. The free version caps submissions at about 300 words per page, and you must copy/paste text into the site. Premium unlocks longer submissions, fewer ads, and faster processing

PaperRater can still be useful for short academic assignments, but due to its word‑count limits and lack of integration with writing software, it’s not ideal for authors working on longer manuscripts or needing deep style features.

It doesn't have a browser extension, so the only way to use it is to go to the website and upload or copy and paste your text. And you're limited by how much text the tool can check: 1,500 words for the free version and 6,000 for the premium version. That said, it is cheap, and it definitely excels at some things, like checking for passive voice and varied sentence starts.

PaperRater Feature

• Spelling and grammar check
• Passive voice detection
• Plagiarism checker
• Style and word choice suggestions
• Automated scoring
• Free version that includes 10 plagiarism checks per month
• Cheap premium version

PaperRater Pricing

In my in-depth PaperRater review, I tested out the plagiarism checker against Copyscape. PaperRater's checker isn't very accurate, which is worrisome. I wouldn't completely rely on it. But its other features are great if you're writing high school or college papers! You can try their free version to see if you like it.

• Free Plan – Gives you 50 submissions and 10 plagiarism checks per month
• Premium Plan – $14.95/month (if paid monthly) or $95.40/year (if paid annually)

7. Virtual Writing Tutor

The handy Virtual Writing Tutor is a completely free tool designed to help teachers, students, and those who are learning English as a second language. It's kind of like PaperRater in that it has features designed with essay writing and grading in mind. Still, you can use it as a general proofreading tool by picking and choosing only the features that you need.

Like other proofreading tools, this website-based checker will underline each spelling error in red to tell you it's an error. But it won't suggest how to fix it. The other features, like the grammar checker, won't underline your mistakes. Instead, it generates a report under the text window to show you your mistakes. While this can help you learn what you're doing wrong, it takes time to go back, locate the mistake, and fix it. Plus, the max number of words you can check is 3000.

If English is your first language, this tool may not be the best fit for you. However, in 2025, Virtual Writing Tutor added support for IELTS and TOEFL prep tools, boosting its value for ESL learners.

Virtual Writing Tutor Features

• Check spelling and grammar
• Check vocabulary and punctuation
• Check topic sentence
• Essay scoring
• Proofreading gamification for new teachers
• Lots of tools for ESL students
• Text-to-speech feature
• Completely free

Virtual Writing Tutor Pricing

Virtual Writing Tutor is completely free. However, there are different capabilities for members and non-members. Members can have 3000 words checked, whereas non-members can only check 1000 at once. Membership is free.

• Free!

8. Hemingway Editor

The Hemingway Editor stands apart on this list. Instead of picking out and underlying each grammatical or spelling error, the Hemingway app highlights things like complicated sentences, passive voice, adverbs, and excessive wordiness. Essentially, it's designed to make your writing more concise and clear through flow, word choice, and sentence structure. But it rarely gives you concrete suggestions on how to rephrase or restructure your writing. That's up to you.

Unfortunately, it doesn't have a browser extension. The website is free to use, allowing you to copy and paste your text in. Or you can purchase the premium desktop version, which allows you to import and export files. This makes things easier if you're checking long documents. (Like, say, a book manuscript.) Hemingway can certainly strengthen your writing, but you'll likely need one of the other tools on this list to locate the odd grammar error and spelling mistake because Hemingway does not.

Hemingway Editor Features

• Checks for adverbs
• Checks for passive voice
• Highlight complex and wordy sentences
• Website version is free
• Formatting options available in free version
• Super affordable premium version

Hemingway Editor Pricing

Since this tool deals with more complex writing issues and doesn't give suggestions, you'll learn to become a better writer if you use it consistently. That's not to say that you should always change anything it highlights. But it definitely guides you in the right direction.

• Website version only – Free
• Premium Desktop Version (Windows and macOS) – Single payment of $19.99

Check out our Hemingway App review for more information.

9. Slick Write

Similar to Hemingway, Slick Write isn't so much an error location tool as it is a style enhancement tool. It underlines grammar mistakes, examines sentence structure, locates adverbs, roots out passive voice, and ensures that you vary the beginnings of your sentences. And it does it all for free, which is nice.

Slick Write also provides a nice statistical analysis of your writing. Along with these statistics, it offers benchmarks for certain things, suggesting a percentage to keep your writing under. For example, they say the percentage of adverbs in your total text shouldn't exceed 5%. Pretty cool! It also offers a word association feature, which is great for busting through writer's block.

Slick Write Features

• Checks grammar
• Helps enhance writing style
• Locates adverbs
• Provides statistical insights
• Underlines prepositional phrases
• Passive voice detection
• Completely free
• Word association feature

Slick Write Pricing

Since there's no premium option, you can't download a desktop version of this tool to use offline, as you can Hemingway. Still, the online version is pretty great, especially since it's free. But you'll still need a tool to locate any spelling mistakes!

• Free!

Read our in-depth Slick Write review here. 

What is the Best Free Grammarly Alternative?

Deciding on the best free Grammarly alternative is a tough one. I have to go with ProWritingAid's free version with a caveat: if you're not a native English speaker, I'd go with the free version of LanguageTool to see if you like it. 

But if you are a native English speaker, you can't go wrong with the free version of ProWritingAid. Whether you want to check your Google Doc or you want it for emails and social media posts, PWA is a great free Grammarly alternative! That said, while PWA’s free version is helpful, many of its standout features (like passive voice and style suggestions) require Premium. If you're looking for a robust free option, LanguageTool or Slick Write may be more feature-rich out of the box.

I also need to give a shout-out to Hemingway. The combination of the free version of PWA and the free version of Hemingway is excellent!

What is the Best Paid Grammarly Alternative?

If you want a powerful alternative to Grammarly Pro that doesn't cost you nearly $150 a year, I recommend ProWritingAid Premium. It does a great job of locating each grammatical error, each instance of passive voice, and a slew of other common writing mistakes. 

You can use PWA in Google Docs, Atticus, Scrivener, and even in MS Office. And PWA Preium is only $96 a year when you pay yearly (and you use Kindlepreneur's special discount). Or you can spend $359.10 and get lifetime access.

It can handle American, Australian, Canadian, and British English, so you can avoid common pitfalls when writing for an audience across the pond or on the other side of the world. It also gives you detailed reports for big picture feedback so you can improve your writing. If you need a plagiarism checker, you can purchase the PWA Premium Plus, or you can buy checks separately.

You can always try the free version first to see if you like it!

Conclusion

Grammarly might be the most well-known name in writing tools, but it’s far from the only game in town.

If you’re an indie author looking to polish a manuscript, ProWritingAid is still my top recommendation. It offers deeper reports, smart style suggestions, and integrations that make it ideal for long-form writing — and it does it all at a lower price than Grammarly.

That said, every writer has different needs. Some tools are better for students. Others are built for editors. Most have free versions or trials, so you can test them out and see what fits your workflow.

I hope this guide helped you narrow it down. And if you're still exploring, check out my article on the best proofreading software for even more options.