The wrong word choice or even a spelling mistake can turn off your reader.
So I hope you’re rereading and editing everything you write.
A tool like Grammarly can help.
(Note: this post contains affiliate links. If you click to purchase Grammarly, I get a small commission at no extra cost to you.)
What is Grammarly and What Does it Do?
Grammarly helps you check and edit your work.
It’s an app (or web browser extension) you can use wherever you are on the internet. It even has a desktop extension you can use with Word, which is the writing software on which the publishing industry runs.
Grammarly spots spelling errors, highlights grammar issues, and offers suggestions to help you remove passive language, redundant words, or complex sentences. It helps you revise emails, messages, and manuscripts before you submit them to agents or publishers. .
Is Grammarly For You?
It can be, because it offers a quick overview of issues you can self-edit. Grammarly isn’t a replacement for you as a ferocious self-editor.
Grammarly Key Features
Many features are available free, while the rest are exclusive to its Premium version.
Grammarly’s core features:
- Spelling and Grammar Check
- Writing Style Evaluator
- Plagiarism Detector
- Suggestions
1: Spelling and Grammar Check
Grammarly automatically checks everything you write for spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. It underlines these in red and offers suggestions on what you should change.
This fundamental feature is available in both Grammarly’s Free and Premium versions.
2: Writing Style Evaluator
Grammarly advises you on tone, readability, vocabulary, and even how formal your writing is.
Grammarly helps you home in on this, advising on sentence length, word choice, and language.
You can alter this in Settings, based on your specific needs.
Some aspects of this appear in the Free version, but most is reserved for Grammarly Premium.
3: Plagiarism Detector
Not all plagiarism is intentional, so Grammarly can help you avoid such a pitfall.
4: Grammarly Suggestions
This helps catch spelling mistakes and punctuation errors, and you have the option to accept or ignore these.
Grammarly Price
The Free version gives you access to spelling, grammar, and punctuation. The Premium version adds Fluency, Readability, Word choice, Plagiarism detection, Inclusive language, Formality level, and additional advanced corrections.
Currently, the Premium version is $11.66 a month if you pay annually (a 61% discount). Otherwise it’s $59.95 per quarter (a 33% discount) or 29.95 a month.
So, is Grammarly Premium worth it?
Grammarly Free vs. Premium
Grammarly Free is probably all you need. It gives you the essentials.
With a free version, Grammarly can help keep your work free of obvious mistakes.
Grammarly Pros and Cons
PRO 1: Easy To Use
You don’t have to be experienced with a computer to use Grammarly. Once installed, it works in the background whenever you write.
PRO 2: Real-Time Corrections and Suggestions
As soon as you’ve spelled a word wrong or used a word wrong, Grammarly notifies you.
PRO 3: Easy To Understand
Grammarly explains itself when suggesting a change.
In the example above, Grammarly suggests removing the space between does and not. You can also “see more in Grammarly.”
CON 1: Aggressive Marketing
Grammarly wants you to upgrade to Premium, so you’ll notice ads, emails, call to actions, and up-sell messages.
CON 2: It Doesn’t Replace You
As helpful as Grammarly can be, some writers think they can break from so much self-editing. They’re wrong.
Grammarly Alternatives
ProWritingAid
ProWritingAid, like Grammarly, checks spelling and grammar but also helps tighten your writing by checking for style, cliches, overused words, or complex sentences.
Its annual subscription price ranges between $60-70.
Ginger
Offers many of the same features as Grammarly, but can translate your work in 60 languages. It starts at $89.88 per year.
Whitesmoke
Offers many of the same features as Grammarly (as well as a translation tool similar to Ginger). Its annual subscription starts at $59.95.
You can upgrade to its premium service for $79.95.
Is Grammarly Premium Worth It?
All writing is rewriting, so a tool like Grammarly can help you tighten your writing.
But the features you really need are available in Grammarly’s free version.
