Grammarly is my go-to solution for all my writing needs, including blog posts or emails and so on.
Fun Fact: On DemandSage, we publish content regularly, and our editorial team uses Grammarly to proofread every single piece of content. If you think this is some random Grammarly review, give it a read and get to know the verdict.
In this detailed Grammarly review, I will share my honest experience using Grammarly over the years.
As you read ahead, I will walk you through Grammarly’s user interface, its use cases, how to use it on different platforms, and even compare it with other tools in the market.
By the end of the review, you get to know — is Grammarly worth paying for?
Grammarly Review: At a Glance
We understand if you do not have time to make it through our complete review. This is why here is a quick summary of my review.
Note: Since I want to summarize our review, I decided to give it ratings out of 5 from my experience.
Price | $12/month ($9/month with our link) |
Grammar checking | 4.7/5 |
Plagiarism checker | 3/5 |
Free version | 4.5/5 |
User Interface | 5/5 |
Writing style improvements | 4/5 |
Rephrasing | 4.2/5 |
Customization and settings | 4.8/5 |
AI Writing tool | 3/5 |
Extensions and integrations | 5/5 |
Tone adjustment | 4.5/5 |
Mobile App | 4/5 |
Overall ratings | 4.7/5 |
Grammarly: Pros And Cons
Grammarly has its own advantages and disadvantages. I’d like to quickly point out what I liked and what could be improved by Grammarly.
Advantages of Grammarly
- Real-time proofreading
- Supports all major browsers.
- Works everywhere with extension.
- Highly beginner-friendly UI
- Can be customized and adjusted according to your goals.
- Has a plagiarism checker inside
- Comes with AI writing tool -GrammarlyGO
- Exceptional ability to pick errors and recommend suggestions.
Disadvantages of Grammarly
- The plagiarism detector is not accurate.
- There is no offline mode.
- The suggestions are not always reliable
Who is Grammarly Right For?
Grammarly is an excellent option for everyone. However, note that it only supports the English language, so if you are writing in English, Grammarly can be a wise pick.
Whether it’s ideation for content creation or enhancing your existing writing skills, Grammarly can be your go-to pick. Overall, it is ideal for
- Students
- Writers
- Authors
- Copywriters
- Business owners
- Professionals
- Teachers, or anyone who needs assistance in writing
Thinking Grammarly isn’t right for you? Don’t worry! We can help you in selecting the right tool according to your needs. We have curated different posts, keeping in mind different users and their requirements.
Here are our helpful articles to assist you.
- Best AI Writing Tools
- Best Writing Apps and Software
- Best AI Novel Writers and Software
- Best Paraphrasing Tools
- Best Content Writing Tools for SEO
- Best AI Text Generators For Content Writing
Grammarly: Overview
Grammarly is a powerful AI-powered writing assistant enhancing your existing writing skills.
With the tool, you can write grammatically correct continence and with better delivery. You can access Grammarly either via its website or desktop/mobile apps.
Moreover, it also has helpful extensions that let you use the tool on the go. Honestly, Grammarly’s extensions are my savior to use it without having to go through longer process.
As for the basic version, the tool is free to access by anyone. However, the premium version of Grammarly goes beyond the basic grammar-checking features.
The premium version lets you set up personalized goals, detect plagiarism, provide synonyms, and more. (I will discuss it in detail later in the post).
Grammarly Review: Key Features & Benefits
Grammarly goes beyond just grammar checking. There are a lot of features that are underrated and aren’t spoken about. Here are a few key features and perks you can enjoy with Grammarly.
- Correcting Grammar and Punctuation:
It identifies errors in your written content, such as grammar mistakes, punctuation errors, passive voice, fragmented sentences, and so on.
Grammarly also provides a detailed explanation of why it is wrong and how you can correct it.
- Spelling Checker
Grammarly identifies all spelling mistakes. And trust us, its accuracy with this feature is second to none.
After detecting spelling errors, you quickly correct them with a single click.
- Consistency Enhancer
Grammarly’s consistency suggestions detect uneven spelling, capitalization, hyphenation, and much more. This feature helps in improving the polish and professionalism of your written document.
- Clarity & Readability Enhancer
Even grammatically correct sentences might be challenging to understand If it’s too wordy and complex. Grammarly recommends making your writing clear and easy to comprehend for readers.
- Plagiarism Detection
Grammarly checks your written work for potential duplicated, deliberate or unintentional text. It helps you be safe by supplying vital information about whether or not any portion of your work was pirated.
It thoroughly scans your content line by line and points out if there’s any plagiarism. You can edit the content right in your dashboard and run the plagiarism checker immediately.
The best part about Grammarly is you don’t have to pay separately for a plagiarism checker with Grammarly, and there is no limit on the number of texts you can check.
- Formality Leveling and Tone Adjusting:
When you upload your article on Grammarly, you get several options for customization. Formality adjustment is one of them. It asks whether you want your work to be acknowledged under the formal, neutral, or Informal category.
The option you choose, the tone adjusting you get to meet your level of formality.
Grammarly Review: Is It Easy to Use?
I have used various writing assistants throughout the years, but its UI will always make me stick to it.
Grammarly offers one of the most straightforward user interfaces available in any editing tool.
What’s more interesting about this tool is that the interface remains the same no matter where you are using it. For instance, you will experience the same design and functions with the desktop version as the extensions.
Let’s start from the beginning to make things clear.
The signup process is quick and takes less than a few minutes. You can signup using your Apple account, Gmail, or email. Once signed up, you can personalize the settings so that Grammarly will provide suggestions accordingly.
Now, let’s talk about the dashboard.
Note: I’m taking the browser version into consideration here for the screenshots and explanation.
You know a User Interface is good when you don’t have to spend more than a few minutes to get used to it.
That’s what happened to me! I remember using Grammarly for the first time.
I didn’t have to break a sweat to get my first document proofread. Grammarly suggests all the corrections by underlining the mistakes.
You can notice the errors underlined are in different colors. Here is a quick explanation of what each color indicates:
- Red: Grammar errors and spelling mistakes.
- Blue: Clarity and wordiness.
- Green: Synonyms.
- Purple: Delivery.
You do not need to make the changes manually. With a tap of a button on the errors, Grammarly will automatically make the changes for you.
Now, if you are using the Grammarly mobile app, there is zero learning curve there too. The mobile application also works similarly to the browser version. You can add the Grammarly keyboard to your phone and start checking errors.
Another thing I would like to highlight here is how this robust tool also helps you learn. Grammarly does not simply provide corrections but also gives a detailed explanation of why it is suggesting something.
On the right side of your screen, you can see all the corrections and also see your overall score. This score is based on your overall content and includes all the Grammarly parameters.
Moreover, the plagiarism detector is also just a tap away.
Verdict: Grammarly is one of the easy-to-use and beginner-friendly tools. From getting started to checking your content, there is absolutely no learning curve. The interface is clean and doesn’t look cluttered, so that’s a bonus and makes Grammarly’s UI 5/5!
Grammarly: Is It Accurate?
Grammarly boasts plenty of powerful features, but does it also fall at the top when it comes to accuracy?
I will not beat around the bush here.
After using Grammarly for years and experimenting with different versions, I was disappointed that Grammarly is not completely accurate. It picks out the majority of the errors, but Grammarly can neglect minor spelling errors.
Let me show an example.
Here Grammarly is suggesting replacing “longest” with these two synonyms (as seen in the screenshot above).
I have also faced certain issues with grammar mistakes and spelling errors with Grammarly. Additionally, the clarity part also makes your content sound a bit robotic.
It will remove various words that can change the tone of your content and make it boring. For example, if you write “in order to,” Grammarly will recommend changing it to just “to.”
While keeping redundancy low in your content is important, certain words should not always be replaced.
I recommend keeping an eye on the changes before implementing them. Avoid going blindly going with what Grammarly suggests.
At the end of the day, Grammarly is an AI tool. You cannot count on it to be 100% accurate, but it can help to a certain extent.
Verdict: Grammarly is not 100% accurate. Instead, it can help in eliminating minor errors, but I recommend double-checking before you accept all the suggestions.
Grammarly Pricing Plans | Free vs Premium
Grammarly pricing is tailored for an individual user. If you are a single user, you get three purchasing choices.
For better insights, check the detailed comparison above.
Plan | Monthly | Quarterly | Annual |
Basic | Free | Free | Free |
Premium | $30/mo | $20/mo | $12/mo |
- Grammarly Premium Monthly –$30 per month.
- Grammarly Premium Quarterly –$20 per month. Total $144 [Billed as a one-time fee]
- Grammarly Premium Annual –$12 per month. Total $60 [Billed as a one-time fee]
If you are looking for an affordable way to grab access to Grammarly Premium, you can check out our Grammarly discount and get up to 20% off on the plans. With our discount, you can get Grammarly at $9.60/month ($12 otherwise).
There is another Grammarly plan for businesses. This plan will help you in every aspect of trade that involves writing.
The Business Plan pricing varies depending on the number of members who will use it. Usually, it starts at $12.50/month/member.
You can check out our complete pricing breakdown for a detailed insight into Grammarly’s pricing here.
Note that Grammarly does not offer any refund policy or money-back guarantee. You can cancel your subscription anytime, but you won’t get refund of the amount you have already paid.
Grammarly Free vs Premium: What is The Difference?
Initially, when I began writing, I started with the free version. The free version helped me with all the basic corrections in my content.
At first, I thought the free version would do it all. However, upgrading to the premium version gave me a better understanding of my mistakes and how to make my writing better.
We have done a detailed Grammarly free vs premium comparison that will help you know the difference clearly. Meanwhile, here’s a comparison table to make your decision easier.
Parameters | Grammarly Free | Grammarly Premium |
---|---|---|
Spellings | Basic | Advanced |
Punctuations | Basic | Advanced |
GrammarlyGO | limited prompts | 1,000 prompts |
Vocabulary | ❌ | ✔️ |
Genre-specific writing style | ❌ | ✔️ |
Plagiarism Checker | ❌ | ✔️ |
Readability Score | ❌ | ✔️ |
Word Choice | ❌ | ✔️ |
Extensions | ✔️ | ✔️ |
Formality Level | ❌ | ✔️ |
Fluency | ❌ | ✔️ |
Is Grammarly Premium Worth it?
The short answer to this question is – yes, Grammarly Premium is worth it.
Compared to the free version, the premium version introduces more features and lets you customize the suggestions as per your brand guidelines.
Besides, the Premium version also gives you access to GrammarlyGo’s complete potential and its plagiarism checker.
So, if you are looking forward to polishing your writing with an all-in-one writing tool, upgrading to Grammarly Premium is worth it.
Grammarly Availability: How You Can Use It
One of the reasons why I love Grammarly is due to its availability and how I can use it literally everywhere I type.
There are several different ways to utilize Grammarly. Let me break down different ways to use Grammarly below.
- Online Editor
- Browser extension
- Microsoft word add-in
- Desktop app
- Mobile app
- The Web Tool
The Grammarly web tool can be accessed via any browser. Once you open the website, you just have to paste your text and wait a few seconds for Grammarly to do its magic.
Grammarly proofreads, analyses, and suggests corrections for your writing in a matter of seconds. You also have the option to upload a document of multiple pages.
- Grammarly Desktop Application
Grammarly’s desktop application is available for Windows and macOS.
You have to visit the Grammarly website and download the application installer. The installation process is very straightforward. Once done, you can begin using a tool similar to the web version.
If you are a Mac user, you can use Grammarly on your Notes, social media, and even iMessage. Read about How to Use Grammarly on Mac to use Grammarly on its best potential for your Mac.
- Grammarly Browser Extension (Chrome, Safari, Edge)
The link to install the Grammarly extension is right on the website’s front page. Another way to get this extension is from the Chrome Webstore.
Once you install the extension, Grammarly will automatically analyze your writing all over the web. be it emails, Facebook, Google Docs, etc. You can also use Grammarly on PowerPoint.
Learn how to use Grammarly across different browsers with the best tips and guides:
- Grammarly Apps — iOS and Android.
Grammarly has a keyboard that is compatible with Android and Apple smartphones.
The keyboard will verify your writing mistakes while creating an email or text message. It’s great for catching those pesky typos that are so easy to make on phones.
Moreover, it also features clever predictions to help you type faster. You can also install software from the Google Play Store & Apple Stores.
How Secure Is Grammarly?
The most upsetting thing that can happen to someone is stealing their work. You put your heart and soul into creating something just to have it pirated.
On the other hand, Grammarly has numerous security features like AES-256 encryption to safeguard your work.
Over the course of three years, I have checked thousands of content through Grammarly. Fortunately, I have not faced any security concerns with Grammarly so far.
So, you can count on Grammarly’s security.
Verdict: Despite checking my content every day via Grammarly, I haven’t faced any security issues. My content has always been safe, so I can count on Grammarly with my content.
Can Grammarly Replace Human Editors Entirely?
Grammarly being an AI tool, it has many helpful features. Especially now that it has its own AI writing tool, it is obvious to wonder if you can totally rely on it and eliminate the need for a human editor.
However, Grammarly cannot replace human proofreaders and editors.
Grammarly picks out most errors, but it still falls short of the human brain. Even if you check the content through the premium version, you still need to proofread it manually.
Sometimes, minor mistakes can be ignored by Grammarly that a human eye can easily pick up. Therefore, no, Grammarly doesn’t eliminate the need for human proofreading. You should still proofread your content even after running your content through Grammarly.
How Much Can You Trust Grammarly With its Reliability?
Grammarly is a reliable tool in many aspects. However, I found it a bit unreliable for plagiarism detection.
Let’s test it out below.
I copy-pasted one paragraph from our already-published article. I ran the plagiarism detector for the same, and Grammarly showed the content to be 100% original.
On the other hand, Copyscape was able to catch the plagiarism from our article instantly.
So, overall, Grammarly’s plagiarism detector is not entirely reliable. So, if you want a comprehensive plagiarism checker, you should explore other options.
Tip: We have a handpicked list of the best plagiarism checkers that will help you find the most reliable and accurate one for your content.
GrammarlyGO: Grammarly’s New Addition!
While Grammarly has a lot of amazing features, another addition to improve your writing and take it to the next level is the introduction of GrammarlyGO.
Grammarly announced its beta version in April this year. GrammarlyGO helps you write content from scratch. If you are running out of ideas, simply ask GrammarlyGO to help you with topic generation, content ideas, and even generate new content.
You get 1,000 prompts (premium version), where you can ask GrammarlyGO to assist you in generating content. While it falls short for long-form content, it works exceptionally well for short content, including captions, emails, social media posts, replying to messages, and more.
You can read our GrammarlyGO review to know how it works, and helps you to generate content without breaking a sweat!
Besides, if you have content already, GrammarlyGO can suggest changes to improve your content and how you can make it better.
My Experience With Grammarly Premium
I don’t want to sound biased, but I have loved Grammarly for years!
Ever since I started using the premium version, it has helped me get a better understanding of grammar. I prefer using the Grammarly browser version and extension for Chrome.
Using the extension, I can use Grammarly on any possible platforms, such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Gmail, and more.
However, I still face glitches and issues with the extension, which is why I decided to stick to the website version for higher accuracy.
Since I prefer writing in Google Docs, I have tested the extension using Grammarly. Even the content you are reading right now is checked by Grammarly! (Well, if it wasn’t already obvious!)
One reason why I love using Grammarly is because of its availability. I can use it for my social media posts, replying to emails, and even writing content. Unsurprisingly, if you have an extension, it will work anywhere you type, including your WordPress dashboard.
If I have to rate my overall experience with Grammarly, I will give it a solid 9/10!
Grammarly Alternatives and Competitors
Grammarly has a lot of potential, but it has its own limits too. Especially since Grammarly only supports English, you might want to explore other options with similar or even better features.
Since there are plenty of Grammarly’s competitors (and good ones), you might want to know how Grammarly stands against them.
We have mentioned four alternatives and competitors of Grammarly below. However, you can read the complete list of Grammarly Alternatives to know which tool works the best for you!
1. ProWritingAid
If you don’t want to invest in Grammarly, ProWritingAid is a great option to get started.
However, the UI of ProWritingAid can be overwhelming in the beginning. The design looks outdated, with a lot of clustered options on your dashboard. If that’s not an issue for you, ProWritingAid has a lot of great features.
On the other hand, the free version of ProWritingAid can only check 500 words at once, whereas the free version of Grammarly can check up to 10,000 at once.
Simply put, ProWritingAid serves fictional writers better, whereas Grammarly is ideal for everyone. If you want to go with ProWritingAid, you can read our ProWritingAid Review.
You can read our detailed ProWritingAid vs Grammarly comparison to know which one is right for your needs.
2. Ginger
Ginger is also a good alternative to Grammarly.
If you want to create content in multiple languages, you can use Ginger’s translation tool to convert to any language you want. It will also give suggestions on how to improve your writing.
Since language restrictions exist on Grammarly, Ginger can be a great alternative for users who want to write in different languages.
To know more, check out our detailed Grammarly vs Ginger comparison here.
3. Wordtune
Although Wordtune is not the perfect alternative to Grammarly, this tool is known for its AI-powered content creation feature.
It can not only help you check the grammar or proofread the content but also help you with creating unique content.
4. WhiteSmoke
WhiteSmoke is another reliable tool that helps you in checking your content, improve errors, and make it error-free. However, the UI can be a bit confusing, especially if you are using it for the first time.
Also note that Whitesmoke’s desktop app only proofreads 10,000 characters at a time – not words, just characters.
One plus thing in Whitesmoke is that they offer a translation tool, so it can be an ideal solution for multilingual writers and businesses.
- Your options don’t end here. If you want to explore more tools, you can read our list of best grammar checker tools.
Final Verdict: Grammarly Review (2023)
Since we have reached the end of this Grammarly Review, let’s wrap it up with our final verdict.
Overall, Grammarly remains our top pick when we speak about online writing tools. While it has its fair share of limitations, none of them overshadow its amazing capabilities.
Even the free version allows you to check your content for all the basic corrections. Compared to other writing tools in the market, Grammarly’s free version outshines a lot of them.
You can go for the free version if you need basic editing and checking. On the other hand, you should go with the Premium version for advanced corrections and to ensure that your final draft is error-free!
With our discount link, you can grab the plan at a flat $20% discount, so why spend more when you can simply get Grammarly Premium at a discounted price?
FAQs
Grammarly Premium is designed to help a single user enhance their writing skills. On the other hand, Grammarly Business is designed for a group of people working in an organization to ensure the tone of communication is professional and straightforward.
As the name implies, Grammarly is only a tool for checking your grammar and proofreading. It has nothing to do with SEO Optimization or search rankings.
Although you get access to the free version for an unlimited amount of time, there is no option to get the Premium version for free. However, you can avail of big discounts on the premium plans if you purchase from our exclusive links.
Your content is highly secure with Grammarly. It has a strong encryption system at its disposal. This means that even Grammarly employees can view your content.
Grammarly accepts payments from all types of credit cards and PayPal. If you’re buying Grammarly Business for ten or more people, you may also pay via money order or cheque.
Grammarly Premium memberships are non-refundable, except as specified in their T&c. Read the complete Terms of Service and License Agreement here.
Grammarly Premium does check for pirated content (plagiarism). It searches through its billion-page database as well as ProQuest’s academic databases to ensure that your content is unique.
Grammarly will save your work on its servers so they can access to proofread it. Once the file is deleted from your account, it also gets deleted from their server too. Earlier in 2018, Grammarly faced some major issues with its data protection and bugs, but its support team responded quickly to them and swiftly dealt with them.