What is Grammarly?
Grammarly is an app or extension for your browser that checks your grammar, spelling, plagiarism, and more in real-time on a number of different platforms, including Microsoft Word, WordPress, Facebook, and more.
This grammar app is actually coined as being your “Free Grammar Assistant.”
Sounds nice, right?
But there are certain limitations – as with any writing software like this. Let’s take a look at a full Grammarly review of its features, the pros and cons, and the price point for premium and business upgrades.
How Much Does Grammarly Cost?
As you know by now, Grammarly isn’t just free – and for a good reason.
With as many helpful features as it offers in addition to what you get for free, paying a pretty penny is totally worth it if you’re someone who needs more of those advanced capabilities.
Here’s how much Grammarly costs for each version:
| Version | Monthly | Quarterly | Annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Premium | $29.95 / month | $59.95 (breaks down to $19.98 / month) | $139.95 (breaks down to $11.66 / month) |
Grammarly Review with Pros and ConsAs with anything, there are some pros and cons that come along with Grammarly. Let’s dive into this Grammarly review and discuss each in detail and what you can expect if you choose to use it for all your writing needs. Grammarly ProsThere are many reasons Grammarly has exploded its growth in recent years. These are a few of the many pros this writing software has to offer. #1 – Real-time grammar correctingThis is fantastic and has changed the game when it comes to checking your work and editing faster. Instead of writing everything out and then clicking the “check spelling and grammar” button, you’ll know right when you make a mistake that you have, in fact, made an error. You might be wondering why this is so great when you can just check it after you’re done. Have you ever forgotten to hit that button when you spent a ton of time drafting something very important? Because I have. And let me tell you, if I could see the errors as they happen, I can change them right away, resulting in a cleaner final result. Plus, it’s all automatic. You don’t have to click a button for Grammarly to do its job. #2 – Highly accurateThis grammar software doesn’t make a whole lot of mistakes. Occasionally, it can misunderstand what you’re trying to say or put a comma where you don’t necessarily need or want one, but overall, it has a high rate of accuracy. And when you’re checking grammar, accuracy is always best. Just be aware of why it’s asking you to change something and only accept if it’s correct. #3 – Easy to understand explanationsGrammarly doesn’t just tell you when something is wrong. While that would totally be okay, this program goes a step further with explanations so you can understand in order to learn and improve. So not only are you getting the benefit of your writing being polished in real-time, but you’re also learning how to become a better writer. Grammarly has 2 options when it comes to explanations. You can do a quick view to make the change with little help like below:  Or you can click “See More in Grammarly” and view a full explanation like the image below:  The more you use Grammarly, the more you’ll understand where commas go, how to phrase certain sentences properly, and how you can strengthen your writing altogether. By a simple explanation like the one featured above, you won’t even need Grammarly as much in the future. #4 – CustomizationEven if you’re using the free version of Grammarly, it’s pretty customizable given its limitation in features. You’re able to select your preferred language, turn it off on certain websites, as well as add new words you use often to the dictionary. This is perfect if you have any words you use regularly that aren’t necessarily “real” words, like brand names, slang, or abbreviations. There’s no need to fix each of these errors if you just click “add to dictionary” when Grammarly marks it as incorrect the first time. Just hover over the word and click “Add to Dictionary” in the pop-up box, as you can see below:  #5 – Very simple to useYou don’t have to be a computer whiz in order to figure out this piece of software. Essentially, all you have to do is install the plugin or browser extension and you’re good to go! Much like Microsoft Word and Google Doc’s spellcheck, Grammarly will underline incorrect words or grammar and show you what to replace it with and why if you simply hover over it. This is perfect for those of you who need a bit of help in the grammar department but aren’t thrilled with the idea of a more complex piece of writing software. Grammarly ConsIt can’t all be perfect, right? While there are some amazing features within Grammarly, there are certain aspects that could be improved. #1 – It doesn’t work on everything Most popularly, Grammarly doesn’t function on Google Docs, which can be a real bummer for those of you who use this writing software all the time. But, they are currently beta testing Grammarly with Google Docs so you might not have to wait long before this feature is available for good! Just take a look at the notification I received on my Grammarly Chrome extension when I was crafting this very blog post in Google Docs: It seems as though Grammarly is certainly breaking out and extending its services to more and more platforms – which is great if you use many for work, hobbies, or a combination of the two. #2 – Its free version is very limitedAs you can see from the table above, the free version of Grammarly is very limited. It really only has one function, and that’s to correct your spelling and grammar. While this might seem like a major con to some, it’s perfectly acceptable to others. Personally, I don’t need much more than just the free features. Going for Grammarly Premium is certainly more useful for those looking to transform their writing for the better or those who need a bit more than just grammar help. There’s a huge gap between the free version and the premium option that could be closed a little by offering more free features. If you’re curious which writing software is best for you and if Grammarly is even a good fit, take this short, 2-minute quiz below to find out! #3 – Aggressive advertisingThis company wants you to upgrade – they really want you to upgrade. While they’re completely justified to get you to spend more money to go premium, their spam-like ads and emails can be a bit much for people. Thankfully, you can easily opt out of their email list by unsubscribing and that virtually solves the problem on that end. However, they still advertise to you through the Grammarly extension from time to time by notifying you to upgrade. While it’s irritating, it’s still tolerable and not necessarily a deal-breaker. Can Grammarly be trusted?Yes, Grammarly can be trusted. It is used by countless writers, companies, and students. The company would not have succeeded if they were looking to scam writers! In fact, unlike many other online services, Grammarly doesn’t rent or sell user data. They only make money through their paid product offerings. Another reason to trust Grammarly is that the tool is unable to see or access any sensitive data you type in fields such as password input areas. Does Grammarly steal your work?No, Grammarly does not steal your work. The company explicitly states that all ownership is retained by you including full copyright and duplication rights. Grammarly does not have any claim to your writing. Also, all of the data used by Grammarly is encrypted to enterprise standards. If you choose to delete your Grammarly account, all of your data is deleted too. You retain full control at all times. Grammarly AlternativesIf you’re not quite sold on Grammarly, there are other programs out there that are very similar you might want to check out. |
