Grammarly Alternatives: Grammar Checkers and AI Editors Compared

The best Grammarly alternative depends on what you use Grammarly for. If you write long fiction or reports, ProWritingAid gives deeper style reports. If you write in more than one language or want an open-source core, LanguageTool is the strongest pick. For rewriting sentences, Wordtune or QuillBot. For plain, readable prose, Hemingway Editor. And for heavier rewrites of whole drafts, a general assistant like Claude or ChatGPT often does more than any grammar checker.

The short version:

• Long-form and fiction writers: ProWritingAid.
• Multilingual writers, privacy-minded teams, self-hosters: LanguageTool.
• Rephrasing one sentence at a time: Wordtune.
• Paraphrasing, plus a grammar checker and AI detector in one extension: QuillBot.
• Cutting wordy sentences, offline: Hemingway Editor.
• Rewriting whole drafts with instructions: Claude or ChatGPT.

First: Grammarly's company is now called Superhuman

A lot of people searching for Grammarly alternatives noticed the brand change. Here's what happened. Grammarly's own About page says that in 2025 the company acquired Coda and Superhuman Mail, and in October the company itself became Superhuman. Grammarly the product kept its name and "remains at the core."

So Grammarly hasn't gone anywhere. It's now one part of a Superhuman suite that also includes Mail, Docs and an assistant called Superhuman Go. If you liked Grammarly as a standalone grammar checker, it still exists. If the suite direction isn't for you, keep reading.

Why people look for Grammarly alternatives

The usual reasons:

1. Cost. Grammarly has a Free plan, but full-sentence rewrites, tone adjustment and the larger AI prompt allowance sit in Pro, which is billed per member. Check Grammarly's pricing page for current terms.
2. Depth. Grammarly is tuned for quick, clean everyday writing. Novelists and report writers often want more analysis.
3. Languages. Writers who switch between English and German, Spanish, French or Dutch want one tool that handles all of them.
4. Privacy. Some people don't want every keystroke going to a cloud service, or need a tool they can host themselves.
5. They want rewriting, not correction. A grammar checker fixes a sentence. Sometimes you want the whole draft reworked.

To be fair to Grammarly: its homepage says it doesn't sell or monetize user content or let third-party providers train models on it, and its About page says it works across more than a million apps and websites. That coverage is hard to beat.

Quick comparison

ProWritingAid: for long-form and fiction

ProWritingAid has leaned hard into book writers. Its homepage now leads with story planning, Story Critique, Manuscript Analysis and a Virtual Beta Reader, alongside line editing.

The grammar side is still there. Its grammar checker page lists 25+ writing reports that go beyond grammar, covering style, inconsistencies, awkward sentences and repetition, and it lets you build your own style guide. The integrations page lists MS Word, Google Docs and Scrivener, plus browser extensions for Chrome, Edge and Firefox and desktop apps for Windows and Mac.

Good fit: novelists, nonfiction authors and anyone editing 50,000 words rather than 50.

LanguageTool: multilingual and open source at the core

LanguageTool is the pick if you write in more than one language. It checks 30+ languages and dialects, detects the language automatically, and has add-ons for Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari, Gmail, Outlook, Word, Google Docs and LibreOffice. Its site says the browser add-on doesn't store your text, and it sells GDPR-conform plans for businesses.

The unusual part: the LanguageTool core is open source under LGPL 2.1, and the README explains how to run your own LanguageTool server. That means a team can keep text checking entirely on its own infrastructure. The hosted Premium tier adds more suggestions and unlimited paraphrasing.

Good fit: multilingual writers, European teams, and anyone who wants a grammar checker they can host themselves.

Wordtune: for rewriting one sentence at a time

Wordtune is built around rewrites. You highlight a sentence and pick from context-based alternatives, switch between casual and formal tone, or ask it to continue your text. It also does grammar checks, summaries and a humanizer.

Wordtune's plans page shows a free Basic tier with a small daily allowance of rewrites, and paid tiers that raise or remove the limit. Spelling and grammar checks are unlimited on every plan. There's a business option with SAML SSO.

Good fit: non-native English writers and anyone who knows what they want to say but not how to phrase it.

QuillBot: paraphrasing plus an AI detector

QuillBot started as a paraphraser and now bundles more. Its Chrome extension listing, published by QuillBot (Course Hero), LLC, describes a multilingual writing assistant with a grammar checker, paraphraser, humanizer and AI detector that works in any text field on the web. The listing also says QuillBot doesn't sell your data.

It's popular with students, partly because the AI detector sits next to the writing tools.

Good fit: students and writers who rephrase a lot and want grammar checks in the same toolbar.

Hemingway Editor: for clear, plain prose

Hemingway Editor doesn't try to be a full grammar checker. It highlights wordy sentences in yellow, worse ones in red, and flags adverbs, passive voice and complicated words. The goal is readable writing, not just correct writing.

There are two versions. Hemingway Editor Plus is the newer online product with AI fixes, grammar checks and tone adjustment, with a two-week trial. The Classic Hemingway Editor 3 for Mac and PC is a one-time purchase that works with no internet connection, though it doesn't include the AI features.

Good fit: bloggers, marketers and anyone whose drafts run long.

Claude and ChatGPT: when you need more than a grammar check

Grammar checkers work sentence by sentence. A general AI assistant works on the whole draft, and you tell it what you want: "cut this by a third," "make it sound less defensive," "rewrite for a non-technical reader."

Claude has a Free plan and paid tiers, and it can create files and connect to your apps. ChatGPT is the other common choice. Neither sits inside every text box the way Grammarly does, so most people pair one with a lightweight checker rather than replacing both. If you write the same kind of piece often, our guide to Claude skills for writing shows how to save your style rules so you don't re-explain them every time.

If you're also comparing tools that generate marketing copy rather than edit it, see our Jasper AI alternatives and Copy.ai alternatives guides.

Good fit: anyone whose problem is structure, tone or length, not commas.

How to choose a Grammarly alternative

1. Mostly typos and commas in email and chat? Stay on Grammarly Free, or try LanguageTool's free tier.
2. Writing a book or long reports? ProWritingAid.
3. Writing in several languages? LanguageTool.
4. Need text to stay on your own servers? Self-host LanguageTool's open-source core.
5. Stuck on phrasing? Wordtune or QuillBot.
6. Drafts too wordy? Hemingway Editor.
7. Need the whole draft reworked? Claude or ChatGPT, maybe alongside a checker.
8. Already writing inside Notion? Its built-in AI may be enough. Our Notion AI alternatives guide compares it.

A grammar checker fixes one draft. If you keep rewriting the same kinds of documents, the bigger win is a writing workflow you can reuse. Taku is an AI-native desktop workspace where you can mirror an AI app or workflow someone already got working, run it on your own drafts, and keep it for next time. Taku is in Beta, and the Mac app is available now.

FAQ

What is the best free alternative to Grammarly?

LanguageTool is the strongest free option, especially if you write in more than one language, and its open-source core can be self-hosted. Wordtune and QuillBot also have free tiers, mostly aimed at rewriting. Limits change, so check each pricing page.

Is Grammarly still available after the Superhuman rename?

Yes. The company changed its name to Superhuman in October 2025, but Grammarly kept its name and is still sold, with a Free plan, Pro and Enterprise. It's now part of the Superhuman suite alongside Mail, Docs and Superhuman Go.

Is ProWritingAid better than Grammarly?

For long-form writing, often yes. ProWritingAid offers 25+ writing reports and tools built for manuscripts. For quick everyday writing across many apps, Grammarly's coverage is broader.

Is there an open-source Grammarly alternative?

LanguageTool. Its core is available under LGPL 2.1 on GitHub, and you can run your own LanguageTool server.

Can ChatGPT or Claude replace Grammarly?

For rewriting whole drafts, they can do more than Grammarly. For catching errors as you type in every app, they can't, because they don't sit in your text fields. Many writers use one of each.