Grammar can make or break a blog. If you use WordPress and are also using Yoast or AIOSEO, they have built-in grammar checks. They are decent for highlighting your grammar mistakes but not so much for helping you fix the problem. My grammar could be better, so I’ve been hunting for a free grammar checker for a few months. Unfortunately, I have yet to find a free one.
I haven’t found free
I’ve tried browser plugins and stand-alone apps from several different companies. What I have found out is that they work great for two minutes. Then you hit a paywall. If you need simple spell check or help with punctuation, Chrome or Microsoft Word have those features built-in. But if you need help with sentence structure, you may need something more powerful.
The paywall
I had the same experience with these programs while looking for a free one. I would try them out, hit a paywall, uninstall them, then try another. They all claimed to be free initially, but the free versions only allow ten daily edits in most cases. Even the free plagiarism checkers I’ve tried only allow so many characters per day.
Of all the programs I’ve tried, Grammarly & Wordtune were the two that stood out in terms of ease of use.
Programs and pricing
All of these programs have steep discounts if you pay yearly. So I’ll list all associated costs. Yearly is the most cost-effective, though.
| Program | Monthly | Yearly | Other |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grammarly | $30 | $144 ($12/month) | $60(3 months) |
| Wordtune | $24.99 | $119.88 ($9.99/month) | NA |
| ProWritingAid | $20 | $120 ($10/month) | $399/Lifetime |
| Ginger | $19 | $149.76 ($12.48/month) | $33.57(3 months) |
| Quillbot | $19.95 | $99.95 ($8.33/month) | $79.95(6 months) |
| LanguageTool | $19.90 | $59.90 ($4.99/month) | $39.00(3 months) |
My experience
I finally gave in and bought myself an early Christmas present. I chose Grammarly based on the reviews from others; it’s also the most popular, and holy cow! My grammar is WAY worse than I thought. I write the same way I talk, and hillbilly don’t read too good.
Do you need a grammar checker?
I’m not trying to promote a product here, but if you own a website or write for a living, you may need a grammar checker. I only recently realized how important this was. I ran some paragraphs through the free Wordtune editor and the Grammarly editor I was paying for and got the same results.
Wordtune is cheaper by a few bucks, so it may be the way to go if you decide to pay for one. The paid versions help with plagiarism, word choice, consistency, punctuation, inclusive language, clarity, and voice & tone checks as well. I’m still finding new features that are helping me out a ton. Remember: You get what you pay for. Grammarly has a very helpful desktop app.
So I didn’t find a free grammar checker, but I did find a good one. If you find a good free grammar checker, please let me know. I’ll be happy to add it to this page.
