Free alternatives to Grammarly Pro
Grammarly checks spelling, grammar, and tone as you write. Its paid Pro plan adds features such as full-sentence rewrites, tone adjustment, and plagiarism and AI-text detection, according to Grammarly’s plans page.
What it costs
Grammarly’s official plans page listed a Free plan at $0 and Pro at $12 USD (checked October 22, 2026). The page shows the billing period, trial terms, and Enterprise options; check it before you buy, because prices change.
Free alternatives
- Grammarly Free. Grammarly’s own free plan covers spelling and grammar mistakes and shows your writing tone, with a monthly allowance of AI prompts. grammarly.com/plans
- LanguageTool (free Basic plan). A grammar, spelling, and style checker for 30+ languages, with browser add-ons and support for Word and LibreOffice. Its comparison table lists a 2,000-character limit per text field on the free plan; Premium raises that and adds more checks. The core is open source. languagetool.org
- Harper. A free, open-source (Apache-2.0) grammar checker from Automattic that runs entirely on your device, so your writing isn’t sent to a server. It currently supports English only, with browser extensions for Chrome, Edge, and Firefox, plus editor plugins. writewithharper.com
Honest trade-offs
- Free plans catch most everyday mistakes but offer fewer style suggestions and rewrites than paid plans.
- Harper is private and fast but English-only, and it doesn’t rewrite whole sentences.
- LanguageTool’s free plan has a per-text character limit, so long documents need checking in parts.
Who should still pay
If you write a lot in English for work, want one-click rewrites and tone adjustment everywhere you type, or need team style guides and admin controls, Grammarly Pro (or LanguageTool Premium) can be worth it.
Sources: Grammarly, LanguageTool, and Harper official pages linked above, checked October 22, 2026. We don’t use affiliate links.