Athina Hansen
Content Writer at Gradehacker
Updated January 13, 2022
Table of Contents
Writing skills are of utmost relevance and importance no matter who you are. These skills come into play when you’re writing an essay or even when you’re simply writing a formal email.
A message is best understood when there are no grammar or spelling mistakes to distract from it. And that’s precisely why you’re here!
After discovering Grammarly, you’re looking for a sincere Grammarly review to determine whether to begin using the free version or pay for their premium feature.
You want a brutally honest Grammarly review, where you will find out if it’s just as good as they make it out to be or not if it is truly worth the hype or simply overrated!
Well, here at Gradehacker, we do A LOT and all kinds of writing! From assisting students with their essays to writing blog posts. We personally have been using Grammarly’s premium version for a while now, so we have the inside scoop to share with you.
In this article, we promise to give you an honest, objective, no BS Grammarly review. After reading this Grammarly review, you will better understand how it works and if it’s truly worth it.
Grammarly Review: What is Grammarly?
Let’s start with the basics. What is Grammarly?
Grammarly is, in a nutshell, a writing app that helps you check and correct your spelling and grammar mistakes.
As soon as you feed your text to Grammarly, its Artificial Intelligence software analyzes it and points out any grammar, spelling, punctuation, word choice, and even stylistic mistakes!
Grammarly basically works as your own little online editor. Sounds awesome, right?
Grammarly is a freemium app. What does this mean? Well, it has both a free and premium version. By upgrading to the premium version, you receive a wider range of extra features.
But don’t worry, we’ll cover the differences between the free and premium version later on. For now, let’s take a look at Grammarly’s set of key features a bit more in-depth!
Grammar and Punctuation Checker
One of Grammarly’s main features is that they point out your text’s grammar and punctuation errors.
Their grammar and punctuation checker is quite extensive, as they can correct more than 150 mistakes!
So, you’re probably wondering what grammar errors you can count on Grammarly to point out.
Well, some of the grammar mistakes that Grammarly corrects are:
- Punctuation mistakes
- Poor sentence formation
- Run-on sentences
- Lengthy and wordy sentences
Spelling Check
Apart from correcting grammatical mistakes, Grammarly also checks for any present spelling errors.
And you may be thinking, okay, but why do I need this? Microsoft Word and Google Docs already take care of that.
Well, this feature is useful because you can correct all the mistakes present in your text in one place, instead of having to fix spelling mistakes via Microsoft Word first and then checking grammatical errors through Grammarly.
An awesome feature that Grammarly includes is that you can set your English language preference. Grammarly allows you to choose between American English, British English, Canadian English, and Australian English.
Why should I care about this feature? Well, by choosing your language preference, Grammarly will point out any words that aren’t spelled according to the English convention chosen.
This feature is something we have taken advantage of myself, having experience writing in both British English and American English.
If you come from a multicultural background, this will benefit you greatly. Gone are the days where you had to make sure you wrote “color” instead of “colour” or vice versa!
English Language Preference
Plagiarism Checker Tool
Grammarly also includes a plagiarism detection feature as part of the premium version!
If you’re currently a student, this feature will be a gamechanger for you! You can enter in your essay, and Grammarly will do the job of comparing it to billions of existing web pages to detect any source of plagiarism.
This will save you from being scolded by your professor because Turnitin revealed that your essay has a high plagiarism score!
You can use this feature to correct or modify any flagged sentences for plagiarism checks.
Vocabulary Enhancement
Grammarly also allows you to enhance the vocabulary of your text!
In both Grammarly’s free and Premium version, you can manually double click on a word and see a list of synonyms.
However, with Grammarly premium, you will actually receive advanced suggestions for words that will be more appropriate to your text’s tone or formality.
As for repetitive words, which many of us are guilty of, these will actually be flagged on the premium version, and you will receive synonym suggestions.
Vocabulary Enhancement
Writing Style Coach
What really takes the cake is that Grammarly acts as your personal writing style coach.
They don’t leave you on the deep end. Not only do they flag any mistakes present, but through the learn more button, they teach you about the mistake you made and how to fix it.
Over time, this allows you to improve your writing skills and make less of the same mistakes!
Also, there is an overall score tab that will increase as you improve your text by following Grammarly’s suggestions. Seeing your overall score increase is definitely encouraging and will make you feel more confident about your text!
And, if you click on the ‘see performance’ button below the overall score, you will be able to see specifics about your text’s readability and word count.
Writing Style
The Different Ways to Use Grammarly
Okay, now we know what Grammarly is, but how do you actually use or access it
Grammarly can be used in a number of ways, including:
1. Grammarly’s Free Browser Extension
By downloading Grammarly’s free browser extension on Google Chrome, Grammarly will monitor your writing on almost any site on the web.
Grammarly’s green logo in the bottom right corner will indicate that it is checking your text. And, it will provide you with grammar suggestions as you type!
Some sites where Grammarly’s browser extension will monitor your writing include:
- Google Docs
- Gmail/Yahoo/Hotmail
- WordPress
2. Grammarly Web Tool
You can also copy and paste your text directly into Grammarly’s Web Tool. For Grammarly’s web tool, you just need to click on ‘new’ in your dashboard and paste your text on the blank page.
3. Desktop App
Maybe you would prefer to use an actual desktop app instead of a website. Well, Grammarly also provides you with a desktop app option.
All you have to do is go to their download page and download the app that matches your computer’s system.
Keep in mind that this option is only available if you have Windows or macOS.
4. Microsoft Word
Grammarly also provides a Microsoft Word add-in!
Grammarly’s Microsoft Word add-in analyzes your writing as you type. And the best part is that you don’t need an internet connection for it to work!
If you want to take advantage of this option, visit their installation instructions and follow the steps.
5. On Your Phone
You can also use Grammarly on your mobile device!
By downloading the Grammarly app on your phone, you will ensure that anything you write is free of mistakes.
This is especially useful when you’re writing an email or text message on your phone.
How Much Does Grammarly Cost?
So, as we mentioned briefly already, Grammarly has two versions, a free and a premium version.
The great thing about the free version is that it is not bound by a trial period; instead, you can use it indefinitely.
Although Grammarly’s free version is quite good, the premium version allows you to access exclusive features.
In the case that you chose to pay for Grammarly Premium, the price is:
- $12 a month when you pay annually ($144 in total billed as one payment)
- $20 a month when you pay quarterly ($60 in total billed as one payment)
- $30 a month when you pay monthly
But that’s not it! Grammarly also has a Grammarly Business option, which has a price of $25 each user per month. However, the cost of the annual subscription varies depending on the number of members.
- $12.50 per user per month between 3 to 9 members
- $12.08 per user per month between 10 to 49 members
- $11.67 per user per month between 50 to 149 members
This option is billed as one charge for all users, and involves features such as an admin panel and statistics for your employees.
Difference Between Grammarly Premium and Free
Now that we’ve covered what Grammarly is, how to use it, and its costs, you’re probably thinking, well should I upgrade to Premium? Which version is better?
Well, continue reading because we will cover the differences between the two versions in the following sections.
Grammarly Free Version
You might feel discouraged about Grammarly’s free version because you’re so used to the free versions of apps having very limited functionality.
However, unlike the free versions of many apps, Grammarly’s free version is not too shabby!
You should know that the free version focuses on basic grammar mistakes. For example, it corrects fundamental spelling, punctuation, or English convention mistakes.
In Grammarly’s free version, you will also receive suggestions to make your sentences more concise.
It lays down a great basis for enhancing and fixing common writing mistakes in your text.
Grammarly Premium
Okay, what about Grammarly’s premium version? Well, Grammarly premium truly is one of the best online grammar checkers out there.
To begin with, premium users have all the helpful features included in the free version and more!
With Grammarly Premium, you will be able to fix more complex errors, and you will even receive stylistic suggestions that will take your text to the next level.
Some additional areas that Grammarly premium corrects are:
- Unclear structure
- Writing inconsistencies
- Overuse of words
- Wordiness
- Inappropriate tone
- Insensitive language
Grammarly Free vs. Grammarly Premium WRAP UP
Grammarly Free vs. Grammarly Premium
Pros and Cons
Okay, let’s cover the pros and cons of Grammarly.
Some of the pros of Grammarly are that:
- They have an extensive online grammar knowledge base
- It aids writers who are not native English speakers
- You can choose your English language preference
- You can use many ways (desktop app, website, browser extension, etc.)
However, as with anything, there are some cons to Grammarly.
For example, one con is the price for Grammarly premium. Many are not willing to spend $30 monthly or pay the $144 annual plan for an online grammar tool.
Another con is that although the tool is quite effective for fixing writing errors, it cannot replace a human editor. Yes, Grammarly premium will get rid of many of your grammar, spelling, or even stylistic mistakes; however, some of their suggestions will not be accurate or the best.
There is the odd occasion where Grammarly’s suggestion will leave your sentence worse. That is why with Grammarly, you cannot just blindly accept all their suggestions; you have to take the time to read them to see if they are accurate.
Is Grammarly the Right Fit For You?
So, is Grammarly worth using? Should I upgrade to Premium or stick to the free version?
Well, Grammarly’s free version is the right fit for you if you are just looking to correct basic and minimal writing errors. It is ideal for those with better grammar and overall writing skills as it just picks out surface-level mistakes.
It is free at the end of the day, so if you’re wondering if you should try Grammarly’s free version, our answer is yes!
However, if you are searching for more comprehensive features, such as help with stylistic aspects such as word choice, then Grammarly’s free version won’t cut it!
If you’re looking for more guidance in your writing, Grammarly’s premium version will be the better fit for you.
Grammarly premium will be a great fit for you if you deal a lot with writing. However, you should keep in mind that even though it is a valuable resource to improve your writing, it cannot replace a human editor.
Our Verdict
To sum it up, Grammarly is a tool that we recommend. As we mentioned earlier, we use it ourselves, and it definitely does a great job catching a broad range of grammar and spelling mistakes.
It is also a valuable tool because it provides you with stylistic suggestions that you might not have thought of, such as replacing a specific word to better match your message’s tone or rewrite a sentence so that it is easier to understand and more concise.
However, like we also mentioned, it is not 100% perfect and cannot replace a human editor.
Grammarly’s free version is very useful for those who want a resource that checks basic and general errors.
Whereas its premium version is ideal for those who regularly write content and those looking for a wider range of suggestions.
After reading this article, we hope that you fully understand how Grammarly works and whether its Premium or free version is the best fit for you.
If you’re a student who struggles with writing and is looking for a greater level of assistance, Gradehacker can be a great resource for you! We can ensure you a successful essay writing journey, where you aren’t worrying about all the potential grammar and spelling mistakes your essay has!
If you want to learn more about how to improve your writing skills or you want to know our honest review on other writing services, check out our related blog posts:
Athina Hansen
Athina has worked with Gradehacker both as a content writer and a study consultant, where she assisted college students with nursing courses. Athina has a background of educating others and producing content, having tutored college students and produced articles for her school magazine. She brings her experience to her current role, where she writes content to empower and assist the non-traditional college student who is often overlooked. You can find her on LinkedIn
