I recently wrote a review of ProWritingAid where I talked about the grammar and style checker’s features and pricing. If you’re looking into ProWritingAid for your writing needs, you may wonder how it stacks up to the competition.
With millions of active users, it’s safe to say that Grammarly is the most well-known writing aid. Both tools offer live suggestions and reports to help you spruce up your writing, but which is right for you? Let’s compare ProWritingAid vs. Grammarly.
ProWritingAid vs. Grammarly: Pricing
Screenshots from GrammarlyBoth Grammarly and ProWritingAid have free and paid versions, each with their own features and limits.
Free versions
Grammarly’s free version includes a limited number of reports: spelling & grammar, conciseness, and tone detection. It’s available as a desktop app, browser extension, and mobile app.
Unlike Grammarly, ProWritingAid’s free version gives users access to every type of report, including structure, repetition, cliches, and more. The major downside is that the free version will only review up to 500 words at a time. Free users also don’t have access to the desktop app or integrations—just the web app.
ProWritingAid offers more detailed features, but if you need a regular free grammar checker, you’re definitely better off with Grammarly.
Paid options
Screenshots from ProWritingAidBoth services offer a variety of paid options, including an individual premium version and offerings for teams.
ProWritingAid’s paid version is available at $20/month, $79/year, or a one-time $399 payment. Grammarly Premium doesn’t offer a one-time payment; rather, you can pay $30/month, $144/year, or $60 quarterly.
In terms of team plans, ProWritingAid is still cheaper than Grammarly. Grammarly has a staggered pricing model that ranges from $12.50-$11.67 per user per month on an annual plan (or $25/user/mo across the board on a monthly plan). ProWritingAid is an even $8/user/mo, no matter the size of your team.
Interestingly, both services offer a one-person team plan that’s substantially cheaper than their premium plans ($12.50/mo for Grammarly, $6/mo for ProWritingAid). ProWritingAid’s paid plans are cheaper across the board.
ProWritingAid vs. Grammarly: Features
Looking at ProWritingAid vs. Grammarly, which has the best features? Both offer real-time grammar checking and writing support, but they each have their share of extra perks to sweeten the deal.
Web app
Both ProWritingAid and Grammarly have accessible web apps you can use to check your writing. Each web app has a simple, intuitive design that lets you paste or type your text and get real-time feedback.
I found Grammarly’s web app to have a more robust real-time spell check, but ProWritingAid’s other reports are more easily accessible. The upper menu on ProWritingAid is especially useful; its reports are easier to assess and take lessons from than Grammarly’s suggestions.
Desktop app
Grammarly and ProWritingAid both have desktop apps for Mac and Windows, but they’re surprisingly distinct.
Grammarly’s app, available to all users, acts as an assistant for all your apps from writing to email and social media. Once you install and give it access, a Grammarly bubble will pop up whenever you type something and note spelling and grammar suggestions. A bit annoying, if you ask me.
ProWritingAid’s desktop app, which only paid users can access, is more similar to the web app. It basically functions as a word processor. You can type in text or open an existing text file and you’ll get the same grammar and style reports you get on the web app. The app accepts practically any text file, but it lacks some of the functionality of a full word processor.
You’ll have to get separate extensions, but ProWritingAid does offer the same resources you get from the Grammarly app. Ultimately, they serve different functions. If you want an integrated writing aid for your whole computer, go for Grammarly. If you want to import and edit files in an actual grammar checker app, go for ProWritingAid.
Integrations
Most of what you get out of the Grammarly app can be accomplished with ProWritingAid, just with a few extra steps. They have browser extensions available for Safari, Chrome, Firefox, and Edge, which will check and report on all your online work. You can also install extensions for Word and Google Docs (which also requires an extension to work with Grammarly).
Meanwhile, Grammarly’s integrations can be explored using the app or browser extensions. They, too, cover Safari, Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Word, and Google Docs. They also have an iPhone and Android app that allows you to use a Grammarly keyboard on your phone.
Looking at ProWritingAid vs. Grammarly, both have more than enough integrations for most users. But between Grammarly’s full-service desktop app and their mobile keyboard, they pull ahead.
ProWritingAid vs. Grammarly: Which is more accurate?
“Accuracy” is a bit of a subjective measure. While they both pick up on spelling and grammar mistakes, they ultimately only make “suggestions.” Beyond fixing your spelling and grammar, it’s up to you whether you use the suggestions.
If you use either service indiscriminately, you’re likely to end up with mistakes. The AI may not recognize brand names, and some grammar “mistakes” are actually style choices that can affect the tone of your writing.
ProWritingAid offers a wider variety of suggestions. On top of standard spelling and grammar, you can get style-related suggestions on tense, overused words, and more.
On the other hand, I find Grammarly’s grammar suggestions more likely to be useful. Both are best taken with a grain of salt, and it may come down to personal preference. If you ask me, ProWritingAid offers more kinds of suggestions, but Grammarly’s grammar suggestions are more useful.
ProWritingAid vs. Grammarly: Final verdict
ProWritingAid or Grammarly? Which comes out on top?
Grammarly has a more robust free option, while ProWritingAid’s paid options are cheaper. ProWritingAid has a slightly better web app, but Grammarly’s desktop app and integrations reign supreme. ProWritingAid has more features, but Grammarly’s core features are more reliable.
In many ways, it’s a matter of personal preference which one you go for. For my money, however, I have to say Grammarly comes out on top. Its free functions are more diverse than ProWritingAid’s premium version. While the reports are less thorough, it succeeds the most at its core function: checking spelling and grammar.
