Grammarly vs. Hemingway vs. ProWritingAid vs. Ginger—Grammar Apps Face-Off

Photo of author

Danielle McLeod

Danielle McLeod is a highly qualified secondary English Language Arts Instructor who brings a diverse educational background to her classroom. With degrees in science, English, and literacy, she has worked to create cross-curricular materials to bridge learning gaps and help students focus on effective writing and speech techniques. Currently working as a dual credit technical writing instructor at a Career and Technical Education Center, her curriculum development surrounds student focus on effective communication for future career choices.

Grammarly, Hemingway, ProWritingAid, and Ginger are powerful online writing programs designed to help users improve their writing quality. Each tool offers unique features and functionalities to help writers edit, proofread, and enhance their written content.

Editing and proofreading are essential in the writing process. They ensure your writing is clear, has no mistakes, and says what you want it to say. When you take the time to review and fix things in your writing, it gets better and easier to understand. These online editing tools are great for improving your writing, and these programs are some of the most popular.

This article provides a detailed overview of each software program, explaining its capabilities and workings. It lists each program’s pros and cons and suggests who might find it most helpful. A comparison chart allows readers to quickly see what each program does well and where it might be lacking.

Stay tuned to discover which tool aligns best with your requirements, empowering you to embark on a journey towards polished and impactful writing.

Grammarly

Grammarly is widely recognized as one of the top grammar apps, known for its knack for improving writing accuracy and clarity. With an easy-to-use interface and a wide range of features, Grammarly is suitable for writers at any skill level, whether they’re just starting out or seasoned pros.

2022 05 20 6

Functionalities and Key Features

  • Advanced grammar and spelling checks: Grammarly scans written text for spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors, including verb tense and subject-verb agreement.
  • Writing style and clarity improvement: It provides recommendations to improve sentence structure, word choice, and clarity to help writers improve their writing style and text’s readability.
  • Plagiarism checker: It includes a plagiarism detection feature that compares the text with a vast database to identify instances of plagiarized content. 
  • Integration with platforms: It seamlessly works with web browsers, Microsoft Office, and other writing platforms to enable users to access its features across different applications.
  • Consistency and coherence checks: Grammarly checks your writing to ensure it stays consistent and flows smoothly. It helps ensure that your ideas fit together well and that your writing stays steady.
  • Vocabulary enhancement suggestions: Grammarly suggests better words to help you use a variety of words and make your writing better. 
  • Tone detection and suggestions: It can tell if your writing sounds formal, informal, friendly, or professional, and it suggests ways to keep it consistent. 
  • Genre-specific writing suggestions: It offers suggestions tailored to different types of writing, like academic, business, creative, or technical writing.
  • Accessibility on multiple devices: Grammarly can be used on many devices, such as web browsers with an extension, desktop apps for Windows and macOS, and mobile apps for iOS and Android.

Pros

Cons

  • Instant grammar correction
  • User-friendly
  • Clear and understandable explanations
  • Pretty customizable
  • Highly accurate
  • The free version offers limited features
  • Its functionality is not universally applicable

Ideal User Profiles

Grammarly is an incredibly beneficial program that can help a wide variety of users. In particular, it is a favorite of professional writers, authors, marketers, and content creators. It is also incredibly useful for students in secondary school and university, as well as non-native English speakers looking to refine their writing.

Hemingway

Hemingway is a versatile writing tool to enhance written content’s clarity and readability. Its functionalities and key features offer users a unique approach to improving their writing style. From highlighting complex sentences to suggesting alternative phrasing, Hemingway provides valuable insights for writers looking to refine their work.

Functionalities and Key Features

  • Sentence complexity analysis: It highlights complex sentences, helping users identify areas where sentence structures can be simplified for better readability.
  • Adverb usage identification: This tool identifies adverbs and encourages users to consider removing or replacing them with stronger, more descriptive words.
  • Readability scores: It provides readability scores based on the grade level required to understand the text to help users measure the understandability of their work. 
  • Alternative word suggestions: Hemingway prompts users with alternative word suggestions. 

Pros

Cons

  • User-friendly interface
  • Focus on simplicity
  • Can handle long documents with ease
  • Visual representation of readability
  • Use of highlighting and color-coding 
  • No subscription is required for the desktop version
  • Limited grammar and spelling checks
  • The online version has no save functionality
  • Might not align well with a writer’s individual style and preferences
  • No plugin for browsers

Ideal User Profiles

Hemingway’s distinctive method of analyzing overall content and readability appeals to various user groups, including copywriters, bloggers, professional writers, authors, marketers, journalists, and academic students and professors.

ProWritingAid

ProWritingAid offers a comprehensive suite of tools designed to enhance writing, from grammar and style to structure and readability.

Functionalities and Key Features

  • Grammar and spelling checks: It performs thorough grammar and spelling checks and offers suggestions for corrections.
  • Writing style analysis: It analyzes writing style.
  • Consistency checks: It scans the text for consistency in spelling, capitalization, hyphenation, and more.
  • Detailed reports and explanations: It generates detailed reports highlighting areas of improvement and offering explanations for suggested changes.
  • Plagiarism check: ProWritingAid has a built-in tool that checks your writing for plagiarism. It scans your text for similarities with many online sources and gives you a report showing where it found potential matches. 
  • Terminology error identification: The program checks your text for any mistakes or inconsistencies in using industry-specific terms or technical vocabulary. 
  • Supports five varieties of English language: The program offers different versions of English, such as American, British, Canadian, Australian, and South African English.
  • Thesaurus checker: ProWritingAid features a Thesaurus checker that suggests alternative words and phrases to enhance your writing. It helps you find synonyms and avoid repeating the same words too often.
  • Integration options: It can easily be added to word processors like Microsoft Word and Google Docs, as well as other writing platforms and software

Pros

Cons

  • Less expensive than other writing tools
  • Generates tons of writing reports
  • Includes lifetime plan
  • Provides educational insights and guidance as you write
  • Has no word limit
  • Needs internet
  • Not supported on mobile devices
  • Poses formatting problems

Ideal User Profiles

ProWritingAid caters to a diverse user base, making it a dynamic option for various writing needs. Whether you’re an academic student, writer, professional editor, author, or business professional, ProWritingAid offers valuable tools to enhance your message and elevate the quality of your content.

Ginger

Ginger is a versatile writing tool known for its unique set of functionalities tailored to enhance writing quality and efficiency. From grammar and spell-checking to text-to-speech capabilities, Ginger offers a range of features to support writers in their creative endeavors.

Ginger grammar checker screenshot

Functionalities and Key Features

  • Grammar, punctuation, and spelling checks: It performs thorough grammar, punctuation, and spelling checks.
  • Sentence rephrasing: It suggests alternative phrasing to enhance sentence structure, clarity, and readability.
  • Translation: It offers a feature allowing users to translate text into different languages.
  • Personal dictionary: It creates a personal dictionary within Ginger to add custom words, phrases, or specific terminology.
  • Text Reader: This feature allows users to listen to their text being read aloud. It can be helpful for proofreading and identifying errors.
  • Emoji: This feature suggests suitable emojis based on your writing context so that you can add visual elements to their text and enhance expression.
  • Smart Word Prediction: This feature uses context and machine learning algorithms to predict the next word or phrase to save time and reduce errors.
  • Platforms and integration: Ginger is accessible through various channels, including web browsers with the Ginger browser extension, desktop applications for Windows and macOS, and mobile applications for iOS and Android devices. Additionally, Ginger seamlessly integrates with popular word processors like Microsoft Word and Google Docs.

Pros

Cons

  • Comprehensive grammar and spelling suggestions
  • Affordable price
  • Unlimited premium use
  • Can work on mobile devices, Windows, browsers, MAC
  • Translation feature for 40 languages
  • Customized terms and jargon
  • Automatically includes cloud storage
  • Limited writing style analysis
  • No plagiarism checker
  • May miss some errors
  • Need internet connection

Ideal User Profiles

Ginger appeals to a wide audience, especially students and non-native English speakers. Its affordable pricing and intuitive translation features make it particularly popular among those seeking grammatical assistance and readability suggestions. Additionally, its user-friendly interface caters well to individuals with dyslexia.

Comparative Analysis

Features

Features

Features

Features

Features

Grammarly

Grammarly

Grammarly

Grammarly

Grammarly

Hemingway

Hemingway

Hemingway

Hemingway

Hemingway

ProWritingAid

ProWritingAid

ProWritingAid

ProWritingAid

Ginger

Ginger

Ginger

Ginger

Ginger

ProWritingAid

Ease of use

Easy

Easy

Moderate

Easy

Accuracy

High

Moderate

High

High

Integrations

Extensive

Limited

Extensive

Limited

Feedback quality

Excellent

Good

Excellent

Good

Pricing

Free limited trial Premium and business subscriptions starting at $12/month

Free online version
Desktop version is offered for a one-time payment of $19.99

Free trial
Subscription plans are available starting at $10/month

Free version
Subscription plans are available starting at $4.99/month

Conclusion

When comparing Grammarly vs. Hemingway vs. ProWritingAid vs. Ginger online writing programs, you want to consider the best tool for your writing style and needs. Keep in mind the following:

  • Grammarly offers high accuracy, extensive integrations, and excellent feedback quality. It’s suitable for professionals, students, and non-native English speakers.
  • Hemingway focuses on readability and clarity. It’s ideal for bloggers, content creators, and authors aiming for concise writing.
  • ProWritingAid provides comprehensive analysis covering grammar, spelling, style, and readability. It’s suited for professional writers and authors seeking in-depth feedback.
  • Ginger assists non-native English speakers with grammar, vocabulary, and translation. It’s beneficial for students and professionals working with text in multiple languages.

Choosing the best tool depends on your needs and preferences. Consider factors such as accuracy, ease of use, integrations, feedback quality, and pricing. It’s recommended to try out each tool to determine the best fit for your writing style and requirements.

Take advantage of free versions and trials when available to experience the features firsthand and make an informed decision. Finding the right tool can greatly enhance your writing process and improve the quality of your written content.