Grammarly vs. Prowritingaid – Which is Better?

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Candace Osmond

Candace Osmond studied Advanced Writing & Editing Essentials at MHC. She’s been an International and USA TODAY Bestselling Author for over a decade. And she’s worked as an Editor for several mid-sized publications. Candace has a keen eye for content editing and a high degree of expertise in Fiction.

As a Bestselling Author and Top Rated Freelancer, it’s safe to say I do a bit of writing. But having the right tools and resources helps make my job a lot easier. 

Many writers turn to grammar and spellcheckers when revising their works. Two names that might come to mind are Grammarly and ProWritingAid. Personally, I use Grammarly. Even after trying all the available programs.

Which online writing tool should you use? This comparison guide will compare the features of Grammarly and ProWritingAid. I’ll also review these grammar checkers regarding accuracy, writing reports, pricing, and customer service. 

What is Grammarly?

Grammarly is the top spelling and grammar checker founded in 2009 by Max Lytvyn and Alex Shevchenko. It provides suggestions and corrections for spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors in your writing piece.

The editing program is available as browser extensions, mobile apps, and desktop apps. You can also access Grammarly via its website to get detailed reports about your writing. These platforms allow you to enhance your writing skills wherever you are.

The online grammar checker software lets you check writing for different genres. You can also pick your preferred English variation or add unknown words to your personal dictionary.

Grammarly is available in a free version or through different plans. Purchase Grammarly Premium to have access to advanced writing features like clarity-focused sentence rewrites and tone adjustment.

I love Grammarly above all because it’s super easy to use, and I’m not that tech-savvy or patient. 

What is ProWritingAid?

ProWritingAid is an online word editor known for its world-class proofreading and writing style reports. It helps you make a huge improvement in your articles as you get an overview of their readability.

This editing software platform not only corrects your grammar and spelling mistakes but also checks your sentences for overuse, cliches, repetition, and sticky sentences if you access its premium plans.

ProWritingAid is available as a desktop application and a plugin. Connect it to Microsoft Word, Google Docs, email, and other browsers for quicker use. You can also purchase ProWritingAid’s lifetime plan for an all-in payment for unlimited use. 

I tried ProWritingAId for a couple of years in addition to Grammarly, and while it has all the features I need, I found it bogged down my computer’s run-time and sometimes even missed things that Grammarly didn’t. Also, it has a bit of a learning curve. See my full ProWritingAid review here.

Features of Grammarly

Before comparing the two grammar checking tools, let’s discuss each feature. Grammarly is a writing editor that is best known for its educational suggestions.

Detailed Spelling and Grammar Reports

Grammarly Spelling Check

I love that Grammarly’s web editor gives you access to advanced suggestions. When you’re on mobile or Google Docs, this editing tool gives you quick checks by detecting basic spelling, grammar, and punctuation mistakes. 

Unlike other grammar checkers, Grammarly can improve your grammar over time because of its detailed explanations. It doesn’t just indicate your errors but also states why it’s wrong through comprehensive feedback.

Grammarly might say that your sentence is too wordy or that the paragraph sounds monotonous. Its tone detector also offers context-sensitive style suggestions. Here are other sentence structure issues that the online editor can correct:

  • Passive voice.
  • Wordiness.
  • Repetition.
  • Dangling modifier.

Plagiarism Detector

Grammarly Plagiarism

Aside from its basic features, Grammarly also lets you perform plagiarism checks on your academic papers, blogs, and business documents. This feature of the advanced proofreading tool is available if you avail of any of its premium version plans. I use it every day with content writing to ensure everything I do is not only written well but 100% original. 

Grammarly is a system that does an excellent job scanning your content for plagiarism. The process is simple. Copy your text on the blank page, and the program will automatically compare your content against billions of already-published content.

You’ll get a percentage of your text that matches the sources. The number of sources you copied from will also appear in the results. 

Personal Dictionary

Editors will spend less time analyzing Grammarly’s suggestions because of the personal dictionary. If the proofreading software keeps on flagging proper nouns and unique words as misspellings, you can add that word to your personal dictionary.

This feature is ideal for a fiction author with unique character names or bloggers with particular titles. Take advantage of the personal dictionary, so you will only receive correct suggestions for your piece of writing.

Weekly Statistics

Grammarly’s array of features wouldn’t be complete without its weekly writing reports. The online grammar and style editor informs you about your weekly vocabulary, productivity, and mastery score. You’ll also receive emails about your frequent grammar and spelling errors.

While you might consider these emails junk, weekly statistics will help you understand the potential improvements you can make for smooth writing. Optimizing your writing based on these data will benefit you and your readers.

Integrations

Grammarly in Word

Grammarly has an add-on extension for different browsers and Microsoft Word. Use it to edit your text on email, WordPress, Docs, and social networking sites. You can also make use of the mobile app for editing your work on your iOS or Android devices.

The proofreading tool also has a desktop version that aids in fixing grammar and spelling mistakes on the computer.

Features of ProWritingAid

ProWritingAid is another AI-powered writing assistant that corrects writing issues. The platform comes with both basic and advanced grammar features. Like I said before, I like the program, its features are exactly what I need, but I felt I spent too much time on it. 

Writing Style Report

prowritingaid writing reports

Unlike other grammar checkers, ProWritingAid specializes in comprehensive writing reports beyond spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. This writing tool corrects 20+ critical grammar issues and offers readability scores for your work. 

It will make suggestions like turning passive to active voice, removing extra adverbs, and reducing repeated sentence starts. You’ll also get alerts on emotional tells and dialogue in your story. Here are other sentence structure suggestions ProWritingAid corrects:

  • Cliches and redundancies.
  • Sticky sentences. 
  • Sentence length.
  • Pronoun
  • English versions.
  • Consistency.
  • Transition.

ProWritingAid also offers a vocabulary enhancement tool feature through its contextual thesaurus. I really love this for my fiction work. It recommends a range of synonyms that fit within the context of your statement. 

House Style

Prowritingaid Writing Style Report

The house style check is one of ProWritingAid’s advanced editing capabilities that offer a style guide depending on your need. 

For example, if you’re a fashion designer, this proofreading software tool allows you to create a tool that makes suggestions for replacement of “fall outfits” with “autumn outfits.”

Integrations

An online editing tool’s availability on several platforms is an essential feature. It’s a good thing you can install ProwritingAid for Microsoft Word, Safari, Google Docs, and Scrivener.

ProWritingAid’s desktop application lets you work with different formats, including Open Office, Rich Text, and HTML. 

Plagiarism Checker

prowritingaid plagiarism report

ProWritingAid believes in the importance of originality in one’s work. The premium plus subscription lets you conduct up to 60 plagiarism checks annually, enough for occasional writers who create academic papers or informative blog posts.

Is ProWritingAid as Good as Grammarly?

Not all writers can purchase two grammar checkers at once like I did. Here’s a comparison guide between ProWritingAid and Grammarly from my years of experience using both tools.

Both Correct Spelling and Grammer

I love that the root of both programs is to improve your spelling, grammar, and even sentence structure. They both can make you a better writer for both fiction and non-fiction. However, I find that Grammarly catches more, and it’s easier to navigate. 

Grammarly Has a Cleaner Interface

Grammarly has a clean web editor where you can copy-paste your text or upload a document. You can also add this robust grammar tool as an extension for more convenient use. Its user-friendly interface wins over ProWritingAid’s heavy and outdated dashboard.

The browser plugin is also easy to use with its auto-correct feature. Grammarly underlines the writing issues as you type, so you’ll save time editing later. 

ProWritingAid takes around two to three uses before getting used to the design. The suggested improvements are also hidden through a tab, so it’s challenging to edit.

I also noticed that its Chrome plugin doesn’t have an auto-correction feature. Many writers look for this additional feature when working on several articles a day.

ProWritingAid and Grammarly Have Plagiarism Checkers

Grammarly and ProWritingAid’s plagiarism checkers are not the most reliable. They cannot mark heavily edited and paraphrased statements as plagiarized. And I’ve tried other plagiarism checkers that spot more copied statements, such as Copyscape and Quetext. 

I don’t believe Grammarly compares your work against billions of other online articles. It can’t even spot accidental plagiarism and patch written work the way other proofreading tools can! But if you don’t mind the few mishaps, Grammarly’s plagiarism checker is slightly better.

ProWritingAid is the ideal plagiarism checker for content creators who don’t need to scan their articles every day. That’s because it only lets you run 60 plagiarism checks per year. Not only that, but ProWritingAid’s plagiarism detector is only available on the premium plus plan.

Grammarly and ProWritingAid Have Multiple Integrations

The Grammarly extension integrates quickly with websites, emails, and platforms, letting you edit your text in real-time. Save and create documents on the cloud or proofread your messages on the mobile application.

Meanwhile, ProWritingAid also has downloadable apps and extensions. The online web editor is available as a desktop application and browser plugin, so you can have flawless grammar every time you type. 

Grammarly and ProWritingAid are winners in this round because of their desktop versions and browser plugins. But only ProWritingAid integrates with Scrivener, a word-processing program for novelists, screenwriters, and other types of long-form writers.

Only ProWritingAid lets you work with several formats like HTML, Markdown, Open Office, and Rich Text. 

Grammarly Offers Better Customer Service

Grammarly offers better support to its customer because you can directly address your concerns through email. The website has a help center that gives information on billing, tips, account settings, and other issues.

ProWritingAid lets you reach out to them through a contact form. Fill out the form, submit it, and wait for them to reply.

ProWritingAid is Better for Creative Writers

If you’re a creative writer like me, correcting common spelling mistakes and other fundamental writing issues is not enough for your online editor. While Grammarly has comprehensive suggestions to improve your writing, only ProWritingAid offers full reports for fiction writers.

Personally, for my skill level and in conjunction with other tools I utilize, Grammarly works better for me. But I do love ProWritingAid, especially if I’m in a time crunch and my editor isn’t available. 

This cool proofreader analyzes the following aspects of your content:

  • Cliches.
  • Sticky sentences.
  • Pacing.
  • Dialogue tag.
  • Alliteration.

Excellent fiction always has a mix of fast- and slow-paced sections. Make sure the dialogues, character actions, backstory, and introspection are helping you create a strong narrative. 

ProWritingAid is Way More Affordable

ProWritingAid only costs $20 per month, whereas Grammarly Premium starts at $30 per month. Grammarly also offers a quarterly subscription at $60 every three months. But you’ll save more when you get the annual subscription at $144.

But the winner of all winners is ProWritingAid’s lifetime plan. This one-time payment includes all updates in the future. Get it for $399 and have an online writing mentor forever. 

Grammarly vs. ProWritingAid: Verdict

I hope this comparison guide helped you decide between the two grammar checkers. Grammarly and ProWritingAid have their own strengths and weaknesses, so make sure each characteristic aligns with your writing needs. 

Choose Grammarly if:

  • You want an educational spelling and grammar checker.
  • You want more comprehensive suggestions for your work.

Choose ProWritingAid if:

  • You’re a creative or long-form writer.
  • You want to save more money from the Premium plan.