As a Bestselling Author, I’ve used ProWritingAid for years. It’s a valuable tool for authors as well as writers of any kind.
The difference between successful writers and newbies is that successful writers revise their work, while newbies don’t. They use different online grammar tools to set their style and grammar right for their audience.
ProWritingAid is not your typical grammar checker. Find out why many people consider this online editor as their writing mentor! I’ll also give you an in-depth review of its features and compare the free vs. premium version.
What is ProWritingAid?
ProWritingAid is a style and grammar checker that helps users eliminate errors and choose the best words in their writing. The editing software also specializes in editing your punctuation and grammatical errors.
The online editor is available on Windows and Mac via major web browsers. You can also use it on Microsoft Word, Google Docs, and Scrivener.
Integrate it with your browser and software or upload your document on its web-based editor. Then, ProWritingAid will assist you in the following:
- Spelling and grammar corrections.
- Hard-to-read sentences.
- Clear words.
- Removes duplicate words.
- Subject-verb agreement.
ProWritingAid is not just an editing software. It also evaluates your pieces against the best writers in your genre.
By highlighting your mistakes and offering suggestions, ProWritingAid helps produce higher-quality content. There are also customization options to help you choose your style of writing, English language variation, and manage teams of users.
What Features Does ProWritingAid Offer?
The online editing tool has unique functions that make your editing process smoother and your writing skills better. It’s got a bit of a learning curve, though. It took me a few weeks of playing around with it to fully understand the program. Let’s dive into every detail.
Writing Style Report
The writing style report of ProWritingAid is probably its unique selling point. This editing tool proves that good writing goes beyond correct grammar for your sentence.
The writing style report gives you reports on passive and hidden verbs and too many adverbs. You’ll also receive warnings on emotional tells and repeated sentence starts.
These 20+ detailed reports do not necessarily mean your sentence structures are incorrect. But ProWritingAid knows you can make your piece a little better.
House Style
The house style customization is a beneficial feature that other writing tools do not offer. Feel free to make custom rules on which ProWritingAid will obey and base its reports.
For example, if you are a beauty and fashion writer, you can add different brand names to the vocabulary. Doing so will ensure you’re spelling the words correctly.
Fiction writers like me will also benefit from this feature so they can use their made-up words like “Avada kedavra” without hassle. I’ve created and added so many made-up words from my books. ProWritingAid will no longer flag these words as spelling mistakes once you have entered them into the system.
Grammar
Many people download ProWritingAid because it’s prominently known as an online grammar guru. Through artificial intelligence, it will fix your grammar issues and spot incorrect subject-verb agreements, fragments, and hidden verbs.
The online grammar checker has a very sharp eye. For example, if you type “You might loose your money if you bring all of it,” ProWritingAid will instantly ask, “Did you mean ‘lose’?”
When you read this friendly suggestion, you’ll quickly remember the correct usage of the verb on your next writing activity.
Repetitive Words
ProWritingAid guarantees excellent writing skills by showing the overused words in your piece. While repetition is not necessarily incorrect, it’s also not indicative of strong writing.
Some examples include “very,” “just,” and “maybe,” which are unnecessary and unconvincing. The grammar check software will remind you to one down on these words to not undermine your ideals.
Sticky Sentences
The online editing software also detects sticky sentences to remind you to convey your message straight to the point. These sentences slow your readers down because they get stuck reading them.
Here’s an example of a sticky sentence:
There’s an old building down the street where my parents and every other resident used to work that was owned by a milk company and sold to a newspaper company.
ProWritingAid will ask you to reduce the glue words in your sentence to become more readable. These glue words only work to hold the sentence structure, such as in, the, that, of, etc.
Cliches
Unlike other online editors, ProWritingAid also detects cliches and redundant words in your sentences. It will encourage you to stop being a lazy writer who relies on archaic imagery.
If you upload a word document with the phrase “frozen ice,” the software will instantly deem it a potential redundancy. It will also mark statements like “read between the lines” and “play your cards right.”
Creative writers like me will enjoy this feature the most, teaching them to use new literary devices. You’ll also ensure that articles like “an” and “the” are used for essential purposes. Just about every author I know has used or uses this program.
Sentence Length
The reader’s brain functions differently when they read long sentences. That’s why ProWritingAid will help you properly construct your sentences. Your word count will matter whether you’re writing a punch line or flowy sentences.
Use ProWritingAid to obtain a visual representation of your writing’s sentence lengths. You’ll find which parts need more variety and which ones are too lengthy. On the other hand, you’ll also get reports when you write too many short sentences that look choppy.
Pronouns
One of this tool’s most robust reporting features is the pronoun percentage. You can control the usage of specific pronouns in your piece of content to avoid dull sentences.
I’m proof that authors can improve their work by using unique antecedents and balancing them with pronouns. Ideally, your writing should only include an average of 4-15%.
Consistency
Consistency guarantees you’re using the correct spelling, hyphenation, punctuation, and capitalization. These small elements make your writing more professional.
For example, if you write “book-keeper” in one sentence, you shouldn’t use “bookkeeper” in other parts of your writing. If you use the UK spelling “humour” in a paragraph, you shouldn’t use the American spelling “humor” in another. I’m guilty of this as a Canadian trying to write in US English.
Transitions
An inexperienced writer doesn’t know how to use transitions to make their writing smooth. Transitional devices make it easier for the reader to comprehend your statements.
ProWritingAid recommends a 25% transition score. That means one in four sentences must contain “as a result,” “nevertheless, and “consequently.” This guideline will allow you to improve your writing habits too.
Readability
The online content editor tool has four scores that calculate your writing’s overall readability:
- Flesch Reading Ease Score.
- Dall Chall Grade.
- Coleman Liau Formula.
- Automated Readability Index.
Readability ensures you don’t need to use fancy words to be an excellent writer. Remember that your readers shouldn’t need to use a dictionary to understand your message. The four tools will also analyze the writing style and check tricky sentences.
Thesaurus
The thesaurus suggests the replacement of your words depending on the context. Here’s an example of ProWritingAid’s feature:
- “The businessman is richer than the scientist. But the scientist lived a richer life.”
In these sentences, “richer” has two uses that ProWritingAid recognizes. In the first sentence, ProWritingAid suggests the following synonyms:
- Stronger.
- Wealthier.
- Deeper.
For the other sentence, the alternative words are:
- Fuller.
- Easier.
- Deeper.
Accepting these recommendations will help improve your sentence.
Homonyms
The homonym check notifies the user when using the correct word’s homonym. They are words with the same sound but different meanings. For instance, if you write “John went they’re,” ProWritingAid will suggest you change it to “there.”
Any grammar nerd will be impressed at how the Homonym Check will flag it instead of the Spellchecker. It would be helpful for every online language editor to differentiate between the two.
Suppose you mistakenly wrote “the doctor lost his patience” instead of “the doctor lost his patients.” ProWritingAid won’t consider this type of mistake as spelling issues. Instead, the homonym check will suggest the word “patients.”
Acronyms
The acronym report of ProWritingAid lets you see a list of the acronyms you used in your writing. Can you believe it can point out misspelled acronyms too? No other spell checkers offer this feature.
Corporate Wording
This online writing mentor reminds writers not to use pompous and elitist words and phrases. It will identify the parts of your writing which you can simplify, especially in corporate reports.
Alliteration
This unique feature will attract many poets and fiction authors. Alliterations are phrases with repeated initial consonant sounds. They will spark your creativity and give your audience a pleasant reading experience.
Pacing
Reports on pacing are beneficial to nonfiction and fiction writers. The pacing check helps you create a strong narrative and believable characters through dialogue, backstory, and character action.
I love how it points out pacing issues in my fiction work. ProWritingAid has helped me improve my dialogue, narrative, and descriptions so much. My editor even saw the difference!
Pros and Cons of ProWritingAid
Now that you know what ProWritingAid has to offer, here are some advantages and disadvantages of the tool based on my experience
Pros
- Detailed and comprehensive reports.
- Packed with the latest English vocabulary
- Includes a plagiarism checker
- Accessible to several platforms.
- A tempting lifetime license.
Cons
- No Mac integration
- No offline access for the desktop version.
- Readability scores are always low.
- Slow loading time.
- No mobile application.
Detailed Grammar Checking Features
Anyone would be impressed by the report types that ProWritingAid offers. This accurate grammar checker is the only one to provide alliteration, homonym, and pacing checks.
Some of its suggestions may be unnecessary, but it’s only because ProWritingAid doesn’t settle for average writing. It goes beyond correcting common writing mistakes by finding ways to improve your content.
I enjoyed clicking on the style suggestions, so I know the cause of my error. The explanation page allows me to create an informed decision on whether I should accept or reject the recommendation.
Several Platforms Available
I’ll show you how to use ProWritingAid on different platforms later on. For now, let me express my appreciation for the Word integration and desktop app. I work primarily in Word so this was great for me.
ProWritingAid is also available as a web-based app and browser extension.
However, it would help if the software was also available on Mac. Mac Integration would even boost their sales since many writers prefer working on Mac devices because of its versatility.
I also noticed that you need an internet connection to access ProWritingAid. You can’t edit while you’re on the subway or on a flight. You also can’t correct your grammar errors when the power is out.
Plagiarism Checker
We often overlook originality as a characteristic of good writing. ProWritingAid gets plus points for reminding us to conduct plagiarism checks. The premium plus plan lets you run up to 60 plagiarism checks a year. It’s not a lot, but it’s a massive help for many academic writers.
The tool successfully finds copied sentences on your content piece, providing links to original sources. Use this feature to avoid potential expulsion or lawsuits due to intellectual property theft.
Slow Loading Time
I found ProWritingAid to be slower than the other grammar-checking tools. I had to click on every error to fix the issue because there’s no “accept all” button. But it’s a fantastic way to review every piece of information to improve the errors.
No Mobile Application
Another disappointing thing about ProWritingAid is the absence of a mobile application. If you write with your mobile phone or tablet, you won’t be able to enjoy the grammar checker. For example, I sometimes write short stories and fan fiction on Wattpad and a mobile checker is crucial.
Is ProWritingAid Accurate?
Yes. In fact, ProWritingAid is so accurate that many complain about its strictness. It tends to be overzealous in applying style guide suggestions, leaving no room for creativity.
Expect low scores on reports no matter how many revisions you make. While ProWritingAid can clarify hidden verbs and change from passive to active voice, some features seem unnecessary.
For instance, the glue words, pacing, and dialogue table tabs are not always helpful. Accepting all suggestions from these aspects takes the beauty out of your text.
The sticky sentences report doesn’t necessarily correct your sentences. It only identifies the glue words in your statement to help you make proper editing choices.
Is ProWritingAid Safe?
Yes. ProWritingAid’s Privacy Policy states that they do not keep your work after submitting an analysis. There’s no need to worry about anyone leaking or plagiarizing your work.
Some personal information they may get from you include your name, email address, and payment information. But they only use these details to authenticate users and personalize your experience.
ProWritingAid does not review your content unless they need to comply with the law. Some circumstances require the company to protect other people’s rights, safety, and property. But they don’t have the right to use and upload your documents to their system.
ProWritingAid Free vs. Premium
Personally, I used the paid version to get the full range of features. I’m a full-time writer of both fiction and digital content, so it was a useful tool for me. Consult this table to weigh the difference between the free and paid versions of ProWritingAid.
| ProWritingAid Free | ProWritingAid Premium |
| Includes word count limit | No word count limit |
| Web-based editing only | Edit where you write (not mobile) |
| No access to books and resources | Free access to writing books and resources |
| No privacy guarantee | 100% privacy |
| No plagiarism checker | Plagiarism checker (optional) |
Sticking to the free version of ProWritingAid means you won’t get the 25 famous and comprehensive grammar reports on your writing.
Most features, including creating your style guide, are only available if you purchase the premium license.
Integrating it with Google Docs and other third-party servers is impossible with the free version. Instead, you have to access their web editor and paste your content. Note that ProWritingAid Free only accepts up to 500 characters, so it’s not ideal for long-form writers.
You’ll miss out on several writing books and resources that ProWritingAid Premium offers. And there’s no way you can check your work for plagiarism without the premium plans.
If you still can’t decide, the editing software offers a test drive with a free trial of fourteen days. Generate a few reports and determine if it’s worth the splurge.
ProWritingAid Pricing Breakdown
ProWritingAid offers users two types of paid versions: ProWritingAid Premium and ProWritingAid Premium Plus.
ProWritingAid Premium
The first payment option is a monthly subscription of $20, equivalent to $240 a year.
You may also choose an annual subscription of $79 or $6.58 a month. This plan is 67% cheaper than the monthly license, perfect for long-term writers.
The final and most tempting plan is the lifetime access option, which costs $299. This one-time payment includes all future updates that ProWritingAid will feature.
ProWritingAid Premium Plus
The Premium Plus has all the features of ProWritingAid Premium plus a plagiarism checker. This paid plan is perfect for academic writers and business writers.
The monthly subscription is $24, which is $4 more expensive than the Premium version. That’s equivalent to $288 a year.
You can save up to 69% when you subscribe to the yearly plan for $89 or $7.42 a month.
But the best deal to consider is the lifetime subscription, which costs $399. This on-time–payment plan includes all future updates that ProWritingAid will have.
Is ProWritingAid Better Than Grammarly?
ProWritingAid is only better than Grammarly when it comes to pricing and fiction writing. Although, personally, I prefer Grammarly for its ease of use and the fact that it doesn’t bog down my computer’s run-time like ProWritingAid does.
The best deal from ProWritingAid is the lifetime license at $299. That’s one payment for eternity or until the company goes out of business!
You may also try an annual subscription of $79. Meanwhile, Grammarly’s yearly subscription is a $140 payment, which costs $61 more.
But if you’re only aiming for the free version, Grammarly is more generous since it takes care of common mistakes. When you paste your text on the web editor, it also keeps your formatting.
If you’re a long-form writer, ProWritingAid is a sure win as it can scan up to 100,000 words. Use it to edit your books, novellas, and dissertations. I tried editing long documents on Grammarly, but it only accepts up to 20,000 words.
With ProWritingAid, you can write a whole chapter on Scrivener and instantly open it with the editor. Feel free to add custom words and work through each suggestion so you can decide whether to accept or not.
The problem with both ProWritingAid and Grammarly is the slow loading time. Running thousands of words online might cause your device to lag.
Another advantage of ProWritingAid is its suitability for editing fiction, thanks to its comprehensive reports. Some might say these reports are overkill, removing your quirks and personal style. But only ProWritingAid has Echo, Pacing, and Alliteration reports.
Some reports help you improve the dialogues in your writing. Or you can replace some words you constantly use.
Grammarly’s genre and tone choices fit nonfiction writers more. If you write blog posts, news articles, and academic reports, you should go for this popular app.
For design, Grammarly is a sure winner. Both web, app, and extension versions are natural to use. ProWritingAid seems too complex and clunky, so expect a learning curve on this one.
Lastly, Grammarly has a mobile application, while ProWritingAid doesn’t. Download the free app on your Play Store or App Store, then enable it in your keyboard settings. It will replace your default keyboards to offer suggestions and corrections for your grammar issues.
| ProWritingAid | Grammarly |
| Provides detailed reports, but can be overwhelming | Provides detailed reports |
| Takes a while to learn | Intuitive design |
| No mobile app | Offers mobile app |
| Plagiarism detector | Plagiarism detector |
| Useful for fiction and long-form writing | Useful for technical writing |
| Affordable | More expensive than ProWritingAid |
Is ProWritingAid Better Than Ginger?
ProWritingAid is better than Ginger in terms of features and price. Whatever your writing category is, ProWritingAid offers more grammar, style, and spelling reports. You’ll receive 25 writing reports as you download eBooks and other writing resources from the library.
What’s more, you can create your custom Style Guide if you’re a fiction writer who uses made-up words. Feel free to create a Snippets bank and conduct plagiarism checks.
Ginger is ideal for lighter, less in-depth corrections. You may also choose it if you need a translator for your editing tool, although it’s almost the same as Google Translate. But why settle for an introductory program when you can get better results at a lower price?
If you’re only going for the free version, ProWritingAid is a no-brainer. You’ll have full access to all writing reports and suggestions. However, each report is limited to 500 words. Meanwhile, Ginger Free only gives basic spelling and grammar corrections up to 500 words.
ProWritingAid is also the undefeated grammar editing tool for the Premium version. It offers the best deals with unique features.
If you don’t want the $ 299-lifetime license, try the annual subscription for $79. It’s almost half Ginger’s yearly plan price, which costs $150.
Ginger wins in its Text Reader feature. It’s the only advanced software that reads your text out loud so you can understand your errors. Individuals with dyslexia will benefit from this excellent feature, but other users may not need it.
Both applications have complex user interfaces. It takes time to learn the software because of the messy appearance compared to Grammarly.
| ProWritingAid | Ginger |
| Tailors the suggestions according to the types of writing | Does not cater to document types |
| No mobile application | Has an Android application |
| Offers web extensions | Offers web extensions |
| Integrates with Google Docs and Open Office | Does not integrate with Google Docs and Open Office |
| Real-time suggestions on your potential mistakes | Automatically corrects your work |
| Detailed reports | No summary reports |
| No automatic translator | Has an automatic translator |
| Helps rephrase sentences | Helps rephrase sentences |
| Suitable for extensive writing | Has a character limit |
| Affordable | More expensive |
Who is ProWritingAid For?
ProWritingAid is for all writers, bloggers, and business people who create reports and articles. But these types of writers will benefit the most from the spelling and grammar editing tool.
Fiction Writers
Some grammar checkers can only help fiction writers correct typographical errors. But ProWritingAid has premium features that help you become more creative. Like I said, I prefer Grammarly for my own reasons, but ProWritingAid is an amazing program and tool for a lot less.
One unique feature is the Pacing Check. Unlike other writing assistants, ProWritingAssistant understands that stories must have a mix of slow-paced and fast-paced sections.
Dialogues, introspections, and character actions all contribute to your pacing. The editing tool will ensure your fictional piece doesn’t bore or overwhelm your readers by eliminating long, slow passages.
Freelance Writers, Journalists, Bloggers
Even professional writers commit grammatical mistakes and typographical errors. But ProWritingAid will guarantee significant improvement in your writing through the grammar and spelling corrections.
Consult the Thesaurus, Sentence Length Check, and Overused Words to ensure your content is polished and readable.
And the best part? You don’t have to leave where you’re working. Stick to MS Word, WordPress, Facebook, or Google Docs as ProWritingAid highlights your mistakes in real-time.
Academic and Marketing Writers
All writers can benefit from this grammar checker. But academic writers will love the plagiarism feature of ProWritingAid Premium Plus. It will encourage you to establish your own ideas and opinions instead of patchwriting or copying the exact words from another source.
ProWritingAid also fits the corporate setting. You can draft reports, send appropriate emails, and show presentations clearly in your workplace.
ProWritingAid’s Enterprise package also lets you choose the custom features for your business. They include custom integrations, on-premises options, and premium account management.
Can ProWritingAid Replace a Real Editor?
No matter how advanced the features of ProwritingAid are, it cannot replace a human editor. While the online checker can spot typos and fix your writing style, only a real proofreader can make contextual corrections.
Some expert writers break writing rules on purpose to improve their writing flow. But when they do this, ProWritingAid might flag such “errors.” Plus, only a human editor will understand the rigidity of these “non-rules.”
Another instance where the human proofreader is superior is when they use proper nouns. For example, when writing a story, you might name one character as “Marie.” ProWritingAid won’t highlight your mistake if you accidentally type “Mary” in another sentence.
Finally, only a human checker will feel the genre and voice of the author. They can improve the quality of writing while maintaining the original thoughts and quirks of the writer.
How to Use ProWritingAid
You can use ProWritingAid with the online editor, desktop application, MS Word, and Google Docs add-on.
Browser Extensions
The grammar checker offers extensions for three browsers: Safari, Chrome, and Firefox. It’s the only way to access the software from your Mac, as it directly integrates with Safari.
Make massive improvements on your writing as you type anything online, whether on your email, Facebook, or WordPress. Free users can use the plugin for basic spelling and grammar mistakes without detailed reports.
Microsoft Word
Download the Microsoft Word plugin for ProWritingAid to seamlessly integrate with your MS Word. Edit your piece of writing straight to the word-processing program for real-time editing.
On the top bar, you can access the program beside the “help” menu on your MS Word. Click on the tab and access the reports and checkers.
This Microsoft Word integration saves every editor time, especially those who do their jobs on it. They don’t need to upload the document on the desktop application or web editor anymore.
Unfortunately, you can’t enjoy this integration if you’re a Mac user. I’m not so sure why ProWritingAid isn’t available on Apple devices.
Google Docs Add-On
As with Microsoft Word, you can directly use ProWritingAid on Google Docs. Your editing time will be short since the software detects errors and makes suggestions in real time. All desktop application features are comfortably nestled in Google Docs.
This platform is perfect for writers and editors who work collaboratively on Google Docs. They don’t need to transfer their work to another software anymore to check for corrections.
Web Editor
ProWritingAid has an online web-based editor on their website. Click on the “start web editor” and input your text. Edit your document and save it to your account.
This web-based editor is the only accessible platform for free users. If you want it to integrate with your Google Docs or Microsoft Word, you must subscribe to the paid version.
So, is ProWritingAid Worth It?
It may not be as advanced as Grammarly, but you’ll never find a range of reports as extensive as ProWritingAid’s. I recommend this online editing tool to all writers, especially creative writers who want an in-depth analysis of their writing.
Integrations with Docs, Chrome, Word, and other third-party software are also possible at an affordable price. Try ProWritingAid and see how the powerful tool will help you become a better writer!