Whitesmoke vs. Grammarly – Whitesmoke Review

If you’re a blogger or author like me, you probably get anxious before publishing your writing because of possible spelling and grammatical errors. I’m constantly stressing over it. Fortunately, you can download and use several spell-check software to enhance your work.

I use Grammarly, but I’ve been trying out a few others lately because I want to see what new features there are.

One underrated grammar checker to try is WhiteSmoke. Keep reading for a detailed review of WhiteSmoke vs. Grammarly. Get to know their features, integrations, pricing, and design.

What is WhiteSmoke?

WhiteSmoke is an online writing assistant that corrects your grammar, punctuation, writing styles, and spelling. It’s made to improve your overall document by highlighting grammatical errors and providing alternative suggestions.

This valuable tool can perform anything, from basic writing tasks like fixing spelling mistakes to advanced features like sentence rephrasing. Both native and non-native English speakers use this for an error-free, high-quality piece of writing.

WhiteSmoke uses Natural Language Processing or NLP algorithms responsible for “recognizing” and “mimicking” how the brain operates while you’re writing. 

The writing software also has plagiarism for the English language to keep your writing original from time to time. 

Features and Integrations​​

I feel that WhiteSmoke offers a variety of features depending on the pricing plans. All subscription types will save casual and professional writers from embarrassing mistakes, although the premium version has more features.  

Grammar and Spell Checker

Almost every grammar checking tool includes 2-in-1 grammar and spelling checkers. WhiteSmoke’s program can accurately correct basic errors by providing the correct spelling and grammar suggestions.

The online grammar checker could spot the difference between “your” and you’re.” It has also done a great job recognizing some product names and technical terms. WhiteSmoke can spot the following grammatical mistakes:

• Double negatives.
• Subject-verb disagreement.
• Tense shifts.
• Object clauses.
• Fused sentences.
• Missing words.
• Comma splices.
• Incorrect punctuation.

Style Checker

WhiteSmoke corrects style mistakes like the monotony of your sentences and any flawed part of the text. Any style error that seems unpleasant to read will be removed.

Desktop, Mobile, and Browser Integrations

WhiteSmoke provides three avenues for its users: the Desktop version, WhiteSmoke Web, and the mobile application. 

The Desktop Premium version is a basic grammar, spelling, punctuation, and style checker. You can use it online and offline on your desktop to check your content. The desktop application works on Outlook, web browsers, and MS Word to correct any mistake.

WhiteSmoke Web is your other option, which is a browser extension that lets writers correct any error on all browsers. 

For WhiteSmoke Mobile, there’s a unique feature where you can access English writing tutorials to improve your written and communication skills. You can also perform the same proofreading functionalities.

Translator 

Aside from basic spell checks and other writing goals, WhiteSmoke has a translation tool that translates your blog posts, email, essays, and other writings into 55 languages. The proofreading software’s translator tool is almost the same as Google Translate. 

The professional translation services that WhiteSmoke offers comes from Statistical Machine Translation technology. It copies and calculates your work to find those with the highest chance of being the primary source.

Plagiarism Checking

WhiteSmoke claims it conducts plagiarism checks against 17 billion web pages thanks to its artificial intelligence. It looks for duplicate content and paraphrased sentences successfully.

I have to say, though, I wasn’t a fan of this feature. I tested it out with several published pieces from popular sites and it didn’t flag anything. The excerpt taken in the image is from HGTV, and WhiteSmoke said it’s fine.

Punctuation Checker

WhiteSmoke also corrects punctuation mistakes besides the usual grammar checks. It identifies any missing punctuation mark, incorrect usage, or wrong placement. 

You’ll receive writing tips to avoid punctuation mark mistakes in the future. Over time, your use of punctuation on your average sentence will improve, making the writing process more manageable.

I found this feature to be decent. In fact, I’d say it compares to Grammarly’s ability.

Add to Dictionary

WhiteSmoke’s advanced checking algorithms may still be imperfect. For instance, it flags the average internet user’s slang as a misspelling. But you can take advantage of the “Add to Dictionary” feature for better vocabulary suggestions. I love when programs have that because I write Fantasy and I’m always making up words.

Adding a unique word to your personal dictionary is one of the things that makes WhiteSmoke an accurate proofreader. In the future, it will recognize the word and won’t alert you of a misspelling anymore.

WhiteSmoke Templates

WhiteSmoke offers templates for your business letters, cover letters, legal writing, resumes, and finance writing. 

Writing Tools Menu

The desktop application of this editor also has additional features to help with common writing issues. These include:

• A thesaurus for vocabulary enhancement.
• Enrich, for adverbs and adjectives.
• Define, for Dictionary definitions.
• Web Search to help you Google a word
• How to Use, for example in sentences.

Overall, WhiteSmoke is a decent option with a truckload of features to improve your writing.

Email Check

Write better professional emails with WhiteSmoke’s email check feature. Analyze your email drafts if there are mistakes in spelling and grammar for a clean message to your contacts.

WhiteSmoke Affiliate Program

The writing software offers an affiliate program to its members to provide benefits and incentives for their success. Affiliates work together on CPL, CPD, CPA, and other revenue performance models.​​ They can also get discounts for license orders.

Grammarly vs. WhiteSmoke

We often compare spelling and grammar checkers with Grammarly because it’s the most widely used tool online. Let’s take a look at how WhiteSmoke compares to Grammarly.

Grammarly’s Design

Aside from its advanced editing capabilities, Grammarly is the most popular for its interface. It is one of the cleanest and most intuitive tools to improve your writing. 

This language app has become a successful business because of its more straightforward user interface without the unnecessary buttons, texts, and features. 

Once you open a document, it will give you a prompt to choose your writing goals. Then, errors are underlined in different colors according to their type. For instance, green underlines indicate correctness issues, while purple underlines spot delivery mistakes.

The web editor has a sidebar where you can expand every suggestion to read the explanations. For instance, Grammarly will tell you why you should capitalize a letter or rephrase a sentence. 

But it isn’t just a web editor. Grammarly is also available as a web extension or Office plugin which seamlessly integrates with any website. It provides instant suggestions while typing, notifying you of any mistake by underlining the word.

The Grammarly editing tool is so easy to use that anyone can master it after two to three uses.

WhiteSmoke’s Design

Despite its helpful features, WhiteSmoke doesn’t have a practical or aesthetically pleasing design that I liked. Aside from the dated appearance, it’s also tough to use. The program is slow, difficult to navigate, and most buttons are not loading.

Once the software has loaded, you can paste your content on the blank form. There is no option to upload a document so the editing process might take more time. Click on “Check Text” to get suggestions as you enter the text.

WhiteSmoke shows errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation in a color-coding system. Red indicates spelling issues, green for grammar, and violet for issues in style. You’ll also receive suggestions on your sentence construction and style issues. 

One slight advantage of WhiteSmoke’s design is you don’t have to select the word to see the mistake. The suggestion is right above the content, similar to how manual proofreading works.

A translator tool also provides over 50 translations into different languages. However, I don’t notice anything unique about the feature compared to Google Translate.

WhiteSmoke still has limited features despite the grammar checker, translator, plagiarism checker, and video tutorials. Other applications with better user interfaces offer the same functionalities.

The Windows application of WhiteSmoke offers a character limit of 10,000 per edit. I thought it was long enough until I realized they meant “characters” and not “words.” Each letter, punctuation, number, and space counts.

If you’re a freelance writer who does long-form writing, I wouldn’t recommend this application. It’s also not for novelists, academic writers, and business writers.

Grammarly Accuracy

Grammarly works best in providing accurate spelling and grammar checks. The online tool will give you genre-specific recommendations, whether you’re doing creative writing, social media posts, or academic writing. 

Only Grammarly reminds you to say “Please” in an imperative sentence if you intend to write in a conversational tone. It also asks you to replace unnecessary modifiers like “very hungry” with “ravenous.” 

Here are other reports that Grammarly offered while I was using it:

• Use of passive voice.
• Lengthy sentences.
• Squinting modifiers.
• Ending sentences with prepositions.

Grammarly is fantastic beyond repairing typos and making your writing more concise. It also corrects the delivery of your message and tries to make it more engaging. I also find the plagiarism checker to be accurate in detecting copied sentences. 

But its impressive features should not replace your judgment or a human editor. Only a professional proofreader or editor can consider the context of your piece and provide the relevant recommendations.

WhiteSmoke Accuracy

WhiteSmoke is an accurate spelling and grammar checker because most suggestions are valid. The spelling, grammar, punctuation, and capitalization corrections are the same as Grammarly’s.

However, the style suggestions seem incomplete. WhiteSmoke cannot perform tone detection or spot inclusive language. Its ability to consistently track pronoun usage is also flawed. 

WhiteSmoke will perform a satisfactory job if you want to write with accuracy. But in terms of clarity, conciseness, and formality, this editor is not the most reliable. 

I tried running the same article on Grammarly and WhiteSmoke. Grammarly rated my article 95%, while WhiteSmoke rated it a 9/10 or 90%. 

WhiteSmoke Pricing

WhiteSmoke offers different pricing for its web editor, Premium version, and business software. 

The basic Web plan only costs $5-$10 a month, depending on their discount. This subscription is billed as one payment of $59.95. Its features include a translator, a basic grammar checker, and a plagiarism detector.

The premium plan costs $6.66-$13.33 per month, or a total of $79.95. This version claims to be a fully integrated writing solution for Mac and Windows users. It’s also available in different browsers, Gmail, and MS Office. 

This fully-integrated version has a grammar and plagiarism checker, translator, one-click proofreading, three computer licenses, and phone customer support. 

WhiteSmoke’s business plan costs $11.50 per month or $137.95. It integrates with Windows, Mac, all browsers, and word-processing programs like the premium version. It’s perfect for business use if you’re working with a team.

One drawback of WhiteSmoke that they need to work on is the lack of a free version or free trial. You need to pay the full amount before accessing the tool.

Grammarly Pricing

Grammarly also has three plans: Free, Premium, and Business. The free version only has a basic spell checker, which is less accurate than WhiteSmoke’s premium version. 

The Premium plan specializes in style, clarity improvements, tone adjustments, and other features. You also get a plagiarism detector and personal dictionary on this editor. Here are your three payment options:

• Monthly subscription: $30 per month.
• Quarterly subscription: $60 per three months.
• Annual subscription: $144 per year.

The Business plan starts at $15 per member every month since it’s designed for businesses that work in teams. Three to 149 members can access the program for all the premium features. Plus, you get style guides, snippets, brand tones, and an analytics dashboard.

Does WhiteSmoke Work with Google Docs?

WhiteSmoke works with Google Docs, so you can proofread your work on the same platform you wrote it. There’s no need to switch to the web editor to check your writing for spelling, grammar, punctuation, and style mistakes. 

The editing tool is also available on your desktop and mobile application. 

Should you Get WhiteSmoke or Grammarly?

Both WhiteSmoke and Grammarly accurately detect spelling and grammar mistakes. But Grammarly’s tone detection, clarity feature, and engagement check make it better despite the higher cost.

You can still try WhiteSmoke if you’re a casual writer or student who wants an affordable and basic proofreader. Give it a try, and let me know your experience!