Grammarly alternatives: where to go and how to leave cleanly
Seven destinations in detail, one per reason to leave, and a six-step exit.
The short answer: ProWritingAid if you write long-form English and want a lifetime license, LanguageTool if you write in more than one language, Harper if you want a free checker that never sends your text anywhere, QuillBot or Wordtune if rewriting matters more than grammar rules. One thing to know first: Grammarly has no export for your personal dictionary, so you copy it by hand. We compared all seven tools in this guide and read their pricing pages in 2026.
Some links are affiliate links. The ranking is editorial: a sponsored spot is always labeled on its card, and no affiliate link changes a score.
Why so many writers drop Grammarly
Grammarly is still strong at everyday English. People leave over the bill, the upsells, privacy, and a tool that flattens their style. Six reasons, all checked in 2026.
$30 a month unless you prepay
Pro shows as $12 a month, but that is the annual price: $144 up front. Month to month it is $30, or $360 over a year. On the Scrivener forum, writers call the monthly price too steep for a spell checker.
A free plan built to upsell
Free catches basic errors and gives you 100 AI prompts a month. Full-sentence rewrites, tone changes and plagiarism checks are Pro only. On review sites, constant upgrade prompts are a recurring complaint.
Charges people didn't expect
Negative reviews focus on billing: a trial that turned into a subscription, a renewal higher than planned. Grammarly says the 7-day Pro trial is not charged before it ends, and that canceling only stops renewal. You keep access to the end of the paid period, with no automatic refund.
Your text runs through its servers
Grammarly analyzes what you write on its servers. It says it does not sell user content, and offers a "Product Improvement and Training" toggle to keep your text out of model training. Its trust page does not say where data is stored. For contracts or client files, many teams want a checker that works locally.
It sands down your style
Fiction writers on the Scrivener forum describe underlines landing several lines off, dismissed suggestions coming back, and a tool that distracts more than it helps. Deliberate fragments get flagged as errors.
Other languages are still in beta
Grammarly added Spanish, French, German, Italian and Portuguese in 2025, then 17 more languages in beta in 2026. If you write in two languages every day, a tool built multilingual from the start is still the safer bet.
You're leaving because… go to…
The right alternative depends on what's pushing you out. Usually one line fits. Each card jumps to the full entry below.
Manuscript-wide style reports, $10 a month billed yearly or $399 for life.
You write in two or more languagesLanguageToolMultilingual checking for €59.89 a year.
You want free and fully privateHarperOpen source, runs on your device, no account needed.
You mostly paraphrase or studyQuillBotPremium at $8.33 a month billed yearly, student pricing available.
You want better-sounding emails for lessWordtuneUnlimited grammar checks free, Advanced at $4.89 a month yearly.
You also write in FrenchAntidoteDeep French and English checking from $59.95 a year.
Grammarly alternatives, tool by tool
For each tool: why move to it, who it's for, its limit, how to switch from Grammarly, and what it costs. Prices are the ones each vendor shows in 2026, in the currency it displays.
ProWritingAid: the closest match for long-form English
Best overall in EnglishWhy move to ProWritingAid. It is the most direct Grammarly competitor, with two edges: line-editing reports and manuscript-level analysis for long texts, and a lifetime license. Scrivener users on the Literature & Latte forum point to its Mac version as the better fit for that app.
Who it's for. Novelists, bloggers and anyone writing reports in English, US, UK, Australian or Canadian.
Who it's not for. Anyone writing in another language: ProWritingAid checks English only.
Its limit. Premium is $30 month to month, $10 a month billed yearly ($120), or $399 for life. Premium Pro is $12 a month yearly or $699 for life. Yearly and lifetime plans get a 3-day money-back window; monthly plans are not refundable. Free works in 500-word chunks with 10 rephrases a day.
How to switch. Run one real chapter through the free plan first. If you'll be writing in English for years, the lifetime license beats yearly from the fourth year on. Buy it right after your check, inside the 3 days.
- Free
- 500 words at a time
- Paid
- $10/mo yearly, $399 lifetime
- Languages
- English only
- Limit
- 3-day refund window
LanguageTool: the multilingual pick
MultilingualWhy move to LanguageTool. It shows up in every alternatives list for a reason. Built in Germany (the company is in Hamburg, part of the US group Learneo), it checks English alongside French, German, Spanish and many more. Premium is €59.89 a year, about €4.90 a month. A writer at It's FOSS who switched found it faster than Grammarly on drafts over 2,000 words.
Who it's for. Anyone who writes in more than one language in the same week.
Who it's not for. People who want it free in the browser: the extension is now Premium only, after a 14-day trial. Free stays on the website, 2,000 characters at a time.
Its limit. Month to month, Premium is €19.90. No Android app, no plagiarism check, and AI rephrasing goes through a third-party model. Prices are shown in euros and can vary by country.
How to switch. Take one month to check it, then go yearly. The 14-day money-back guarantee covers you. Students and teachers get up to 20% off. If you're technical, the open-source server can be self-hosted.
- Free
- website, 2,000 characters
- Paid
- €59.89/yr or €19.90/mo
- Languages
- multilingual
- Limit
- extension is Premium only
Harper: free, open source, and nothing leaves your device
Free and privateWhy move to Harper. Harper is an open-source grammar checker backed by Automattic, the company behind WordPress.com. Every check runs on your device: no cloud round-trip, no telemetry, no LLM. It works in Chrome, Edge and Firefox, plus Obsidian, VS Code, WordPress and a macOS app.
Who it's for. Developers, note-takers and anyone who wants a private checker at zero cost.
Who it's not for. Writers who need rewrites or tone advice: Harper flags errors, it doesn't rewrite.
Its limit. English only for now (US, UK, Canadian, Australian and Indian dialects). Fewer style checks than ProWritingAid.
How to switch. Install the browser extension and turn Grammarly off on the same sites. Pair Harper with the free tier of Wordtune if you still want an occasional rewrite.
- Free
- yes, Apache-2.0
- Paid
- $0
- Languages
- English
- Limit
- no rewrites
QuillBot: cheap paraphrasing with a checker attached
ParaphrasingWhy move to QuillBot. QuillBot is a paraphraser first, with a grammar checker, summarizer and plagiarism checker in the same suite. Premium is $8.33 a month billed yearly ($99.95), below Grammarly Pro.
Who it's for. Students and writers who rework a lot of text. Student pricing drops to $6.25 a month.
Who it's not for. Writers who want detailed grammar explanations: the checker is lighter than Grammarly's.
Its limit. Month to month, Premium is $19.95. There is no Premium trial and only a 3-day refund window. Some users report being billed for a year when they thought they picked a month.
How to switch. Check the billing period on the checkout page before you pay. Our full QuillBot review covers its limits.
- Free
- yes, limited modes
- Paid
- $8.33/mo yearly
- Languages
- English first
- Limit
- 3-day refund window
Wordtune: better-sounding sentences under $5
Cheapest paidWhy move to Wordtune. Wordtune offers several versions of each sentence and keeps spelling and grammar checks unlimited even on the free plan. Advanced is $4.89 a month billed yearly, Unlimited $6.99.
Who it's for. People who write lots of emails and mainly want a more natural tone.
Who it's not for. Long-form writers who want manuscript reports: go to ProWritingAid.
Its limit. Free caps rewrites at 10 a day, Advanced at 30. The paid trial lasts 3 days.
How to switch. Use it for a week of real emails with Grammarly turned off. If 10 rewrites a day are enough, you don't need to pay at all.
- Free
- 10 rewrites a day
- Paid
- $4.89/mo yearly
- Languages
- English
- Limit
- 3-day trial
DeepL Write: rewriting in six languages
RewritingWhy move to DeepL Write. If you used Grammarly mainly to fix clunky sentences, DeepL Write does that in English, German, French, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish. DeepL is a German company, and on Pro your text is never used to train its models.
Who it's for. Non-native English writers who want natural phrasing.
Who it's not for. Anyone who wants to learn the rule behind an error: DeepL Write rewrites, it doesn't explain.
Its limit. Write Pro is an add-on at €6.99 per user per month, billed yearly, on top of a DeepL Pro Individual or Team plan. You can only trial it during a DeepL Pro trial.
How to switch. Use the free version on a few typical texts first. If you already pay for DeepL to translate, the add-on is the cheapest way to replace Grammarly's rewrites.
- Free
- basic use
- Paid
- Write Pro add-on €6.99/mo
- Languages
- EN, DE, FR, IT, PT, ES
- Limit
- no rule explanations
Antidote: if you also write in French
English and FrenchWhy move to Antidote. Antidote, from Druide in Montreal, pairs a grammar checker with dictionaries and grammar guides that explain every rule. Its English module also targets the typical mistakes of French speakers writing in English.
Who it's for. Translators, Canadian professionals and anyone writing in English and French.
Who it's not for. English-only writers: ProWritingAid gives you more style tools for less.
Its limit. $59.95 the first year for one language, $89.95 for English and French, then $48 and $72 to renew, plus taxes. Correction runs on your computer, but the AI rephrasing mode sends text to Druide's servers.
How to switch. Use the 30-day free trial while Grammarly is still paid. Paste your word list into a text file, one word per line, and import it into an Antidote personal dictionary.
- Free
- 30-day trial
- Paid
- from $59.95/yr plus tax
- Languages
- English, French
- Limit
- no other languages
The 7 alternatives side by side
Our default pick: ProWritingAid for long-form English, LanguageTool if you write in several languages. For a sense of scale over one year: Grammarly Pro is $144 prepaid or $360 month to month, ProWritingAid $120, QuillBot $99.95, LanguageTool €59.89, Wordtune about $59, and Harper nothing.
| What stays free | First paid price and languages | |
|---|---|---|
| GrammarlyWhere you start | Basic checks, 100 AI prompts a month | Pro $12/mo yearly, $30 monthly |
| ProWritingAidLong-form | 500 words at a time | $10/mo yearly, $399 lifetime; English |
| LanguageToolMultilingual | Website, 2,000 characters | €59.89/yr or €19.90/mo; multilingual |
| HarperPrivate | Everything | $0; English |
| QuillBotParaphrasing | Limited modes | $8.33/mo yearly; English first |
| WordtuneEmails | Unlimited grammar, 10 rewrites a day | $4.89/mo yearly; English |
| DeepL WriteRewriting | Basic use | Write Pro add-on €6.99/mo; six languages |
| AntidoteEnglish and French | 30-day trial | $59.95 first year plus tax; English, French |
Entry prices shown by each vendor in 2026. Always confirm on the checkout page, which can change by country.
Leave Grammarly in six steps
Leaving Grammarly takes about an hour if you go in order. Each step protects something: your words, your documents or your money.
List what Grammarly holds for you
10 minutesWrite down your settings: English variety, writing goals, sites where the extension is off, and on a team account, the style guide and shared snippets. Note your renewal date and who bills you: Grammarly's site, the App Store or Google Play.
None of these settings transfer. Your list becomes the setup checklist for the new tool.
- Time
- 10 minutes
- Risk if skipped
- missed renewal
Copy your personal dictionary
By handGrammarly has no export for the personal dictionary. Open your account's Customize settings, select the list and paste it into a text file, one word per line. Client names, product names and jargon are what will save you hundreds of false flags in the new tool.
- Time
- 5 to 20 minutes
- Export
- none, copy by hand
Turn off training and clean up your documents
PrivacySwitch off "Product Improvement and Training" in your account settings so your text stops feeding model training. Download the documents in the Grammarly editor you want to keep, then delete the rest.
- Setting
- Product Improvement and Training
Run the new tool side by side
One weekStart the new tool while Grammarly is still paid. Turn Grammarly off on the sites where you test the other one, or two checkers will underline the same text and contradict each other. Run the same texts through both: a client email, a long piece, a casual message.
- Time
- one week
- Tip
- one extension per site
Cancel before the renewal date
MoneyIn Grammarly, go to Account, then Subscription, and use the cancel option at the bottom. Canceling stops auto-renewal and you keep Pro until the end of the paid period. It doesn't trigger a refund: billing mistakes go through a support request. If you paid through the App Store, cancel with Apple.
On a 7-day trial, cancel before it ends: the trial stops right away and the account drops to free with no charge.
- Path
- Account, Subscription, Cancel
- Refund
- not automatic
Remove the extensions and close the account
Last dayWhen the paid period ends, uninstall the browser extensions, the Word add-in and the desktop app. Then decide: keep a free account for the odd check, or delete it from your profile page. Deleting while a subscription is active goes through a support ticket, so cancel first.
- Order
- cancel, then delete
What makes a switch go wrong
Swapping a grammar checker looks like swapping one extension for another. The costly mistakes all come from choosing on a feature list without looking at how you write and how you pay.
Trusting old "free" claims
Many lists still call LanguageTool free in the browser. Its extension is now Premium only after a 14-day trial. Free stays on the website.
Paying monthly without noticing
Grammarly at $30, ProWritingAid at $30, LanguageTool at €19.90: the monthly price is often two to three times the yearly one. Move to yearly only after your trial.
Missing short refund windows
ProWritingAid and QuillBot refund only within 3 days. LanguageTool gives 14. Test before you buy, not after.
Picking a rewriter when you need a checker
QuillBot, Wordtune and DeepL Write rewrite. If you want to learn the rules, pick ProWritingAid, LanguageTool or Antidote.
Leaving two checkers on
Two extensions on one page slow typing and contradict each other. Turn Grammarly off site by site during the trial, then uninstall it.
Sending sensitive text to the cloud
For contracts or health data, use a local checker like Harper. If you also write in French, our list of European grammar checkers shows where each tool sends your text.
- Main writing language and length identified
- Grammarly renewal date noted
- Personal dictionary pasted into a text file
- Training toggle switched off
- New tool started before canceling
- Yearly and monthly prices compared
- Refund window noted
- Grammarly off during the trial
- Canceled in the right place (site, App Store or Google Play)
- Extensions and Word add-in removed on the last day
Grammarly alternatives: frequently asked questions
What is the best free Grammarly alternative?
Harper if you want unlimited, private checking: it's open source and runs on your device. Wordtune's free plan is next, with unlimited grammar checks and 10 rewrites a day. LanguageTool is still free on its website, but no longer in the browser.
Is ProWritingAid better than Grammarly?
For long-form English, yes: its manuscript reports go deeper and a lifetime license exists ($399). For quick emails, Grammarly's inline suggestions are smoother. ProWritingAid's yearly plan is $120 against $144 for Grammarly Pro.
Is there a grammar checker that works offline?
Yes. Harper runs fully on your device in English. Antidote's checker runs on your computer too, in English and French, though its AI rephrasing goes online.
Is LanguageTool still free?
On its website, yes, 2,000 characters at a time. The browser extension is now for Premium subscribers only, after a 14-day trial. If you're technical, you can self-host the open-source server.
How do I get a refund from Grammarly?
Canceling doesn't refund the current period; you keep access until it ends. For a charge made in error, file a support request explaining the issue. App Store purchases are refunded through Apple.
Can I export my Grammarly dictionary?
No, there is no export. Your words are listed in your account's Customize settings: copy them into a text file before leaving and add them to the new tool.
Is Grammarly safe for confidential documents?
Grammarly says it doesn't sell user content and lets you opt out of model training, but your text is processed on its servers and the storage location isn't published. For sensitive work, a local checker like Harper limits the exposure.
Which Grammarly alternative is best for paraphrasing?
QuillBot for heavy paraphrasing at $8.33 a month yearly, Wordtune for email tone, DeepL Write for six languages. Our QuillBot alternatives page and our best AI humanizers ranking go further.
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One tool to leave, one place to go, an exit with no surprises. Nothing else.