You have probably seen the ads on numerous platforms. You might have heard your coworkers or peers mention its name. It seems like the popularity of Grammarly has exploded in the last few years.
While Grammar and punctuation checking tools have been around for a decade, constant improvements and updates have made them essential writing assistants.
Many writers are confused about what Grammarly can do, how Grammarly works, and how it can enhance your writing capabilities.
Whether you write content for school, for work, or a multi-language website, Grammarly can help you hone your content writing skills to perfection.
Even though there is no shortcut to becoming a better and more proficient writer, Grammarly can provide you with feedback and rectify your mistakes.
What is Grammarly?
Grammarly is a grammar checker, proofreader, plagiarism checker, and spell checker tool all merged into one.
While most people use Grammarly as their primary grammar checker tool, many extra features can improve your content writing skills.
Me and my coworkers at webdew use Grammarly for spell check and grammatical mistakes before publishing our content.
Grammarly
- Advanced grammar and spell checker
- Genre-specific writing suggestions
- Detects plagiarism
- Personalized writing statistics
- Clarity and writing style improvements
If you’re a content writer, an author, a student, or a blog writer, Grammarly will always benefit you tremendously. This platform will help you know many confusing grammatical rules with ease. This platform will help you understand many confusing grammatical rules with ease, especially when you need to fulfill the request ” write my research paper for me“ or work on other complex writing tasks.
I've been using Grammarly for the past 3 years, and now I will write a review on it. In this Grammarly website review, we will discuss how you can use Grammarly, the crucial features of Grammarly’s free and premium plans, and my own verdict. Let’s find out.
How to use Grammarly?
If you’ve never used the Grammarly before, don’t worry. Using Grammarly is pretty straightforward and simple. You don’t need to worry about any complicated methods.
Everything can be done quickly, from creating an account to pasting your article. Let’s take a look at the steps involved in this process.
1. Signing Up
The very first step you need to remember is signing up on Grammarly. You cannot use Grammarly without creating an account.
Even if you want to use the free version, you still need to create an account.
This page will open when you visit the official website of Grammarly. You can either manually enter your email or sign up with Google. Grammarly also allows sign up via Apple or Facebook.
2. Creating a Document
Once you create an account, you can access the dashboard. The Grammarly software dashboard looks simple. Grammarly is easy to use and not confusing to non-technical users.
The primary Grammarly dashboard will open when you click on this “New” option. If you need to change anything, you can access the Settings from the left panel of the screen.
While this page looks clean, keep in mind that there isn’t any option to sort out the documents by folders. After you upload a couple of documents, your Grammarly dashboard will look messy.
3. Downloading Extensions and Applications
This is one of the most important things you need to remember. The Grammarly extensions and applications are there to streamline your editing process.
While it’s not mandatory to install Grammarly extensions and activate them, doing so will minimize your efforts. I suggest installing the Grammarly for Chrome extension.
The Grammarly for Chrome extension will integrate with the Google Chrome browser, allowing you to edit anything. If you write content on Google Docs like me, you can use Grammarly directly from the Docs without visiting the website or application.
4. Editing Document
Editing on Grammarly is extremely easy. Even I was shocked when I used Grammarly for the first time to edit my own documents.
All you need to do is copy and paste your file. You can also upload your file on Grammarly in the following formats: txt, Microsoft Word, rtf, and pdf.
However, remember that you cannot upload your document through any link, be it a Google Doc link or a website link.
This is what the dashboard will look like when you upload or paste your content. Alternatively, Grammarly Chrome Extension will provide real-time suggestions on WordPress, Twitter, Docs, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.
This is how you can use Grammarly to improve your writing quality. When you pay close attention to the Grammarly suggestions, you can improve your writing skills.
? Review
- Using Grammarly is super easy. I didn't had to worry about any complicated sign up process. I just created an account and started using Grammarly instantly.
Grammarly Free Features
One of the best things about Grammarly is that it provides a free plan for its users. Sign up and start using Grammarly without any financial commitment.
I have used the free version for two years and found it helpful, except for some corrections. The free version provides numerous style, grammar, and language features. Let’s discuss them in detail.
1. Setting Document Goals
Let’s say you’re an academic writer and writing something related to assignments or research papers. On the other hand, your coworker is a technical writer and writes on technical topics.
You pasted both of your respective documents on Grammarly. Will Grammarly give both of you the same suggestions? Even if it did, will it be relevant?
To ensure Grammarly understands your content structure and format, you must set goals for your document.
The Set Goals page will let you choose the audience, domain, intent, and formality level. Tweaking with these options will allow Grammarly to provide customized suggestions.
Remember that you can specify the domains only when you use the Premium version. The free version will always be set in the General domain. Apart from General, you can switch between Business, Academic, Casual, Email, and Creative domains.
Setting relevant goals before editing a document will help you choose the right voice, tone, and intent. This way, you can convey the right message to your target audience. This approach will lead to transparent communication.
2. Check Correctness
The Correctness tab is the primary thing you need to consider. This tab will display all basic grammatical errors, spelling errors, and punctuation errors in your document.
You need to go through them one by one and review them. However, keep in mind that many suggestions may prove vague as per the sentence structure. So, don’t blindly accept all the suggestions.
To implement any suggestion, click the Accept button, which will automatically be updated in your document. But sometimes, you should understand the logic behind the suggestion. In such cases, you need to click on the Learn More option.
As you can see, Grammarly explained the logic behind the grammatical mistake and the suggestion.
If you think that Grammarly suggests a vague or irrelevant grammatical change, click the Dismiss button. This will remove the suggestion from the dashboard.
3. Check Clarity
The Clarity will allow you to make your content more understandable to the readers. I personally found this feature extremely helpful.
The clarity checker feature of Grammarly will prove highly beneficial to technical content writers. As they need to explain complex technical jargon in short and easy-to-understand language, this feature will help them simplify their content.
You will find suggestions to improve content readability, like removing passive voices, wordy sentences, repetitive phrases, etc.
Even though this clarity feature is helpful, you won’t be able to utilize its full benefits with the free version. This is because Grammarly may provide one or two clarity suggestions, which is pretty low.
The content that I have pasted here has two clarity issues, checked by Grammarly Premium. However, the free version shows everything’s in order.
If you write in long sentences, the clarity checker will make them shorter and more readily understandable.
4. Check Tone
Grammarly comes with a Tone Detector that can analyze your content. Then, it will use an emoji to showcase how it sounds to your readers.
Grammarly has 20+ tones. As a result, it can quickly help you identify what your readers will think upon reading your content.
Here, Grammarly suggested that the tone can be more confident. However, some toning suggestions may seem vague. Make sure you choose carefully, or you will end up altering the whole sentence structure.
The tones include Appreciative, Formal, Worried, Confident, Excited, Concerned, Disheartening, etc.
I find this feature helpful, too. Grammarly can help you understand the tone when sending your clients cold emails.
Feel free to experiment with the words and sentence structure if you're unsatisfied with the tone. Offering this feature in the free plan lets Grammarly stand apart from the competitors.
Remember that you cannot access Grammarly tone checker from the website or app. It’s available as a part of Grammarly’s browser extension.
5. Add Words to Personal Dictionary
With Grammarly, you can maintain a personal dictionary. You can add the words it cannot recognize. This way, Grammarly won't flag them as errors.
The words that you see here were flagged by Grammarly. All I did was add them to the dictionary, and Grammarly stopped highlighting them as errors.
You can choose not to add these words to your dictionary. However, if you use such words multiple times in your content, you should add them to prevent unnecessary corrections.
After adding such words to the dictionary, Grammarly will automatically accept them as correct words. From next time, they won’t be flagged within the doc.
6. Check Overall Score
You can check your content’s overall score. Simply click on the right-corner option named Overall Score.
Grammarly will rate your content on a scale of 100 while representing your writing quality. The score will increase when you implement more suggestions.
You will know the word count and the number of characters, words, sentences, reading time, and speaking time.
You will also know the readability of your content. This will ensure that your content is understandable to your target audience.
You can export the report in PDF format. This feature is helpful when you want to give your writers feedback or suggestions.
7. Set Languages
This feature will allow you to choose the English type you want to write in. For instance, you must use American English if your target audience is American.
With Grammarly, you can choose from four types of English – American, British, Canadian, and Australian. Depending on your location, you may find an additional English type.
When you choose American English, all the grammar and spelling suggestions follow American English rules. This way, you can stay relevant with your preferred language.
I noticed that Grammarly will let you choose from 200+ primary languages. However, I failed to understand the purpose because Grammarly only allows editing in English.
? Review
- My experience with Grammarly free plan was good, as the features can elevate my writing skills. You can make your content error-free with basic suggestions like grammar and spell-checking. However, professional content writers will benefit the best from the Premium version.
Grammarly Premium Features
If you want to access some advanced features to refine your content further, don’t forget to check out the Premium plan.
Grammarly Premium is better than the free version in every way. You will get more features and more personalized suggestions according to your content needs.
Let’s discuss the Grammarly Premium features in detail.
1. Check Clarity
While the Clarity tab is available in the free version, it gets much better in the Premium plan. If you use the Premium plan, you will see drastic improvements in the Clarity tab.
If you remember correctly, I stated before that the Clarity tab didn’t work effectively on the free version.
But things get a lot of exciting with the Premium version. The Premium plan’s Clarity tab will highlight wordy and complex sentences. It will automatically rewrite the sentences to make them more understandable.
Let me give you a side-by-side comparison to help you understand the Clarity tab better.
This is what Grammarly’s Clarity tab suggested. Keep in mind that this image is from the free version. As you can see, it displayed everything in a perfect state.
However, when I pasted the same document into Grammarly Premium, it gave 21 clarity suggestions. Even I was pretty shocked seeing the effectiveness of the Premium plan.
What I loved about the Clarity Checker is that it rewrites your sentence while explaining the reason behind the changes. This feature will improve your overall writing quality.
Hence, if you’re a professional writer, you will love the detailed suggestions and tips the Clarity Checker provides.
2. Check Engagement
This is one of the most engaging features of Grammarly Premium. The Engagement tab will make your writing more consuming and interesting to the target audience.
This feature will replace the overused or generic words with fresh choices. Without repetitive and generic words, your content will sound more natural and engaging.
Let’s take the above example. Grammarly highlighted my words and suggested a replacement. Replacing my words with Grammarly’s suggestion will improve the flow and structure of the sentence.
Overall, I found this feature super helpful. As I have been using Grammarly Premium for quite some time, I can highly recommend Grammarly in enhancing content engagement.
If you’re running out of fresh words to convey your message more meaningfully, Grammarly Premium will help you.
3. Check Delivery
The Delivery tab will provide suggestions to create the perfect impressions on the readers. It will rephrase specific sentences or words misaligned with your content's domain or purpose.
It will also highlight what words you need to include to achieve the perfect results. Thanks to the Delivery tab, you don’t need to worry about conveying the wrong impression to your audience.
As you can see, Grammarly suggested some changes to this sentence. While it’s not a major issue, I still liked the suggestion.
Whether you choose to accept or dismiss the suggestion is completely dependent on you. As mentioned earlier, you should check carefully before accepting any suggestion.
Professional writers who write content for C-suite executives and technical users will find this feature helpful.
4. Get Expert Writing Help
If the Premium suggestions provided by Grammarly don’t feel confident, you can use the Expert Writing Service.
This optional service is highly beneficial for professional writers creating content for C-suite executives.
This feature comes in two versions: Correctness Only & Correctness and Clarity. Depending on your needs, you can choose either one.
The pricing will be additional and will vary depending on the service you choose and the timeframe. For instance, if you need the content within 3 hours, it will prove more expensive than the 24-hour timeframe. The charges will be added to your Premium subscription.
When you submit your document, the experts will manually check for clarity, grammar, readability, and other specific factors.
Remember that this feature is available only on the Premium pricing plan. If you’re using the free version or the Business plan, this feature will be unavailable.
5. Check for Plagiarism
The Grammarly's Plagiarism checker is available only in the Premium and Business plan. It will check for plays directly from the online editor. If you use a browser extension, you can also check for plagiarism from the extension.
When you run the plagiarism test, it will display the percentage in the top right corner of the suggestions dashboard.
All the plagiarised instances will be available on the right side of the screen. You can click on them for further analysis.
You can also view the percentage of plagiarised instances, along with the source URL. Copying the URL with one click is a convenient feature I found.
However, I have used many plagiarism checkers as a professional content writer. Copyscape, a premium plagiarism checker, is undoubtedly the best, hands down.
That being said, I must say that Grammarly’s plagiarism checker is quite average. I hope they work on this tool in the future.
6. Generative AI
Grammarly recently introduced Generative AI tools, and I can vouch for its effectiveness. Previously regarded as GrammarlyGO, the Generative AI tools will assist in your content writing capabilities.
Grammarly’s Generative AI can create different types of content, including thought-provoking questions, blog post ideas, introductory emails, progress reports, thank-you notes, business proposals, etc.
I was impressed when Grammarly followed my prompt and created a short social media copy. It took only a few seconds for Grammarly to come up with some unique results.
The writing looks personalized, with no fluff or generic words. It also included relevant hashtags to enhance the ranking of my copy on social media platforms.
However, you cannot generate unlimited prompts. The number of prompts will depend on the plan you choose.
? Review
- I believe Grammarly Premium is curated for professional writers and researchers. As the Premium plan comes with more features, you can enhance your writing skills even more. And the cost is also affordable.
Grammarly Applications
Now that you know the free and Premium features Grammarly offers, let’s discuss the applications.
The Grammarly applications are helpful and capable of catering to your different needs. From Windows and Macs to mobile devices, these applications are available everywhere.
1. Grammarly for Chrome
The Grammarly for Chrome can be accessed by login to the website. You can paste or upload your content into the editor, and it will highlight errors.
Grammarly for Chrome will work on any Chrome software, regardless of the operating system. For instance, it will work the same whether you’re using a Mac or a Windows. You don't need to download the Grammarly desktop app.
2. Grammarly for Mac
This feature is explicitly made for Macbook users. Mac users have complained that Grammarly hasn’t worked flawlessly on their system for the past couple of years.
As a result, Grammarly introduced their Mac-specific application, allowing Apple users to work seamlessly.
You only need to download the application and install it on your Macbook. Keep in mind that the application will download in DMG file format. Therefore, it won’t run on any other device or OS.
Even though you install the application, it won’t work as an application. This means that when you try to upload a new document, a new web page will open.
The web page is similar to the primary Grammarly dashboard. You won’t find any distinctive differences except for the URL.
3. Grammarly for iPhone and iPad
As the name suggests, Grammarly for iPhone and iPad is made specifically for Apple devices. The best thing about Grammarly for iPhone and iPad is the Grammarly keyword.
This replaces your default keyboard with Grammarly keyboard to provide real-time grammar, spelling, and punctuation checks as you type in any app. It also offers suggestions for clarity, conciseness, and vocabulary.
Thanks to Grammarly Safari integration, you can check your grammar and spelling as you browse the web and write emails.
4. Grammarly for Android
Android users don’t need to worry, as Grammarly for Android can fulfil their needs. Grammarly for Android is quite similar to its iPhone and iPad counterparts, offering a powerful combo of writing assistance features across your mobile device.
Just like on iOS, you can ditch your default keyboard and use Grammarly's instead. This means Grammarly checks real-time grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors wherever you type, whether it's in Gmail, Facebook Messenger, or even your note-taking app.
Overall, Grammarly for Android is a valuable tool for anyone who wants to take their mobile writing to the next level. It's easy to use, accurate and can help you communicate more effectively in all your digital interactions.
? Review
- While I found these Grammarly applications helpful, I doubt if anyone will use Grammarly keyboard on mobile phones, especially iPhone users. I own an iPhone and it autocorrects words swiftly. Other than that, the apps may prove beneficial.
Grammarly Review: Pricing
Grammarly provides four pricing plans. Whether you plan to use Grammarly as an individual or for your enterprise, there’s a suitable pricing plan for everyone.
Here’s a pricing structure that will help you understand better.
Grammarly Pricing Plan
Free: $0
Premium: $12/month
Business: $15/month
Enterprise: Contact sales
While the Premium plan is great, the Business plan comes with an additional SAML SSO and 2,000 AI writing prompts. However, you won’t get Expert Writing Assistance with the Grammarly Business plan.
You can also choose the Enterprise plan with enhanced privacy, security, and governance. The dedicated support and unlimited AI writing prompts will benefit your enterprise to a great extent.
Grammarly Pros and Cons
Grammarly comes with some great features. When utilized perfectly, content writers can improve their writing skills and style. It will also help you know your mistakes and provide suggestions accordingly.
However, just because Grammarly is a super helpful tool for content writers doesn’t mean it lacks drawbacks.
There are some significant disadvantages of Grammarly. When you know the pros and cons of Grammarly, you will be able to set realistic expectations.
Pros
- Reliable grammar checking
- Trusted spell checking
- Smooth third-party integrations
- Online plagiarism checker
- 16+ billion database
- Enhances fluidity of the article
Cons
- Occasional vague writing suggestions
- Plagiarism checker isn't robust
- Only supports English
Keep in mind that all tools will have more or less a few drawbacks. Don't let these drawbacks prevent you from using Grammarly.
Grammarly Website Review: Ultimate Decision
In this article, I discussed and gave a thorough Grammarly website review. It’s undoubtedly one of the best tools for grammar checking and proofreading.
Although Grammarly for free plan has limitations, I really liked the features, especially how Grammarly excels in detecting grammar and tone-related errors.
To experience the best value of Grammarly, you need to upgrade to Grammarly Premium. The features will help you hone your content writing skills to perfection.
Did you find my Grammarly website review helpful? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.