Career Planning Skills Development What Is Grammarly? By Alison Doyle Alison Doyle Alison Doyle is one of the nation’s foremost career experts. learn about our editorial policies Updated on September 19, 2022 Fact checked by Mrinalini Krishna In This Article View All In This Article How Grammarly Works Versions of Grammarly Pros and Cons of Grammarly How Much Does Grammarly Cost? Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Photo: Westend61 / Getty Images Definition Grammarly is a writing assistant that job seekers, writers, and other professionals can use to proofread and edit their documents. It checks for spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors, and it enhances vocabulary usage. Key Takeaways Grammarly is a well-known online grammar checker that’s been available since 2009.It can accommodate business writing, academic writing, creative writing and more.Grammarly can tag everything from unwieldy sentences to spelling errors.You can use Grammarly for free, but you’ll only get the full range of its features with its paid version. How Grammarly Works Grammarly has been available since 2009. It's a sophisticated artificial intelligence (AI) system that's been honed and improved upon consistently over the years, built by linguists and engineers who developed algorithms to detect patterns of good writing. Note Grammarly allows users to choose editing input based on six different styles of writing: business, academic, casual, technical, creative and general. The Grammarly AI system reviews every sentence and searches for appropriate replacements for errors when any are found. It's a cloud-based program. Both a web version and a version that integrates with MS Word are available. Grammarly gives your document an overall score based on the number of issues and errors it's found. It then walks you through a series of possible grammatical problems, one at a time. Both a short and long explanation are provided by the system for each issue that's identified. Examples of correct grammar are included in these explanations. Specific wording alternatives are suggested by the system in some cases. But it's left to the user to make any specific changes—Grammarly won't force your hand. You have the option of ignoring possible problems if you don't agree with the recommended changes. Misspellings are pointed out, along with a list of alternative spellings. A handy plagiarism checker can help writers identify any inadvertently borrowed content. The system points out similar text that exists elsewhere, and it suggests citations that can be incorporated to legitimize the text in question. A synonym checker is available that enables users to choose optional wording and to avoid repetition. Grammarly also provides explanations for suggested changes, along with information on what type of mistake you've made. Note Grammarly might not understand the point you're trying to make in some cases, but this, too, can clarify your writing. If Grammarly doesn't get it, your reader might not either. Users can paste a document into an editing box in the web version of Grammarly, then designate the style of the document and click on "Start Review" to begin the process. Versions of Grammarly Grammarly Versions Based on Usage Grammarly offers different versions of its program with varying features at multiple price points. Grammarly Premium: This is a subscription for individual users that provides correction for misspellings, tone, clarity and plagiarism.Grammarly For Business: This is a subscription service offered to businesses with teams of 3-149 individuals and includes more features along with admin control. Grammarly for Education: This version allows higher education and secondary schools to purchase unlimited Grammarly access for their students. Compatibility with Other Software The Grammarly Plug-in for Microsoft Office adds its spelling- and grammar-checker to Microsoft Word and Outlook. You'll see the Grammarly Wizard when you click "Review" in Word after you download and install the program. Click on "Check," then select the writing style you want Grammarly to use. A browser add-on is also available for Firefox users. Pros and Cons of Grammarly Even the most scathing of critics can't find too many flaws in Grammarly's product. It provides topnotch support, but in the end, you get what you pay for. Pros It's highly accurate. It accommodates Mac, Windows, and iOS devices. Cons The full range of Grammarly's features aren't available in the free edition. Pros Explained It's highly accurate: This product can do just about anything you ask of it.It accommodates Mac, Windows, and iOS devices: You're not limited to your laptop or table. You can use it on the fly on your phone to gain a comfort level on texts and emails before you send them. Con Explained The full range of Grammarly's features aren't available in the free edition: You'll have to pay for a premium version if you want it to do any heavy lifting. How Much Do I Need to Pay for Grammarly? You can try Grammarly for free by simply copying and pasting text into a box on the website, and adding it to Chrome is free. There's also a seven-day free trial if you want to try all the features of Grammarly Business that are included in the paid version before you make a decision to purchase the product. Note Grammarly subscriptions are available on the monthly or annual basis, but the cost depends on the version your subscribe to and the usage you derive. As of August 2022, here are the prices for Grammarly subscriptions: Grammarly Premium: Starting at $12 per month.Grammarly Business: Starting at $25 per month. An annual subscription for your business, depending on the number of users, may reduce the monthly cost. Grammarly charges $180 annually for three to nine users (average $15 per month), $174 annually for 10-49 users (average $14.50 per month) and $150 annually for 50-149 users (average $12.50 per month). Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) How do you install Grammarly on Microsoft Word? Whether you have a Mac or Windows computer, Grammarly offers a link to download its tools for Microsoft Word. You can navigate to the Grammarly website, download the the software using the link provided and follow the prompts to install the software. Once the installation is complete, you will be able to see the Grammarly widget in Microsoft Word. How much does Grammarly cost? Grammarly subscriptions are available on the monthly or annual basis, but the cost depends on the version your subscribe to and the usage you derive. A monthly subscription for Grammarly Premium starts at $12 per month, while one for Grammarly Business begins at $25 per month. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit Sources The Balance uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Grammarly. "Our mission - To improve lives by improving communication." Grammarly. "How to Choose the Right Document Type for Everything You Write | Grammarly Spotlight." Grammarly. "Elevate Your Writing." Grammarly. "Grammarly Business Pricing." Grammarly. "Grammarly for education." Grammarly. "Try Grammarly Business free for 7 days." Grammarly. "How much does Grammarly Premium cost?" Grammarly. "How to add Grammarly to Microsoft Word and Outlook?"