Recently, I stopped using Grammarly. It did fine for me as a non-native English writer. I had some issues though.

I mainly ditched it because the Safari extension didn’t work with Medium. Luckily, I found a few good alternatives with both, free and paid options available, as with Grammarly.

Here are my top 4 Grammarly alternatives.

1. LanguageTool

This is the one, I’m currently using. LanguageTool is a fairly extensive Grammarly alternative that offers both a free version with a good amount of capability and a paid option that is powerful and more affordable than Grammarly’s premium service.

Grammarly starts at $12 per months for the premium plan, LanguageTool at $5.

On a sidenote, I found LanguageTool through the great writing app Ulysses (available only to Apple users).

Ulysses is a minimal, functional, and feature-rich writing platform for bloggers and authors alike. Its best feature is the direct integration of Medium (as well as WordPress, Ghost, or Micro.blog).

Additionally, Ulysses has a built-in spell and grammar checker, which is powered by LanguageTool.

2. ProWritingAid

Many of my readers have suggested ProWritingAid when I last wrote about switching away from Grammarly.

ProWritingAid is one of the most popular and strongest services. It has a large feature set and a comprehensive, AI-powered checking system.

This does come at a price. You’ll be paying $20 a month for the premium version. Or $80 per year, which is a reasonable discount. For $399, you could also get a lifetime deal.

Then, there’s also Premium Plus, which offers a plagiarism checker as well. This might be the perfect package for bloggers who often face plagiarism. It happens to us, Medium writers, too. Premium Plus costs $24 per months or $89 per year. Again, a lifetime version is available for $499.

ProWritingAid is the most potent Grammarly alternative, and the Premium version beats Grammarly in quite a few aspects.

3. The Hemingway Editor

Then, there is the Hemingway Editor, which is accessible on the web or via apps for Mac and Windows. The HemingwayEditor is not only a fine writing app and a good alternative to Ulysses for Windows users, it also sports a built-in grammar and spell checker.

It’s a good all-around package.

4. WhiteSmoke

Lastly, I have WhiteSmoke on my list. This service is available for Windows only at the moment, but a Mac app is on the way. Prices for the premium version usually start at $10 a month, but right now, you can get it 50% off.

The Premium version also included a (limited) plagiarism checker.

I can’t say that I have tested WhiteSmoke thoroughly. What jumped at me from the start was the outdated look of the website and the platform.

The performance seems to be on par with alternatives like Grammarly. It’s not my pick for the best one, however.

The bottom line

Spell and grammar checkers do a lot for non-native writers like myself. I wouldn’t be able to catch all the mistakes I make. None of those writing aids will catch all mistakes, but they will help immensely with a large number of them.

After working with Grammarly for a year, I switched to LanguageTool a few weeks ago, mainly for the perfect integration into Safari and Medium. I haven’t missed Grammarly at all since. LanguageTool’s free version provides all I want right now.

Nonetheless, any of the aforementioned alternatives might be worth a try if you’re looking to switch away from Grammarly.