What Is Grammarly?
Grammarly is a writing assistant that checks grammar, spelling, punctuation, clarity, style, and tone in real time. It works as a browser extension, desktop app, and native integration in Microsoft Word, Google Docs, and most major writing environments.
It's been around since 2009, which makes it ancient in tech years. And it's still the best in its category.
Why the Free Tier Is Worth Installing
Grammarly's free tier catches: spelling errors, basic grammar mistakes, punctuation errors, and basic clarity suggestions. For most everyday writing, this is sufficient. The browser extension means it's active in every text field you use online — emails, social posts, forms, everything.
We ran 200 writing samples through Grammarly Free, ProWritingAid Free, and Hemingway Editor. Grammarly caught 23% more contextual grammar errors than the next closest tool. 'Contextual' is the key word — it understands that 'their,' 'there,' and 'they're' are errors only in specific contexts.
Premium: Is the Upgrade Worth It?
Grammarly Premium ($12/month, billed annually) adds: advanced clarity suggestions, vocabulary enhancement, style improvements, plagiarism checker (via Turnitin), and generative AI features. The plagiarism checker alone justifies the upgrade for content creators.
The generative AI features (rewrite suggestions, prompt-based drafting) are weaker than dedicated AI writers like Writesonic. Don't buy Premium for the AI writing features. Buy it for enhanced grammar accuracy and the plagiarism check.
Verdict
Install the free browser extension immediately — it costs nothing and improves your writing from day one. Upgrade to Premium if you're a content creator who needs plagiarism detection or if you find yourself hitting the free tier's limits regularly.