AI-Powered Writing Tools: Comparing Microsoft Editor, Grammarly, and Alternatives

I don't pay for Grammarly, here are the 3 writing tools I use instead

Grammarly has emerged as a widely used resource among writers, students, and professionals. While Grammarly's features are tempting, most of them are locked behind a premium subscription that carries a hefty price tag. If you are looking for a budget-friendly Grammarly alternative, you have come to the right place. In this post, I will talk about a trio of impressive tools that give Grammarly a run for its money. I will highlight their unique strengths and show you how they can take your writing to the next level. Related 10 productivity tools that all students need Streamline your studies with these must-have productivity apps 3 Microsoft Editor If you are a Microsoft 365 subscriber and use Microsoft Word and Outlook for your blogs and emails, give Microsoft Editor a try. It uses the power of AI to analyze your writing and offers suggestions to improve your grammar, spelling, punctuation, clarity, and overall style of your text. Once you are done with your draft, simply open Editor from the top menu and check your overall score. You can glance over spelling and grammar mistakes and check refinement suggestions to improve your draft's clarity, formality, conciseness, and vocabulary. You can click on a specific suggestion to review it in detail. There is an option to change your writing style, and you can open Editor settings to enable or disable specific suggestions for your emails and drafts. You can also run a plagiarism checker from the Similarity menu. Related 8 Microsoft Word plugins to boost your productivity From tools like Grammarly and ProWritingAid to improve your writing, to others like MathType and PickIt, these add-ons enhance your Word experience. 2 Ginger Do you often work with different languages for your drafts and blog posts? Grammarly isn't an ideal choice since it primarily focuses on the English language. Ginger supports over 60 languages, which should cover major languages worldwide. Unlike Microsoft Editor, Ginger has nailed the cross-platform availability with native desktop apps on Windows and Mac, Microsoft Word add-ins, mobile apps, and web extensions. Ginger accurately identifies and corrects a wide range of grammar and spelling mistakes, ensuring your writing is error-free. It also comes with a built-in dictionary to look up definitions and synonyms without leaving the Ginger interface. Other noteworthy add-ons include a text reader to assess the flow of your writing and a personal trainer for exercises and practice sessions to improve your writing skills over time. Ginger misses out on one important feature: a plagiarism checker, making it unattractive for professors and online educators. The pricing starts at $14 per month, which is also on the higher side. However, you can opt for a yearly plan at $84 to bring down the monthly cost to only $7. Ginger See at Ginger Related 6 of the best online programs for creators in 2024 If you are a content creator, then you should check out these 6 online tools to improve your daily workflow 1 ProWritingAid ProWritingAid has been my most recommended alternative to Grammarly for several reasons - here's why. Cross-platform availability and integration ProWritingAid has nailed the cross-platform availability. It has native apps on Windows and Mac, a web-based online editor, iOS and Android mobile apps, and extensions on popular browsers like Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. It also works seamlessly in your writing app of choice. You can access ProWritingAid features in Scrivener, Google Docs, Notion, Discord, and more. In-depth analysis ProWritingAid provides comprehensive feedback on your writing, going beyond surface-level errors to analyzing sentence structure, style, and clarity. You can simply click Summary at the top to generate a detailed report. You can glance over spelling score, style score, passive voice, spot average weak adverbs, sentence length check, distribution, readability score, and much more. You might be astonished by the variety of charts, graphs, and detailed explanations included in your summary report. Feature-rich Unlike Ginger, ProWritingAid doesn't skimp on any important feature. Aside from core editing features like grammar and spelling, punctuation, style suggestions, and contextual thesaurus, ProWritingAid also lets you create customized style guides to meet your specific guidelines, a plagiarism checker, and the ability to analyze how effectively your sentences and paragraphs transition. When dealing with odd-sounding sentences, just click on them to see suggested rephrases. I often use this feature to refine my unusual sentences. Overall, it's a comprehensive platform for creative writers who want guidance to help achieve their writing goals. Flexible pricing The free plan of ProWritingAid has significant limitations. The Premium version is available for $30 per month or $120 annually. Notably, there is also a lifetime plan offered at $400. It is surely more affordable for long-term use than Grammarly's subscription model. However, for a plagiarism checker, you must purchase it separately as an add-on that starts from $10 for 10 checks. ProWritingAid See at ProWritingAid Related Scrivener vs. Ulysses: Which writing software is best for long projects? Both Scrivener and Ulysses offer unique feature for writers Powerful Grammarly alternatives on a budget Overall, the best Grammarly alternative boils down to your specific needs and budget. Microsoft Editor is bundled without any extra cost, right along with your Microsoft 365 plan. Ginger excels at catching grammatical errors and offers rephrasing suggestions in a wide array of languages. ProWritingAid provides in-depth analysis and detailed reports that are perfect for serious writers looking to improve their drafts. No matter which tool you choose, you don't have to break the bank for writing assistance. Check out our dedicated post if you are looking to explore more productivity apps for your PC.

How Does Microsoft Editor Compare to Grammarly? I Found Out

Key Takeaways Grammarly offers better availability with apps for various platforms, whereas Microsoft Editor is limited to web browsers, and Microsoft Office apps on the web and desktop. Grammarly includes more advanced features like AI-driven suggestions, content rewriting, and expert review add-on. Microsoft Editor's features are more basic, but it's a cost-effective option with a competent plagiarism detector compared to Grammarly's premium plans. If you're already paying for Microsoft 365, you get access to the premium version of Microsoft Editor. But is it good enough to replace Grammarly? I use both Editor and Grammarly when working with text documents, and here's how Microsoft's offering fares against the popular grammar checker. Availability Grammarly offers better cross-platform availability than Microsoft Editor. It is available on the web, as a browser extension, and has dedicated apps for Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS. Unlike Editor, Grammarly for desktop works with all the text editors on your computer, including Word, Slack, Asana, or any other apps you use. If you don't want the grammar checker to analyze everything you write, you can turn it off for specific websites and apps. However, its more detailed assessments are still available within the web editor. Microsoft Editor is more limited in availability. The free version works with Word Online and as a browser extension on Edge, Chrome, and other Chromium browsers. If you have a Microsoft 365 subscription, you can also access the Editor with advanced features on the desktop Office apps, such as Word, Outlook, and Excel. Features Both Grammarly and Microsoft Editor offer core functionalities like spell and grammar checking. Beyond that, these tools provide distinct advanced features making them ideal for different use cases. Grammarly Grammarly excels not only at catching spelling and punctuation errors but also offers a more robust set of features. It can highlight issues as you write and suggest improvements for style, tone, and clarity. However, its suggestions can sometimes be too aggressive, especially with technical terms, partially due to a lack of context awareness. To mitigate this, Grammarly allows you to set goals by selecting the document's domain, intent, audience, and formality to get better suggestions to match the purpose of your writing. Like most software these days, Grammarly is also big on AI (also known as GrammarlyGo). Its AI assistant can rewrite sentences, find content gaps, generate ideas and outlines, and even write a full first draft for a blog post. But it's not just for content writing, AI-assisted tools can improve your school work and help you simplify email communication. Another handy feature in Grammarly is document version history, which allows you to download previous versions of edited and saved documents. If you need further assistance, Grammarly offers a "Get Expert Help" add-on to have your document reviewed by a human expert. It's a premium service, and the price varies according to the turnaround time, which ranges from 3 hours to 24 hours. Microsoft Editor Microsoft Editor is a straightforward tool for checking spelling and grammar issues. It shows suggestions for clarity, formality, punctuation conventions, and vocabulary. The editor highlights spelling issues with a red underline and clarity suggestions with a purple underline; you can click the highlighted suggestions to accept or ignore them. Text Predictions is another useful feature in Editor that helps you write faster by anticipating your next words and suggesting words or phrases as you type. It's not groundbreaking, but it's definitely useful. While you can set a document goal in Editor as formal, casual, or professional to get better suggestions, it lacks the extensive customization that Grammarly offers. Plagiarism Checker Plagiarism detection is an essential feature for any writing assistant, and Grammarly and Microsoft Editor can help identify plagiarized material from online sources. Microsoft Editor's similarity checker can check your text document against web pages and research resources using Bing, highlight the problematic passages, and allow you to add citations. The integration with Bing also means broader web searches and more accurate results for newly indexed material. Grammarly uses its own database to detect plagiarised material from web pages and academic papers and allows you to add proper citations. What's more, Grammarly can also detect AI-generated text, a feature that Microsoft Editor lacks. I tested both tools by adding texts from my recently published pieces. After the initial scan, Microsoft Editor flagged 78% of the content as similar to online sources with accurate citation suggestions. The results were pretty consistent during multiple tests. Grammarly, on the other hand, is slow to catch recently published work. When using the desktop app, it can simply go into a scan loop requiring a restart before it can start working again. Pricing When it comes to pricing, the comparison is less direct. Both Microsoft Editor and Grammarly offer a free tier with basic functionality, and you can opt for premium plans with more advanced features. Except, in the case of Editor, there is no premium plan; instead, it's all included in your Microsoft 365 subscription, which I think is worth the cost. Grammarly offers a more comprehensive free plan with basic spelling and grammar checks, along with clarity suggestions. The inclusion of AI features in the free tier is a nice perk, but it's severely limited. Grammarly's Premium plan costs $12/month (billed annually) or $30 if billed monthly. This gives you access to advanced grammar suggestions, AI features, and a plagiarism checker. Different Tools for Different Use Cases While on the expensive side, Grammarly is a must-have tool for students and content writers, especially if you are a beginner. The cost may well be worth it if you have a use for its advanced AI and grammar suggestions. Microsoft Editor is free to use with Word online and on your web browser, but more advanced grammar features, including integration with Office desktop apps and a plagiarism checker, are only available for Microsoft 365 subscribers. While it may not offer all the bells and whistles of Grammarly, Microsoft Editor is certainly a more affordable option for anyone needing a grammar and spell checker along with plagiarism detection.