Is Grammarly Overrated? I Put These 8 Options to Check

A couple of years again, the thought of a software program catching my spelling errors, and structural points sounded ridiculous. So when Grammarly began main the AI writing assistant wave, and promised to chop down infinite enhancing cycles, I began utilizing it straightaway. 

Little doubt, Grammarly made my life as a content material marketer simpler. It was like having a tireless pair of eyes all the time by my aspect. But, I used to be looking for Grammarly options, pondering if it was really the very best match for all my wants. 

The query turned much more urgent after I learn “The 22 Immutable Legal guidelines of Advertising” by Al Ries and Jack Trout. The thought of being first relatively than being higher actually struck me. That’s precisely what Grammarly did. It merely conquered the thoughts first, regardless of not being the primary AI writing assistant. 

I requested myself: Are there different instruments on the market that outshine Grammarly? 

Being a medical graduate, I couldn’t accept a easy Google search. As an alternative, I took the lab-coat method and launched my very own mini trial of eight Grammarly options. I’ve compiled my trustworthy evaluations on this article, saving you time on the hunt for options. 

What to search for in a Grammarly different?

Grammarly is well-integrated into my writing workflows as a result of its ease of use and the newfound freemium options. I can entry it throughout a number of platforms as a browser extension, desktop app, and cell app. 

Nonetheless, I didn’t really feel happy with it. It usually missed the mark on the tone I aimed for. Typically, it sounded too generic, stiff, and robotic. Seems, I wasn’t alone with these frustrations; G2 evaluations echo my woes.  

Listed here are the important thing points an efficient AI writing assistant ought to embody:

• Correct and contextually conscious recommendations to keep away from pointless flags.
• Offline performance, particularly for paid plan customers. I’d wish to entry the software program anytime, wherever, no matter my web connection.
• Superior options like paraphrasing, summarization, content material era, and translation.
• Higher efficiency that doesn’t decelerate different apps and working techniques.
• Integrations with different net functions corresponding to electronic mail, Docs, or Notion. 
• Provide to enhance the tone of writing by offering clever phrase recommendations or vocabulary enhancements. 
• Capabilities to allow workforce collaborations, together with in-app chat choices and approval chains.
• Plagiarism checkers or quotation turbines. 
• Affordability for particular person creators and small companies.
• A transparent assertion on how software program processes and protects person knowledge.

The 8 finest Grammarly options that you must attempt now

After choosing the options primarily based on person evaluations on G2, I examined them to be used circumstances, options, pricing, and distilled their execs and cons. Maintain studying to seek out the very best device in your wants.

I attempted Semrush’s prompts on all the pieces, starting from drafting chilly emails and newsletters to Amazon product descriptions. 

In the event you’re somebody like me who values a easy but helpful person interface, then Semrush doesn’t disappoint. For each characteristic, it particulars its capabilities and supposed outcomes so that you’re not clueless whereas utilizing it. Being a web-based platform, it additionally integrates with Google Docs, Microsoft Phrase, and WordPress. 

The AI writing assistant device comes with a seven-day free trial (bank card required), after which it’s $25/month. Nonetheless, to make use of Semrush’s Search engine optimisation capabilities, you have to additionally individually purchase the ContentShake AI device, priced at $60/month. 

I attempted the Search engine optimisation writing assistant device to reinforce the discoverability of one among G2’s weblog on digital adoption platforms. After analysing the weblog, it created a chart alongside the parameters of readability, Search engine optimisation, originality, and tone of voice, displaying the place the strongest pull was. 

Whereas the device provided a dependable measure of how search-optimized your weblog is, it didn’t clarify what the rating means or the way it was calculated. 

Even when the device flagged sentences suggesting enhancements, it solely made the recommendations regarding Search engine optimisation and readability, ignoring different points. It will take trials and errors to assist enhance the rating. 

The readability and Search engine optimisation suggestions had been particular and actionable. For example, Semrush stated it was finest to shorten the article because it was longer than most finest performing opponents. Subsequent, it advisable key phrases I may goal, together with “buyer journey”, “buyer retention”, and “person base” to enhance visibility.

What I dislike about Semrush:

• Not having offline entry to the writing assistant generally is a hurdle in the event you’re travelling in areas of patchy connectivity. 
• The device doesn’t all the time counsel how you could possibly enhance originality and tone of voice, regardless of pointing to common scores for them. 

What G2 customers dislike about Semrush:

“A few of the extra superior options can really feel overwhelming at first, particularly for learners. It additionally will get a bit expensive as you scale up or want extra customers. A extra versatile pricing mannequin would make it even higher.”

– Semrush Evaluate, Hemant A., Search engine optimisation head at a small enterprise.

The interface of ProWritingAid feels intuitive, making it straightforward to work with a number of options. I like how reviews can be found in a single place. Few options, like real-time construction evaluation and the model of doing grammar checks, had been much like Grammarly’s. 

I beloved how I may simply combine the device with many different functions like Docs or Phrase, together with browser extensions (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari).

One other factor that impressed me was ProWritingAid’s offline performance. For somebody like me who likes to journey, usually to distant places, this offers what most different AI writing assistants lack. 

Now for the take a look at! I started with a easy paragraph concerning the “significance of sleep for well being” for a analysis paper, and it did a good job of setting the appropriate tone by rephrasing and analysing my objectives. Nonetheless, to my disappointment, I observed it lagged in producing informational content material. 

From a analysis standpoint, the device doesn’t have a quotation device. But its plagiarism checker flags weaker areas that want citations. You’ll need to browse for credible sources, which might be time-taking. 

After utilizing this software program extensively, I skilled a slowdown of the applying I used to be engaged on. Many different G2 reviewers reported the identical points. 

Whereas their free plan offers plenty of options, the 500-word rely restrict makes it much less helpful. To jot down an extended piece, I’ll need to shell out $30/month for a plan.

What I dislike about ProWritingAid:

• The fixed popping of recommendations whereas utilizing the applying might be distracting. It will be higher if recommendations confirmed solely after I hovered over marked sections. 
• The device is barely an assist. It doesn’t help generative capabilities to provide content material primarily based on particular prompts.

What G2 customers dislike about ProWritingAid:

“Being a man-made intelligence, it might probably’t exchange the human eye fully. A few of the recommendations or corrections are merely incorrect, and this system will not all the time get the small nuances of what you have written. You continue to want your personal judgment and data for a superb variety of recommendations.”

– Professional Writing Support Evaluate, Elli C, E book Coach.

Writesonic caters to each learners and skilled writers. The dashboard gives quite a lot of templates and instruments. 

The device helps using a constant model voice throughout content material sorts. Its potential to counsel different phrase selections that higher match the context actually stood out to me. 

What’s extra, the summarization characteristic helps you to glean info from a prolonged content material piece rapidly.

That stated, after I tried the punctuation device for a weblog on well being tech, it provided fundamental corrections, however they weren’t as complete as a devoted grammar examine device.

What I dislike about Writesonic:

• Lack of clean transitions and circulation whereas creating long-form content material. This could create a jerky studying expertise and make the content material sound extra robotic.
• The punctuation device provided fundamental grammatical corrections however was not as complete as a devoted device like Grammarly. 

What G2 customers dislike about Writesonic:

“I’m not a fan of their level system. Granted, you get it without spending a dime within the first month, however you may solely create one article without spending a dime, then need to pay. I additionally suppose that they need to reload their factors each month like Leonardo does for the free plan. Most of those Search engine optimisation writers do not try this.”

– Writesonic Evaluate, Ruve A., CEO of a small enterprise.

Jasper boasts a pleasant tone, like a companion for brainstorming concepts.

Getting began didn’t really feel like interacting with a machine in any respect. The bot is cordial — it requested my title, the sector I labored in, the scale of my firm, and a hyperlink to my top-performing web page to personalize the tone.

I attempted the seven-day free trial of their creator plan, which promised a model voice, entry to Jasper Chat and Search engine optimisation mode, all priced at $39/month in any other case. Jasper additionally has a Professional choice ($59/seat/month) and a Marketing strategy (customized pricing), which offers workforce administration, enhanced safety controls, and limitless AI-generated content material.

I used Jasper to brainstorm weblog submit concepts. It felt like ChatGPT, however with a friendlier tone. 

I additionally examined it on making a weblog define, drafting an introduction, and writing a conclusion, and it carried out effectively on all fronts. Exploring its accuracy for different languages aside from English revealed grammatical errors throughout translation. 

I’ll admit, Jasper’s pleasant contact makes it helpful to create customized emails in a extra inventive method than different AI instruments.

Nonetheless, lots of Jasper’s options are free elsewhere, making me query the value of its premium model. The unsubscription expertise was not clean because it hinted at suspending my account, swiping clear chats and knowledge therein.

What I dislike about Jasper:

• There’s no quotation or fact-checking help, which makes it dangerous for analysis writing.
• Primary grammar and spell checks depart you with lots of room for heavy enhancing. This device is right for producing a primary draft, however not for churning out a sophisticated finish product.

What G2 customers dislike about Jasper:

“There’s a fairly steep studying curve relating to getting probably the most out of AI. Studying find out how to arrange the very best prompts will generate the very best outcomes.”

– Jasper Evaluate, Jawad E., Head of Advertising at a small enterprise.

Reviewers of Rytr rave about its content-creation options for writing emails, messages, and blogs. So I gave it a shot. The interface is clear, minimalistic, and easy. 

It has two components, one for writing help and the opposite for generative AI functions. The weblog writing expertise was straightforward as I may customise responses by means of the number of language, tone, use case, matter, key phrases, and the extent of creativity.

On selecting between tone choices like assertive, informal, or inspirational, I may sense a marked distinction within the outputs. One easy but efficient characteristic is that you just get to decide on the variety of output variants. 

You may as well choose use circumstances starting from LinkedIn posts to YouTube video descriptions. What’s extra, its potential to generate and save content material in the identical doc helped me unify content material creation.

To get began, I examined the use case for writing a LinkedIn submit about vital dental well being suggestions. In distinction to different writing assistants, Rytr began by asking my goal, key message, and audience earlier than producing a response. This helped me generate extra exact responses. 

Subsequent, I performed between “informative” and “inspirational” tones, and the outcomes had been passable. The characteristic that generates meta titles and descriptions additionally did a good job. 

As for the credit score restrict, the ten,000 characters/month restrict is just not very best for an everyday author like me. To confess, I exhausted them inside 20 minutes of my trial. Many G2 customers additionally complained concerning the inaccurate monitoring of credit, a declare I couldn’t corroborate, owing to correct monitoring in my case. 

As well as, though the device shifts the tone of the content material when prompted, most variations nonetheless sound robotic and unapproachable. The assertive model of the textual content I created began with “In as we speak’s digital panorama…”, suggesting the trite generative AI tone that robotically diminishes its credibility. 

What I dislike about Rytr:

• Shorter-than-expected size of responses means it’s not that nice for long-form content material. After I requested it to increase on sure sections of my LinkedIn submit, it took a number of prompts to generate one thing significant.
• It has restricted SERP evaluation options in comparison with opponents like Semrush. The evaluation and key phrase analysis lack depth and don’t match effectively with the content material creation processes. 

What G2 customers dislike about Rytr:

“One notable facet that could be missing is the absence of a presentation era characteristic. Implementing this performance may considerably improve the person expertise, notably for professionals who require seamless integration of written content material into presentation codecs. ”

– Rytr Evaluate, Prasanna V., Deputy Supervisor, Taxation and Inner Management.

Proper off the bat, the annoying half about Pepper Content material is that you would be able to register solely utilizing your organization electronic mail ID, even for a trial. It doesn’t cease there. The subsequent window asks for firm and function particulars, and call quantity. It’s a transparent signal that the platform is just not primed for particular person customers. 

I used its AI content material studio to create a LinkedIn submit on the significance of dental hygiene. The preliminary outcome, although stacked with info, was not structured like a LinkedIn submit. Subsequent prompts yielded repetitive info. 

The AI Content material Studio characteristic I used known as “Brainstorming with Pepper AI”. Maybe that’s why the preliminary outcomes are rudimentary and unfinished in nature.

That stated, Pepper Content material gives quite a lot of options starting from Search engine optimisation, weblog writing and advertising and marketing providers. Its AI author assistant, known as Peppertype.ai is suited extra for companies and groups, relatively than particular person creators. The quotation generator and plagiarism checker options can assist refine research-based articles.

The person interface, although easy, seems slightly bland and outdated. But that doesn’t restrict its capabilities as an built-in device empowering you to generate concepts, conduct a web site audit, and run analytics. 

The platform carried out satisfactorily when requested to edit a weblog. With long-form content material, the platform is dependable with its structured Search engine optimisation formatting.

Some G2 customers felt that it had restricted Search engine optimisation capabilities, a declare I examined. True to the evaluations, it urged key phrases I already ranked effectively for relatively than pointing to alternatives. 

What I dislike about Pepper Content material:

• The pricing hurts for particular person creators or small companies with restricted budgets. Its content material thought labs is pegged at as a lot as $398.98 for 5 customers a month. 
• It has restricted inventive capabilities with a larger emphasis on informational content material. After I requested Pepper Content material to make a LinkedIn submit extra approachable but authoritative, it leaned an excessive amount of towards an institutional tone.

What G2 customers dislike about Pepper Content material:

“I believe I dislike pepper since their inner communication is just not that good.

There’s lots of forwards and backwards occurring in between the mission, which might be improved simply.”

– Pepper Content material Evaluate, Vedant D., Intern in analytics and advertising and marketing. 

What stands out is copy.ai’s provide to construct your personal workflow earlier than producing content material, which lends a private contact. I additionally preferred the choice to browse immediate examples — it made it simpler to make use of the device for the appropriate sorts of content material. 

I may entry and choose between inbuilt ChatGPT 3.5 and Claude 3 Haiku to generate content material. Builders may even recognize the API entry for app integration.

Within the free model, I may get simply 2,000 phrases in chat, which felt a decrease allowance than different related instruments. But the trial model didn’t ask for my bank card particulars, obviating the necessity for dedication. 

The value could also be a sticking level. The starter plan comes with no phrase limits and personal group entry, which may be expensive in comparison with different instruments that supply extra options at a less expensive worth. 

The superior plan, at $249/month, gives extra choices for personalized workflows, though G2 evaluations counsel that the workflow builder characteristic might need a studying curve. 

What I dislike about copy.ai:

• Whereas attempting the advertising and marketing electronic mail device, I observed that a number of prompts generated impersonal electronic mail copies. Aside from asking for demographic particulars, copy.ai should think about asking customers’ ache factors for extra focused messaging. 
• The free options on the web site will not be built-in on a single platform, precluding a unified person expertise.  They’re talked about as “free instruments” on the web site. Every of those instruments, like define or paragraph turbines,  launches in a separate window, which creates a disjointed expertise. 

What G2 customers dislike about copy.ai:

“Buyer Help is nonexistent. There’s a chat, however nobody replies to that – I’ve messages which might be marked “learn” and unanswered. I’ve despatched additionally few e-mails that went with out a solution too. I’ve tried becoming a member of their official group on fb, but it surely appears nobody manages that both and my invite continues to be pending.”

– Copy.ai Evaluate, Mateusz L., E-commerce Specialist.

Anyword’s person interface resembles Pepper Content material’s. In different phrases, it’s easy but outdated. I examined its distinctive content material improver characteristic to reinforce the introduction of a G2 article.  

The advance directions had completely different choices, together with “make longer,” “make shorter,” and “change tone of voice”.  You may even add your personal directions. Utilizing the “improve-more partaking” choices, I acquired a number of variations of the introduction, which had been solely barely completely different from the unique model — one thing even ChatGPT may handle. 

What stood out was how Anyword handles model consistency. Clients and prospects all the time wish to discuss to corporations and never particular person personalities. Anyword will get that. You’ll be able to apply the “model vocabulary” and even choose a audience in your content material. 

I skilled it to make use of the model tone of a particular firm by feeding best-performing articles, and it roughly creates equally sounding content material. The device’s enhancing characteristic is correct and helped me generate a number of recommendations primarily based on my tone desire.  

That stated, after I tried the weblog creation characteristic to generate a chunk on the function of AI in cybersecurity, it fell flat. The outcome started with an overused phrase, “The digital panorama is evolving at an unprecedented tempo…” making it appear generic and robotic. 

Anyword merely offered paragraphs with out structuring the content material alongside bullet factors, headers, transition sentences — principally, not one of the parts that assist with readability or Search engine optimisation. 

What I dislike about Anyword:

• The interface is comparatively much less intuitive and has a studying curve. 
• Its pricing, beginning with $49 a month, could also be unsuitable for people or smaller companies.

What G2 customers dislike about Anyword:

“Anyword generally generates the incorrect factor, and I’ve to repair up the immediate so it might probably generate it extra precisely. It additionally has a phrase restrict, which makes utilizing it for big blogs very tough.”

– Anyword Evaluate, Yousif S., Small-Enterprise.

AI video turbines have touched a UX plateau and are struggling to scale past simplicity. Study why in our latest article primarily based on an evaluation of 1,200+ person evaluations.