Which is Better: Grammarly vs. ProWritingAid?

During a journalism career that spanned three decades, my job titles included reporter, city editor, and assistant editor. I discovered I could easily spot misspelled words, grammatical errors, passive verbs, and story deficiencies as an editor. However, I missed a lot of those errors in my writings. As a writer, you get too close to your copy and overlook obvious mistakes, which is why writers need editors. When you become a freelance writer, you still need an editor. Can software serve that role? Let me share my insights into two popular programs: Grammarly vs. Pro Writing Aid.

Human vs. AI Editors: Which is Best?

When you become a freelance writer, even though you are now “out on your own,” you will do yourself a great favor by installing an editing process into your workflow. But, should you use a freelance editor, or is it OK to use editing software? For me, it depends upon the job. If you are writing a book, then you want a human editor to go over it. Like Grammarly or ProWritingAid, an editing program can help you better prepare your document for a human editor. However, the editing software cannot replace a freelance editor for a book project. If you write for a local publication, an actual editor in the area can be beneficial, especially knowing the names of local people, roads, places, and history. However, if a client asked you to write a piece for a blog, then an editing service like ProWritingAid or Grammarly can be extremely beneficial.No matter where I worked as a reporter, there was never an edition published that contained no errors. So, if you are a freelance writer, then you need an editor. The job will dictate whether you need to hire an editor or by editing software.

The Limitations of Editing Software Like Grammarly and ProWritingAid

Whenever I am looking for a piece of software to help me in my digital marketing business, which I launched after my journalism career, I always want the “bad news” first. No one selling a product or service will tell you what they are no good at (OK, some, like me, will), and they are only going to share the best testimonials. For this reason, let’s look at the limitations of grammar checkers and editing software first:

• Unless you find a lifetime deal, you are probably looking at paying a monthly or annual fee to subscribe to the service.
• The editing will only be as good as the software, but these tools have come a long way.
• These editing services will not necessarily know local names and places, which could prompt you to accept an unintended edit.
• Using these editing services can alter your writing voice due to the kinds of recommendations it makes.

I want to address the final point just a little bit before moving on. I once worked with a client who used Grammarly to check my work. At the time, I only had ProWritingAid and not Grammarly. And, to be fair, I didn’t use ProWritingAid often. So, the client reached out and suggested I should check my articles better because Grammarly was pointing out several “mistakes.” Well, most of those so-called mistakes were intentional. When I studied English and composition in college, a professor commented on one of the writing assignments: either a good writer or my assignment was full of errors. I explained to her that I had been writing for a while, and I used sentence fragments for effect. While applications like ProWritingAid and Grammarly can make our writing a little bit more homogenized, that is not necessarily a bad thing … especially if you are writing for a publication, whether digital or print.

3 Things I Like About Grammarly

I know many software companies are quick to offer free trials or free tiers as an incentive to sign up for their services, hoping to convert you into a customer. I often avoid free offers because I want the full functionality, or else why bother with it at all. ProWritingAid was the first grammar checker I used. Then, Grammarly reached out and asked if I would be interested in trying out their software. I thought, sure. It was, after all, the premium version of Grammarly.

1. I Like How Grammarly Integrates with all of my Writing Tools

In my business, I use several writing tools.: Google Docs, Microsoft Word, Blogely, and WordPress. Grammarly works with all of them. This becomes extremely helpful when you have clients who use different tools.

How Grammarly Works with Microsoft Word

For example, one of my clients uses Microsoft Word exclusively. The client is in a highly regulated industry and likes the track changes feature in Word. Grammarly works beautifully with the program. With Word, you will need to download a program that integrates Grammarly. After it downloads, run the program, and it does everything for you. The next time you open Word, you can activate Grammarly by opening it from Microsoft’s toolbar in the program. I like this feature because I like to go through the copy first without a computer-generated assistant. After I read it through, then I open Grammarly and review the document.

How Grammarly Works with Google Docs

For years, Google Docs has been my go-to solution for creating content. I like it because I can create a document in my Google Drive and share it with anyone who needs to see it. Wooster Media Group works with a team of freelancers, and they share their work with me in Google Docs so I can edit them. Google has its own spellcheck and grammar program built-in, but it is not very robust. It misses so many things. That is why having something like Grammarly can be so beneficial. With Google Docs, you will need to install it as an add-on feature. It has a browser extension to use when you write online in WordPress (which I do not often do).

2. I Like that Grammarly is Easy to Use

What I immediately liked was the ease of using Grammarly. It alerted me to the total number of potential problems in a blog post I was writing. It showed me the number of minor and critical issues. When I clicked on the “G” icon at the bottom of the document, it opened up a Grammarly panel showing its suggestions to improve the piece. When the panel opens, corrections are just a couple of clicks away. As you work through the document, Grammarly will have a list running down the right side of your screen with all its recommendations. The first time you click on a recommendation, it will open up a small box showing what it believes the error to be. It will explain why it believes there is an error. If you want to accept Grammarly’s recommendation, then you click. It’s done. It’s that simple.

3. I Like that Grammarly Suggests How to Rewrite Sentences

I tend to write in the passive voice. Grammarly encourages writers to write in the active voice. So, Grammarly will often recommend converting a sentence from the passive voice to the active voice. When it fails to make a recommendation, it still alerts you about the use of the passive voice. Grammarly will increase your use of the active voice, which is a good thing. I can also write long, convoluted sentences. Thankfully, Grammarly can detect those sentences and offer ways to improve them … with just a click! When you see repeated abuses of sentence structure through Grammarly’s assistance, you will think through how you write sentences. In the end, you will get better.

3 Things I Don’t Like About Grammarly

Because of my journalism background, I’m a realist. Even though I have an affiliate relationship with Grammarly, I am not about to tell you it is the greatest thing since sliced bread. We all know perfection is nearly impossible to attain. With that in mind, let me share some things I don’t like about Grammarly:

1. I Don’t Like How Grammarly Forgets my Choices

When I edit an article from one of my freelance writers (or one I wrote), there might be 40+ recommendations from Grammarly. In some instances, I want to use the passive voice, or Grammarly’s recommendation does not make sense. When this happens, you click the “dismiss” icon in the box that opens up, and the recommendation disappears. However, Grammarly continues to analyze the document, and though you have told Grammarly to get rid of a particular notion, it often reappears. Perhaps this can serve as a fail-safe when you accidentally delete a recommendation when you should have accepted it. However, I wouldn’t say I like it. I want a recommendation to stay gone.

2. I Don’t Like How Grammarly Flags Every Pronoun at the Beginning of Sentence

When writing, you should avoid starting a sentence, especially a paragraph, with a pronoun. It can be difficult for the reader to understand the antecedent (the word the pronoun replaces). When I write a paragraph and establish a scenario, I might start a sentence with “This” or “These” pronouns that refer to the argument I have been making. Every time Grammarly flags me and alerts me, the reader might not understand what the pronoun refers to.

3. Grammarly Really Wants You to Upgrade

I appreciate companies that use the freemium business model: They offer you a free tier with limits, and if you need more, you can purchase a premium plan. Some people find Grammarly’s free plan to be adequate. Others see it as quite limited. Me? I’m not too fond of those free tiers. I either want the product or not. However, people have complained about Grammarly constantly trying to upsell you to a premium plan. I have experienced this with my video hosting service and my antivirus software on my computer (they want to push me into an even higher paid plan).

3 Things I like About ProWritingAid

When I worked as a journalist, I could depend upon copy editors and the news editor to improve the stories I wrote and fix any mistakes. However, when I left journalism to start an SEO/content creation business, I didn’t rely on those people. ProWritingAid served as my introduction to the editing and grammar software world post-journalism. It would be my safety net for editing.

1. I Like ProWritingAid’s Thoroughness

When you purchase ProWritingAid, you will discover for yourself how thorough it is. And, by thorough, I mean thorough — almost to the point of being overwhelming because you have so many options.ProWritingAid offers 20 in-depth reports from your writing style to cliches and redundancies to overused words to repeated words and phrases to grammar. Depending on your clients, you might need specific things. ProWritingAid allows you to create custom “House” reports meeting your needs. For example, do you write about sports? You can add players’ names to make sure they are spelled correctly. Does your industry have esoteric terms? Does your client have its own style guide? You can incorporate those guidelines into your House report. You can choose how ProWritingAid analyzes your writing. You can choose from General, Academic, Business, Technical, Creative, Casual, Web, or Script styles. This ensures the appropriate analysis will improve your writing and ensure it meets the guidelines based on what you are writing. An academic paper will have different grammar rules than a casual piece for a blog.

2. I Like the ProWritingAid Summary Report

ProWritingAid’s thoroughness can also be seen in its summary report. This gives you an overview of your document. You will see what you did well and what needs your attention. The summary report opens with your key scores: How are you doing with Grammar, Style, and Spelling? Then, ProWritingAid will show you where deficiencies exist in your piece. In the three decades I spent in journalism, I never delivered a perfect piece. Editors always worked to make a better final product. When you scan the summary report, near the bottom, you will see a word cloud that displays the terms you have used repeatedly in your article. The size of the word reflects how often you repeated it. This chart provides a visual cue about what words are important.

3. I Like How ProWriting Aid Works with all my Writing Tools

Like Grammarly, ProWritingAid works with the writing tools I use. This means that no matter the client, I can use ProWritingAid because it integrates with Microsoft Word, Google Docs, and Blogely. Because it, too, has a Chrome browser extension, I can use it when writing online. The integrations for ProWritingAid are similar to Grammarly: For Microsoft Word, you need to download the plugin and run it. Then, you can use ProWritingAid in Word.ProWritingAid has an add-on for Google Docs. This gives you the full functionality of the editing program within the Google environment. And, the Chrome browser extension will let you edit in a variety of online writing platforms, like WordPress and Blogely.

3 Things I Don’t Like About ProWritingAid

When you see the first item on this list, you might want to call me on the carpet because it is also one reason I like ProWritingAid. And that is fair. But hear me out first.

1. I Don’t Like How ProWritingAid is so Thorough

That’s right, I said it. I do not like ProWritingAid as much because it is so thorough, and by thorough, I mean thorough! You have many options before you, and, as mentioned earlier, it can overwhelm you. The thoroughness is good when you want to be precise and correct. But, it can be time-consuming as you sift through everything.

2. I Don’t Like ProWritingAid’s Pop-Up Recommendations

Sometimes, when using the ProWritingAid browser extension, which shows editing and grammar recommendations in real-time, the pop-up recommendations can be bothersome. They get in the way when you are trying to move the cursor around the document. I hate being interrupted by the pop-ups.

3. I Don’t Like How ProWritingAid Works in Google Docs

I do as much writing as possible in Google Docs. Early on, using the ProWritingAid add-on for Google Docs, I selected the “improve document” option. When I did, the story opened up in a pop-up window. I edited the document in this new environment, and then I saved it. When the document was saved, it replaced the existing copy in my Google Doc with the edited version. That part was nice. However, the not so nice part was all of the copy that came in was not formatted. So, I lost all my headings and had to go back and reconstruct the formatting—this added time to the project.

Update: I have been using ProWritingAid’s browser extension with Google Docs instead of the add-on, and it makes for an easier experience.

Should You Purchase Grammarly or ProWritingAid?

Yes. I would definitely recommend purchasing Grammarly or ProWritingAid. If money were not an option, I would buy the premium Grammarly subscription. I think it is simpler to use and is less intrusive. But it is the more expensive option. ProWritingAid is very thorough, and if that is important to you, I will go with it. I do not think the built-in editing features in Word or Google Docs are enough. I think you need something like Grammarly or ProWritingAid if you are a freelancer who doesn’t benefit from human editors. Online deals change rapidly, but as of this writing, Grammarly was around $29.95 if you pay month-to-month, $59.95 if you pay quarterly, or $139.95 if you pay annually. As you can see, it is more economical to pay for the service annually. ProWritingAid will cost you $20 if you pay monthly or $79 if you pay by the year. I purchased a lifetime deal for ProWritingAid, and you can do so for $399 … about what you would pay for five years of service. While I do not think you will go wrong with either one, I prefer Grammarly because it’s easier to use.

Maybe Consider Purchasing Both

Update: Since writing this review, I have been using ProWritingAid more, and I started using both browser extensions at the same time. ProWritingAid always seems to pick up things Grammarly misses. Maybe I need to revise my recommendation to both. If you can swing it, then add ProWritingAid, too. You can sign up for free trials and see which one you like better.

However, there might be another reason to have both: What if one of the services goes down? Don’t think it can happen? Guess again. Check out this tweet that appeared in my timeline:

Grammarly is down. RIP me

— Rebecca Reynoso (@rebeccasreynoso) December 10, 2020

Of course, you don’t need to purchase both to enjoy the services of both. If your particular service went down, then you can simply sign up for a month of service from the other. Or, if you have not used a free trial, then sign up for a free trial.

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