Grammarly vs ProWritingAid 2026: Honest Comparison

Overview

Grammarly and ProWritingAid are the two leading AI-powered writing assistants in 2026. While both check grammar and spelling, they have very different philosophies. Grammarly focuses on clean, concise communication with real-time suggestions across virtually every platform. ProWritingAid goes deeper into writing craft, offering detailed reports on style, structure, readability, and overused words. Both have added generative AI features, but their core strengths remain in editing and improvement.

Whether you are a student, blogger, novelist, or business professional, this comparison will help you choose the right tool for your writing needs.

Feature Comparison

Feature	Grammarly	ProWritingAid	Winner
Grammar Checking	Excellent, real-time	Excellent, detailed	Tie
Style Analysis	Tone detection, clarity	20+ detailed reports	ProWritingAid
Browser Extension	All major browsers	Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge	Tie
Microsoft Word Plugin	Yes	Yes	Tie
Google Docs	Yes	Yes	Tie
AI Writing Assistant	GrammarlyGO (generative)	AI Sparks (generative)	Grammarly
Plagiarism Checker	Premium only	Premium only	Tie
Fiction Writing	Basic support	Specialized fiction tools	ProWritingAid

Pricing

Grammarly offers a free plan covering basic grammar and spelling. The Premium plan costs $12/month (billed annually) and includes style, tone, and clarity suggestions plus the plagiarism checker. The Business plan is $15/member/month. ProWritingAid offers a free plan with limited checks. The Premium plan is $10/month (billed annually). A lifetime license is available for a one-time payment of around $399, which is a significant advantage for long-term users.

ProWritingAid’s lifetime license makes it the clear winner on long-term value. Grammarly’s free tier is more generous for casual users.

Pros and Cons

Grammarly Pros

• Best-in-class real-time grammar correction
• Works seamlessly across nearly every platform
• Clean, non-intrusive user interface
• GrammarlyGO offers useful AI rewriting features

Grammarly Cons

• Premium is expensive over time with no lifetime option
• Style analysis is surface-level compared to competitors
• Can be overly aggressive with suggestions
• Limited usefulness for creative and fiction writers

ProWritingAid Pros

• Deep writing analysis with 20+ reports
• Lifetime license offers exceptional long-term value
• Excellent for fiction writers with specialized tools
• Scrivener integration for book authors

ProWritingAid Cons

• Interface feels dated compared to Grammarly
• Real-time checking can be slower
• Smaller ecosystem of integrations
• Learning curve for utilizing all reports effectively

Who Should Use Which?

Choose Grammarly if you need quick, reliable grammar checking across email, social media, and documents. It is best for business professionals, students, and anyone who writes across multiple platforms daily. The seamless integration is unmatched.

Choose ProWritingAid if you are a serious writer who wants to improve craft, not just fix errors. It is ideal for novelists, bloggers, academics, and anyone who writes long-form content. The lifetime license makes it the smart financial choice.

Verdict

Grammarly wins on convenience and real-time correction across platforms. ProWritingAid wins on depth of analysis and long-term value. For most business and casual writers, Grammarly is the safer choice. For serious writers committed to improving their craft, ProWritingAid delivers more actionable insights at a lower lifetime cost.