Is Grammarly Free? What You Actually Get (and What's Locked)

What Grammarly Free Includes

Grammarly's free plan is more limited than the marketing suggests. Here's what you actually get at no cost:

• Basic grammar and spelling corrections — catches typos, subject-verb agreement errors, and straightforward punctuation mistakes
• Tone detection — labels your writing as "formal," "friendly," "confident," etc. (read-only — it won't rewrite anything for you)
• Limited suggestions — you'll see that more advanced suggestions exist, but they're grayed out with a Premium badge
• Browser extension — works in Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge for web-based writing
• Limited app support — basic integration with the Grammarly desktop app, but only in supported applications

For quick emails or social media posts, the free tier catches obvious mistakes well enough. But if you're expecting the kind of deep writing assistance Grammarly advertises, that's all behind the paywall.

What Grammarly Free Doesn't Include

This is where the free tier gets frustrating. Everything below requires Grammarly Premium at $12/month (billed annually) or $30/month billed monthly:

• Full-sentence rewrites — no suggestions for clearer or more concise phrasing
• Clarity and conciseness suggestions — passive voice, wordiness, and vague language go unflagged
• Plagiarism detector — not available on the free plan at all
• Tone adjustment — free only detects tone; changing it requires Premium
• Style guides and brand tones — team and business features only
• Priority support — free users get standard support with slower response times

The result is an experience where Grammarly constantly shows you what could be improved — then asks you to pay to see the actual fix. It's functional, but it feels like a demo. If you're wondering whether upgrading makes sense, read our honest review of whether Grammarly Premium is worth it.

Grammarly Free vs Premium

Here's a side-by-side comparison so you can see exactly what each tier offers:

The pattern is clear: Grammarly Free handles the basics, while everything that makes a grammar checker genuinely useful — rewrites, clarity, tone control — is locked behind Premium.

Free Grammarly Alternatives

If you want more than basic spell-check without paying $12/month, these free options are worth considering:

LanguageTool (Free Tier)

Open-source grammar checker with a generous free plan. Supports 30+ languages and catches more stylistic issues than Grammarly Free. Limited to 10,000 characters per check on the free tier, and the browser extension works well. Paid plan is $4.99/month.

FlowWrite (Free Tier)

macOS-only grammar checker that works system-wide in every app — not just browsers. The free tier gives you 10 corrections per day with all features unlocked, no account required. Uses AI for full-sentence rewrites, not just basic fixes. Paid plan is $7.99/month for unlimited corrections.

QuillBot (Free Tier)

Primarily a paraphrasing tool, but includes a grammar checker. Free tier limits you to 125 words per paraphrase and basic grammar fixes. Works in the browser. Paid plan is $9.95/month.

Microsoft Editor

Built into Microsoft 365 and available as a browser extension. Free version covers spelling and basic grammar. Advanced suggestions require a Microsoft 365 subscription ($6.99/month). Good option if you already pay for Office.

Best Free Option for Mac Users

If you're on a Mac, there's a specific limitation with Grammarly (and most alternatives) that's worth knowing: they only work in browsers or specific supported apps. Write a message in Slack, Discord, VS Code, or Apple Notes and you're on your own.

FlowWrite solves this by working at the system level. It reads selected text from any Mac application using macOS Accessibility APIs, corrects it with AI, and replaces it in place. Select text, press Tab, done.

• 10 corrections per day — free, no strings attached
• Works in every app — Slack, VS Code, Discord, Notes, Terminal, Figma, anything with a text field
• No account needed — download and start using immediately
• No browser extension — it's a native Mac app, not a bolt-on
• Full features on the free tier — grammar, rewriting, translation, tone adjustment

The paid plan ($7.99/month) removes the daily limit for unlimited corrections. But 20 per day covers most people's casual writing needs without spending anything. See our full roundup of the best grammar checkers for Mac for more options.