Grammarly Review: Is It Worth It?

Become A Writer Today
11 Jan 202319:05

TLDRBrian Collins reviews Grammarly in 2023, highlighting its features as a grammar and spelling checker with AI-powered writing assistance. As a premium user, he discusses its benefits for improving English writing skills, including a plagiarism checker and sentence rewrites. The review covers Grammarly's free and premium versions, noting the premium subscription's cost as a potential drawback for new writers. A discount link is provided for interested users.

Takeaways

  • 😀 Grammarly is a widely used tool by millions of writers to improve their writing skills and check for grammar and spelling errors.
  • 🔍 Brian Collins, a long-term premium user, reviews Grammarly's features and benefits for enhancing English writing proficiency.
  • 🆓 Grammarly offers a free version that includes basic grammar, spelling, and punctuation checks, as well as tools for improving work conciseness and tone detection.
  • 💰 The premium version, which Brian uses, costs around $30 per month and includes advanced features like full sentence rewrites, citation management, and a plagiarism checker.
  • 🛠️ Grammarly's premium features help in reducing the time taken to finalize writing by providing additional context and suggestions for corrections.
  • 🔒 The plagiarism checker in Grammarly is a valuable tool for professionals and those concerned with avoiding accidental plagiarism, and it's included in the premium subscription at no extra cost.
  • 📚 However, Grammarly's plagiarism checker only scans content that is freely available online and not behind paywalls or gates, which may limit its utility for academic purposes.
  • 📝 For new writers, the cost of the premium version might be prohibitive, and the free version could be a better starting point to evaluate the tool's utility in their writing workflow.
  • 🌐 Grammarly is compatible with various platforms including Mac, Windows, and browser plugins, making it accessible across different writing applications.
  • 📝 Grammarly also offers a citation manager in beta for premium users, which is useful but currently limited to certain websites and could benefit from further development.
  • 🌐 The tool supports multiple variations of English but does not yet support other languages, which is an area Grammarly is reportedly working to expand.
  • 🔄 Grammarly provides a quick tutorial in the review showing how to use its platform to check and improve a document, highlighting its ease of use and effectiveness.

Q & A

  • What is Grammarly and what does it do?

    -Grammarly is a grammar and spelling checker that also functions as an AI-powered writing assistant. It helps users improve their English writing skills and knowledge of English grammar, and it can significantly reduce the time it takes to finalize written work.

  • How long has Grammarly been around and what platforms does it support?

    -Grammarly has been around for over 10 years and works across over half a million websites and apps worldwide. It can be used on various platforms including Mac, Windows, and through browser plugins.

  • What are the benefits of using Grammarly's free version?

    -The free version of Grammarly provides a basic grammar, spelling, and punctuation checker, as well as tools for improving the conciseness of work and tone detection, which can find and fix more errors than traditional grammar checkers.

  • What does the premium version of Grammarly offer and how much does it cost?

    -The premium version of Grammarly, which costs approximately $30 per month, includes all the features of the free version plus additional tools for word choice, full sentence rewrites, citation management, and a plagiarism checker.

  • What is the plagiarism checker feature in Grammarly and how does it work?

    -The plagiarism checker is a premium feature that helps users avoid accidental plagiarism by comparing their work against other web pages online. It scans the article and identifies matches with existing content, which can be particularly useful for professional writers or editors.

  • How does Grammarly's plagiarism checker differ from other plagiarism detection tools?

    -Unlike some competitors that require additional credit purchases for their plagiarism checkers, Grammarly's plagiarism checker is included with the premium subscription at no extra cost. However, it only checks against articles that are freely published online and not behind a paywall.

  • What are some potential drawbacks of using Grammarly?

    -One potential drawback is the cost; at $30 per month, it might be too expensive for new writers. Additionally, while Grammarly is a helpful tool, it is not prescriptive and may sometimes overlook errors or suggest fixes that don't make sense in the context of the writing.

  • How does Grammarly compare to other writing tools like Hemingway Editor?

    -While Hemingway Editor is a free tool that can help improve readability, Grammarly offers more comprehensive features, including full-sentence rewrites, context behind grammar issues, and tone adjustments. Grammarly also works across any app or website, unlike Hemingway Editor, which confines users to its own web app.

  • What additional features would the reviewer like to see in Grammarly?

    -The reviewer would like to see Grammarly build out its citation manager to include a way to manage all citations within the app and expand its support to include more languages, not just variations of English.

  • How can users get started with Grammarly?

    -Users can get started with Grammarly by adding it to their browser via a plugin, setting up a Grammarly account, and downloading the app for their operating system of choice. The basic version is free to use, and premium features can be accessed with a subscription.

  • What advice does the reviewer give for configuring Grammarly to suit individual writing styles?

    -The reviewer suggests taking time to configure Grammarly through its admin panel and customize settings, such as adding custom words to the dictionary, changing the writing style rules, and setting the language preference from American to British English.

Outlines

00:00

📝 Grammarly Overview and Features

Brian Collins introduces Grammarly, a widely used writing assistant, emphasizing its benefits for improving English writing skills. He discusses the platform's capabilities, including grammar and spelling checks, AI-powered suggestions, and its integration across various apps and websites. The video promises an in-depth review of Grammarly's premium features, such as plagiarism detection and citation management, and addresses potential issues with the tool. The speaker also mentions the existence of free alternatives and the value of Grammarly for professional writers.

05:01

🔍 In-Depth Look at Grammarly's Functionality

This paragraph delves into the practical use of Grammarly, showcasing its scoring system, and detailing the types of reports it provides, such as 'Correctness,' which focuses on grammar, spelling, and punctuation. The video script explains how Grammarly's premium version offers contextual learning and editing suggestions, distinguishing it from other grammar checkers. It also touches on the subjectivity of grammar rules and the importance of human proofreading alongside tool usage, highlighting Grammarly's efficiency and contextual insights over traditional methods.

10:02

📚 Comparing Grammarly with Hemingway Editor

The script compares Grammarly with Hemingway Editor, another writing tool, to illustrate the differences in their functionalities. While Hemingway Editor is praised for its readability features, Grammarly is highlighted for its broader scope, including grammar, spelling, punctuation, and advanced features like full-sentence rewrites and tone adjustments. The comparison underscores Grammarly's ability to provide context and apply changes directly within the writing environment, unlike Hemingway Editor, which is limited to its own interface.

15:05

🛠️ Grammarly's Advanced Features and Customization

This section highlights Grammarly's advanced features such as the citation manager, which is in beta and already proving useful for academic writing. The speaker expresses a desire for further development in this area, as well as the addition of support for more languages. The paragraph also discusses the importance of customizing Grammarly to suit individual writing styles, including turning off certain rules and adding custom words to the dictionary. The script mentions the plagiarism checker as a bundled feature of the premium subscription, contrasting it with competitors that might require additional payments.

🔑 Final Thoughts on Grammarly's Value and Considerations

The final paragraph summarizes the reviewer's long-term experience with Grammarly, emphasizing its value as a tool for improving writing skills and efficiency. It acknowledges the potential drawback of the subscription cost for new writers and offers a discount link for interested viewers. The video concludes by reiterating Grammarly's status as an essential tool for many writers and invites viewers to share their questions about the platform.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡Grammarly

Grammarly is an AI-powered writing assistant that helps users improve their English writing skills. It functions as a grammar and spelling checker and offers additional tools for enhancing writing quality. In the video, Grammarly is the central subject, with the reviewer discussing its features, benefits, and how it can be integrated into various writing applications.

💡Writing Skills

Writing skills refer to the ability to effectively communicate ideas through written text. The video emphasizes how Grammarly helps to enhance these skills by identifying and correcting grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors, as well as providing suggestions for improving sentence structure and word choice.

💡Premium Subscription

A premium subscription to Grammarly offers additional features beyond the free version. The script mentions that these include full sentence rewrites, citation management, and a plagiarism checker. The reviewer discusses the value of these premium features for both new and professional writers.

💡Plagiarism Checker

The plagiarism checker is a premium feature of Grammarly that scans written work against online content to identify instances of copied text. The video script highlights its importance for professional writers and educators to avoid accidental plagiarism and ensure originality in writing.

💡Free Version

The free version of Grammarly provides basic grammar, spelling, and punctuation checks. The script contrasts this with the premium version, suggesting that new writers might start with the free version and upgrade as needed for more advanced writing assistance.

💡Grammar and Spelling

Grammar and spelling are fundamental aspects of writing that Grammarly focuses on correcting. The video script illustrates how Grammarly identifies errors and provides contextual explanations to help users understand and learn from their mistakes.

💡Contextual Learning

Contextual learning within Grammarly refers to the tool's ability to provide explanations and examples directly related to the user's writing. This feature is highlighted in the script as a way to help users learn from their errors and improve their writing skills more effectively.

💡Conciseness

Conciseness in writing means expressing ideas using the fewest words possible without losing clarity. Grammarly helps to improve the conciseness of work by suggesting edits that eliminate unnecessary words or phrases, as mentioned in the script.

💡Tone Detection

Tone detection is a feature of Grammarly that identifies the tone of the writing and can suggest adjustments to better match the intended audience or purpose. The script describes this as a tool for enhancing the overall quality and effectiveness of communication.

💡Browser Plugin

A browser plugin is a software component that extends the functionality of a web browser. In the context of the video, Grammarly offers a browser plugin that integrates its writing assistance features into various online writing applications, making it easier for users to access and use its services.

💡AI Writing Assistant

An AI writing assistant, as represented by Grammarly, uses artificial intelligence to analyze and provide feedback on written text. The script discusses how this technology helps in making suggestions for grammar corrections, sentence rewrites, and overall writing improvements, streamlining the writing process.

Highlights

Millions of writers use Grammarly to improve their writing daily.

Grammarly is a grammar and spelling checker with AI-powered writing assistant features.

It helps users enhance their English writing skills and knowledge of English grammar.

Grammarly reduces the time taken to finalize written work for submission or publication.

Available as a free plugin and as a premium subscription service.

The premium version offers advanced tools such as word choice suggestions and sentence rewrites.

A favorite premium feature is the plagiarism checker, useful for professional writers and editors.

Grammarly Business offers style guide tools and secure team account sharing.

The premium subscription provides additional context behind grammar and spelling errors.

Grammarly's interface allows for easy editing and learning from mistakes.

The cost of the premium version might be high for new writers.

Alternatives to Grammarly are available for those on a budget.

Grammarly can be added to browsers and Microsoft Office for easy access.

The app provides a score for documents, indicating areas that may need improvement.

Grammarly's correctness report focuses on grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors.

Users can configure Grammarly settings to suit their writing style and preferences.

Grammarly's plagiarism checker scans articles against online content for originality.

The citation manager in Grammarly is a time-saving feature for academic writers.

Grammarly is continually improving with new features like the citation manager.

Support for more languages is on Grammarly's development roadmap.

Grammarly is an essential tool for writers seeking to enhance their skills and efficiency.