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Free alternatives to Grammarly

Grammarly costs $30/mo on the Pro plan, or $360 a year. Here are 4 free and open-source options, what each one does, and what you give up compared with paying.

Prices checked Aug 12, 2026Can AI replace it? Half-bot

01At a glance

AlternativeTypeWhere it runsWorks on
Apple Writing ToolsFreeHosted or self-hostedMac, iPhone
HarperOpen sourceOne-click installMac, Android, Browser extension
Writing ToolsOpen sourceOn your deviceMac, Windows
WritingToolOpen sourceOn your deviceMac, Windows, Linux

02Each alternative, in detail

Apple Writing ToolsFree

Proofread, rewrite, shorten, or change tone almost anywhere, assuming your Apple hardware made the guest list.

Versus paying: It is restricted to supported Apple hardware and offers fewer continuous cross-app style, brand and writing analytics controls than Grammarly.

Setup: Built into supported iPhone, iPad and Mac operating systems

Watch for: Requires Apple Intelligence-compatible hardware, a supported OS, language and region

support.apple.com →
HarperOpen source

A fast English grammar checker that stays on your device and mostly keeps its opinions to itself.

14,200 GitHub stars (checked Aug 6, 2026)

writewithharper.com →
Writing ToolsOpen source

Select text anywhere, hit a hotkey, and fix, rewrite, summarize, or obey a custom instruction without opening another tab.

Versus paying: It is a manual select-text-and-hotkey workflow rather than Grammarly's continuous inline underlines and suggestions across supported apps.

Setup: Download the native or portable app, configure a provider or local model, then use the global hotkey

Watch for: A model API key or a separately running local model is required; some operating systems may warn about an unsigned or unrecognized binary

2,400 GitHub stars (checked Aug 6, 2026)

github.com →
WritingToolOpen source

A LibreOffice extension with long-document checks, style statistics, profiles, and local AI; installing Java is the cover charge.

Versus paying: It is centered on LibreOffice rather than working continuously across browsers, email and arbitrary desktop apps like Grammarly.

Setup: Install Java 17 or newer, LibreOffice 24.2 or newer and the WritingTool extension

Watch for: Java and LibreOffice are mandatory, and optional AI needs a separately configured service

65 GitHub stars (checked Aug 6, 2026)

writingtool.org →

03What you give up by leaving Grammarly

  • inline suggestions everywhere
  • document/email integrations
  • tone/brand controls
  • enterprise admin
  • polished false-positive handling

They pay because suggestions appear inside the apps where writing actually happens.

04Questions

Is there a free alternative to Grammarly?

Yes. This page compares 4: Apple Writing Tools, Harper, Writing Tools and WritingTool. 3 of them are open source, so you can run them yourself.

How much does Grammarly cost?

$30/mo on the Pro plan (monthly), which is $360 a year. Prices checked Aug 12, 2026.

What do you give up with a free alternative to Grammarly?

Most often: inline suggestions everywhere, document/email integrations, tone/brand controls and enterprise admin. Each alternative on this page lists its own gap under “Versus paying.”

Can AI build me my own version of Grammarly?

Half-bot. You can build grammar checks and rewrites, but Grammarly's moat is cross-app extensions, inline UX, enterprise controls, writing telemetry, and long-running language quality.

Prices change; confirm on the vendor's site before you decide.