Grammarly vs ProWritingAid
Grammarly is the everyday writing assistant: tone, full-sentence rewrites, plagiarism and AI-text detection. ProWritingAid is built for long-form and fiction writers, with 25+ analysis reports, chapter critiques and a one-time lifetime license.
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How this page was made: this is a research-based comparison built from official pricing pages, product documentation and vendor announcements. We haven’t tested these tools ourselves or run hands-on benchmarks for this page, and we don’t invent scores. Our methodology.
Quick answer
Pick Grammarly for emails, work documents and everyday writing: Pro adds full-sentence rewrites, tone adjustment, plagiarism and AI-text detection and 2,000 AI prompts a month. Pick ProWritingAid if you write books or long-form pieces: Premium includes 25+ writing analysis reports, a custom style guide, chapter critiques and a $399 lifetime option. Annual plans are close in price: $144 vs $120.
Last updated Pricing checked Oct 2026
Check Grammarly pricing (opens in a new tab)Check ProWritingAid pricing (opens in a new tab)
Key facts at a glance
| Grammarly | ProWritingAid | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual price | $144 ($12/mo) | $120 ($10/mo) |
| Monthly price | $30 | $30 |
| Lifetime license | No | $399 one-time |
| Full-sentence rewrites | Yes | Unlimited Rephrases |
| Style analysis | Tone adjustment, fluency suggestions | 25+ writing analysis reports, custom style guide |
Grammarly vs ProWritingAid: side-by-side
| Grammarly Pro | ProWritingAid Premium | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual price | $144 ($12/mo) | $120 ($10/mo) |
| Monthly price | $30 | $30 |
| Lifetime license | No | $399 one-time |
| Full-sentence rewrites | Yes | Unlimited Rephrases |
| Style analysis | Tone adjustment, fluency suggestions | 25+ writing analysis reports, custom style guide |
| Plagiarism and AI-text detection | Yes | Plagiarism checks at additional cost |
| AI allowance | 2,000 prompts a month | 5 Sparks a day; 1 Chapter Critique a day |
| Fiction tools | — | Story Canvas, Outline Crafter, Chapter Critique |
| Refund window | — | 3-day money-back guarantee (yearly and lifetime) |
How much do they cost?
Grammarly plans
| Option | Price | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 100 AI prompts a month |
| Pro, annual | $144/year ($12/mo average) | 2,000 AI prompts per member a month |
| Pro, quarterly | $60 per three months | — |
| Pro, monthly | $30/mo | — |
| Enterprise | Contact sales | Available through Superhuman Go |
ProWritingAid plans
| Option | Price | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Line editing reports twice a day on 500 words |
| Premium | $10/mo billed yearly ($120); $30 monthly | Or $399 one-time |
| Premium Pro | $12/mo billed yearly ($144); $36 monthly | Or $699 one-time; 30 Chapter Critiques a day |
What are the pros and cons?
Grammarly: pros
- Full-sentence rewrites and tone adjustment
- Plagiarism and AI-generated text detection
- 2,000 AI prompts a month on Pro
- Quarterly billing option
Grammarly: cons
- $30 monthly price
- PCMag’s reviewer found the free version’s upsells tiring
- Free web use requires an account (PCMag)
ProWritingAid: pros
- $399 one-time lifetime license
- 25+ writing analysis reports
- Fiction tools: Story Canvas, Outline Crafter, Chapter Critique
- Free web checker needs no sign-up (PCMag)
ProWritingAid: cons
- Free plan limits reports to 2 runs a day on 500 words
- Only a 3-day money-back window
- Plagiarism checks cost extra
Which should you choose: Grammarly or ProWritingAid?
Grammarly is the better everyday assistant. Its Pro plan is designed to rewrite, adjust tone and check originality wherever you write. ProWritingAid is the better manuscript editor, with in-depth style reports, chapter critiques and outlining tools, and it’s the only one of the two with a lifetime license. If you only need occasional grammar checks, PCMag[4] notes that ProWritingAid’s free web checker handles thousands of words without an account.
Choose Grammarly if…
- You write emails, reports and work documents
- You need plagiarism or AI-text detection
- You want AI rewrites and tone changes
Choose ProWritingAid if…
- You’re writing a novel or long-form work
- You want in-depth style and readability reports
- You prefer a one-time lifetime payment
Pricing compared
Grammarly Pro costs $30 a month, $60 a quarter or $144 a year ($12 a month on average), according to Grammarly’s support page. ProWritingAid Premium is $30 billed monthly, $10 a month billed yearly ($120) or $399 one-time. Premium Pro is $36 monthly, $12 a month billed yearly ($144) or $699 one-time. ProWritingAid lists a 3-day money-back guarantee on its yearly and lifetime plans.
Everyday writing vs manuscript editing
Grammarly Pro adds full-sentence rewrites, tone adjustment, fluency help, plagiarism and AI-text detection, and 2,000 AI prompts per member a month, up from 100 on Free. ProWritingAid Premium adds unlimited line editing report runs, 25+ writing analysis reports, a custom style guide and author comparison, plus Story Canvas and Outline Crafter for planning a book, one Chapter Critique a day and five Sparks a day.
Free versions
Grammarly Free checks spelling and grammar, shows your writing tone and includes 100 AI prompts a month. ProWritingAid’s free plan runs each line editing report up to twice a day on 500 words of text. PCMag[4] says ProWritingAid’s free web grammar checker accepts thousands of words, and you don’t have to create an account to use it, unlike Grammarly. For more options, see our Grammarly alternatives.
Frequently asked questions
Is ProWritingAid cheaper than Grammarly?
Which is better for novelists?
Does Grammarly check for plagiarism?
Sources
Pricing and plan details were checked on the official pages below as of Oct 2026. Vendors change prices, credits and plan names often, and some show regional pricing at checkout, so confirm on the vendor’s site before you buy.
- Grammarly: Plans (checked October 2026) (grammarly.com)
- Grammarly Support: How much does Grammarly Pro cost? (support.grammarly.com)
- ProWritingAid: Pricing (checked October 2026) (prowritingaid.com)
- PCMag: Don’t want to pay for Grammarly? These free alternatives are just as effective (April 2026) (uk.pcmag.com)
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