LanguageTool vs Grammarly – Which Is Better?

Typos and grammar mistakes happen, but checking your work with your own eyes doesn’t offer a failsafe way as some mistakes can fall through the cracks or be easily overlooked.

What you need to add to your personal arsenal of writing tools is a grammar checker, which helps you edit your work faster and more efficiently.

LanguageTool and Grammarly are among the best grammar checkers that will help you pick out mistakes beforehand and improve your writing. The challenge lies in deciding between the two seeing as both have their strengths and flaws.

We compare LanguageTool vs Grammarly so you can pick the one that you like best and use it in your daily work.

LanguageTool vs Grammarly: What Are They?

LanguageTool

LanguageTool is an open-source grammar checker that’s available as a desktop app, web service, and browser add-on.

The tool was developed by a group of software developers and language enthusiasts, who designed it to help individual and business users proofread, check their work, and fix any grammatical or stylistic issues.

LanguageTool is known for its ability to detect grammatical, spelling, and writing errors for over 20 languages and their variations. These include English, German, Portuguese, French, Spanish, Polish, Russian, Italian, and several others.

Grammarly

Grammarly is a leading online grammar checker tool used by professionals, students, and individuals in different spheres and industries. The tool can detect tone and suggest advanced clarifications for your writing.

Plus, Grammarly is lightweight, customizable, and helps you deliver mistake-free writing and strengthen your writing so you can say what you really mean.

Grammarly uses innovative approaches including cutting-edge technology, machine learning, deep learning, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to deliver unrivaled assistance for mistake-free text. You can scan your text for common and complex mistakes in any app you use including Gmail, Google Docs, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook among others.

Explore more Grammarly-like tools: Best Grammarly Alternatives

Grammarly vs LanguageTool: How Do They Work?

LanguageTool

LanguageTool is a simple and easy to use grammar checker. All I do is type the text I want in a text field on a web page and it’ll detect and underline any grammatical or spelling errors that the text field may contain.

When I click on the underlined error, LanguageTool will display a popup toast with suggestions for replacing the word or phrase, and I can click on the suggestion to replace the error with the correct spelling or phrase.

Alternatively, the tool allows me to click on the icon displayed at the bottom of the page to see the potential errors LanguageTool picks and their suggestions.

The best part of using LanguageTool is that it’s an open-source tool so I don’t need to register or sign up to use it for checking the spelling or grammar in my text.

Plus, I can use personalized settings for different sites using the LanguageTool browser extension, which also offers a toggle for checking the case of the text and disabling the add-on on the website.

Grammarly

What I like about Grammarly is that it ensures that everything you type is clear, easy to read, and correct. It uses algorithms to flag any possible issues in your text and makes suggestions specific to the context, to help with spelling, grammar, usage, style, wordiness, punctuation, and plagiarism.

The software gives me explanations for every suggestion it brings up so I can decide whether or not to correct an issue.

I like Grammarly’s free browser extension, especially when I’m writing on different sites on the web. The extension also allows me to copy or paste text into the desktop app or Grammarly Editor. 

Plus, when I’m working on a Microsoft Word document, Grammarly for Microsoft Office or Grammarly for Microsoft Word on Mac comes in handy as it picks up any errors as I go along.

There are apps for iOS and Android devices so I can proofread and check my work on the go, and make sure whatever I type is mistake-free. In fact, the Grammarly for iPad app offers the Grammarly Editor without me having to open it on the web.

Check out this interesting article: Best Hemingway App Alternatives

LanguageTool vs Grammarly: Features

LanguageTool

Personal dictionary

With the personal dictionary, I find it easy to get words or exceptions that I use almost daily but that I won’t necessarily find in a conventional dictionary and that could be part of my native language. The tool scans and checks my text based on specific rules, though I can always disable the rules, plus, I can also add words to the dictionary.

LanguageTool Extension

This free Chrome or Firefox browser extension allows me to check my text and the tool will pick out errors that simple spell checkers can’t detect, along with some grammar problems.

Like the full-featured app, the extension supports over 25 languages and their variations including English, French, Russian, Spanish, German, Dutch, and Polish. This makes it a vital extension for non-native speakers.

I also get to use LanguageTool as an add-on for Google Docs, Microsoft Word, or LibreOffice to check my text directly in these apps and find incorrect words or phrases, complete with explanations and suggestions.

LanguageTool Desktop

The LanguageTool desktop version is ideal for offline use. However, this requires Java 8 or later, and it will only be effective if you install additional data, otherwise, it’ll work the same way as the online version. Once you download the zip file, unzip it and double-click the languagetool.jar to start the application.

Keyboard shortcuts

When I want a faster way of proofreading my text, LanguageTool’s keyboard shortcuts are a godsend.

Grammarly

Tone Detector

Grammarly’s tone detector helps me deliver my message exactly the way I really want to say it. I can choose to sound concerned, friendly, informal, or any other tone depending on my context in order to steer my message in a better direction and deliver it effectively. This way, you can be confident that my audience will react the way I expect them to.

The tone checker analyzes my phrasing, choice of words, capitalization, and punctuation to identify the tone of my message before sending it out.

Grammar Check

Grammar Check is another free online tool by Grammarly that checks your text for any errors in spelling, grammar, and punctuation. It also checks for all typos, mistakes, problems with sentence structure, and more. 

This way, you can fix and eliminate those tricky errors and get suggested corrections for misplaced punctuation or commonly confused words used in the wrong context. With Grammarly Premium, you get access to more advanced features and checks.

Plagiarism Check

As a writer, I’m very concerned about my work and how search engines pick up each and every part of it. One of the most important tools that I find useful in Grammarly is the Plagiarism checker. 

It’s one of those tools you have to pay for separately, but Grammarly has a native plagiarism tool that detects any mirrored content in my text and checks for other writing issues.

The best part is that the feature detects plagiarism from billions of web pages and academic databases and tells me whether or not my text has duplicate material. It also highlights any areas that need citation and offers resources that help me credit my sources appropriately.

Grammarly Keyboard

Like LanguageTool, Grammarly also has a keyboard except I had to scan a QR code with my phone to install it. The keyboard helps me create better emails, mistake-free copy on social media, and clearer texts. It’s available for iOS and Android devices.

Grammarly Editor

Grammarly has an intuitive text editor that I find extremely useful for quick checks online. It’s a central place for me to write and customize the suggestions and writings on the web.

Browser extensions

Grammarly also has browser extensions for the four major browsers including Safari, Chrome, Edge, and Firefox, which is great because LanguageTool limits me to only two browsers. 

Plus, the Grammarly extension offers suggestions on many sites including Twitter, Medium, and Google Docs correcting hundreds of types of errors in my text using Grammarly’s powerful algorithms.

Expert writing service

Sometimes I need an extra eye to check my work, which is why I like Grammarly’s expert writing service. This optional feature, which is available with the Premium plan, gives me access to Grammarly’s team of writing experts who review and correct any mistakes they find. 

The experts are carefully selected and reviewed regularly to ensure my work is concise, precise, and easy to read.

I can choose between two options: Correctness only (available in 30 minutes, 24 hours, and 3 days) or Correctness and Clarity (which is available in 6 hours, 24 hours, or 3 days).

Grammarly for Microsoft Office

When I’m working on a document in Microsoft Office, sometimes I may not get all the errors highlighted as I work or go through the document. This is where Grammarly for Microsoft Office comes in handy as it brings up suggestions to me as I write in Outlook or Word.

Like LanguageTool, this desktop app, which is a replica of the online Grammarly Editor is convenient for when I don’t want to access Grammarly through a browser. I can also drag and drop documents on the Grammarly icon to improve my writing instantly.

Grammarly Business

Grammarly Business is designed for teams, and what I like about it is that I can share the tool with my workmates as we collaborate on documents. This way, it’s easy to compose mistake-free and credible writing that makes us look good and impresses our customers.

The tool goes deeper with real-time suggestions for writing style, readability, tone, and word choice while checking for any grammatical or spelling and punctuation errors to make each sentence easy to follow and concise.

Plus, as a team, we can align our work to the company’s style guide, and keep all our members clear on the brand communication and guidelines. The tool works across devices and platforms including Gmail, social media, Google Docs, Salesforce, and WordPress.

As far as security for the company documents is concerned, I don’t have to worry about our content getting into the wrong hands. Grammarly Business covers us using the 256-bit AES encryption for files at rest and SSL/TLS for data in transit. Plus it complies with CCPA and GDPR.

Grammarly Edu

Grammarly Edu is basically designed for students, teachers, and anyone in the academic world to write confidently and ensure they improve their grades. The feature is available for all levels of writers and offers a built-in plagiarism checker, LMS integration, and SAML single sign-on.

Affiliates Program

As a Grammarly user, I can earn big while promoting the tool by joining the affiliate program. The program offers highly competitive commissions with regular cash bonuses, and it’s free to register. 

Other benefits I enjoy include high conversion rates, cross-device tracking, world-class support, and an extra-generous 90-day cookie window. The better I perform as an affiliate, the more payouts, cash bonuses, and exclusive discounts I get to enjoy.

Grammarly vs LanguageTool: Support

LanguageTool

When I need to reach out to LanguageTool with a query or troubleshooting issues, I have multiple ways to do that. 

LanguageTool’s customer support team can be accessed via email, tickets, phone, or training, which in my view reflects their focus on customer care and service quality. Plus, I can get support via mobile for Windows, Mac, Linux, and their native web-based app.

Grammarly

Grammarly also offers support through email, tickets, and live chat though it’s not as comprehensive as what LanguageTool offers. I can still access their support team anytime and anywhere. 

Plus, the app runs on Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS with web-based apps available.

LanguageTool vs Grammarly: Integrations

LanguageTool

LanguageTool integrates with word processing software including Microsoft Word for Windows and Mac, Google Docs, LibreOffice, and FidusWriter. It also integrates with add-ons such as Chrome and Firefox, CheckMate, Eclipse, Content Quality App, TexStudio, Visual Studio Code, TinyMCE 4, OmegaT, NSSpellServer, Oxygen XML editor, Sublime Text, Lyx, FontoXML, Emacs, vim, vim grammarous, SDL, and IntelliJ.

Grammarly

Grammarly also integrates with a wide range of apps including Microsoft Word for Windows and Mac, Google Docs, Chrome, Firefox, Edge, MS Outlook, Slack, Skype, Excel, PowerPoint, Facebook, Flamory, Github, and Gmail.

Grammarly vs LanguageTool: Pricing

LanguageTool

LanguageTool is free and open-source software, so if you’re a basic user, this free version should be enough, unless you’re writing a book. The free version offers:

• Checks for up to 20,00 characters
• Find errors using thousands of patterns in multiple languages
• Add-on for Microsoft Word with no character limit
• Detects wrong gender (German language) in salutations
• Extra word pairs to detect English, German and French typos
• Detection of over 4500 errors for five languages and incorrect checksums in IBAN and ISBN numbers

LanguageTool Premium offers more than the free version does including 40,000 characters with each check and everything in the free version plus access to the LanguageTool API. 

The Premium version costs $4.92 per month or $59 per year and is ideal for students, freelancers, authors, companies, or agencies. Check the LanguageTool pricing page for more details.

Grammarly

Grammarly also offers different plans: Free, Premium, and Business.

Unlike similar tools like WhiteSmoke and others, Grammarly offers a free plan which is a plus. 

The free version is ideal for individuals and offers basic grammar, spelling, and punctuation checks plus basic suggestions to ensure you write clear, engaging, and polished work.

Grammarly Premium offers everything in the free version, plus tone adjustments, plagiarism detection, formality level, word choice, fluency, advanced suggestions, and clarity-focused sentence rewrites. The premium plan starts from $11.66 per month.

For teams, Grammarly Business offers everything in the Premium version including a style guide, admin panel, priority email support, an admin panel, SAML single sign-on, and centralized billing. You can use it for a small team of three or a large team of up to 149 members. The Business plan costs $12.50 per member per month. 

However, with Grammarly, you don’t have the option of paying yearly. If that’s what you want, you may have to consider a tool like ProWritingAid or others. They offer lifetime subscriptions in addition to yearly payments. 

Check out Grammarly’s pricing page for further information.

LanguageTool vs Grammarly: Similarities & Differences

	LanguageTool	Grammarly
Type of tool	-Desktop app -web service  -browser add-on	-Web-based -desktop -mobile apps
Unique features	-Personal dictionary -Keyboard shortcuts -Desktop app for offline use	-Tone detector -Plagiarism checker -Grammarly keyboard -Web  -iPad  -Desktop editor -Expert writing service
Artificial intelligence technology	❌	✔️
Browser extensions	✔️ -Chrome  -Firefox	✔️ -Chrome -Safari -Edge -Firefox
Integrations	-Microsoft Word for Windows and Mac -Google Docs -LibreOffice -FidusWriter -Chrome and Firefox -CheckMate -Eclipse -Content Quality App -TexStudio -Visual Studio Code -TinyMCE 4 -OmegaT -NSSpellServer -Oxygen XML editor -Sublime Text -Lyx -FontoXML -Emacs -vim -vim grammarous -SDL  -IntelliJ	-Microsoft Word for Windows and Mac -Google Docs -Chrome -Firefox -Edge -MS Outlook -Slack -Skype -Excel -PowerPoint -Facebook -Flamory -Github -Gmail
Affiliate program	❌	✔️

Grammarly vs LanguageTool: Pros & Cons

LanguageTool

Pros

• Free version available
• Multi-language support
• Affordable premium upgrade
• Browser extensions and add-ons available
• Integrates with dozens of add-ons and native software
• Clean and easy to navigate interface
• Accurate grammar checks
• Strong device compatibility with major apps
• Accessible forum available with helpful content
• Customizable personal dictionary
• Developer API access available for publishers and software companies

Cons

• Limits on character count
• Not sophisticated like other grammar checkers
• Lacks plagiarism and reporting options
• No style guide or human review listed
• Doesn’t offer support for all devices

Grammarly

Pros

• Easy to use
• Clean and simple interface
• Plagiarism checker available
• Flexibility of multiple formats including desktop, mobile, and web-based app
• Powerful grammar checker with AI technology
• Browser extensions available for all major browsers
• Weekly progress reports
• Error explanations and suggestions
• Looks into more complex fixes like comma splicing, subject-verb agreement
• You can save your work and access it from any device
• Stores personal dictionary and ignores or corrects words you use regularly
• Can be disabled on certain sites
• Native apps work well
• Offers checks for popular style guides
• Human reviewer service available
• 24/7 helpdesk service for registered users
• Checks up to 150,000 or more words in a 30-day period

Cons

• Free version is limited in the number of errors it catches
• Google Docs integration still in beta
• Error suggestion can be a bit aggressive
• Only supports English

LanguageTool vs Grammarly: Which One Is Better?

LanguageTool is simple, easy to use, and affordable, but it limits you on the number of characters per check. Plus, its only nifty functionality is the ability to distinguish between variations of the English language.

Grammarly offers excellent integrations, multiple browser extensions, and is powered by an AI algorithm, which LanguageTool lacks.

For this comparison review, Grammarly is the clear winner in terms of functionality, features, impeccable customer service, integrations, mobile support, and value for money.