I have spent my entire twenties writing and editing for different organizations.
As a writer working in various niches, I had to proofread and fix my content using multiple proofreading software.
Based on my experience, I can tell which proofreading software is the best for you, which may vary from person to person and profession to profession.
Well, it’s all about the user interface and how easy-to-use the software is for you.
1. Grammarly
Grammarly is one of the most reliable Writing assistants that I use. It is also popular software among writers and editors from various industries, making it more than 10 million users worldwide.
It is the top grammar checker and plagiarism detector, and I love how easy-to-use it is.
Let’s talk about what Grammarly does for me. It does not matter what I am working on; this tool supports all kinds of writing, like a book, a blog post, an email, social media content, and much more.
The best thing about Grammarly is that it is compatible with most of the platforms available for writing, like MS Word, MS Outlook, Google Docs, Gmail, and more. Even if you are working on a platform where you cannot integrate Grammarly, you can always copy-paste your text and check it in Google Chrome.
Grammarly’s premium version gives me more suggestions regarding engagement, delivery, style, and tone. It will allow you to make the sentence structure perfectly fine and readable. The premium version also provides a plagiarism checker to check if your work is unique.
To start using Grammarly, you can install Grammarly’s browser extension, and it works while I’m typing in Gmail, Facebook, Twitter, Google Docs, and more.
Grammarly provides both free software and paid plans. In the beginning, I was using the Free version, but then I had to upgrade to Grammarly Premium to ensure I got all the features.
Specific user groups like students, professionals, and freelancers are using this tool every day.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Amazing Plagiarism Checker | It is only for English speakers |
| User-friendly interface | You can only edit up to 100,000 characters in the website version |
| Both for beginners and professionals | It starts lagging on big documents, like more than 30 pages |
| The free version provides all the basic features | |
| Easily integrates with other platforms | |
| Choose your writing style: academic, casual, creative, and more | |
| Choose from formal, neutral, and informal | |
| It allows you to adjust your tone |
Pricing:
- Monthly Plan: $29.95 per month
- Quarterly Plan: $59.94 per 3 months
- Annual Plan: $139.95 per year
- Business Plan: $12.50/month per member
2. ProWritingAid
ProWritingAid has been my go-to tool when it comes to editing professional content. Trust me, I have been loving it so far. This software checks my work like a pro, making it look professionally perfect.
ProWritingAid looks for grammar and punctuation mistakes and fixes sentence structure issues like repeating words or phrases and keeping my sentences readable and unique. It is one of the most accurate and reliable proofreading tools online.
I highly recommend ProWritingAid for proofreading long writing pieces, like novels using the novel writing software. We have discussed Grammarly before, which is not suitable for extensive writing.
This tool gives me detailed reports on my writing, including big-picture feedback, graphs of sentence lengths, comparisons of my vocabulary usage, and lists of words I often use to help me avoid repeating myself.
I can use ProWritingAid’s browser extensions with Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge. The premium version also comes with operating systems like Mac and Windows desktop apps, allowing me to work offline.
It’s best for writers working on longer pieces, like novels, lengthy blog posts, memoirs, or academic essays. Other writers focused on smaller writing pieces can also use this tool easily.
The best part of the ProWritingAid browser extension is that it is free with limited online editing. You may also use the free browser extension, but if you want to upgrade, you can easily do that by upgrading to the Premium or Premium Plus version.
Find the answer of which is better when you compare Grammarly vs. ProWritingAid.
Specific user groups like professionals and business owners use this tool.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Write a particular style suggestion and context | Mobile application is not available |
| A diverse collection of vocabularies | High prices for the Premium version |
| Provides suggestions on increasing reader interest | Avoids the overuse of phrases and sentences |
| It avoids the overuse of phrases and sentences | More complex learning compared to other tools |
| Works with Mac and Windows | |
| Compatibility with most platforms like Google Docs, Scrivener, and Microsoft Office | |
| Get different English dialects like American, British, Australian, and more |
Pricing for Premium:
- Monthly Plan: $20/month
- Annual Plan: $79/year
- Lifetime access: $399
Pricing for Premium Plus:
- Monthly Plan: $24/month
- Annual Plan: $89/year
- Lifetime access: $499
3. WhiteSmoke
WhiteSmoke is one of the most helpful tools for non-native speakers and academic writers. I have seen my colleague at work using WhiteSmoke.
They were non-native English speakers, and this tool helped them navigate through their text and fix all the possible errors. It is best for people who are learning English or using the best academic writing software.
There are so many features to consider when choosing proofreading software. One of these important features is language variability.
WhiteSmoke identifies a potential error and provides suggestions. It also explains why a suggestion might be better, which helps me learn and improve my writing as I edit.
The sad news is that WhiteSmoke does not have any free version, and it does not offer any free trial for its services as well. I cannot say much about this tool as I did not buy it personally. If you are a non-native speaker, you can subscribe to WhiteSmoke to get help with your English. Do it at your own risk!
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Provides Mobile version | Limited Licenses |
| Integrates on every platform | Customer service is bad |
| Uses Natural Language Processing and Algorithms | It has a smooth user interface |
| It finds all the errors that other editors may look over |
Pricing:
- Plan for browser: $59.95/year
- Plan for browsers, MS Office, Gmail, and Windows: $79.95/year
- Plan for full version plus warranty and phone support: $137.95/year
Find the best Whitesmoke alternatives that match your writing style.
4. PaperRater
PaperRater is mainly for students and professors who want to ensure their essays and academic papers are top-notch. It’s an online grammar and plagiarism checker to help students and professionals improve their writing.
PaperRater helps me check for plagiarism, grammatical errors, and style issues. It provides me with suggestions to make my writing easy to read. I can also see scores for my content based on how readable and understandable it is for my audience.
One of the best things about PaperRater is that I can skip signing up for anything because it is a free AI writing tool. I can start using it immediately from the web with no hassle of sign-in or subscription.
Note that PaperRater’s suggestions are not always perfect. That’s why it is always a good idea to double-check any changes it suggests before making them.
You can say that it is one of the best alternatives to popular options like Grammarly, ProWritingAid, and Hemingway.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Immediate start with no hassle | Make your essays and academic papers top-notch. |
| No sign-ups are required | |
| Make your essays and academic papers top-notch | |
| Affordable pricing | |
| Reliable plagiarism checker |
Pricing:
- Free
- Premium: $3.48/month (billed annually)
5. Antidote
Antidote is a reliable tool for professionals and academic writers. You won’t believe this tool has existed for over 25 years. Never heard of this before? It’s because the target audience of this tool is only professional and academic writers.
Antidote is good at catching both grammatical and typographical errors in my writing. It also gives me suggestions on style, vocabulary enhancement, readability improvement, and even making sure my writing is gender-neutral.
Sadly, there’s no free trial for Antidote, so you cannot try it out before spending the subscription amount. I suggest giving it a go and seeing if it matches your preferences.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Suitable tool for academic and professional writers | No free trial is available |
| Compatible with operating systems like macOS, Windows, web version, mobile app |
Price:
- Annual Plan: $59/year
- Lifetime deal: $119
6. Quillbot
Quillbot is another popular AI content generator among writers. This tool uses AI to provide unique features to its valuable customers, like paraphrasing. You can get unique and new content by using existing content on the internet.
I had used Quillbot for a long time before I started using Grammarly. The plagiarism check of the paraphrased content is usually zero or minimal.
Grammarly Quillbot is a famous writing tool, but which one is best for your style? Read to find out now.
Quillbot offers tools for paraphrasing, summarizing, generating citations, checking grammar, and more. Quillbot has fewer features than Grammarly and ProWritingAid, but it is still great for proofreading.
You can use Quillbot as free software on its web page. I used the free version for some time, where I could paraphrase up to 125 words and summarize 1200 words, along with limited grammar checks.
It will ask you to create an account to unlock its free features. If you want access to its amazing features, you should get Quillbot Premium for better teamwork and increased productivity.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Paraphrase content to avoid plagiarism | The free version has very limited features |
| Citation generator | Not suitable for extensive documents |
| Pricing is affordable compared to competitors | |
| Use plagiarism to check if the text is unique | |
| Summarize long documents into easy-to-read paragraphs |
Pricing:
- Monthly Plan: $19.95/month
- Semi-Annual Plan: $13.33/month
- Annual Plan: $8.33/month
Read the Quillbot review to learn more about the tool and how you can use it to improve your content.
7. Ginger
Ginger came into action in 2007 and is a tool that helps non-native English speakers write English without making errors. I have seen many of my Asian colleagues using Ginger whenever they find difficulty in writing a professional document in English Language.
Let’s discuss more to understand how Ginger helps non-native speakers write finely. It provides suggestions to improve my sentences by using a suitable word choice. Moreover, I can hear everything I have written using the text reader feature to know how it sounds. You can listen to texts from MS Word, PowerPoint, Outlook emails, google Chrome, Firefox, and more. The text reader feature is only available in the Premium version.
Find out how you can use Grammarly in PowerPoint and improve your content writing experience.
Ginger Premium has a translator that can translate my writing into more than 60 other languages. Isn’t that amazing? You can write in your mother language and then translate it to English, or vice-versa.
Another Premium feature is the helpful fiction writers mode, which acts as the best AI story generator. You may use it to create a good story where your characters are well-defined and can speak different languages.
Grammarly might be better overall for grammar and spell check. But Ginger’s free Chrome extension has a decent rating.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Use it on macOS, iOS, Windows, Android | Proper feedback on writing is not there |
| Easy to integrate with several platforms | Grammarly is better than this |
| More than 60 language translations with Premium | |
| The free version has many significant features |
Pricing:
- Monthly Plan: $29.96/month
- Annual Plan: $59.88 (about $12.48 per month)
- 24 Months Plan: $95.76 (about $9.99 per month)
8. Hemingway
Hemingway is different from other proofreading tools. It doesn’t just check for spelling or grammar mistakes. Instead, it helps me write boldly and clearly, like Ernest Hemingway.
When I was in college and didn’t have much money, I used Hemingway a lot because it’s free online. It was a real lifesaver.
Hemingway helps me write better when I use too many adverbs and passive voice or make my sentences too long and complicated.
Unlike Grammarly or Ginger, Hemingway doesn’t give specific suggestions. It shows me where my writing could improve and asks me to fix it.
Also, Hemingway will not turn bad writing into Hemingway-level writing because good writing is more than just following rules. But it can make your writing more effective.
Unfortunately, there is no browser extension for Hemingway. So, I easily copy and paste my texts into the online editor. The best thing is that I don’t need to sign up or do any installation. But you can buy a desktop version if you need it to work smoothly.
The Hemingway desktop app will allow you to easily import, edit, and export your writing. You can save it as text, PDF, or DOC. If you are a blogger, you can export it as HTML or Markdown and publish it directly to WordPress or Medium.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Free online editors | No Specific suggestions |
| Color-coded errors | Not for Gmail and Facebook |
| Affordable pricing | No browser extension |
| One-time fee for the Desktop application | |
| Export from desktop app to TXT, PDF, DOC, HTML, or Markdown |
Pricing:
- Online version: Free
- Desktop App: $19.99 (for both Windows and macOS)
What is proofreading in writing?
Proofreading in writing is identifying potential errors, analyzing the context, providing suggestions, and fixing the errors. It ensures that I fix all the grammar and spelling errors in my writing.
I have been using proofreading software while writing content for my blog and business purposes. It is easy to edit any document, like blogs, novels, essays, websites, or anything else.
Let’s talk about AI Proofreading. It is a technology where software provides all the suggestions needed for proofreading an article.
AI proofreading has been a lifesaver for me. It takes care of the hard part of the work, identifying the errors from each line and providing replacements.
AI proofreading is not similar to basic grammar checkers because they are trained over a huge number of data present on the internet.
They can interpret your text to be grammatically correct or not. The AI checks for grammar and style errors, increases engagement, and makes the text more readable.
Some proofreading tools for specific needs are also there to help students, professors, bloggers, and more. They also help in making your content more SEO-friendly, making your article rank higher in the Google search list.
What are the types of Proofreading Tools?
The type of proofreading tools depends on how I will use them.
The user interface that I am going to face and other factors divide the proofreading tools into different parts. I will mention the list of several types of proofreading tools.
1. Chrome Extensions
These types of proofreading tools are the ones that I can add to my web browser, like Google Chrome or Firefox.
I can easily open my browser and search for the required tool’s extension. They check my writing as I type anywhere on the internet, offering suggestions for fixing mistakes.
2. Online Proofreading Tools
Online proofreading tools are the websites where I have to visit and do the editing. These are websites where I can paste my writing into a text box.
They analyze it for spelling, grammar, and style errors. Some online tools are basic, while others offer more comprehensive Premium features.
3. Mobile Apps
Some proofreading tools provide a great experience to their user by providing them with mobile applications designed for smartphones and tablets.
They integrate with the device’s keyboard, automatically checking my writing for errors as I type messages, emails, or social media posts.
4. MS Word Add-ons
Proofreading tools also provide add-ons for different software and platforms. I can easily install these proofreading tools within MS Word or MS Outlook.
After this, I could get real-time grammar and style suggestions while writing in Word or Outlook.
5. Desktop Apps for Operating Systems like Mac and Windows
Desktop apps are one of the best ways to use a proofreading tool. I could easily download and install these tools on my computer and use them everywhere I write.
They offer advanced proofreading and editing features, often more robust functionality than online tools or browser extensions.
Proofreading Software vs. Human Proofreader
This is an interesting question: Should I rely on proofreading software or a human proofreader? Well, let me tell you, proofreading software can never replace a human editor.
Both of them have their pros and cons to it. Let’s talk about them in more detail.
I surely use some of the best proofreading software like Grammarly or ProWritingAid, but this does not mean I do not put my efforts into editing the texts.
I need to read Grammarly’s suggestions carefully and understand the reason behind them. If I think the suggestion is wrong or not good enough, I can easily dismiss it.
I always give a thorough read of the text line-by-line to make sure everything is correct.
Online proofreading tools are good, but we need human editors because they can catch what software might miss and give valuable feedback to improve writing.
Professional human proofreaders use all sorts of tools, from basic spell checkers to advanced programs like Grammarly or Hemingway. They combine these tools with their skills to catch every mistake.
The key to proofreading in the best way is to use the right mix of proofreading tools and human editors. In today’s technological world, a human editor must know how to use these online tools to improve their writing.
Conclusion
Hopefully, this blog on the best proofreading tools has helped you get what you need.
You can choose your proofreading tool based on your needs. If you are a student, you must go with Grammarly. For business owners, I suggest ProWriitngAid.
I have mentioned the pros & cons, features, and pricing of every proofreading tool so that you can analyze everything before deciding which tool to go for.
You may have a privacy concern about your data being used by the software. Well, you should always read their privacy policy for the same.
However, I rely on Grammarly for my data. I know my data is saved in my account, but Grammarly is not using it for any reason.
