ProWritingAid Review: 4/5 stars (Great!) ★★★★☆
Want to learn more about ProWritingAid? I've written an in-depth review below, but if you just want the big picture, here it is.
Pros:
- Helps you improve your writing skills
- Gives accurate grammar and readability recommendations
- Conforms to your writing style (academic, casual, etc.)
- Rephrase feature makes it easy to fix those clunky sentences
- Integrates with almost any program you use to write (Google Docs, Microsoft Word for PC, Scrivener, etc.)
- Offers over 20 reports to improve your specific writing concerns
- Works great for short- and long-form writers and authors
- It's affordable
Cons:
- Can be clunky for general online writing
- Free version is limited to 500 words for in-depth reports
- No iOS or Android app
- Integrations aren’t as clean as Grammarly
Bottom Line: I love using ProWritingAid for all of my writing projects. Its integrations, low cost, and reports help me improve my writing — from grammar to style and flow, and everything in between. It’s a robust competitor to Grammarly, and when I compare the two, ProWritingAid wins in almost every area.
We rank ProWritingAid as #1 on our list of best proofreading software, because it is built for long-form editing, and it has done a lot of good for me and many other authors. Plus, the quality is top notch. Read on for more on why that is.
What Qualifies Me to Review ProWritingAid?
I’m a professional writer, and my job requires me to write various content — from blog posts to self-published non-fiction books. There’s no software substitute for a human editor, but ProWritingAid is a great writing tool for helping me improve my word choices, writing style, and even to check for any unintentional plagiarism.
And I've been writing and publishing books for a long time. Over ten years. I've used Grammarly, ProWritingAid, and a whole host of other writers to get the job done.
So I think it's something I can speak to.
Ultimately, a tool like ProWritingAid is a necessary part of my editing process, whether I need book editing software or I’m working on my latest post for Kindlepreneur.
Wondering if ProWritingAid can help you write better? This complete ProWritingAid review will explain what ProWritingAid can do for you, how it helps, if the Premium version is worth it, and when I use ProWritingAid vs. Grammarly as a writer.
- Who should use ProWritingAid
- How ProWriting Aid stacks up to competitors
- How much ProWritigAid costs
Table of Contents
- What Qualifies Me to Review ProWritingAid?
- What is ProWritingAid?
- Who Should Use ProWritingAid?
- ProWritingAid Free vs. ProWritingAid Premium
- How Much Does ProWritingAid Cost? Pricing & Packages
- How to Use ProWritingAid
- My ProWritingAid Review: What I Like
- 1. Its spell checker and grammar checker are similar to the competition — but with more integrations.
- 2. Four features helped me make huge improvements to my writing.
- 3. Being able to change writing styles is more helpful than I expected.
- 4. Over time, ProWritingAid has helped me become a better writer.
- What I Don’t Like About ProWritingAid
- ProWritingAid vs. Competitors (Grammarly, AutoCrit, Linguix, and Ginger)
- ProWritingAid Coupon & Student Discount
Let’s dive into our ProWritingAid review and see if you need this editing tool and why.
Links in this article may give me a small commission if you use them to purchase ProWritingAid. There’s no extra cost to you. And here’s the good news: Because I actually use this editing software, they gave me a special ProWritingAid discount code to knock off 20% on any package.
What is ProWritingAid?
ProWritingAid (PWA) is a powerful online proofreading and editing software. It’s a grammar checker, plagiarism detector, writing coach, and overall editing tool in one.
ProWritingAid integrates with almost every software and browser that writers use, from Chrome to Google Docs to Scrivener.
According to their website, PWA bills itself as a “grammar guru, style editor, and writing mentor in one package.”
ProWritingAid can help you improve:
- Word choices (such as commonly repeated words)
- Grammar errors and spelling mistakes
- A clunky or sticky sentence that interrupts the flow of your writing
- The consistency of past and present tense use
- Readability
- Empty or ambiguous words and sentences
- Duplicate words and phrases
- Passive voice use
What are the main features of ProWritingAid? The main features of ProWritingAid include a spelling and grammar checker, suggestions for replacing ambiguous or weak words/phrases, and reports to help improve the overall quality of your writing. For the price, ProWritingAid is one of the most robust grammar and editing softwares available today.
ProWritingAid integrates with:
- Google Chrome
- Safari
- Firefox
- Microsoft Edge
- Microsoft Office, including Microsoft Word and Outlook
- Scrivener (via its desktop app, now available on Windows and Mac)
- Google Docs
- OpenOffice
Who Should Use ProWritingAid?
ProWritingAid is for anyone who writes and wants to improve their writing.
Whether you’re crafting a Facebook post or looking to self-publish your next novel, ProWritingAid can be a powerful tool to help you master your use of the English language.
This editing software is made for:
- Authors
- Book editors
- Bloggers/content writers
- Copywriters
- Students
- Academics (professors, researchers, etc.)
- Professionals
And as a Kindlepreneur reader, you’re almost certainly in one or more of those groups.
One great thing about ProWritingAid is that, while it’s great for casual writing, it’s also great for use in corporate life. You don’t need to be a published author to benefit from editing software while you craft reports, important emails, or a presentation about your next product launch.
ProWritingAid Free vs. ProWritingAid Premium
ProWritingAid's editing tool is available in a variety of free and paid options. The free version is mostly a demo to hook you in on what they provide, but it can be great for the casual writer.
However, for hardcore writers, the extras offered at a cost in the Premium version are must-haves.
Feature | Free | Premium | |
---|---|---|---|
Online Use | |||
Desktop App | |||
23 Writing Reports | |||
Word Limit | 500 words at a time | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Word Explorer Tool | Limited results | Full results | Full results |
Integrations | Web browser only | Office (PC), Open Office, Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, and Scrivener | Office (PC), Open Office, Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, and Scrivener |
Real-Time Writing Score Updates | |||
Writers Resource Library | |||
100% Privacy Guarantee | |||
Plagiarism Checks | 60/year |
ProWritingAid Free Version
The free, online version of ProWritingAid offers:
- Online web app use only
- Limited to 500 words at a time when using reports (does not apply to spelling, basic grammar, basic style, and passive voice suggestions)
- 23 writing reports
- Real-time grammar and style checking (writing score updates in real-time as you edit)
- Limited results with Word Explorer Tool
- 100% privacy guarantee (PWA will never access your writing without your permission)
ProWritingAid Premium Version
The premium version of ProWritingAid offers:
- All features of the free version
- Access to the desktop app (a Scrivener integration)
- Full-length document analysis, such as for novels
- Integrations for Microsoft Word (PC only), Microsoft Outlook (PC only), Google Docs, Open Office, Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Microsoft Edge, and Scrivener
- Full functionality of the Word Explorer Tool
- A Writer’s Resource Library of writing books and resources
How Much Does ProWritingAid Cost? Pricing & Packages
The premium version of ProWritingAid costs $30 per month, $120 per year (a 67% savings over the monthly subscription fee), or $399 for a lifetime subscription.
ProWritingAid offers a 100% free version, but that won’t include the features most serious writers need.
Want to save money on ProWritingAid? By using the coupon code KINDLEPRENEUR20 — or just by using our link — you’ll automatically receive 20% off your total purchase.
Both premium versions of ProWritingAid begin with a 7-day free trial (formerly a 14-day trial). They also offer a 14-day money-back guarantee. So if you don’t like the software, you’re not stuck paying for it. (More on the refund policy later.)
This is where I think ProWritingAid has the best competitive advantage over any other proofreading tools and editing software. Not only does it cost less than Grammarly and others, but ProWritingAid also offers a lifetime purchase option.
If you're intending to write professionally for any period of time, the lifetime version is the best way to go. I personally hate subscriptions and having to pay repeatedly.
You can also purchase plagiarism checks in bulk, starting at $10 for 10 additional checks.
How can I get ProWritingAid for free? You can’t get ProWritingAid Premium for free. However, you can use ProWritingAid’s free version with limited features for as long as you want. Plus, the premium version includes a 7-day free trial when you first sign up.
If you’re trying to save money on the premium version, use our ProWritingAid coupon code KINDLEPRENEUR20 for 20% off your total purchase price. If you buy a lifetime license, that code can save you up to $100 off!
ProWritingAid also offers custom business plans for multiple users. You can book a demo to see how this may work for your team.
How to Use ProWritingAid
However you write, ProWritingAid Premium is there to catch your grammar mistakes, an overused word, passive voice use, and more.
Before I get into specific integrations, add-ons, and plugins, let’s take a look at the general way this software works.
ProWritingAid shows specific types of issues in your writing by underlining them in various colors:
- Red underlines show spelling errors
- Blue underlines show grammatical mistakes
- Yellow underlines show suggestions for writing style improvements
- Purple underlines highlight passive voice use and suggest ways to change phrases to active voice
When you hover over the underlined text, PWA will show you its suggestions for correcting or improving the text. If you’re not sure of the suggestion, you can click on the yellow information button for more details on what kind of error ProWritingAid has identified.
For example, the spell checker helps to explain why a word may be marked as misspelled.
You can select one of the suggested changes by clicking on it or pressing the Return or Enter key. If you don’t like the suggestion, you can choose to ignore it.
For spelling errors, you can “Add to Dictionary” if PWA marks a word misspelled that you know to be correct. This can be useful for writing in which you use unfamiliar words, creative names, or made-up words. (I’m sure JK Rowling would have appreciated it!)
For style and grammar suggestions, you can choose to disable a certain rule if you don’t like ProWritingAid’s take on it.
To compete with Hemingway’s robust passive voice checker, ProWritingAid has also added its own passive voice feature.
But the true power of ProWritingAid isn’t just in its real-time editor — it’s in the reports.
I’ll describe each report in-depth below, but it’s vital you know how to use the reports as you write with PWA.
To use the various reports in ProWritingAid, select the report you’d like to run from the top toolbar in the desktop or web editor. Select any filters you’d like to use to drill down to the specifics.
ProWritingAid will then run the report (on the full text with Premium, or on the first 500 words with the free version) and underline the issues in green. You can scroll through each error to see the suggestions and toggle the error type on or off.
When you’re ready to review a completed piece of writing, you can run a summary report for a very in-depth analysis of your entire document (with the premium versions).
Aside from writing reports, ProWritingAid’s killer feature is its ability to integrate with other apps. This is only available with a Premium License.
ProWritingAid offers the following integrations:
- Microsoft Office (including Microsoft Word and Outlook; PC only)
- Google Chrome extension
- Safari extension
- Microsoft Edge extension
- Mozilla Firefox extension
- Google Docs add-on
- Desktop app (Scrivener, Open Office, Rich Text, and Markdown integrations)
Here’s how to use ProWritingAid with each of these integrations.
ProWritingAid for Microsoft Word
ProWritingAid’s Office “add-in” adds a toolbar into Microsoft Word and Microsoft Outlook for PC with the same features you find in the toolbar of the desktop app.
Simply hover over the underlined portions of text for real-time checking or select a report from the toolbar for more detailed feedback.
PWA is compatible with Microsoft Word and Outlook versions 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, and 2019 running on any version of Windows.
Note: ProWritingAid cannot be used with Office Starter Edition because it does not support add-ins.
ProWritingAid for Google Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge
ProWritingAid’s software available as a browser extension for all major web browsers, including:
Each of these allows you to see suggestions from ProWritingAid in any text field on the web, from Facebook to Gmail to WordPress and beyond. Toggle the extension button in your browser to turn PWA (or specific features) on and off for any particular website.
This integration is included in the free version of ProWritingAid.
ProWritingAid for Google Docs
In addition to basic online editing, the premium versions of ProWritingAid offer a Google Docs add-on. This will automatically check your Google email for a Premium license.
ProWritingAid for Google Docs offers real-time edit suggestions directly in the document (similar to Grammarly for Google Docs). You can also open the Summary Report or “Improve Document” feature to access the full catalog of PWA reports.
ProWritingAid Desktop (Scrivener, Rich Text, Open Office, Markdown Integration)
The desktop ProWritingAid app lets you work with content in writing software like Scrivener or Open Office without losing any formatting.
Once only available on PC, the PWA desktop app is now available for Mac.
If you’ve tried the free version of ProWritingAid's software, but want to check out its integrations and desktop app, try the 7-day free trial. You can use this to preview whether a Premium license is worth it for you.
Can I use ProWritingAid offline? No, you cannot use ProWritingAid offline at this time. Its desktop app requires an internet connection.
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Click here to see it in actionMy ProWritingAid Review: What I Like
How did I conduct this review? To do my initial review of the software, I used ProWritingAid for several weeks on a variety of projects, including a book I was writing and several blog posts. I also used it during my day-to-day activities, like social media posting and emails.
In my workflow for articles on Kindlepreneur, which I write more often than any other content, I start by writing one section, then running it through an editing tool, before moving to the next section. Once the document is finished, I like to run the entire piece back through my editing software for a final pass.
At the time, Grammarly was my go-to grammar checker. I also liked to use Hemingway. During this review process (and still today!), I used ProWritingAid exclusively.
I use ProWritingAid most often in Google Docs (for my online articles) and with Scrivener (for my non-fiction books). If you aren't familiar with Scrivener, then be sure to check out my full review here.
Here are my overall impressions of ProWritingAid as a professional writer.
1. Its spell checker and grammar checker are similar to the competition — but with more integrations.
PWA has a powerful, smart grammar checker that catches typos and grammatical errors. When it comes to proofreading, ProWritingAid is just as powerful as its competitors (including Grammarly).
Having a top-notch spelling and grammar checker is what I'd personally consider the bare minimum.
However, it is important to note that not only is ProWritingAid's spelling and grammar checker way better than MS Word's, it also integrates into just about every application you use to write.
Basically, wherever you can write a sentence on your computer, ProWritingAid will be there to help keep it error-free.
One of the best uses for this is in book editing, particularly for the fiction writer. Its grammar checking features are great, but the ability to run an entire book through PWA at one time (via Scrivener or the web application) is where it really shines. In any other editing software, this would have to be done chapter-by-chapter.
2. Four features helped me make huge improvements to my writing.
It's one thing to stop making writing mistakes. It's another to help improve your writing in real-time. ProWritingAid has four particular features that have helped me improve my writing in real-time.
Word Explorer: Building a unique sentence is easier said than done. But PWA's Word Explorer will help you use the most appropriate word possible to convey your precise meaning at all times.
PWA’s Word Explorer uses tools including the Dictionary, Contextual Thesaurus, Reverse Dictionary, Collocation Dictionary, Alliteration Dictionaries, Cliche Dictionaries, and a whole bunch more. It will automatically analyze your writing to find the right use of the words or suggestions to improve your word choice.
This can help with the overuse of certain words, reduce your redundancies/repeated words, improve sentence structure, and make you a better writer in general.
As my family will tell you, I have the habit of using the wrong word. Thankfully, this feature has not only noticed when I do that but also has suggested more powerful words that better explain my intention.
Repetition Elimination: Repetition is a serious curse for writers. It not only ruins the reader experience but can be almost impossible to spot when you’re writing and editing your own work.
ProWritingAid eliminated my blind spots by pointing out repetition, which not only improved my writing but helped me see common threads in my writing style to improve my overall writing capability.
Real-Time Scoring of Your Writing: ProWritingAid offers a real-time grammar and style checking score. This is a little score in the upper left corner of the desktop app that you can check that updates as you edit.
So if you're making edits that are making your writing better (or worse), you'll know right away.
Rephrase: Last but not least, the “Rephrase” feature that ProWritingAid provides is a fantastic way to improve my sentence structure. I tend to end up with a lot of sentences in my first draft that appear clunky or just don't read right. It's not that the sentences are grammatically incorrect, it's just that sometimes they aren't…100% perfect.
The Rephase feature is one of my favorite ways to deal with this. I just select the sentence in question and it gives me suggestions for how to rephrase it. Plus, it does so in various styles, including Fluency, Formal, Informal, Sensory, Shorten, and Expand.
3. Being able to change writing styles is more helpful than I expected.
Before you write using ProWritingAid, you can select which style of writing you intend to do. The writing styles to choose from within PWA include:
- General
- Academic
- Business
- Technical
- Creative
- Casual
- Web
- Script
Just go to the “Settings” tab at the top of the app to change the style.
By doing this, ProWritingAid will change the way it recommends things to you so you don’t look out of place.
For example: When I write for Kindlepreneur, I use “Casual” (Can you tell?). Because of this, the Word Editor doesn't recommend complex or “big” words. It also allows for some of my more relaxed word fragments.
However, when I write some of my own nonfiction books, I use either Technical or Casual depending on the audience I'm trying to reach.
The settings tab is also where you can change the version of English you’re using to any of these options:
- General English
- British English
- US English
- Australian English
- Canadian English
While I only write in general or US English, the language versions make this tool even more valuable in a professional setting for teams that operate in multiple English-speaking markets.
4. Over time, ProWritingAid has helped me become a better writer.
Staying true to its promise of being a writing mentor, ProWritingAid doesn’t just correct you, it teaches you at the same time. With the explanations offered, you’ll learn about the English language in great detail and increase in mastery over time.
You don’t have to be a grammar nerd to love this feature. In fact, I’m not nearly as devoted to studying and correcting my writing as many of my friends who crave these features. Still, I can’t help learning what my primary grammar mistakes are or how to fix my frequent sentence structure issues when they consistently pop up.
As part of its vast wealth of information, ProWritingAid offers a visual analysis of your work. This includes charts representing your sentence lengths over time and ways to improve.
What I Don’t Like About ProWritingAid
While ProWritingAid is one of the absolute best tools available for online editing software, there are a few things that I hope they fix in the future. And this ProWritingAid review wouldn't be complete without them.
1. No Android or iOS Support
I don't know about you, but I do a lot of writing on my phone and tablet. I'm always on the go from ballgames to conferences. And ideas don't just take a vacation. So I end up writing a bunch from my mobile devices.
No mobile options at all (even an iPad app) means this software isn’t usable on my most-used devices.
Hopefully, ProWritingAid considers mobile options. I know it will help out many authors and writers.
2. Not Great for Editing Snippets
When it comes to long-form writing, ProWritingAid is simply amazing! But when it comes to snippets, PWA isn't necessarily the best option.
ProWritingAid focuses more on stylistic changes and sweeping grammatical concerns than just pure spelling and grammar. Because of this, PWA requires a larger sample size to get things rolling for the program — it won’t properly edit just a sentence or two.
3. It’s Glitchy in Google Docs
Google Docs support is a must-have for me in editing software. I’ve used Grammarly in Google Docs for a long time, and it’s pretty smooth and free of glitches.
On the other hand, using ProWritingAid in Google Docs is fairly clunky. While it used to support a sidebar for reports, now you can only open reports as a pop-up that cover your actual Google Doc.
I often find the add-on will underline random bits of text (like partial words) and that hovering or clicking on the underlined area doesn’t always pull up suggestions.
Compared to Grammarly, PWA gets an “X” for me in this column.
4. Only Available in English
The final con that I will point out is the ProWritingAid software is currently only available in English.
So, if you have a blog post written in German about how to deep fry without oil (more accurately, frittieren ohne fett), you won't benefit from ProWritingAid at this time. But since the large majority of my current readers are writing in English, I doubt that will affect many people.
ProWritingAid Reports
There's more to ProWritingAid than just being a top-notch grammar and style checker. One of the things most writers love about ProWritingAid is their reports.
These reports are what really separate PWA from another grammar check software. In order to help you improve your writing, they have 23 different reports to help analyze, critique, and improve your overall writing.
The 24th report, the plagiarism checker, used to only be available in their Premium Plus plan, which they have since discontinued, so you will have to purchase a separate plagiarism check bundle.
This felt a bit overwhelming to me, but not to my uber-writer friends.
The best way to use ProWritingAid’s reports is to identify problem areas in your own writing and use the report for that area to improve your content. I don’t recommend running everything you write through all 24 reports.
Here are the reports you get with the premium versions of ProWritingAid:
- Summary: The summary report is an in-depth breakdown of how your article performs on every individual report, including a “key scores” visual breakdown and graphics of where your document does well and where it needs improvement.
- Writing Style: One of the more robust reports in ProWritingAid, the writing style report mimics many suggestions made by a human editor for improving your writing. This includes suggestions for using adverbs more effectively, eliminating passive voice and hidden verbs, and removing emotional tells.
- Grammar: The grammar report is one of the real-time reports running in PWA. It catches way more grammatical errors than MS Word or Google Docs’ built-in grammar checks do. These grammar checks also include thousands of suggestions from ProWritingAid’s real-life editors, such as the use of “adverse” when what you want to say is “averse.”
- Overused Words: Many words in the English language get more than their fair share of use, such as “very” and “maybe”. This report identifies overused words and makes suggestions for more precise or unique words and phrases to strengthen your writing.
- Clichés and Redundancies: This report catches the use of common writing clichés and potential redundancies. For example, it’s poor writing to use a phrase like “exciting adventure” — if an adventure isn’t exciting, what’s the point? You can reduce bloat from your writing by getting rid of words that don’t need to be there.
- Sticky Sentences: I’m the first to admit that I tend to write “sticky” sentences. These confusing sentences can pull your reader from the narrative while they struggle to understand the point of a sentence that could mean more than one thing. (Bonus: This is a great feature for blog writers, as sticky sentences are bad for on-page SEO.)
- Readability: The readability report catches run-on sentences that make your writing too clunky or unprofessional. It’s also great for identifying unnecessarily long or confusing words that may disrupt the readability of your piece. ProWritingAid uses common tools like the Flesch Reading Ease Score to make sure your writing is easy to understand for your chosen audience.
- Repeats: Do you tend to use the same words or phrases too close together? The repeats report will catch this common error to help you craft better sentences.
- Sentence Length: Using a visual graph, the sentence length report shows you how many sentences you use in every word count range. This is great for finalizing a piece of writing, as it shows you where you can use shorter sentences to add more interest and keep the flow strong.
- Pronouns: Professional writing uses remarkably fewer pronouns than non-professional writing. Using this report, you can spot the overuse of pronouns (including first, second, and third-person pronouns) to replace some of them with names or rewrite certain passages.
- Transitions: ProWritingAid helps identify areas of your writing that don’t use enough transitions. Transition words and phrases help take your reader through a process or story, so using transitions in fewer than one out of every four sentences is generally considered weak.
- Consistency: This report finds inconsistencies in your writing, from inconsistently spelled words to hyphens. It also checks for disagreements in the type of English you’re writing in, such as the use of UK spellings mixed with American English spellings (colour and color in the same document, for instance).
- Pacing: Valuable for fiction writers, in particular, the pacing report tracks fast- and slow-paced passages in writing to make sure they’re balanced for an engaging reading experience.
- Dialogue Tags: Dialogue tags are words like “said,” “asked,” “exclaimed,” “cried,” etc. These words are used sparingly in high-quality prose because their frequent use breaks the “show, don’t tell” rule of storytelling. PWA’s report identifies overused dialogue tags to help you strengthen your writing with more creative uses of speech throughout your piece of writing.
- Contextual Thesaurus: No more Googling “synonym for tired” — ProWritingAid’s built-in thesaurus uses context to give you the most precise synonyms for words in your writing.
- Diction: The use of wordy phrases to sound authoritative is a common writing mistake. The diction report helps you replace phrases like “has the ability to” with “can”, which simplifies the text for a better read.
- Alliteration: Poetry, fiction, and other creative writers use alliteration for impact and rhythm in their writing. Technical and professional writers may want to avoid it. The alliteration report highlights the use of this technique in your writing to help you either increase or decrease how much you use it.
- Homonyms: The homonyms report locates the grammatical error of using the wrong spelling of a similar-sounding word (like there, their, and they’re).
- Acronyms: Acronyms like FBI, ASCII, and FOMO are generally missed by most spell checkers. This report highlights acronyms so you can ensure you’ve used them correctly.
- House Style: Do you work in an industry where you have to write names over and over? Are there common words or phrases used at your firm that a typical editing software wouldn’t see? The house style report allows you to create customized lists of items to check in your writing, which works very well for teams and in business settings.
- Plagiarism: Only available with the purchase of plagiarism report bundles, this report reviews content on over a billion pages on the web to find plagiarized or improperly cited content.
As you can see, the feedback ProWritingAid can give you to improve your writing is far beyond what most other proofreading software offers.
[tweet “Improve your writing without the brutal English teacher's remarks with ProWritingAid. #Writing”]
ProWritingAid vs. Competitors (Grammarly, AutoCrit, Linguix, and Ginger)
Let’s take a look at a breakdown of how ProWritingAid stacks up to its main competitors: Grammarly, AutoCrit, Linguix, and Ginger Software.
Feature | ProWritingAid | Grammarly | AutoCrit | Linguix | Ginger |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Free Version | |||||
Premium Version | $79/Year $63/Year with Coupon:KINDLEPRENEUR20 | $140/Year | $297/Year | $96/Year | $90/Year |
Free Premium Trial | |||||
Mobile App for iOS and Android | |||||
Online Editor | |||||
Desktop App | with Premium, Windows only | ||||
Windows Compatible | |||||
Mac Compatible | |||||
Integrations | MS Word Chrome Safari Firefox Edge Google Docs Scrivener | MS Word and Outlook (Windows & Mac OS) Chrome Safari Firefox Edge Google Docs | None | Chrome Safari Firefox Edge Google Docs | Chrome Safari |
Reports | 23 total reports (free version includes first 500 words only) | Additional suggestions throughout the document (Premium version only) | 30+ reports tailored to your writing style (Premium version only) | Additional suggestions and data insights (Premium version only) | 4 reports, including translation to other languages (Premium version only) |
Plagiarism Checker | |||||
ProWritingAid vs. Grammarly
If you read our recent review of Grammarly, you may be wondering how the two stack up against each other and which is right for you.
Is ProWritingAid better than Grammarly? ProWritingAid is better than Grammarly for authors or long-form writers who use Scrivener. PWA is also less expensive than Grammarly with more robust reporting features.
However, Grammarly Premium inches out when it comes to mobile apps, and for frequent plagiarism detection.
The best way to show you how these two stack up is through video. In the below video, check out Grammarly vs ProWritingAid and how each feature looks and acts. You'll be surprised to see some of the differences:
Want more videos like this? Subscribe to my YouTube channel.
ProWritingAid vs. AutoCrit
AutoCrit is a web-based software developed specifically for fiction authors.
Is ProWritingAid better than AutoCrit? For fiction authors, AutoCrit is better than ProWritingAid because of its specific features for those users. For everyone else, ProWritingAid has more extensive features and integrations and is the better choice.
AutoCrit stands out particularly well for fiction writers because they allow you to compare your manuscript to popular authors and works in your fiction genre. I discuss this at length in my review of AutoCrit.
Its reports on pacing, dialogue, and strong writing also far outstrip ProWritingAid’s reports on the same items for long-term fiction writing.
If you choose to go with AutoCrit for your fiction work, I highly recommend you wait until the editing phase. Unless your manuscript is complete, you’ll find you waste a lot of money on a subscription that’s only ideal for a full manuscript.
During the writing phase, the free or premium version of ProWritingAid is more than sufficient for grammar and spell checking.
ProWritingAid vs. Linguix
Linguix is a grammar checker and writing aid developed by a non-native English speaker primarily for SEO and marketing writers.
Is ProWritingAid better than Linguix? For my purposes, yes, ProWritingAid is superior to Linguix. ProWritingAid is less expensive than Linguix but offers far more robust features, especially for authors and creative writers.
However, if you write primarily for SEO or need insights on common writing mistakes made by non-native English speakers, you may want to give Linguix a try. Their free version has a Chrome plugin that works with Google Docs to make comprehensive grammar and spelling corrections.
Plus, Linguix offers mobile apps that add a keyboard option to your iOS or Android device, which ProWritingAid does not.
ProWritingAid vs. Ginger
Similar to Linguix, Ginger is a spell and grammar checker that is suited to both English and non-native English speakers.
Is ProWritingAid better than Ginger? Yes, ProWritingAid is better than Ginger for most use cases. It offers more features and integrations at a cheaper cost.
That Ginger is not compatible with Google Docs makes it an inferior alternative to all of the options available for most writers. In general, Ginger is intended for people who want to improve their writing online (such as for email and social media) but not for serious writers.
There are two features that set Ginger apart for certain users: translations and text-to-speech. Ginger currently offers translations between over 40 languages. It also offers a “text reader” function that reads text aloud.
If those two features aren’t of use to you, I recommend choosing ProWritingAid for your writing needs.
ProWritingAid vs. a Human Editor
Can ProWritingAid replace a human editor? No, ProWritingAid can’t totally replace a human editor — but they can make your editor’s job a lot easier. Using a writing aid like PWA is a lot like having a junior line editor at your side at all times.
Ultimately, algorithms and AI have come a long way, but there’s no substitute for a human being to tweak the flow and pacing of a novel or even a blog post. You’ll still need a good developmental editor for your book or writing project.
The good thing about ProWritingAid is that it catches many of the more technical errors that a line editor might otherwise spend time correcting. By removing these issues before moving to an official editing phase, PWA saves your editor time in the weeds so they can spend more time editing for flow, story, and pacing.
Is ProWritingAid safe?
Yes, ProWritingAid is absolutely safe. They do not store a single word you submit on their servers, no data is kept after the technical analysis is complete, and no one at ProWritingAid ever accesses your writing without permission. There’s no danger of your work being stolen or plagiarized after using ProWritingAid.
ProWritingAid’s safety and security features apply to both the free and paid versions.
ProWritingAid Refund Policy
ProWritingAid offers a 7-day free trial of their premium features so you can determine whether it’s a good fit for you before buying.
However, if you do purchase a premium version of ProWritingAid and then realize you don’t like it, its refund policy is valid for 14 days after you buy. Their money-back guarantee is intended for people who truly feel they did not get their money’s worth.
They politely request that customers don’t abuse the refund policy, as it’s offered in good faith, and state that people will only ever be allowed to receive one refund.
If you feel you get good value from ProWritingAid but don’t need it later, you can cancel your subscription at any time by turning off auto-renew.
How do I get a ProWritingAid refund? To get a refund for ProWritingAid, email hello@prowritingaid.com within the 14-day money-back guarantee period.
[tweet “Need to polish your writing? Find out which tool has convinced me to switch from Grammarly because it does more…and costs less #WritersLife”]
ProWritingAid Coupon & Student Discount
If you decide you're ready to get everything the latest version of ProWritingAid Premium has to offer, enjoy getting 20% off the list price at check out. Get it here!
If the coupon doesn’t automatically apply, use coupon code KINDLEPRENEUR20.
Students also get a discount of 20% on ProWritingAid via Student App Centre with an academic email address.
The Final ProWritingAid Review Verdict
As you can see in this review, the ProWritingAid tool is far more than just a grammar checker.
How good is ProWritingAid? It’s so good that I left Grammarly behind and haven’t looked back!
To sum it up, ProWritingAid software can give you:
- in-depth analysis and feedback on your writing
- reports to summarize your strengths and weaknesses at a glance
- integrations that work with Word, Scrivener, Docs, Chrome, and more
- for a fraction of the price of Grammarly
If you're looking for a powerful tool to help you become a better writer, not just find typos, then check out ProWritingAid today! As you saw from this ProWritingAid review, it has a lot to offer.
Thanks to my amazing Kindlepreneur readers for pointing out that I should review ProWritingAid and give it a try. I'm glad I did and now I can happily pass on that same recommendation to you.
Be sure to check out our full comparison of the best proofreading tools out there, along with individual reviews for the following:
I have to comment on ProWritingAid because of an annoying new “upgrade.” Recently, they’ve added a check for “Inclusive Language” under the Style section. What this means is that every gender-specific word (e.g., waiter) is flagged as an error with a suggestion for a more inclusive term (e.g., server).
Not only is this annoying, it’s positively wrong when you’re writing historical fiction. Someone in the 1890s would never use their recommended terms. It’s also impossible to turn off. (I asked.)
I’ve been a happy ProWritingAid user for years, but this change is forcing me to look at alternatives. Grammarly has also added an inclusive language check. So far, from what I see, AutoCrit has not. But it’s three times the cost of ProWritingAid.
If a vendor is going to add a politically biased “feature” to their software, they should also include a way not to use it. As it is, I’m wasting tons of time going through all their supposed “errors” in order to edit my manuscripts.
I don’t think it has to do with the whole gender “inclusive” agenda. If it does, I guess I am going with Grammarly. I am a millennial, and we aren’t all brainwashed, just most of us. Sigh. This is what my ProWritingAid (trial) says:
“Highlights the initial pronouns in your text. Repetitive use of initial pronouns can lead to boring text, e.g. He did this. He did that. He did another thing.”
Bought the lifetime package of pro witing aid through your website hours ago and don’t have any email response as was indicated by prompt after I paid? Saw the other person with the same issue yet there is no phone number for pro writing aid so I sent them an email….all crickets
Sorry to hear that. I’m sure they have replied by now, now that it is a working day.
Used the link and paid via PayPal. I am yet to get my login details. Please what do I do next? Thanks in anticipation of your reply.
If you haven’t, contact ProWritingAid