The best Grammarly alternatives for beginners
Ranked on published features, free-plan limits and beginner ease (checked 14 October 2026). We have not benchmarked these tools hands-on, and commissions don’t affect rankings.
Grammarly is popular because it works quietly wherever you type. But you might want something cheaper, something that rewords rather than just checks, help writing in another language, or more control over the final text. Here are the best alternatives for beginners.
This guide includes affiliate links (QuillBot, Jenni AI). If you sign up through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It doesn’t change our recommendations. Read our affiliate disclosure.
The best alternatives
QuillBot
Who it’s for: Students and writers who want rewording, grammar checking, summaries and citations in one free tool.
Worth knowing: Rewriting can change meaning. Review it and follow your school or work rules.
Visit QuillBot ↗ (opens in new tab) (paid link: we may earn a commission)
DeepL
Who it’s for: People who translate text or write in a second language and want natural, accurate wording.
Worth knowing: Languages and document limits vary. Have important translations reviewed.
ChatGPT
Who it’s for: People who want to paste a draft and ask for a clearer, shorter or friendlier version, then refine it in conversation.
Worth knowing: Answers can sound confident and still be wrong. Check important facts.
Claude
Who it’s for: Anyone writing sensitive or important messages who wants a calm, human-sounding rewrite.
Worth knowing: Free usage is limited; long sessions may need a paid plan.
Jenni AI
Who it’s for: Students writing referenced essays or reports who want an editor that suggests next sentences and formats citations, rather than a checker.
Worth knowing: Easy to over-rely on. Write your own ideas first, check every citation and follow your course’s AI rules.
Visit Jenni AI ↗ (opens in new tab) (paid link: we may earn a commission)
Side-by-side comparison
| QuillBot | DeepL | ChatGPT | Claude | Jenni AI | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main job | Rewording, grammar, summaries, citations | Translation and second-language writing | Drafting and rewriting | Drafting and rewriting | Academic drafting and citations |
| Checks as you type | Browser extension and add-ons | Browser extension | No (copy and paste) | No (copy and paste) | In its own editor |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes: 50,000 characters/month | Yes | Yes | Yes: 10 autocompletes/day |
| Learning curve | Very easy | Very easy | Very easy | Very easy | Easy |
Pricing
| Plan | QuillBot | DeepL | ChatGPT | Claude | Jenni AI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | US$0 | US$0 | US$0 | US$0 | US$0 |
| Main paid plan | Premium: AU$12.49/month billed annually (Australian listing) | Individual: €7.49/month billed annually (European listing) | Go: US$8/month; Plus: US$20/month | Pro: US$20/month, or US$17/month billed annually | Plus: US$12/month; Pro: US$29/month (USD listing) |
| For comparison: Grammarly | Pro: US$12/month (as listed) |
Prices checked on 14 October 2026 from official pricing pages (quillbot.com/premium, deepl.com/pro, chatgpt.com/pricing, claude.com/pricing, jenni.ai/pricing and grammarly.com/plans. QuillBot and DeepL show local prices, so check the price for your region). Prices are in US dollars (USD) as listed. Australian prices, GST and app-store pricing can differ, and plans change often, so confirm on the provider’s site before you pay.
How to get started
Decide what you want: mistake checking, rewording, translation help or full rewrites.
Pick the matching tool and try its free plan on a paragraph you wrote yourself.
Compare the result with Grammarly’s free suggestions on the same paragraph.
Keep the tool that improves your writing while still sounding like you.
How we chose
We looked for beginner-friendly tools with useful free plans that solve the same problems people use Grammarly for. Prices come from each provider’s official pricing page on the date shown. This is editorial guidance, not a hands-on benchmark.
Checker, rephraser or assistant?
Grammarly is mainly a checker: it underlines issues as you type. QuillBot (opens in new tab) is mainly a rephraser, with a grammar checker, summariser and citation generator built in. DeepL is a translator with a writing helper. ChatGPT and Claude are assistants that can rewrite whole drafts from instructions. Knowing which you need makes the choice easy. For a detailed head-to-head, see Grammarly vs QuillBot.
A note on study rules
Rewording someone else’s work with a tool and submitting it as your own can breach academic integrity rules, even if it passes a plagiarism check. Use these tools on your own writing and check what your school or university allows.
Our verdict
If you want a free Grammarly alternative that does more than check, QuillBot is the best starting point, especially for students. Writers working across languages should try DeepL. And for rewriting a whole email or report, a chat assistant like ChatGPT or Claude is often faster than any checker. See also the best AI tools for writing emails.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free alternative to Grammarly?
QuillBot is a strong free alternative, with a paraphraser, grammar checker, summariser and citation generator.
Is QuillBot better than Grammarly?
They do different jobs. Grammarly is better at checking as you type; QuillBot is better at rewording, summarising and citations.
Can ChatGPT replace Grammarly?
For rewriting full drafts, often yes. But ChatGPT doesn’t check as you type in every app, so many people use both.
Is DeepL good for English writing?
DeepL Write helps improve wording, and DeepL is especially useful if you write in a second language.
How much does QuillBot Premium cost?
QuillBot listed Premium at AU$12.49 a month billed annually for Australia when we checked. Prices vary by region.
All alternatives → Find my AI tool ↗
Prices in US dollars; Australian GST and currency conversion may apply. Confirm the final price at checkout.