Grammarly AI

Grammarly has been correcting grammar and spelling for over a decade. With the addition of generative AI capabilities, it has evolved from a proofreading tool into a comprehensive writing assistant that works everywhere you type.

What it does

Grammarly AI operates at two levels. The foundational layer does what Grammarly has always done — catch grammar errors, spelling mistakes, punctuation issues, and suggest clearer phrasing. The AI layer adds generative capabilities: rewrite entire paragraphs, adjust tone (formal, friendly, confident, diplomatic), compose first drafts from prompts, and generate contextual suggestions based on your intent.

How it works in practice

Grammarly works as a browser extension, desktop app, and mobile keyboard. It embeds directly into Gmail, Google Docs, Slack, Microsoft Office, LinkedIn, and virtually every text field on the web. This ubiquity is its greatest strength — you do not need to copy text to a separate AI tool and back. The assistance appears inline, exactly where you are writing.

The tone adjustment feature is particularly useful for professional communication. Select a paragraph, choose "make more diplomatic" or "make more confident," and Grammarly rewrites it while preserving your meaning. For emails, Slack messages, and documents where tone matters, this saves considerable revision time.

Where it excels

Grammarly's integration breadth is unmatched. No other AI writing tool works across as many platforms simultaneously. For professionals who write across email, documents, chat, and social media throughout the day, having AI assistance in every text field — without switching tools — is a genuine productivity advantage.

The brand tone feature (Business plan) lets organisations define their communication style. Every employee's writing is then guided towards consistency. For companies with client-facing teams, this ensures professional, on-brand communication across the organisation.

Where it falls short

Grammarly's generative AI is less capable than dedicated AI assistants. If you need to write a 2,000-word report from scratch, Claude or ChatGPT will produce better first drafts. Grammarly excels at improving and refining text, not generating it from nothing. The generative features feel like an addition to a proofreading tool rather than a purpose-built content generator.

The pricing is also steep for individual users. At $30/month for the Premium plan and $25/user/month for Business, it costs more than many standalone AI assistants that offer broader capabilities.

The business case

For organisations where writing quality and consistency matter — consulting firms, agencies, customer-facing teams — Grammarly Business is a sound investment. For individuals, the value depends on how much you write and how important inline assistance is versus using a separate AI tool.