LanguageTool checks spelling, grammar and style in more than 30 languages. You can run the open-source checker on your own server so your writing never leaves your hands. The company's own apps and extensions add paid features.
Has 4 of 5
How many people bookmarked its code on GitHub. It shows how popular it is, not how good it is or how well it replaces the app.
How hard it is to start using it. Easy: install it like a normal app, or use it in your browser. Advanced: you run it on your own server, use the command line, or it is a tool for developers.
Its code changed within the last year, so someone is still looking after it.
Does the whole job.
Ordered by how fully it replaces the app, Verified, setup and, when there are enough, people's votes.
In your browser · Windows · Mac · LinuxApache-2.0Replaces partly
Harper is a fast grammar and spell checker that runs entirely on your own computer, so nothing you write is sent anywhere. It works in code editors and as a browser add-on, in English.
Has 2 of 5 · Many languages ✗ +1
How many people bookmarked its code on GitHub. It shows how popular it is, not how good it is or how well it replaces the app.
How hard it is to start using it. Easy: install it like a normal app, or use it in your browser. Advanced: you run it on your own server, use the command line, or it is a tool for developers.
Its code changed within the last year, so someone is still looking after it.
Does part of the job.
Ordered by how fully it replaces the app, Verified, setup and, when there are enough, people's votes.
None of these match. Try another device.
Switching from Grammarly
Get your data out
Open your privacy settings and select Submit Request next to Personal Data Report.
Wait for the email (usually a few hours), then re-enter your credentials to view it. Access lasts seven days.
Grammarly says documents stored in your account can be downloaded by following its Help Center steps; I did not find those steps.
Help me choose
I want to pick an open-source replacement for Grammarly. Below is a list from Open Source Everything (CC BY-SA 4.0), in the order its website shows it. The order is a starting point, not a verdict.
- LanguageTool: LanguageTool checks spelling, grammar and style in more than 30 languages. You can run the open-source checker on your own server so your writing never leaves your hands. The company's own apps and extensions add paid features. [Advanced setup; runs on a server you set up; replaces fully; LGPL-2.1; https://github.com/languagetool-org/languagetool]
- Harper: Harper is a fast grammar and spell checker that runs entirely on your own computer, so nothing you write is sent anywhere. It works in code editors and as a browser add-on, in English. [Advanced setup; In your browser · Windows · Mac · Linux; replaces partly; Apache-2.0; https://github.com/automattic/harper]
Setup rating: "Easy setup" means you can install it like a normal app, use it in a browser. "Advanced setup" means you must run it on your own server or use the command line, or it is a tool for developers.
Full details: https://opensourceeverything.org/data/groups/writing-assistant.json
Before recommending anything, ask me these three questions (one at a time, in plain words): 1) Which device or devices will I use it on (Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, iPhone)? 2) How comfortable am I with technical setup: only installing apps from a store, happy to follow a step-by-step guide, or comfortable with servers and the command line? 3) What is my budget: free only, or willing to pay for hosting or support? Then recommend one to three projects from this list only, and for each say why, using how fully it replaces the app, its setup rating, and the devices it runs on. If nothing on the list fits me, say so plainly instead of stretching.
Before you build
Read the list of open-source projects at https://opensourceeverything.org/data/groups/writing-assistant.json. Compare it with my project or idea below. Tell me which projects overlap, what I could reuse instead of rewriting, and what mine does that none of them do.
My project or idea: