Grammarly Free Tier — What You Actually Get (2026)
AI grammar, clarity, and tone checking everywhere you type.
What is Grammarly?
Grammarly is the writing assistant that works everywhere you already type — email, docs, browser, and desktop apps — quietly catching mistakes and suggesting clearer phrasing. It has layered generative AI on top of its long-standing grammar engine, but its core value is still real-time correctness and tone feedback as you write.
What the free tier includes
The free plan covers the essentials well: spelling, grammar, and punctuation corrections, basic tone detection, and the browser extension and desktop apps that put it inside almost every app you use. What it holds back are the advanced rewrites, full-sentence clarity suggestions, tone adjustments, and the generative AI writing features, which are reserved for Premium.
Who it's best for
Students, professionals, and non-native English writers who want dependable real-time correction across every app without thinking about it. The free tier alone meaningfully improves everyday writing.
The honest limitation
The free plan flags issues but often withholds the actual fix, nudging you toward Premium. Its suggestions can also be over-cautious, occasionally flagging correct stylistic choices as errors.
Is the paid plan worth it?
Premium at around $12/mo unlocks full rewrites, clarity and tone suggestions, and the generative features. It is worth it for people who write a lot professionally; for basic error-catching the free tier is genuinely useful on its own.
Getting the most from the free tier
The free plan flags more than it fixes, so treat the underlines as a checklist even when the exact rewrite is paywalled — you can usually see the problem and fix it yourself. Install the browser extension and desktop app so it works everywhere you type, which is where its real value compounds. Turn off suggestions that clash with your deliberate style, and don't accept every comma change blindly; Grammarly is a strong safety net, not an authority on voice.
Grammarly free tier at a glance
| Free tier | Free forever: grammar checks, basic tone detection, browser extension. |
| Free forever? | Yes |
| Paid plans | Premium: $12/mo |
| Category | Writing |
Frequently asked questions
Is Grammarly free?
Yes. The free plan covers spelling, grammar, punctuation, basic tone detection, and works across browsers and apps.
What does Grammarly Premium add?
Premium unlocks full-sentence rewrites, advanced clarity and tone suggestions, and generative AI writing help.
Is the free version of Grammarly enough?
For catching everyday errors, yes. Heavy professional writers benefit most from Premium's rewrite and clarity features.
Is Grammarly safe to use?
Grammarly is widely used and encrypts data in transit, but because it reads what you type, avoid using it on highly confidential fields like passwords or medical records.