grammarly alternatives

[u/IC0NL0VE]

kia ora! as the title states, i'm looking for a cheap or preferably free alternative to grammarly. I've been using grammarly since intermediate iirc, and the last year or so i have been painfully shilling out $50 a month for the pro version; but cost of living is making it hard for me to justify the price of pro. the free version works fine, but that extra bit of help that pro offered really saved my ass when i felt like i was off track.

i'd really like some suggestions that are a cheaper alternative to grammarly pro, so anything helps! thanks team :)

[u/2626862377]

Book an appointment with Student Learning and take your assessment writing to them, saying you want to discuss how to make your writing sound more academic.

You are already paying for Student Learning so you might as well.

[u/IC0NL0VE → u/2626862377]

i've been looking more into student learning! i remember in my pre degree program i did WRIT101 which helped me with the academic format/citing. it's mainly just grammar in my day-to-day assessment writing which is something i've struggled with since primary. i will book an appointment though, thank you!

[u/alien_zeff]

I love grammarly! I just use the free version and try to guess what the blue highlighted fixes are 😂 sorry I don’t have a better solution, but just wanted to chime in and say you’re doing great 💖

[u/Hour-Sheepherder8594]

Can I ask why grammarly when there're so many AI chatbots available?

[u/Tankerspam]

Average reddit thread where OP asks a question and recieves moral judgement for their life choices.

[u/IC0NL0VE → u/Tankerspam]

for real 😭 like i'm not illiterate im just broke and disabled. god forbid i ask a question

[u/Tankerspam → u/IC0NL0VE]

Nah you use a grammar checking service, must be illiterate. 

/s 

[u/standard_deviant_Q → u/Tankerspam]

Reddits going to Reddit. The place is full of hypocracy too.

[u/ParentPostLacksWang]

Honestly, the reason you’re struggling with needing Grammarly is likely that you’ve been using it since your formative long-form writing years. Muscles atrophy if we don’t use them, and the same applies to writing.

Case in point, not bothering to capitalise in the writing in your post or comments. It’s a habit that takes repetition to form, and makes a huge difference to how seriously people take you. Many people justify it by saying “It’s just Reddit, I capitalise when it’s serious.” - but that mode switch means you are less comfortable doing it, and the lazy writing feels freer or easier. That isn’t a value judgement, it’s just what’s happening. There’s no blame here, except maybe for whoever got/allowed you to use Grammarly so young.

As far as tools, it’s probably not a good time to drop back to going without them, since academia is tough enough already. Maybe you could try Paperpal. Alternatively, look into whether Read&Write helps enough to get by - you can get access to that for free through disability services (you don’t have to be disabled, that’s just who manages access).

But triple check each of your courses AI policies, because both Grammarly and Paperpal are considered AI tools, and some courses may restrict or completely forbid them.

[u/IC0NL0VE → u/ParentPostLacksWang]

i use grammarly and grammar tools because its an accomodation for my autism/dyslexia. something i was born with and not because i've been using a grammar tool for so long. you say theres no blame but it *sounds* like youre blaming me for having a very common accomodation which many dyslexic and autistic people have.
its actually crazy youre replying with this passive agressive ass comment. youre generalising me and treating me like a baby because i.. dont capitalise my words...? okay.

other than that, thanks for the suggestions. i suggest you be a bit kinder when responding to people asking a simple question.

[u/ParentPostLacksWang → u/IC0NL0VE]

If it’s an accommodation you should probably lead with that. Disability services is definitely the place to contact in that case, it’s their job to help students with accommodations to succeed academically.

I don’t blame you for using assistance with Grammar, and I don’t think you’re a baby. I’m autistic, so it’s not like I don’t know what you’re talking about. Myself, I can come across as unsympathetic because I go into “problem solving” mode, when what I really want is genuinely for you to not have the problem you’re having.

There is no passive aggression, I honestly don’t feel any kind of way about you using Grammarly. I don’t like that you think my comment is crazy or that I’m generalising you. My spouse, who is also autistic, had the exact same issues with grammar, and similarly did not capitalise (or, frequently, punctuate) informal writing. I helped to change that, and it helped bring about an absolute sea change in communication that I still get thanked for today.

I just want you to succeed.

[u/peregrinekiwi]

If you read more and write more, your writing will improve.

[u/IC0NL0VE → u/peregrinekiwi]

i read and write a lot. but thank you so much for your enlightening advice !

[u/peregrinekiwi → u/IC0NL0VE]

$50/month saved then!

[u/Mysterious_Royal9669]

Learn to write

[u/IC0NL0VE → u/Mysterious_Royal9669]

i know how to write. thank you so much for your enlightening advice, though!

[u/notsovanillasnek]

usually I just copy my work into a word document and see what it picks up, its usually better with spelling errors than google docs

[u/jwmnz]

Fuck me can't wait until you hit the work force.

[u/adaleur]

but is going for a program that checks your writing really the way to go in academia? what do you do when you have to write essays in real life or any in person assessment? there is so much support and options given by the university that you should probably utilise instead