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Grammar Checking

Is Grammarly Premium Worth It? Reading the Free vs. Paid Split Closely

Grammarly's pricing page leads with "$12/month" for Pro (what used to be called Premium) — but that figure is the annual plan averaged out, not what actually gets charged each month. Here's what Free actually leaves out, what the real monthly cost looks like under each billing option, and where a dedicated free grammar checker fits instead.

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Grammarly Pro, By the Numbers
Billed Monthly$30/month
Billed Annually$144/year upfront ($12/mo averaged)
Free Plan ExcludesPlagiarism check, full rewrites, AI detection

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1

What Grammarly Free actually leaves out

Grammarly's own plan comparison shows Free covering real-time spelling, grammar, and punctuation checking, basic tone detection, and 100 AI prompts a month. What it doesn't include: plagiarism checking, full-sentence AI rewrites, tone-adjustment suggestions, and AI-generated-text detection — all of that is gated behind Pro specifically, according to Grammarly's own current plans page.

For a student mainly checking grammar and spelling before submitting an essay, Free covers the actual core use case. The gap shows up if you also want a plagiarism check or AI-detection read on the same draft — those are separate, paid features on Grammarly's side, not part of the free tier at all.

2

The $12/month figure isn't what gets charged monthly

This is the part worth reading closely: Grammarly Pro's billing works out to $30/month if you pay monthly, $60 every three months ($20/month averaged) on the quarterly plan, or $144 charged upfront once a year on the annual plan — which averages to the $12/month figure that appears as the headline price on Grammarly's marketing. Unless you select annual billing specifically, you won't be paying $12 in any given month.

That distinction matters because it's a documented source of billing confusion — the annual plan's real cost is $144 charged all at once, not $12 recurring monthly, and missing that difference before subscribing is an easy way to be surprised at renewal.

3

How StudyPilot's grammar checker compares

StudyPilot's grammar checker catches grammar, spelling, punctuation, word choice, passive voice, run-ons, and comma splices, with one-click fixes and plain-English explanations — and it's stated as free every day with no word limit on basic checks, no credit card, and no trial period to remember to cancel.

It doesn't replace Grammarly Pro's full feature set — Grammarly's plagiarism checking, AI-rewrite tools, and tone-adjustment suggestions go further than a grammar checker alone covers. If what you actually need day-to-day is catching mistakes before you submit, rather than a full writing-assistant subscription, that's the more common case a free grammar checker is built for.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Grammarly Free include a plagiarism checker?+
No — per Grammarly's own current plans page, plagiarism checking is a Pro-only feature. Free covers spelling, grammar, punctuation, and basic tone detection.
Is Grammarly Pro really $12 a month?+
Only if you pay for the full year upfront — $144 charged at once, which averages to $12/month. Paying monthly costs $30/month instead, and quarterly billing works out to $20/month ($60 every three months).
Does Grammarly's free plan check for AI-generated text?+
No — AI-generated-text detection is a Pro feature, separate from the free plan's grammar and spelling checks, per Grammarly's own plan comparison.
Is there a free alternative if I just need grammar checking, not the full Grammarly suite?+
A dedicated free grammar checker covers the core use case (grammar, spelling, punctuation, clarity) without the subscription — worth considering if plagiarism checking, AI rewrites, or AI detection aren't things you need on the same tool.

Catch grammar mistakes without a subscription

Free every day, no word limit on basic checks, no credit card and no trial to remember to cancel.

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