Let’s have a closer look
LanguageTool
LanguageTool is an AI-based spelling, style and grammar checking tool that helps correct texts across multiple languages. While it provides users with language choices, it doesn’t offer comparable functionality to Grammarly in terms of accuracy and features.
The free version of LanguageTool checks for spelling and grammatical errors and suggests changes. It’s capable of dealing with complex grammar issues (such as subject/verb agreement) and provides tips for style improvements. The premium plan offers access to an advanced plagiarism checker.
We like:
- 30 languages
- Multilingual spelling and grammar check
- Contextual analysis
- Constructive writing suggestions
- Advanced plagiarism checker (Premium plan only)
We don’t like:
- In comparison to some other premium proofreading tools, LanguageTool lacks sophisticated features
Verdict: LanguageTool is a capable and user-friendly proofreader, which offers economically priced plans in multiple languages. While its contextual analysis is good, if more advanced features are essential for your needs, we’d suggest looking at other providers to compare.
Grammarly
Grammarly checks your copy for spelling, structural and grammatical errors. It can also conduct plagiarism checks on your documents. This proofreading tool has been the market leader in this sector for years and is used daily by millions of people.
The advanced features are exclusive to the premium versions, but the free version is still comprehensive enough for most business needs.
As well as the capable free version, individual users can choose between three different premium plans. There is also a multi-user premium plan for teams, which offers great value.
We like:
- Comprehensive grammar and spelling check
- Easy to use
- Highlighted writing suggestions that you can accept with a single click
- Document scoring and reporting
We don't like:
- Advanced proofreading checks are only available in the premium versions
- English only
Verdict: Grammarly stands out as an excellent free online proofreader. Users can either make single corrections as they are highlighted or use a scrollable list of all the errors to make bulk changes when they finish writing the document. The software can be used with a wide range of applications and platforms, such as Google Docs, MS Word, X, MS PowerPoint, LinkedIn, Gmail etc.
Linguix
Linguix provides a good range of proofreading features and can be used in six languages, making it ideal for businesses producing multilingual content. This easy-to-use tool provides automatic error detection and correction for spellings and grammar. The real-time analysis feature provides instant feedback and guidance as you type, making it a practical solution for many different writing tasks, from emails and articles to social media posts.
Linguix is able to adapt itself to individual writing styles, offering personalised suggestions designed to improve readability and boost engagement.
We like:
- Real-time intuitive error detection and correction
- Advanced style suggestions to improve writing
- Clarity and consistency suggestions
We don’t like:
- Linguix doesn’t pick up quite as many nuanced weaknesses as some other premium tools manage to do. This might be because its emphasis is more on correcting grammatical errors rather than suggesting improvements in style
Verdict: Linguix stands out as a reliable, affordable and adaptable solution for larger content creation teams working across multiple languages.
ProWritingAid
ProWritingAid provides an integrated spelling and grammar checker, style editor and a personal writing mentor. This comprehensive tool improves accuracy and efficiency and can also monitor brand voice consistency. It also has some handy extra features, like suggestions for repeated words and phrases.
The free version provides 20 different writing reports to help improve content and monitor consistency across documents. As well as more reports and enhanced functionality, the premium version integrates with multiple browsers and other applications such as MS Outlook, MS Word, Google Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge, OpenOffice, Scrivener and Google Docs.
We like:
- Identification of clichés, redundancies and overused words
- Highlighting ‘clunky’ sentences and offering alternatives
- Highlighting and correcting grammar and spelling errors
- Real-time editing suggestions
- Summary reports delivering statistical insights
- Writing style reports
We don’t like:
- The free version is limited to editing 500 words at a time
- Premium+ plan has restrictions on plagiarism checks
- English only
Verdict: ProWritingAid is a powerful and user-friendly tool. Its writing style reports are particularly useful for individual writers and teams of content creators. Although the free plan has a frustratingly low word limit, the premium plans are unlimited and offer integration with various other popular applications.
Paperrater
Paperrater is a robust, reliable online proofreading tool that highlights spelling and grammatical errors. It then offers constructive suggestions for corrections or alternative wordings.
You can check 50 documents, each with a maximum of five pages, per month with the basic plan. Upgrading to a premium plan boosts that allowance up to 200 documents, each with a maximum of 20 pages. It also unlocks enhanced features and reports.
We like:
- Online grammar check and spelling correction
- Writing suggestions
- Automated copy scoring
- Advanced plagiarism checker (Premium versions only)
- File upload (Premium versions only)
We don’t like:
- The free version excludes many features
- The basic version only checks 50 documents per month
- English only
Verdict: The free Paperrater option is suitable only for straightforward writing. It falls short of advanced proofreading features. For writing professionals, the premium version offers a better range of features, including plagiarism checking. If you’re writing in English only, we’d recommend the free version of Grammarly instead of this tool.
Ginger
Ginger is a cloud-based multilingual proofreading tool designed to be used by businesses and educational institutions. It automatically identifies spelling errors, suggests improvements for sentence structures, and highlights misused words in multilingual text.
Users can also ask Ginger for suggestions such as synonyms, idioms or phrases to use in context. Ginger also supports API-based integrations with third party Learning Management Systems (LMS) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) applications.
We like:
- Automatic error detection and correction
- Sentence style enhancement with synonyms, idioms or phrases
- Personalised writing practice sessions (Personal Trainer Feature)
- API-based integration for LMS and CRM
- Premium version translates to more than 40 languages
- Text reader
We don’t like:
- The grammar check could be improved
- There’s no plagiarism checker
Verdict: Ginger is a capable, high-end proofreading tool with premium features that make it scalable for any size of business and application. Its text reader and translation capabilities make it a good choice for organisations creating multilingual content on a regular basis.
Typely
Typely is a basic free online proofreading tool that operates in English only. As well as checking for grammar and spelling mistakes, it provides a statistical overview of the text it checks and a quality score. This can be used for monitoring content consistency across multiple writers.
Typely allows the export of corrected documents to either your desktop or Google Docs for convenient storage. Despite being relatively new and basic in comparison to other online proofreading tools, Typely users say that the tool is regularly updated in response to customer requests for improvements.
We like:
- Capable grammar and spelling check
- Highlighted writing suggestions
- Basic scoring and reporting
We don’t like:
- No plagiarism checker
- No direct document upload feature; users must copy and paste text onto the interface
Verdict: Typely, despite its basic offering, offers a valuable free proofreading solution for those writing in English only. While it lacks more sophisticated features, users can check documents without limits and it’s completely free. If you’re working in English only, we’d recommend trying Typely before buying another English-only subscription.
What’s the difference between copy-editing and proofreading?
Copy-editing and proofreading are two different stages of an editing process, and are usually carried out consecutively. Both stages are essential to ensure that published content is polished and error-free.
Copy-editing addresses higher-level issues related to content and structure. This can result in rewriting or removing whole sections of a document. A human copy-editor checks that the tone of voice is consistent and appropriate throughout the text and may suggest style changes. The editor makes some of these decisions subjectively by using their own experience and knowledge of the organisation and target audience. Find out more about copy-editing services.
Proofreading is usually completed after copy-editing to check for errors like typos, spelling mistakes and grammatical problems. Proofreading adds the final polish before the content is published. The copy correction process is objective rather than subjective, so advanced AI proofreading tools can highlight errors and suggest changes, and usually include a tool to help with rewording sentences.
The very best proofreaders are still human, despite advances in AI language learning! If you’d rather proofread yourself and you have the time available, read our guide to find out how to proofread documents to get you started.
Our proofreading services
As a member of the world’s leading language service provider group, we know how important accuracy, clarity and consistency is in every language. Your business communicates with the world using published content, whether that’s written or spoken, and that’s why it’s vital to make sure your voice doesn’t make mistakes.
To help you take your content from conception to world-conquering, we offer expert copy-editing and proofreading services using our network of first-language speakers of more than 200 languages. We can match you with a language professional with experience in your specific industry, so they’ll know exactly what challenges you face and how your audience thinks.
Our copy-editing and proofreading services can be tailored to match your exact requirements, providing support where and when you need it.
Find out more about our expert proofreading services
Key take aways
- Some proofreading can be done using a free online proofreading tool, unlike copy-editing which usually needs human input
- There are many proofreading tools and online grammar checks available now that can help your business save time and money. Some of them are free to use and some require a subscription
- Online proofreading software can help to correct spellings, perform online grammar checks and offers a tool for rewording sentences
- Finding the right proofreading and online grammar check tool depends on identifying what level of support your business needs
- Semantix offers professional copy-editing and proofreading services in more than 200 languages
