I was using a few grammar programs to help keep my writing clean and concise. Tools like Grammarly, and the Hemingway App, for around a month before I was lead to ProWritingAid by a creative writer and fellow blogger I follow on twitter.
I am forever grateful for her recommendation! The free ProWritingAid is far superior to both Grammarly and the Hemingway App combined at the free level. If you have never used a grammar checker of this caliber you are in for quite a treat!
ProWritingAid provides paid versions with extra implementation, deep faster checks, and browser extensions. When you upgrade to the more advanced version of the app nothing even comes in range of beating this grammar juggernaut.
Overall Ranking: 97/100
Price: $0 - $40/year
Owner: Orpheus Technology
Website: http://prowritingaid.com
Three Levels of ProWritingAid
Free:
They give a ton of information on your writing for free. When I first used it I was overwhelmed. I'm not an English major or a published writer so most of the terms used were foreign. Luckily, this app gives an overview of what each section means.
Once you click on the issues, it shows you possible options that can improve your writing, make it more clear, and less wordy. Even at this level, I was not only improving my writing but learning. As I used the software more I noticed that each time I had less errors over all. That's a good feeling!
Premium:
Premium will cost you a measly $35/year. This knocks out their competition. Grammarly asks for $100+ per year to see the "advanced issues" that they hide from the free version.
Features of premium:
- Fast Article Analysis
- Microsoft Word Integration (Windows only).
- Google Docs Integration
- Desktop app
- Chrome Extension
- WordPress Plugin
- Writemonkey Plugin
- Reports including Corporate Wording and Pronouns
- Personalized reports
- The ability to create your own rules or House Style.
You may buy multiple years at one time for a discount or just hop in for life for only $120.
Premium+:
Their top tier package includes the features of free and premium along with 50 free plagiarism checks. This package starts off at $40/year and drops in price if you buy multiples years. There is a lifetime buy for a one time payment of $320.
Reasons to Use ProWritingAid
Improve Readability:
When using the application you will come out with the readability of your writing greatly improved. The software checks for many issues. These include:
- Commonly overused words
- Hidden and passive verbs
- Cliches and redundancies
- Overuse of adverbs and glue words
- Vague, abstract and complex words
- Repetitive sentence structure
- Repeated words and phrases
Catch those Embarrassing Mistakes:
No one likes to be told they made a mistake, but it's good to know so they can be fixed. ProWritingAid helps keep the grammar police at bay by covering every part of your writing. Below is a sample of the mistakes the app catches.
- Punctuation Placement
- General grammar mistakes
- Correct spelling mistakes
- Plagiarism
- Commonly confused words
- Capitalization and hyphenation
Become a Great Writer:
As you use the application you will learn how good grammar sounds. As you write you will catch these mistakes. Even though I don't recommend editing as you are writing since it breaks the flow. You will, at least, have the mental note of what not to do. Over time you will end up with less mistakes when checking with ProWritingAid.
How to Use ProWritingAid:
This is how I use their premium web app. I have not yet tested the Microsoft Word or Google Doc integration, so I not able to comment on the functionality.
After logging into prowritingaid.com, I click the "Editing Tool" link at the top of the page. If the post already exists I copy and paste the text into the white space. Click once to get rid of the text, then once more before you paste. I'm not sure what the reason is for clicking twice but it seems the area needs re-selected (at least for my computer and browser).
Now the fun starts.
Once the post is finished or is pasted into the space you will use the icons at the top of the text area. (Pictured above) They include style, grammar, overused, cliches, sticky, diction, repeats, combo, more, and settings. I go through the list one at a time. Starting with style and working my way to combo. Once I complete the list I go through the process again.
The reason I go through the options twice is due to making changes as the app finds issues within my writing. I want to be as sure as possible that my writing is free of grammar, style, and diction errors. As you use ProWritingAid, you will see one section where you always have issues. For me it's the sticky sentences, I write long and drawn out sentences with lots of 'glue words'.
Once I'm finished with the two passes I then copy and paste the text right into WordPress. It's that simple and you can be confident that your writing is the best it can be.
Is This ProWritingAid for You?
This app is for anyone who owns a blog, has a job writing, and students. I'll focus on bloggers for now since if you are reading this you are most likely a blogger or looking to blog. It's a good idea to use this ProWritingAid to check your writing. Even if you can only afford the free version to start.
When people come to your blog you want them to get the information you offer, in an easy to absorb manner. Having bad punctuation, misspelled words, and horrible grammar will keep them from learning. They may not come back if it's horrible.
Give your readers the best chance to learn by providing clear and precise posts with great grammar. You will get better engagement, questions, and more shares. I also recommend using the chrome extension if you use chrome as your web browser. That way all of your blog emails get the same grammar treatment from ProWritingAid.