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Has anyone found anything better than Grammarly

by gingerninjas
19 replies
Hi Everyone,

I have been using Grammarly, and loving it however it doesn't provide an option for UK English... does anyone know of a good program that is as effective but can manage US and UK English and grammar?

Thanks in advance.
#found #grammarly
  • Profile picture of the author TinkBD
    I can offer some suggestions for FICTION ;-) which may or may not be useful for the OP, but might help someone else later on. lol

    If you are writing FICTION, look at AutoCrit and ProWriter...I'm pretty sure AC has a Free option, and I think ProWriter might as well.

    Generally, in terms of fiction and "Merican English vs English English -- if the market is primarily American, use American...

    The most important thing is to make a decision -- A v E -- and be consistent ;-) If you are using E, it can help to 'splain that in the book description.

    I don't know whether either gives a choice regarding A v E, but AutoCrit recently implemented genre algos, so make sure you are using the correct settings. I did a quick and completely NON scientific check and the results offered DO differ by genre chosen ;-)
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  • Profile picture of the author laurencewins
    The best software to use for both forms of English is called eyeballs. This is also known as the human touch. No software program will detect all errors within your work, especially if you spell a word incorrectly for your intention but it still forms a real word.

    Yes, paying somebody (like me and other people) will cost you more BUT if you want to be professional about your content, then it may have to be the option to take.
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    • Profile picture of the author gingerninjas
      Ha, I must agree with you there of course. There is really no substitute for humans, however I do like the extra support of Grammarly or similar programs when I am writing. Thanks for your comment
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    • Profile picture of the author TinkBD
      Originally Posted by laurencewins View Post

      The best software to use for both forms of English is called eyeballs. This is also known as the human touch. No software program will detect all errors within your work, especially if you spell a word incorrectly for your intention but it still forms a real word.
      It's not either/or lol

      When I pay editors, I want them to find the important stuff, so I give them the *BEST* draft I can...

      It is not in my best interest to waste their time telling me I have too many *that*s

      AutoCrit does a GREAT job telling me *that* <pun intended> ;-)
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      • Profile picture of the author gingerninjas
        Originally Posted by TinkBD View Post

        It's not either/or lol

        When I pay editors, I want them to find the important stuff, so I give them the *BEST* draft I can...

        It is not in my best interest to waste their time telling me I have too many *that*s

        AutoCrit does a GREAT job telling me *that* <pun intended> ;-)
        Great - thanks for your post - I will check that out too.

        I agree - I don't want editors finding my silly mistakes.. these programs help me focus on the writing a little more.

        I check out AutoCrit too
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  • Profile picture of the author AnniePot
    You may find this post from the Good Content Company interesting: Do proofreading tools really work? | The Good Content Company
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  • Profile picture of the author laurencewins
    I'm following this thread because I'm an editor and writer and it's interesting to see different points of view. There's nothing wrong with using some of these programs to help clean up your text. I think the catch is where people blindly believe that these programs catch EVERYTHING. It's certainly not an either/or scenario.

    I know some hate other people seeing their "silly" mistakes.
    I never look at things as "silly." For example, I have several dyslexic clients and they're grateful they can just write and know I'll clean everything up for them.
    However, if you use these programs and then hire an editor for the final polish, it can save you money and time as well.

    I sometimes ask for a chapter as an example so I can see if it's going to need editing on every line or only a few items per page. The latter means my quote will be lower.
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    • Profile picture of the author gingerninjas
      Originally Posted by laurencewins View Post

      I'm following this thread because I'm an editor and writer and it's interesting to see different points of view. There's nothing wrong with using some of these programs to help clean up your text. I think the catch is where people blindly believe that these programs catch EVERYTHING. It's certainly not an either/or scenario.

      I know some hate other people seeing their "silly" mistakes.
      I never look at things as "silly." For example, I have several dyslexic clients and they're grateful they can just write and know I'll clean everything up for them.
      However, if you use these programs and then hire an editor for the final polish, it can save you money and time as well.

      I sometimes ask for a chapter as an example so I can see if it's going to need editing on every line or only a few items per page. The latter means my quote will be lower.
      I agree, nothing will replace an editor - I just find it a helpful tool. There is never anything better than a human editor, software just won't cut the mustard but I must say it does come in very handy from time to time.
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  • Profile picture of the author AnniePot
    I agree 100% with Tink and Laurence. Editing software definitely has its place, but it will never be a match for the human eye and brain. I too offer proofreading and editing services and I encourage my clients to purchase either Grammarly, Serenity Editor, SmartEdit or AutoCrit, then run their work through the program of their choice to "tidy it up" first.

    I always emphasize though that they should never accept everything the program flags as gospel because no matter how good any of them may be, they still rely upon programming to function and no programming on earth can read and interpret writing as a human brain will.
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    • Profile picture of the author gingerninjas
      Originally Posted by AnniePot View Post

      I agree 100% with Tink and Laurence. Editing software definitely has its place, but it will never be a match for the human eye and brain. I too offer proofreading and editing services and I encourage my clients to purchase either Grammarly, Serenity Editor, SmartEdit or AutoCrit, then run their work through the program of their choice to "tidy it up" first.

      I always emphasize though that they should never accept everything the program flags as gospel because no matter how good any of them may be, they still rely upon programming to function and no programming on earth can read and interpret writing as a human brain will.
      Amen, I totally agree with you there. Thanks.
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  • Profile picture of the author Breanne Rushing
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    • Profile picture of the author gingerninjas
      Originally Posted by Breanne Rushing View Post

      I tried Grammarly on the suggestion of another editor on the blog I work for, and I did not like it at all. I had to spend more time going back and fixing the things it kept trying to 'correct' (which were not really wrong). Needless to say, it got old very quickly.

      Because of that experience, I can see how frustrating it would be to have it constantly attempt to correct your spelling when you're using UK English! I'm surprised that there isn't a setting on the program to switch dictionaries like you can with a word processor.

      I don't know of a solution to this, but I might poke around and see if I can find something. It's hard to believe that this doesn't exist.

      Hey, maybe you found a gap in the spellchecker market??
      Hi, I actually contacted Grammarly and asked about whether they will be doing a UK English integration and they said it was "in the pipeline"... so annoying. The spelling is the big issue and I find if I spell check it in Word before I put it in there sometimes it is better however it is really annoying. I am on the hunt that's for sure and I will update the thread if I find anything as a pre-proof read grammar/spelling tool.
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  • Profile picture of the author fredi
    Currently, I am using Ginger. You may try this one. Although, I am not sure that is it better than Grammarly or not?
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    • Profile picture of the author gingerninjas
      Originally Posted by fredi View Post

      Currently, I am using Ginger. You may try this one. Although, I am not sure that is it better than Grammarly or not?
      Great - I have been hearing a little bit about Ginger as well - does it support UK English well?
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  • Profile picture of the author ShawnLim
    Usually I will run through the check with both Grammarly and SpellCheckPlus.
    Sometime some tools just can't detect the error, so I will use 2 for the checking.
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    • Profile picture of the author gingerninjas
      Originally Posted by ShawnLim View Post

      Usually I will run through the check with both Grammarly and SpellCheckPlus.
      Sometime some tools just can't detect the error, so I will use 2 for the checking.
      Thanks Shawn, yes I do the same.

      A few people in this thread have suggested Ginger as well, which I am looking to download and check out as well.
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      • Profile picture of the author Breanne Rushing
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        • Profile picture of the author gingerninjas
          Originally Posted by Breanne Rushing View Post

          Yes, it looks like Ginger is your best bet, 'Gingerninja'.

          I found this in their blog:
          How do I specify which type of English (US/UK) Ginger uses? » Ginger Pages
          It seems ironic that I haven't been using this all along doesn't it

          Since this post I have heard that Grammarly now offers UK English options - yippee - which is awesome.

          I will download Ginger and see how it compares, a lot of people have been saying they use two anyway based on what they need so I might test out that option as well.
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          • Profile picture of the author neshaword
            Originally Posted by gingerninjas View Post

            It seems ironic that I haven't been using this all along doesn't it

            Since this post I have heard that Grammarly now offers UK English options - yippee - which is awesome.

            I will download Ginger and see how it compares, a lot of people have been saying they use two anyway based on what they need so I might test out that option as well.
            I'm here to confirm first-hand that Ginger Software offers UK/US check option. However, if you haven't used Ginger, you may find it to be a little bit annoying. It doesn't work like Grammarly in word. You need to wait until it checks sentence by sentence. Also, you get a limited number of automatic changes on a weekly level. Meaning, you will have to apply changes manually most of the time. For what is worth, you choose the paid option, which is much more affordable compared to Grammarly. Happy checks! N
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            • Profile picture of the author gingerninjas
              Originally Posted by neshaword View Post

              I'm here to confirm first-hand that Ginger Software offers UK/US check option. However, if you haven't used Ginger, you may find it to be a little bit annoying. It doesn't work like Grammarly in Word. You need to wait until it checks sentence by sentence. Also, you get a limited number of automatic changes on a weekly level. Meaning, you will have to apply changes manually most of the time. For what is worth, you choose the paid option, which is much more affordable compared to Grammarly. Happy checks! N
              Oh geez, that does sound a tad annoying - can you pay for a premium version and not have any limits. Usually, I copy and paste the content into the program as it doesn't work so well on Mac and it doesn't work on Word directly.. I will be checking it out though, I appreciate you sending this info.

              Any other things I should know about?
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