Grammarly Substitutes?

My language disability is severe. I am heavily dependent on technology to write legibly.  I'm often tempted to give up and stop using the internet for the pain that comes from public shaming (they call it correcting) when I make a mistake.  Today is one of those days.

Google spellcheck just isn't up for my level of dyslexia and has no contextual spelling abilities.  At least it's stopped shutting down due to "no known language detected" but it's still causing major issues trying to communicate.

Grammarly has skyrocketed in price over the last few years.  It's not defaulting to auto-correct (which does not help).  Worse, the suggestions are getting fewer and fewer and can no longer deal with my needs.  Because my natural spelling is so far off normal, the suggestions are as bad or worse than not having any spellcheck at all.  At $144 USD a  year (aka, nearly 3 weeks at my current income) I decided not to renew next month.  

But what else is there for chrome plugins?  

Forgive me, the free version does not work for you?  

Of course, only you can decide on your needs.   I am satisfied with Apache Open Office.   It is free.

Joylynn Hardesty wrote:Forgive me, the free version does not work for you?  

I can't find details on what the free one includes anymore.  Does it include the chrome plug in.  Does anyone know?

I'm pretty sure it doesn't have the custom dictionary.  Which I can live without.  

In comparison, when I first started, it was 2 days wage for a one year subscription.  Now it's two weeks income.  My situation has changed but their price also keeps going up.  


But also, their suggestions are worse than they used to be.  It used to be my scribbles could give me four or five suggested words.  Now it's one - and usually the wrong one.  

I should clarify, I need a chrome plugin.  

Sorry,  I don't know what a chrome plug in is.

It's the thing that activates Grammarly whenever I write something on chrome - like this post.  

Possibly a stupid question... is Chrome also Google? I just discovered grammarly works in Google docs. Sigh. All the time I've lost correcting stuff all by myself....

Joylynn Hardesty wrote:Possibly a stupid question... is Chrome also Google? I just discovered grammarly works in Google docs. Sigh. All the time I've lost correcting stuff all by myself....

Chrome is an internet browser, which is maintained by Google. I believe Google docs has built in spellcheck facilities.

If you're concerned about internet security, then you should avoid Grammarly. When you use it in the form of a Chrome extension, EVERYTHING you browse/type - including any sensitive info you might enter in a banking website for example - gets transmitted to Grammarly's servers in an unencrypted format. I recognize there are many things you would type that don't matter if it gets out, but when you use Grammarly you don't have the option of filtering what they get, it's just going to pull everything you type.

https://www.kolide.com/blog/is-grammarly-a-keylogger-what-can-you-do-about-it

I’ve been using quillbot.
https://quillbot.com/grammar-check

I don’t think it’s quite as good as grammarly but often I can’t get the free version to work either so out of an abundance of frustration I just stopped trying. I don’t know if you can use it as a plug-in though. I just navigate to the page when I need it.

I have never paid for grammarly, so I thought I would check whether it would work for this reply - it does! The plugin says I don't have the following features:

- Sign up now to unlock the following:
Personal dictionary
Save and access your documents
Get weekly writing statistics and tips

(I don't use any of these, but they both have good reviews)

language tool
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/grammar-spell-checker-%E2%80%94-l/oldceeleldhonbafppcapldpdifcinji

Linguix is supposed to be a lot like grammarly
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/linguix-grammar-and-spell/ndgklmlnheedegipcohgcbjhhgddendc

I went searching in the chrome store and found a long list, which you might find interesting.
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/search/grammar?_category=extensions

I use the free version of Grammarly as it was recommended by someone on the forum.  

So far it works on all the websites that I use.

Since I already use it I see no reason to change.

It auto-corrects some words which makes it so if I don't reread what I wrote I then have to go back and edit.

This is my only complaint.

Have you considered switching to a voice-to-text app?  My husband uses one for work.  I’ll ask him the name when he gets home

I just looked up "Voice to text freeware" and lots of alternatives came up.  Have you tried that route?  You would still have to verify that it had the "right" where or wear, etc. in there, but perhaps some are intuitive enough to make that rare.  I have not personally tried them, but it is a thought.

Many times in the past I have combined the free version of Grammarly with the Hemmingway App (not an actual app, but a website so named). It isn't ideal, but does the job well enough.

If you're looking for a solid alternative you may consider ProWritingAid. It's $79 per year and is actually a fair bit more in-depth than Grammarly in my experience. If you dig around youtube, there's almost always someone offering a discount code on top of that. They offer a free trial that I consider one of the best in the world. You get 30 days of use, but rather than continuous, it only counts for days you open the program. That lets you stretch the trial period out in very useful ways.

There is a downside however. If you get anxiety over 'errors', it may not be right for you. It offers up so much information that you can actually break your own writing if you aren't careful. Worrying too much over things like adjectives or how often you use the word pickle in a given text can make you lose sight of the prose itself. Something to be cautious about going in.

I've never paid for Grammarly and it works in every application on my computer. In Chrome, in Firefox, in Word,  In fact, it just told me that Grammarly should be capitalized. ¿Y sabes qué? ¡Funciona en dos idiomas! (It even works for me in two languages.)  As far as I can tell the only thing the free version doesn't include is tone correction and some functions related to wordiness.  It indicates to me that if I'd pay them they'd help with this.  But they do send me emails with my stats, like apparently, I use more distinct words than 98% percent of Grammarly users, probably because I use it in two languages every day.  These emails sometimes say I've "unlocked" more features.  I don't really pay attention to how or what I have unlocked. I'm a horrible speller and a fairly lazy proofreader, though not noticeably dyslexic so obviously, my needs are different than yours. But I think it is definitely worth trying the free version.

I don't pay for Grammarly; I do use the free desktop, which integrates across a lot of other software Grammarly Desktop. It is understandable if free Grammarly doesn't meet your needs.  There is this alternative, it's free but you can also buy the software (for offline use): Hemingway app.

r ranson wrote:My language disability is severe. I am heavily dependent on technology to write legibly.  I'm often tempted to give up and stop using the internet for the pain that comes from public shaming (they call it correcting) when I make a mistake.  Today is one of those days.
Google spellcheck just isn't up for my level of dyslexia and has no contextual spelling abilities.  At least it's stopped shutting down due to "no known language detected" but it's still causing major issues trying to communicate.
Grammarly has skyrocketed in price over the last few years.  It's not defaulting to auto-correct (which does not help).  Worse, the suggestions are getting fewer and fewer and can no longer deal with my needs.  Because my natural spelling is so far off normal, the suggestions are as bad or worse than not having any spellcheck at all.  At $144 USD a  year (aka, nearly 3 weeks at my current income) I decided not to renew next month.  
But what else is there for chrome plugins?  

Well, I'm not sure how long it took you to write this post but you did really well, so first: Your language 'disability' may not be as severe as you imagine. I'm lucky enough to not have this problem and I can spell quite well in 3 languages. [With Tax season upon us, my real problem is *number dyslexia* -Yes, it is a thing, and I have it].
I wonder if you might go back into Google chrome  or "Words" and 'zero' all the additions you may have made since you first got it. I'm saying that because I can still get tripped using a French word with a French spelling when I'm typing in English, [like exemple for example]. Over the years, I have "added to the dictionary" some of the words that trip me. Now, Google no longer corrects me on those when sometimes, it should.
Let's say, for example you added words like colour, flavour, behaviour, harbour, honour, humour, labour, neighbour, rumour, splendour when you are not sure. In American English: color, flavor, behavior, harbor, honor, humor, labor, neighbor, rumor, splendor. Your corrector might not flinch when you use the British spelling because you have added this one manually as a possible spelling. Word was not really good at first, but it has made a lot of improvements and is now my number one. It is not the only good one, but this is the one I use.
I added the French and Spanish keyboards since I use those languages often, so Google gets a cue when I'm writing in French or in English after I type one line of text and it will pick out these spelling errors if I write in one language and oops in another. I use Microsoft "Word" the same way when I need to type a more "professional" product.
Finally, let's talk about those *human* correctors who will attempt to nitpick every error to diminish your statements when they do not agree with the *substance* of what you have to say. [Because this is really what they are doing.] Don't be overly impressed with their perfect spelling or syntax: They may be void of substance. Writing is an act of communication, and understanding the spoken word takes 2. So maybe the error is not on your side, as nitpicking someone's text will effectively put an end to meaningful conversation. [They win the battle but lose the war, so to speak.]
If you follow them long enough, you will notice that they too have feet of clay and are not immune to spelling errors. Just shame them right back with a statement such as :"Oh, I see. You don't have the intellect to follow my reasoning so you resort to nitpicking what I'm saying. I may resume talking to you once you are mature". [This too will kill any meaningful conversation, BTW, so use it only if you don't want to deal with that person any more.]
There are a number of good correctors out there. Don't get those that require a monthly fee: It gets way too expensive.
I found that the very expensive ones, because they do "everything" require a PhD to learn to use proficiently. Well, maybe not a PhD but you get my drift.

Cécile Stelzer Johnson wrote:

Well, I'm not sure how long it took you to write this post but you did really well, so first: Your language 'disability' may not be as severe as you imagine.

It's not an imagining.  It's documented and diagnosed.  

no techknolage maks writin glisss poshible.  
(without technology, writing is more difficult)

But with technology, I can write more clearly.  At least well enough to be understood.

I don't add words to the spellcheck.  

r ranson wrote:

Cécile Stelzer Johnson wrote:

Well, I'm not sure how long it took you to write this post but you did really well, so first: Your language 'disability' may not be as severe as you imagine.

It's not an imagining.  It's documented and diagnosed.  
no techknolage maks writin glisss poshible.  
(without technology, writing is more difficult)
But with technology, I can write more clearly.  At least well enough to be understood.
I don't add words to the spellcheck.  

I feel for you my friend, but from the number of really good posts you write, you seem to have found some way to deal with it, even if excruciatingly slow. Life is hard. As I was telling you my problem is with numbers: To write one correctly on these !@#$%&%$#!@#$!!! tax forms, I have to look at the number, speak it aloud, and while writing it, digit by digit, then read it aloud to verify... and I still mess up sometimes. But I pride myself on getting it done without resorting to tax preparers who would 'annex' my refund! So yes, I get it done, but it takes me 3 months and lots of tears.
Incidentally, have you thought about a dictating or transcribing machine? I recently realized that my smartphone can transcribe what I say into a text. [I was fumbling around with my phone while my son was driving but the way he drives, my fingers would slide off the keys I intended. Big fingers, small keys! Frustrating! He said to push on the little microphone icon, and what do you know! when I spoke, the thing wrote down what I said! You could have knocked me over with a feather!
I use a PC with Windows 10, so technically, I could do that: It is called Voice typing: If you have a different machine, you might get away with an upgrade?
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/use-voice-typing-to-talk-instead-of-type-on-your-pc-fec94565-c4bd-329d-e59a-af033fa5689f#:~:text=With%20voice%20typing%2C%20you%20can,powered%20by%20Azure%20Speech%20services.

HELLO:  Dragon Naturally Speaking was available for students in the community college where I taught.
You have to train it with your speech, but I understand that goes quickly and is good at what it does.

It is an expense, but, I just checked on Amazon for it. With the Capital One savings it was priced at just under $100.00.

I haven't been teaching for the past 5 years or so, but I would imagine that if you hit your local community college they might be able to help you also with a student discount. So maybe you would have to sign up for a class to get the software cheaper.

Good luck on it. (You might find that dictating letters/emails is better than typing.)

speech to text - so much to say about that.
Basically, it assumes normal language skills, which I do not have.  It also doesn't do contextual or jargon spelling.  It's not a spellchecker.

I want to make it clear that I'm not looking for advice on my disability.  I know where I am at, and I know how much I rely on technology to make writing possible.  I don't have the hours to explain my personal struggles to you, nor do I want to.  

My problem is that Grammarly was great.  But it is faltering.  It's getting buggier with every update and the help desk has moved from  helpful to "well, no one else complained." and "we're giving you what you want"

Think about it like a wheelchair that has lost some of the spokes.  Only the person in the wheelchair knows how much they need it and what may look fine from the outside, in reality, is the equivalent of staring at people's butts all day in a chair that is falling apart.

What is helpful are options like Grammarly - plugins that I can use to help me navigate this world of words.  Without it, I'll probably go back to being near-functionally illiterate which I don't want.

Thank you R for starting off this post.  The "updating" of something that works is a huge problem.  They do get clunky.
Our family here on Permies has members with all sorts of abilities, disabilities as well as English not being a first or even second or third language.  
To help out, can you please: Please list alternates clearly and concisely.

To those posting suggestions, please stick to the question asked without commentary.

"My problem is that Grammarly was great.  But it is faltering.  It's getting buggier with every update and the help desk has moved from  helpful to "well, no one else complained." and "we're giving you what you want"
I want to make it clear that I'm not looking for advice on my disability.  I know where I am at, and I know how much I rely on technology to make writing possible."

Thanks all for the great suggestions so far. Please keep them coming.
And especially thank you for being part of this awesome family

Have you looked at LanguageTool (website here: https://languagetool.org/)? It is a chrome extension/plugin with a free tier. I haven't personally used it and have no affiliation with them, but it seems like it offers a similar set of features to Grammarly. Not sure how their quality and support compares to Grammarly.

Chrome web store link: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/grammar-spell-checker-%E2%80%94-l/oldceeleldhonbafppcapldpdifcinji

Looks like the same people also make an extension that is compatible with google docs: https://workspace.google.com/marketplace/app/grammar_and_spell_checker_languagetool/805250893316

Another plus is that its source code is open core, meaning anyone can audit the (available parts of the) code. Source code here: https://github.com/languagetool-org/languagetool