May 28, 2020

Grammarly Review: A Writing Assistant for Everyday Editing

Quick take: Grammarly has been useful to me as a second set of eyes for spelling, punctuation, and clarity suggestions. It can make writing feel less intimidating, but it is not a replacement for your own judgment, a human editor, or checking important facts and context.

Affiliate disclosure: This article may contain affiliate links. If you buy through a link, CrazyFitnessGuy may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Grammarly’s plans, features, prices, supported platforms, and policies can change, so verify current details directly with Grammarly before signing up.

Why I use Grammarly

Writing and editing can be stressful, especially when you are working on school assignments, work messages, blog posts, or other public writing. I started using Grammarly because I wanted more confidence before publishing. It helped me catch common mistakes without needing to ask someone else to proofread every draft.

For me, the free version covered many of the basics I wanted. Over time, I also learned from repeated suggestions, such as places where I often missed punctuation or used an awkward sentence. That does not mean every suggestion is correct—it means the tool can help you pause and review your work.

What Grammarly can help with

Spelling and punctuation suggestions
Grammar and sentence-structure suggestions
Clarity, conciseness, and tone suggestions, depending on your plan and settings
Writing goals or style preferences, depending on the version you use
Support for reviewing writing across compatible apps, browsers, and devices

The exact tools available can differ between the free and paid plans, the platform you are using, language settings, and product updates. Check the current plan comparison before you decide whether a subscription is worthwhile.

Free versus paid: how to decide

The free plan may be enough if you mainly want help spotting basic spelling and grammar issues. A paid plan may be worth considering if the current features fit a regular need, such as more in-depth writing suggestions, style guidance, or other tools offered in Grammarly’s current subscription.

Before paying, ask yourself: How often do I write? What kind of errors do I want help catching? Will I use the additional features enough to justify the cost? A writing tool should reduce friction, not become another expense that creates stress.

What Grammarly does not do

Grammarly cannot guarantee that a sentence is accurate, fair, original, appropriate for your audience, or consistent with your voice. Automated suggestions can misunderstand names, technical terms, dialect, creative writing, jokes, quotes, accessibility language, or the intended tone of a message.

Always read the full sentence before accepting a suggestion. For important work—such as academic submissions, legal documents, medical information, client communication, or published articles—verify facts and use qualified human review when appropriate.

How I use suggestions wisely

Write the first draft in my own words before focusing on corrections.
Review each suggestion instead of accepting every change automatically.
Keep wording that sounds like me when a suggestion changes my intended voice.
Read the final draft aloud or return to it later with fresh eyes.
Use a separate fact-checking process for claims, dates, statistics, and citations.

Privacy and sensitive information

Before using any cloud-based writing assistant, review its current privacy policy, terms, security information, account settings, and data controls. Consider whether your writing includes passwords, financial details, private medical information, confidential workplace material, student records, unpublished client work, or other sensitive content.

Do not assume that a writing tool is appropriate for every document. Follow your school, employer, client, or organization’s policies, and use approved tools for confidential information.

Is Grammarly better than built-in spell check?

Built-in spell checkers and Grammarly can both be useful. I found Grammarly’s suggestions helpful because they prompted me to review more than spelling. But the best choice depends on your writing workflow, budget, privacy needs, accessibility preferences, and the apps you already use.

My bottom line

Grammarly has been a helpful writing assistant for my everyday editing, particularly for catching mistakes before I publish. It is most useful when treated as a review tool rather than an automatic authority. The free plan may be enough for many writers; compare current features and pricing if you are considering a subscription.

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Jimmy Clare

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Jimmy Clare is a Professional Keynote Speaker, Podcaster, Live Stream Host, and Autism Advocate who founded CrazyFitnessGuy® in 2017 to share healthy living through autistic eyes. He combines his lived experience with autism and his own health journey to encourage others to embrace their uniqueness and build sustainable habits.

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