Grammarly vs LanguageTool: Which Grammar Checker Is Worth Paying For?
A side-by-side comparison of Grammarly and LanguageTool covering pricing, features, language support, and which tool makes more sense for individuals vs teams.
Updated 2026-09 · 2026
Grammarly
AI writing assistant for grammar, tone, and clarity
Strengths
- +Strong tone and clarity suggestions powered by generative AI
- +Deep browser, desktop, and Microsoft Office/Google Docs integration
- +Plagiarism checker included on paid plans
Weaknesses
- -English-only (no real multilingual grammar checking)
- -Free tier is limited to basic grammar/spelling
- -Gets expensive fast for teams ($15/user/month on Business)
Best for
English-first writers, marketing/content teams who want tone coaching and Office/Docs integration
LanguageTool
Multilingual grammar, style, and spell checker
Strengths
- +Supports 30+ languages, including grammar rules (not just spellcheck)
- +Open-source core with a self-hostable server option
- +Cheaper Premium and Team tiers than Grammarly
Weaknesses
- -Tone/clarity suggestions are less sophisticated than Grammarly's
- -Smaller ecosystem of third-party integrations
- -No plagiarism checker
Best for
Non-English or multilingual teams, budget-conscious writers, and anyone wanting a self-hosted or open-source option
Feature Comparison
| Feature | ||
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | Basic grammar/spelling only | Basic grammar/spelling, 20+ languages |
| Languages supported | English only | 30+ languages |
| Tone/clarity suggestions | Yes, AI-driven tone detection | Limited style suggestions |
| Plagiarism checker | Included on Premium/Business | Not available |
| Browser extension | Yes (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge) | Yes (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge) |
| Microsoft Word / Google Docs | Native add-ins for both | Add-ins for both, less deep integration |
| API access | Business/Enterprise only, limited docs | Public API, well-documented, free tier available |
| Self-hosting option | Not available | Yes, open-source server (Docker) |
| Team/admin controls | Yes, on Business plan | Yes, on Team plan |
| Pricing (individual paid) | $12/month (annual billing) | $4.99/month (annual billing) |
| Pricing (team, per seat) | $15/user/month | ~$6.99/user/month |
The Verdict
Grammarly wins on polish and tone-coaching for English-only teams who live in Docs and Word — it's the better AI writing coach, not just a grammar checker. LanguageTool wins on price and language coverage, and it's the only real option if your team writes in more than one language or wants to self-host. If you're purely checking grammar/spelling and want to cut costs, LanguageTool Premium at under $5/month is hard to beat.
How to switch from Grammarly to LanguageTool
- 1Export what you can from Grammarly: open each document in the Grammarly Editor and download it as .docx or .txt, and request your account data via Account Settings > Privacy Settings for a full data export.
- 2Sign up for a LanguageTool account and pick a plan (Free, Premium, or Team) based on your team size and language needs.
- 3Install the LanguageTool browser extension and Microsoft Word/Google Docs add-ins for each team member, replacing the Grammarly extension.
- 4Re-upload or paste your exported documents into LanguageTool's editor to re-check them, since there's no automatic import of Grammarly's suggestion history.
- 5Rebuild any API-based integrations using LanguageTool's public API, since Grammarly's API access and webhooks don't carry over.
- 6Cancel your Grammarly subscription only after confirming every team member has LanguageTool installed and configured, to avoid a gap in grammar checking during the transition.
Grammarly vs LanguageTool: common questions
How do I export my writing history from Grammarly before switching?+
Grammarly doesn't offer a bulk export of your suggestion history — it stores documents you've edited in the Grammarly Editor, which you can open and download individually as .docx or .txt files. For account/personal data (not documents), go to Account Settings > Privacy Settings and request a data download, which Grammarly emails to you as a file. There's no one-click migration tool since LanguageTool doesn't import Grammarly data.
What features do I lose if I switch from Grammarly to LanguageTool?+
You lose the plagiarism checker and Grammarly's more advanced tone/rewrite suggestions, which are the two biggest gaps. You also lose some integration depth — Grammarly's Slack, Gmail, and Docs add-ins tend to feel more seamless than LanguageTool's equivalents. If your team relies heavily on tone-detection for marketing copy, expect a rougher transition.
Is LanguageTool's free plan actually enough for a small team?+
The free plan covers basic grammar and spelling across 20+ languages, which is enough for internal docs, emails, and casual writing. It won't catch the more nuanced style issues that a paid plan or Grammarly Premium would flag. For anything client-facing or multilingual at scale, the Premium tier ($4.99/month) or Team plan is worth the upgrade.
Does LanguageTool integrate with the same tools as Grammarly?+
Mostly yes — LanguageTool has browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge, plus add-ins for Microsoft Word, Google Docs, and LibreOffice. It also has a public, documented API for custom integrations, which Grammarly restricts to Business/Enterprise customers. What you won't find is deep native support inside tools like Slack or Gmail the way Grammarly offers.
How much will switching actually save over a year for a 10-person team?+
Grammarly Business runs $15/user/month, or $1,800/year for 10 seats. LanguageTool's Team plan is roughly $6.99/user/month (~$839/year for 10 seats), which is close to a 50% reduction. The savings are real, but factor in ramp-up time since your team will need to relearn shortcuts and re-set browser extension preferences.
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