What Grammarly subscription is and what you get

Grammarly Premium is a paid writing tool that checks your grammar, spelling, punctuation, and style across websites, email, documents, and apps. You pay a monthly or annual fee to unlock features beyond what the free version offers. The free version catches basic errors; Premium adds tone detection, plagiarism checking, citation formatting, and an AI writing assistant that suggests rewrites.

Grammarly works by installing a browser extension or app on your device. As you type in Gmail, Google Docs, Microsoft Word, social media, or any text field online, it underlines errors and suggests corrections in real time. You can accept or reject each suggestion. Premium also includes a Goals feature where you set your writing style (formal, friendly, confident) and Grammarly adjusts its suggestions to match.

The tool does not store your writing unless you save it to Grammarly's cloud. You control what Grammarly sees — you can pause it on specific websites or turn it off entirely. Grammarly is owned by a private company, not a government agency, and operates independently from any housing, benefits, or assistance program.

Key Takeaways

  • Grammarly Premium costs between $12 and $30 per month depending on whether you pay monthly or commit to an annual plan.
  • The free version catches basic grammar and spelling errors; Premium adds plagiarism detection, tone suggestions, and an AI rewrite assistant.
  • You install Grammarly as a browser extension or app, and it works across email, Google Docs, Microsoft Word, and most websites where you type.
  • Grammarly stores your writing only if you save it to their cloud; you can turn off the tool on specific websites or pause it entirely.

Grammarly Premium pricing and plan options

Grammarly offers two main payment structures: monthly and annual. Monthly plans typically cost around $30 per month and can be canceled anytime. Annual plans cost between $120 and $144 per year (roughly $10 to $12 per month) and require payment upfront. Grammarly occasionally runs promotions that reduce the annual price further, especially during back-to-school season or holidays.

There is also Grammarly Business, a separate product for teams and organizations. It costs per user per month and includes team dashboards, admin controls, and brand guidelines. This is not the same as Premium and is designed for workplaces, not individuals.

The free version of Grammarly has no expiration and catches basic errors at no cost. You do not have to upgrade to Premium to use Grammarly — the choice depends on whether you need the advanced features Premium offers.

What Premium features do and how to use them

Plagiarism detection compares your writing against billions of web pages and academic databases to flag text that matches existing sources. This is useful if you are writing essays, reports, or content where originality matters. You can see the percentage of your document that matches other sources and where those matches occur.

Tone detection analyzes your writing and tells you how it might sound to a reader — confident, friendly, formal, or uncertain. You set your intended tone in Goals, and Grammarly flags sentences that do not match. For example, if you want to sound confident but write "I think maybe this could work," Grammarly suggests rewording it.

Citation formatting lets you insert citations in MLA, APA, or Chicago style directly into your document. You paste a URL or search for a source, and Grammarly generates the formatted citation. This saves time if you are writing academic papers or research documents.

The AI writing assistant (called GrammarlyGO in some versions) suggests full rewrites of sentences or paragraphs. You highlight text, ask it to make the writing more concise or more detailed, and it generates options. This is different from grammar correction — it rewrites for clarity, length, or tone.

How to install and set up Grammarly

Start by visiting Grammarly's website and creating a free account with your email address. You will choose a password and confirm your email. Once logged in, you can download the browser extension for Chrome, Safari, Edge, or Firefox, or download the desktop app for Windows or Mac.

After installation, the Grammarly icon appears in your browser toolbar or system tray. Click it to turn Grammarly on or off, or to access settings. The first time you use it, you may see a tutorial showing how suggestions appear as you type. You can pause Grammarly on specific websites (for example, if you do not want it active on social media) by clicking the icon and selecting "Pause on this site."

If you decide to upgrade to Premium, click the upgrade button in the Grammarly app or on the website. You will enter payment information and choose your plan (monthly or annual). Your Premium features activate immediately. If you cancel later, your account reverts to the free version — you do not lose your account or writing history.

Who Grammarly Premium is useful for

Grammarly Premium works best for people who write frequently and want detailed feedback on tone and style. Students writing essays benefit from plagiarism detection and citation formatting. Professionals writing emails, reports, or proposals may use tone detection to match their intended voice. Content creators and freelance writers use the rewrite suggestions to speed up editing.

The free version is often enough if you only need basic grammar and spelling checks. Premium becomes more valuable if you write in multiple contexts (work, school, personal) and want consistency across them, or if you need plagiarism detection for academic or professional work.

Grammarly is not a substitute for a human editor or proofreader. It catches errors and suggests improvements, but it can miss context-dependent mistakes or stylistic choices that only a person would catch. It also works best in English; support for other languages is limited.

Privacy, data, and how Grammarly handles your writing

Grammarly reads your text as you type to provide suggestions, but it does not automatically save or store what you write. Text you type in Gmail, Google Docs, or other apps stays on those platforms. Grammarly only stores writing if you explicitly save it to your Grammarly account (for example, by pasting text into the Grammarly editor on their website).

Grammarly's privacy policy states that they use your writing to improve their AI models, but you can opt out of this in settings. They do not sell your writing to third parties. If you use Grammarly at work, your employer may have access to your writing depending on how their Business account is configured.

You can delete your Grammarly account and all associated data at any time through account settings. Deleting your account removes your writing history, saved documents, and personal information from Grammarly's servers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use Grammarly for free, or do I have to pay?

Yes, Grammarly's free version works indefinitely at no cost. It catches grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors. Premium adds plagiarism detection, tone suggestions, and AI rewrites, but you are not required to upgrade. Many people use the free version successfully.

Does Grammarly work on my phone?

Grammarly has mobile apps for iPhone and Android, but they work differently than the browser extension. The mobile app is a text editor where you type or paste text and get suggestions. It does not integrate into other apps the way the browser extension does on desktop. Some features are limited on mobile.

What if I do not like Grammarly after I pay for it?

Grammarly offers a 30-day money-back may provide on annual plans if you are not satisfied. For monthly plans, you can cancel anytime and stop being charged. Contact Grammarly support through their website to request a refund or cancel your subscription.

Can I share my Grammarly account with someone else?

Your Grammarly account is personal and tied to your email. Sharing login credentials is against their terms of service. If someone else needs Grammarly, they should create their own account. Grammarly Business is designed for teams and organizations that need multiple users.

Does Grammarly work offline?

No, Grammarly requires an internet connection to work. It sends your text to Grammarly's servers to check it against their databases and AI models. If you lose internet connection, Grammarly will not provide suggestions until you reconnect.