Grammarly vs LanguageTool
Grammarly leads on style, tone and generative rewriting in English. LanguageTool covers more than thirty languages, has a genuinely useful free tier and can be self-hosted for teams that cannot send text to a third party.
Side-by-side comparison
| Grammarly | LanguageTool | |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.5 / 5 | 4.7 / 5 |
| Reviews | 43,100 | 12,500 |
| Users | ~36M+ | ~2M+ |
| Pricing | Freemium · From $12/mo | Freemium · From $4.99/mo |
| Category | Writing | Writing |
| Developer | Grammarly | LanguageTool |
| Last updated | 2026-07-01 | 2026-06-20 |
| Best for | Professionals and students who write daily in the browser and want a safety net before hitting send. | Multilingual writers and privacy-conscious teams who want a self-hostable alternative to Grammarly. |
Grammarly features
- Real-time grammar checking
- Tone detection
- Generative rewriting
- Plagiarism detection
LanguageTool features
- Feature list coming soon.
Grammarly: pros & cons
- Works in nearly every text field
- Strong clarity and tone feedback
- Generative drafting and rewriting
- Team style guides on business plans
- Premium is required for the best rewrites
- Can feel intrusive in code editors
- Text is processed in the cloud
LanguageTool: pros & cons
- 30+ languages
- Self-hosting option
- Clear explanations for each rule
- Generous free tier
- Style suggestions are lighter than Grammarly
- Premium needed for longer texts
- Fewer integrations
Final recommendation
Choose Grammarly for polished English business writing. Choose LanguageTool for multilingual work, tighter budgets or data-residency requirements.
Frequently asked questions
What is the main difference between Grammarly and LanguageTool?
Grammarly and LanguageTool overlap in the same job, but they optimise differently: one is tuned for speed and simplicity, the other for depth and control. The side-by-side table above shows the current ratings, install base, pricing and who each one is built for, all synced from the public Chrome Web Store listings.
Can I use Grammarly and LanguageTool together?
In most cases yes — Chrome runs extensions independently. Keep both only if they cover different needs, because each active extension adds memory use, page scripts and one more set of permissions to trust. If their features clearly duplicate, pick one and remove the other.
Is Grammarly or LanguageTool free?
Check the pricing row in the comparison table: it reflects the current model for each extension, whether that is free, freemium with paid limits, or paid only. Free tiers change often, so the store listing linked from each card is the source of truth.
Which one is safer to install?
Compare the permissions each one requests on its Chrome Web Store page and prefer the extension asking for less. Also look at the developer, the last update date and the review count — an actively maintained extension with a large install base and narrow permissions is the safer choice.
How often is this comparison updated?
Ratings, review counts and install numbers are refreshed nightly from the Chrome Web Store, and the editorial verdict is reviewed whenever either extension ships a significant change.
Keep researching
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