Grammarly. The one-stop editing shop. It can be a saving grace in some situations but a problem-causer in others. Lately, it has been increasing the exclusivity of its features and labeling them “Premium.” While they come at a premium price point, these features are pretty basic.
As I write this, half of my paragraph is underlined in yellow, asking me to pay for unlimited access to view its suggestions. Luckily, there is a free version of Grammarly that many of my peers and I, as well as some fellow teachers, have installed on our devices.
Personally, I find it hard to justify paying up to $20-30 a month for a simple grammar tool. They have cheaper packages where you can pay for an annual subscription which would cost only $12 a month, $144 for the whole year. A quarterly subscription costs $20 monthly, $60 for the quarter—lastly, the classic monthly subscription, which costs $30 per month.
The Premium version does have the promised additional features, including a plagiarism checker and a vocabulary enhancement tool. It also has a more advanced grammar checker than the free version.
These absurd paywalls seem futile, as finding an online website for a free plagiarism checker is fairly easy. There are minimal benefits to spending this ridiculous amount of money for a plagiarism checker and so-called “enhanced” grammar checker.
As of lately, some features that were once offered by the free version are now only available through the Premium version. Three free samples are available daily to see how the Premium Plan can help in papers. Its suggestions are usually just simple synonyms or comma fixes that used to be free.
Users must face a choice to either stick with the free version with fewer features or invest a pretty penny into the subscription to access “special” features.
While it generally may be fruitless for the individual, Grammarly Premium can be a beneficial feature for business owners who can pay for one account for multiple people. It can be helpful for professionals who need help writing an email or publishing a critical article.
Some Premium features have lately been flagged as AI-generated when using online plagiarism checkers (Originality). This can lead to many issues for students when teachers check for plagiarism on papers and give zeros if they detect any. While this is understandable, when it comes to Grammarly helping with word choice and detecting it as plagiarism, there should be exceptions.
I do appreciate the user-friendliness of this site and how easy it is to navigate. It helps alleviate my stress when writing formal emails to teachers or various essays for English class.
Grammarly can be a powerful ally for anyone who wants tips to elevate their writing and for businesses to increase their communication when sending emails, or other papers. But, it does come with its downsides, such as a steep price point and potential for AI detection when used for school assignments.
The Premium version might be increasingly helpful, but the price point is unjustifiable for the average student to buy.
cb • Oct 31, 2024 at 1:21 pm
ATE