Grammarly vs Ginger – The Two Best Writing Assistants of 2023

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Last Updated on January 7, 2023 by Karl

Writers, entrepreneurs, students, busy moms – everyone has come to depend on writing assistants for perfect English grammar. I’d say they’re the a la mode tool of the century. 

One of the most popular ones is Grammarly. You’ll be surprised to learn that 20 million people use Grammarly!

If Grammarly has such a strong user base, do other grammar checking tools in the market stand a chance?

Sure, why not?

Ginger boasts over 10 million users worldwide.

So what’s Ginger got that’s encouraging its audience to grow? More importantly, which is a better grammar checker?

That’s what we’ll look at today – Grammarly vs Ginger.

Join me as I battle it out between these two spelling and grammar checking tools. I’ll take each grammar checker software apart, feature by feature, and compare every aspect in detail.

Only the best grammar checker will be left standing.

Grammarly vs Ginger – Our Verdict

Both Grammarly and Ginger software are great grammar checkers with unique selling points. However, they may appeal to different types of customers.

For me, Grammarly is the winner. It outperforms Ginger with its user-friendly interface and comprehensive features.

So if you’re looking for an advanced proofreading tool with accurate grammar checker and plagiarism checking capabilities, use Grammarly.

But if you’re looking for a cheaper grammar checker or need to check text in different languages, then Ginger is for you.  

Having said that, I encourage you to read this article and choose the grammar checker that suits your needs better. Since both offer a free version, you can test-drive the platform before making a purchase.

Ginger vs Grammarly – Summary of Differences

Grammar checkers allow you to communicate more effectively, edit messages and documents, effortlessly correct spelling and grammar, and help improve your writing – and reputation.

Even though Grammarly and Ginger are both great tools, they’re different in their own way. Before we go any further, let’s take a moment to highlight the key differences between the two.

GrammarlyGingerSupports only English Offers multilingual support Displays a score Doesn’t offer a scoreOffers a plagiarism checkerDoesn’t offer a plagiarism checkerDoesn’t have a translation featureHelps translate documents into 40+ languagesOffers wordiness featureDoesn’t offer a wordiness featureChecks uploaded documentsCannot upload documentsAI editor analyzes the document and offers suggested correctionsUses patent-pending technologyOffers tone suggestions (eight different tone styles)Doesn’t offer tone suggestionsDoesn’t offer text-to-speech featureOffers a text-to-speech feature

Ginger vs Grammarly – Pros and Cons

Grammarly Pros

  • Offers a free version
  • All-in-one tool (grammar checker + spell checker + punctuation checker)
  • Allows you to edit documents without breaking the original formatting
  • Style checker (paid version)
  • Active and passive voice checker
  • Personal dictionary 
  • Plagiarism checker (paid version)
  • Available on all major devices and platforms
  • Free mobile apps 
  • User-friendly interface
  • Browser extensions and MS word add ons
  • Can upload and download documents

Grammarly Cons

  • Supports only English 
  • Customer support only via email
  • Limits to 150,000 words
  • Subscription plans can be a bit pricey 
  • Doesn’t offer a free trial
  • No refund policy

Ginger Pros

  • Offers a free version
  • All-in-one tool (grammar checker + spell checker + punctuation checker)
  • Affordable subscription plans, additional discounts are available 
  • Active and passive voice checker
  • Translates documents in 40+ languages 
  • Personal dictionary
  • Browser extensions available 
  • Personal Trainer helps users develop grammar skills
  • Text-to-speech feature reads work out loud
  • Get a full refund within 7 days

Ginger Cons 

  • Mobile apps aren’t free
  • Limited monthly corrections for free users
  • No style checker
  • No plagiarism checker
  • Not as user-friendly as Grammarly
  • Cannot upload or download documents; you must copy and paste
  • Doesn’t offer a free trial

Grammarly vs Ginger – Our In-Depth Comparison

Both Grammarly and Ginger have a variety of similar features. However, they have their fair share of differences too. 

To help you understand what each tool has to offer, I’ve taken a deep, critical look at these two writing aids. Only after reviewing, comparing, and assessing 17 features simultaneously did I select a winner. 

So here we go.

User Interface

User interface (UI) refers to how a person can control the software. A good UI offers a user-friendly experience, allowing the user to interact with the software in a natural and intuitive way.

Grammarly

Grammarly comes with a fantastic UI. It’s clean and simple, beautiful to look at, and easy to navigate. Anyone can use it easily.

Grammarly's User interfaceGrammarly's User interface

Users can either type directly in the platform, cut and paste their document, or upload it. 

On the right side, a dedicated writing assistant panel provides details about the document, highlighting spelling, punctuation, or grammatical errors as well as clarity, fluency, engagement, and delivery. Users can also select the plagiarism checker and human proofreading feature.

At the bottom, a bar contains a few formatting options.

A drop-down menu on the top left corner offers more options, such as document upload/download, settings, language preference, font size, etc.

A drop-down menu of Grammarly's User InterfaceA drop-down menu of Grammarly's User Interface

Ginger

Ginger offers some useful functions as well. You can see them in the drop-down menu on the top left corner. However, compared to Grammarly, they seem rather simple and basic.

A drop-down menu of Ginger's User InterfaceA drop-down menu of Ginger's User Interface

The Winner

Grammarly is clearly the winner. The UI is more intuitive and easy to navigate. Any newcomer can learn the ropes within minutes.

On the other hand, the Ginger interface can be a bit confusing at times, and it jumps to separate tabs when you want to use a separate section of the app.

Compatibility

Compatibility refers to whether an app can run on potential devices and various operating systems. Compatibility helps widen the user base. For example, an app with tech compatibility constraints won’t work on all platforms.

Grammarly

Grammarly can be used almost anywhere, including:

  • online editor tool in a web browser
  • browser extension for Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge
  • desktop app for Mac and Windows
  • offers a Google Docs integration
  • add-ons are available for Microsoft Word 
  • apps for iOS and Android mobiles and tablets

Ginger

Ginger also works on several platforms, including:

  • online editor tool in a web browser
  • browser extension for Chrome, Safari, and Edge
  • desktop app for Mac and Windows
  • add-ons are available for Microsoft Word
  • Ginger Writer is available for iOS and Android mobiles and tablets for almost $10

The Winner

Grammarly wins again, even if it’s not exactly a landslide victory.

When you consider the number of platforms each app supports, the only difference is that Ginger doesn’t support a Firefox browser extension. More importantly, it doesn’t support Google Docs in the Chrome extension.

Mobile Apps

With the drastic increase in smartphone use, the need for mobile apps is on the rise. A grammar checker mobile app makes communicating on mobile phones faster and more accurate. A successful mobile app works properly on various smartphones. Stable, quality performance increases the user base and reputation.

Grammarly

The Grammarly Keyboard is available for both Android and iOS devices for free.

All iOS devices with iOS 11.2 or newer are supported.

All Android devices with Android 5.0 (Lollipop) or above are supported.

Ginger

The Ginger Grammar Spellchecker (also known as Ginger Page) is available for both Android and iOS devices and costs about $10. It allows people to use their device’s keyboard.

All iOS devices with iOS 9.3 or newer are supported.

All Android devices with Android 2.3.3 or above are supported. 

Ginger has another app, Ginger Keyboard, for Android users. This app is available for free.

The Winner

I’d say it’s a tie here, but Grammarly has a slight advantage simply because it offers dedicated keyboards for all devices for free.

Spell Checking

When considering this feature, I wanted to know how good the tool is at picking out errors and its suggestions to correct them. But besides looking at accuracy, I also considered what the UX was like. 

Grammarly 

Grammarly supports US, British, Canadian, and Australian English. You can select the type at any time and spelling corrections will be made automatically.

Grammarly is great at picking out spelling errors. In fact, it’s more comprehensive and robust than spell-checking capabilities on Microsoft Office and Google Docs.

I wanted to test the accuracy of Grammarly. It instantly picked up the misspelled word ‘poppular’. However, it didn’t catch Youtube in the title.

An example of testing Grammarly's spell checking featureAn example of testing Grammarly's spell checking feature

Grammarly explains mistakes one at a time. For instance, even though I know this is a typo, Grammarly asks if I want to add it to my personal dictionary.

And since Grammarly’s AI system combines machine learning with natural language processing, suggestions for typos are often spot on. 

When there’s more than one way to write a word, Grammarly offers an explanation.

Grammarly offers a word's explaination in spell checkingGrammarly offers a word's explaination in spell checking

Ginger

Ginger supports the US and British English. You can select the dialect at the top right corner.

To check the accuracy of Ginger’s spell check, I pasted the same content as above. The tool was able to catch both mistakes and automatically correct them for me.

An example of how Ginger's Grammar Checker catchs mistakes and automatically correct themAn example of how Ginger's Grammar Checker catchs mistakes and automatically correct them

However, unlike Grammarly, no suggestions were offered. By hovering over the correction, I simply had the option to undo the edit.

An example of Ginger's Grammar Checker in which has no suggested words to replaceAn example of Ginger's Grammar Checker in which has no suggested words to replace

The Winner

In this case, Ginger is more accurate. However, since all corrections are made at once, you need to review them in case the autocorrect is inaccurate.  

But when it comes to UX, I still feel Grammarly is ahead of the game.

So I’ll call it a tie here.

Grammar Checking

English grammar can be difficult to master. A comprehensive grammar checking tool needs to check various aspects of the language to ensure your writing is error free.

Grammarly 

Grammarly helps check for numerous grammatical errors, including incorrect punctuation, capitalization, misused words, and improper tenses, amongst other things. Grammar mistakes are underlined in different colors depending upon the type.

Using the same example as above, I checked for grammar mistakes. Grammarly highlighted them and offered appropriate suggestions. All the recommendations were correct, and with a few clicks, the sample was free from all grammatical errors – missing punctuation and the plural noun form of ‘user’. 

An example of Grammarly's Grammar Checking featureAn example of Grammarly's Grammar Checking feature

Ginger 

Ginger also claims that it corrects all types of grammar mistakes using preset grammar rules, including punctuation and capitalization. Errors are underlined in red and corrected words are underlined green. 

I used the same sample as above. But unfortunately, Ginger did not catch a single grammar mistake, only the misspelled words. That’s a big no-no.

Ginger's Grammar CheckerGinger's Grammar Checker

The Winner

Grammarly! It’s a far better grammar checker than Ginger because of its AI-backed algorithms. Ginger uses a patent-pending technology based on predefined grammar rules.

Unfortunately, Ginger missed all grammar errors, so that’s unacceptable. Moreover, it doesn’t explain detected issues.

Readability and Style Checking

Even when the sentences are grammatically correct, issues of readability and style can prevent the writing from being clear and straightforward. 

Readability addresses how easily a text can be read and understood, and style refers to the way it is presented.

Writing aids can help improve both aspects by considering word choice, sentence length, sentence structure, sentence complexity, paragraph structure, etc. 

Common issues often arise due to the overuse of technical jargon, imprecise terms, run-on sentences, wordiness, passive voice, and weak verbs.

Let’s see how both tools take on this hefty task.

Grammarly 

The Grammarly Premium version completes over 400 types of checks, including vagueness, wordiness, rephrase sentence, rearrange sentence order, passive and active voice checker, vocabulary enhancement suggestions, etc.

Let’s take the same example mentioned above. While Grammarly corrected spelling and grammatical mistakes, it simultaneously helped improve the readability and style. The phrase ‘the age group of’ was removed to make the text more concise, and the last sentence was rearranged to improve the flow of the paragraph.

An example of how Grammarly corrected spelling and grammatical mistakesAn example of how Grammarly corrected spelling and grammatical mistakes

But that’s not all. Grammarly also helps to improve clarity by rephrasing the sentence, as is displayed in another example:  

An example of how Grammarly helps to improve clarity by rephrasing the sentenceAn example of how Grammarly helps to improve clarity by rephrasing the sentence

Additionally, Grammarly’s passive and active voice checker flags passive voice texts when it’s used excessively. It suggests how to fix these issues.

An example of how Grammarly’s passive and active voice checker flags passive voice texts when it’s used excessivelyAn example of how Grammarly’s passive and active voice checker flags passive voice texts when it’s used excessively

And finally, Grammarly also checks for tone and intent. In fact, Grammarly allows users to customize writing styles by setting individual goals. 

An example of how Grammarly checks for tone and intentAn example of how Grammarly checks for tone and intent

So how do you know how well-written and readable your text is?

Grammarly offers a performance score that represents the quality of writing as compared to other Grammarly users. A section of this report is dedicated to readability to let you know how readers will perceive your document. But more on this topic later. 

Grammarly offers a performance scoreGrammarly offers a performance score

Ginger 

Ginger, at first glance, appears to be a simple spelling and grammar checker. However, it can help in readability and style checking as well. 

Ginger has a Sentence Rephraser tool that allows users to rephrase a sentence with different synonyms, antonyms, idioms, or phrases. It also helps complete sentence fragments.

An example of Ginger's Readability and Style CheckingAn example of Ginger's Readability and Style Checking

Ginger doesn’t highlight these passive and active voice issues while scanning the text. However, it provides several alternative sentences for you to choose from. 

Another great feature is that Ginger offers a module full of exercises in the Personal Trainer section. Regular practice can help improve your writing style.

The Winner

I’d say it’s a tie.

Grammarly has a comprehensive approach to upgrade writing style and document readability. Plus, I like the ‘near-human’ tips, suggestions, and advice it offers.

While Ginger doesn’t catch all issues like Grammarly or check for tone, audience, and intent, I really like the Sentence Rephraser tool. It presents multiple sentences to help improve the sentence structure. Moreover, it’s better than other apps like Hemingway Editor that only point out mistakes and don’t offer advice on how to make your text error free.

Plagiarism Checking

With the amount of online content, plagiarism checking is essential for writers. A good tool highlights the content that’s been copied and the source.

Grammarly

The plagiarism checking tool in Grammarly is only available in the premium version. It detects plagiarism and provides citation suggestions.

Grammarly has access to ProQuest’s academic databases. It can detect plagiarism accurately by comparing your text across 16+ billion web pages and presenting it as a percentage.

An example of Grammarly's Plagiarism CheckingAn example of Grammarly's Plagiarism Checking

Ginger 

Ginger grammarly doesn’t offer a plagiarism checker. 

The Winner

Of course, Grammarly. Need I even explain?

Synonym Suggestion

When people read the same words over and over again, the writing becomes dull and uninteresting. By using synonyms, you can communicate ideas better and make your writing more vivid and engaging. 

Grammarly 

Grammarly highlights repeated words. It noticed that ‘now’ is repeated several times and suggested replacing it with ‘currently’. 

An example of how Grammarly highlights repeated wordsAn example of how Grammarly highlights repeated words

Another way you can get synonym suggestions is by double-clicking on a word. For instance, I clicked on the word ‘memories’ to see what Grammarly would display. Several variations appeared right away.

Ginger

Ginger also offers synonym suggestions. But you have to place the cursor on the word you need a synonym for and click in the Synonyms option. 

Here, I’m looking for synonyms for ‘inappropriate’.

An example of the way Ginger offers synonym suggestionsAn example of the way Ginger offers synonym suggestions

When you find the one you like, navigate back into the writer and type it in yourself. It’s not intuitive while writing as you have to go back and forth in different tabs. 

The Winner

Though Ginger offers more synonym suggestions, using this feature on Grammarly is a lot easier. So Grammarly is the winner.

Document Assessment and Insights

In today’s world, everyone likes to get the stats. The same goes for writing.

Document assessment and insights are one way of comparing yourself to others and gathering useful information about how you write better.

Grammarly

Grammarly Editor does an awesome job when it comes to document assessment. It offers a score to your content in the top right corner.

My score represents the quality of writing compared to other Grammarly users.

Grammarly offers a score to your content in the top right cornerGrammarly offers a score to your content in the top right corner

Clicking on the score opens up a window where you can get a summary of your performance. You’ll get some interesting metrics about the word count, readability, and vocabulary. 

Grammarly dives into the details of each category to help you figure your strengths and weaknesses.  Moreover, you can increase your score by addressing Grammarly’s suggestions.

Grammarly's Document Assessment and InsightsGrammarly's Document Assessment and Insights

Ginger

Ginger doesn’t assess documents or offer insights into your writing. So it doesn’t provide a score either.

The Winner

Clearly, it’s Grammarly.

Number of Languages

Grammar issues arise in all languages. Therefore, it’s convenient to have a grammar checker tool that accommodates other languages. 

Let’s take a look at how many languages each tool supports.

Grammarly 

Grammarly supports only English. However, it assesses different variations, such as American, British, Canadian, and Australian English. 

You can choose the one you prefer from your account’s language preference settings.

Grammarly's Number of LanguagesGrammarly's Number of Languages

Ginger 

Ginger supports grammar checks in British and American English.

Ginger's Number of LanguagesGinger's Number of Languages

However, it also has a built-in translator that allows you to translate documents into 40+ languages. Listing them all here would be too much, but you’ll agree it’s an impressive feat!

Ginger's Number of LanguagesGinger's Number of Languages

The Winner

There’s no question here – Ginger, with its multiple language support, is the winner. 

Personal Dictionary

When writing emails, texting, or creating social media posts, the input dictionary often auto-corrects the spelling as you type. Most of the time, it’s accurate. 

But sometimes, it insists on changing a word you know is correct, for instance, a brand name. By adding these words to your personal dictionary, you can ensure that your unique words don’t get flagged as misspelled words.

Grammarly

To stop a word you use from getting flagged as incorrect, simply add it to your personal dictionary by clicking on ‘Add to dictionary’. 

Grammarly's Personal DictionaryGrammarly's Personal Dictionary

Ginger 

Ginger’s personal dictionary can be accessed from the Ginger Page. Simply add words by typing them and clicking the “+” sign. Words in the personal dictionary are alphabetically arranged.

Ginger's Personal DictionaryGinger's Personal Dictionary

Unlike Grammarly, words cannot be added to the personal dictionary while typing.

The Winner

Since both Grammarly and Ginger support a custom dictionary, it’s a tie.

Browser Extension

People typically use a grammar checker web app to copy and paste a document after they finish writing. On the other hand, a browser extension can assist you while you write. It can flag mistakes and proofread documents as you type. 

Grammarly 

Grammarly’s browser extensions are available on all leading web browsers, including Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and Edge. They’re easy to install and use, but perhaps the most commonly used one is the Google Chrome extension.

Grammarly browser extensions aren’t limited to Google Docs or Microsoft Word. They can also help you write emails and social media posts, among other things.

Ginger 

Ginger offers browser extensions for Chrome, Edge, and Safari. However, it’s currently not available for Firefox.

Ginger browser extensions don’t always offer the best UX. Some users complained that Ginger was overzealous and corrected mistakes even before they finished typing. Others found the interface clunky. 

But these were not issues for me. I was thoroughly disappointed that Ginger doesn’t support Google Docs. That’s something that I need. 

The Winner

Grammarly’s browser extension is available on all leading browsers, people can use it anywhere and on any device. The same cannot be said about Ginger.

So clearly, Grammarly is the winner once again.

Price and Payment

It’s important to know how much it costs to determine whether it fits into your budget.

Grammarly

The free version allows users to access only some of the features the grammar checker offers. Grammarly Premium has a lot more features that can help ensure your writing is always top-notch.

Grammarly's Pricing PlansGrammarly's Pricing Plans

Grammarly’s pricing plans include:

  • Monthly Subscription: $30 per month
  • Quarterly Subscription: one-time-payment $60 for 3 months (costs $20 per month)
  • Annual Subscription: one-time-payment $144 (costs $12 per month)
  • Business Plan: $12.50 per month/per member (minimum 3 members), discounts available for teams with 10+ members.

Ginger

Ginger offers a free version. Again, the free version has limitations. For instance, the free web app checks only 600 characters.

Premium plans offer more features.

Ginger's Premium Plan FeaturesGinger's Premium Plan Features

Ginger’s pricing plans include:

  • Monthly Subscription: $19.99 per month
  • Annual Subscription: one-time-payment $149.76 (costs $12.48 per month)
  • Two Year Subscription: one-time-payment $239.76 (costs $9.99 per month)

Currently, all subscription plans are at a discount.

Ginger's Pricing PlansGinger's Pricing Plans

The Winner

Right now, Ginger has a cheaper subscription plan.

But once their plans are back to the regular prices, the annual subscriptions for both the tools will be more or less the same. In that case, I’d definitely go for Grammarly.

General Ease of Use

A good app has to be easy to use. This was my experience with both grammar checking apps when I reviewed this blog (about 4000 words).

Grammarly

Checking my document was a breeze – no problems at all.

Ginger

First off, as you already know, Ginger doesn’t support Google Docs directly yet. Then I found out that Mac’s desktop version couldn’t manage the whole document at once because it has a 3,000 limit on characters – not words. So that meant that I could only check a portion of my work at a time. And that was too much of a hassle.

Moreover, I couldn’t use features like define and synonym finder while typing. They appear in another tab, so you have to keep going back and forth between tabs.

The Winner

Grammarly is definitely easier to use.

Settings and Configuration

Settings and configuration options allow tools to be customized. This offers more flexibility to its users. 

You already know both tools allow users to customize their choice of English language.

Grammarly

Besides language preference, you can also manage editor settings.

Grammarly's Editor SettingsGrammarly's Editor Settings

For more customization needs, click on suggestions management. You can customize the personal dictionary, language, and visibility of certain writing style elements.

Grammarly's Editor Setting CustomizationGrammarly's Editor Setting Customization

Users can also customize writing goals (audience, formality, domain, tone, and intent) to help receive more relevant suggestions from Grammarly.

Grammarly's Writing Goal FeaturesGrammarly's Writing Goal Features

Ginger

Ginger grammar checker offers a different level of customization. It focuses more on UX rather than on influencing your writing style. It allows users to choose their own input language and themes and layout. 

Ginger grammar checker offers a different level of customizationGinger grammar checker offers a different level of customization

The Winner

Grammarly offers more customization options.

Registration and Setup

People want to be able to use an app as quickly as possible. So registration and start should be super easy.

Grammarly

Installing Grammarly on any device is a breeze. Simply create a Grammarly account or sign in using your Google or Facebook account. 

Grammarly's Registration and SetupGrammarly's Registration and Setup

Ginger

Installing Ginger is equally as easy. Like Grammarly, you can create a new account or sign in using your Google, Facebook, or Apple account.  

Ginger's Registration and SetupGinger's Registration and Setup

The Winner

It’s a tie.

Customer Service

Customer service is key in this online era. For me, responsive live chat seals the deal. But most grammar checkers don’t have this feature.

Grammarly

Grammarly help center has a great FAQ section full of articles on topics including Account Basics, Issues, Billing & Subscription, Tutorials, etc.

If you can’t find the answer to your question here, you can always reach out to their support team via contact form. I sent the following request:

Grammarly's Customer ServiceGrammarly's Customer Service

and got an email instantly that my request had been received. Within a few hours, they sent me the following email:

An example of Grammarly's email response after submitting support requestAn example of Grammarly's email response after submitting support request

Ginger 

Ginger also has a help center similar to Grammarly, but the FAQs provide basic answers. You can also submit a request, so I sent the same one I sent to Grammarly.

Ginger's Customer ServiceGinger's Customer Service

I received a message instantly that my request had been received and that they would reply in 1-2 business days. Almost 24 hours later, I got a reply.

An example of Ginger's email response after submitting support requestAn example of Ginger's email response after submitting support request

The Winner

Grammarly has a more informed help center and they reply quicker.

Winch One Do I Prefer?

I’ve been using Grammarly for quite some time and haven’t come across any grammar checker software that comes even close. I feel it’s the best grammar tool out there. Its friendly UI and plagiarism checking capabilities had me at hello. 

So anyone looking for a highly advanced grammar checker, accurate proofreading tool, and plagiarism checker should use Grammarly. 

Although Ginger lacks many of Grammarly’s features, it’s not altogether a bad choice. The translation feature and Sentence Rephraser tool are aspects I like.

So anyone on a tight budget in need of multilingual support should use Ginger software.

But that’s just how I feel. Which writing assistant would you choose?

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