What Are Resident Proofreading Tools
Grammarly and ProWritingAid are tools that reside in the browser or editor and proofread English as you write. Unlike pasting text into a chat AI, they show red/blue underlines while you type, preventing "mistakes you don't notice yourself." This article organizes their differences, pricing, and usage, and how to combine them with chat AI, for beginners. Prices change often, so check the official site before subscribing (below is a rough guide as of May 2026).
Grammarly
Features
- The most widely used English-proofreading tool
- Auto-check spelling/grammar/punctuation
- Conciseness/clarity suggestions, tone detection (formal / casual)
- Also includes AI generation features like rewriting and summarizing
Where Usable
- Browser extension (Gmail, X, LinkedIn, Notion, etc.)
- Microsoft Word / Outlook integration
- Desktop app (Mac / Windows), mobile keyboard
Pricing Guide
The free plan offers basic spelling/grammar checks and a set number of AI uses per month. The paid "Pro" is around USD 12/mo annual, or about USD 30/mo monthly (the former "Premium" was renamed "Pro"). Organization plans are consolidated into a custom-quoted enterprise plan.
ProWritingAid
Features
- Deep analysis for long-form/creative writing (20+ reports: readability, repetition, sentence length, etc.)
- Rich features for novelists/writers
- Integrates with Word / Google Docs / Scrivener
Pricing Guide
You can try up to short text free. Premium is around USD 10/mo annual (or about USD 30/mo monthly), an upper plan including AI features is a bit higher, and a one-time lifetime plan is also offered. For frequent long-form writing, annual or lifetime is cheaper.
Which to Choose
| Scene | Recommended |
|---|---|
| Business email/social posts | Grammarly |
| Long article/blog | ProWritingAid |
| Novel/creative | ProWritingAid |
| Paper/academic | Both + chat AI (Claude / ChatGPT) |
Can You Use Them for Japanese
Both Grammarly and ProWritingAid are English-only. For Japanese proofreading, use dedicated tools like Bunken, Just Right!, or Microsoft Editor's Japanese version, or simply ask ChatGPT / Claude to "proofread this text." Adopting them expecting a Japanese resident proofreader won't fit, so pin this down first.
How to Use Grammarly
- Install the Chrome / Safari / Firefox extension and link an account
- Writing in Gmail etc. shows underlines on typos/grammar mistakes; click for fix suggestions
- Pasting text in the web version gives overall suggestions, tone analysis, a readability score
How to Use ProWritingAid
- Launch via the Word / Scrivener plugin or the web
- Choose a report (Style / Grammar / Overused / Sentence Length / Readability / Pacing, etc.)
- Check the overall score and improvement spots in the integrated report
Difference from Chat AI, and Combining
| Grammarly / ProWritingAid | ChatGPT / Claude | |
|---|---|---|
| Form | Resident, as you write | Paste each time |
| Speed | Near-instant | Seconds+ |
| Depth | Good at surface-to-style fixes | Can restructure composition/logic |
| Dialogue | Generally not possible | Can ask "why?" |
A recommended flow is "resident tool auto-fixes as you write → after finishing, ask chat AI to improve structure/logic → check readability once more with the resident tool." But too many tools add checking overhead. Narrowing to 1–2 is realistic.
Common Misunderstandings
- "It fixes Japanese too": Grammarly / ProWritingAid are English-only; for Japanese use another tool or chat AI
- "A resident tool alone is perfect": strong at surface, but restructuring logic/composition is chat AI's strength—different roles
- "Accept all suggestions": some suggestions don't fit the context; a human decides accept/reject
The next article covers Notion AI, usable right next to your internal documents.
