Grammarly For University Students: Worth The Investment?

Grammarly is a popular app that helps users find spelling and grammar errors in their documents. It has a free version and a premium version that comes with a monthly fee. The free version is a good option for students who want help with basic grammar and spelling. The premium version is more advanced and can assist with punctuation and making your writing more engaging. It also has a plagiarism checker, which can be very useful for students. Some universities provide their students with the premium version for free. Many students wonder if the premium version is worth paying for.

Grammarly's free version

One of the key advantages of Grammarly's free version is its advanced AI capabilities. The software can provide instantaneous suggestions and corrections as users write, helping them to identify and fix grammatical errors, spelling mistakes, and punctuation issues. This ensures that students' work is not only free of basic errors but also adheres to standard English grammar rules.

The free version also includes a tone detector, which can assist students in ensuring their writing conveys the intended sentiment. This feature is particularly useful when students need to adapt their tone depending on the context, such as maintaining a professional tone in academic writing or striking the right balance between friendliness and formality in emails to colleagues.

Additionally, Grammarly's free version helps with conciseness, eliminating wordiness, and redundant phrases to make students' writing more concise and clear. It also provides automated citations in various styles, including APA, MLA, and Chicago, saving students time and effort in formatting their references correctly.

While the free version offers significant benefits, it is important to note that it has certain limitations. For instance, it does not include advanced features such as full-sentence rewrites and plagiarism detection, which are exclusive to Grammarly Premium. However, even with these restrictions, Grammarly's free version is a valuable resource for university students, enabling them to improve their writing skills and produce high-quality work without any cost.

Premium version's cost

Premium versions cost

Grammarly Premium comes at a cost, with a monthly subscription fee of $29.95 per month. However, the price decreases for longer subscription plans, with an annual plan of $139.95 billed in one payment, which works out to be $11.66 per month.

While the premium version is not essential, it offers additional features that can be beneficial for university students. The premium version includes a plagiarism checker and citation tool, which can be extremely useful for students to ensure they are properly citing their sources and avoiding any accidental plagiarism. This feature is not available on the free version.

The premium version also provides more advanced corrections and suggestions to improve writing style, tone, and vocabulary, making writing more engaging and compelling. It can help turn a lazy or slang tone into a neutral and poignant one, which is especially useful for academic writing.

Grammarly Premium can be worth the investment for university students, especially those who write frequently and want to ensure their work is error-free. It can be a valuable tool to enhance writing skills and improve grades. However, it is not a replacement for human proofreaders and editors, and manual proofreading is still necessary even after using Grammarly.

Some universities recognise the benefits of Grammarly and provide their students with the premium version for free. It is worth checking with your university to see if they offer this before purchasing a subscription.

Plagiarism checker

Plagiarism is a serious issue in academia, and even if unintentional, it can have severe consequences for students. It is, therefore, essential to ensure that your work is original and properly cited. Grammarly's plagiarism checker is a useful tool in this regard.

Grammarly's free version is a good basic checker, but it does not have the sophistication of the Premium version. The latter is a more robust tool, which can be especially useful for university students who need to be confident in the originality of their work.

Grammarly Premium not only checks for plagiarism but also provides style suggestions and vocabulary enhancements. It can help students improve their writing skills and get better grades. According to a Grammarly user survey, 99% of students reported improved writing grades, and 84% reported improved grades overall.

While some universities provide their students with the Premium version for free, others may have to pay a monthly fee. However, the investment may be worth it to ensure your work is plagiarism-free and of high quality.

It is important to note that while Grammarly is a helpful tool, it should not replace human proofreaders and editors. It can miss minor mistakes and has limitations, so manual proofreading is still necessary.

AI writing tool

As an AI writing tool, Grammarly has many features that can be useful for university students. It can help improve writing skills and enhance the quality of assignments, which can result in better grades. The free version can help with basic grammar and spelling, while the premium version offers additional features such as tone correction, vocabulary suggestions, and a plagiarism checker.

The free version of Grammarly is a great option for university students on a tight budget. It can help with grammar, spelling, and wordiness. One limitation of the free version is that it does not include a plagiarism checker, which may be important for students who want to ensure their work is original. However, even the basic version can significantly improve writing quality and help students get better grades.

Grammarly Premium, on the other hand, offers more advanced features. In addition to grammar and spelling checks, it provides suggestions for vocabulary, grammatical structures, and tone. It also includes a plagiarism checker, which can be especially useful for university students who want to ensure their work is properly cited and free from accidental plagiarism. While it comes with a price tag, some universities provide their students with the premium version for free.

Overall, Grammarly can be a valuable tool for university students, helping them improve their writing skills and enhance the quality of their assignments. While it may not replace human proofreaders and editors, it can speed up the editing process and provide valuable suggestions. University students can benefit from either the free or premium version, depending on their specific needs and budget.

As an AI tool, Grammarly has its limitations and may not catch all errors or nuances of language. It is important for users to manually proofread their work even after using Grammarly. Additionally, Grammarly only supports the English language, which may be a limitation for some users. Despite these shortcomings, Grammarly can still be a helpful writing assistant for university students.

Grammarly's limitations

Grammarly has become a popular tool for university students, with its free and premium versions offering a range of benefits. However, the software does have certain limitations that users should be aware of.

One of the main limitations of Grammarly is the difference in features between the free and premium versions. The free version primarily focuses on correcting spelling and grammar, which may be sufficient for some users. However, for those seeking more advanced capabilities, the premium version offers additional features such as punctuation assistance and enhanced writing engagement. While the premium version provides a more comprehensive solution, it comes with a cost, which may be a consideration for students on a tight budget.

Another limitation of Grammarly is the character and file restrictions. Users can check up to 100,000 characters at a time on the Grammarly Editor, and the document's file size should not exceed 4 MB. Additionally, certain file formats, such as PDF, Latex, and Markdown, are not supported. This limitation can be inconvenient for students working with large documents or specific file types.

Grammarly also has limitations in terms of context and style. While it can improve writing clarity and conciseness, it may not always align with the user's intended tone or style. As artificial intelligence, Grammarly may not fully understand the context or nuances of the text, leading to suggestions that may not be applicable or appropriate in certain situations.

Furthermore, Grammarly may not be as effective for certain types of writing or subject areas. For example, it may not provide in-depth support for academic writing, technical writing, or writing that requires a high level of specificity. In such cases, users might need to rely more on their own expertise or seek additional tools or resources.

Lastly, while Grammarly can be a valuable tool, it should not be solely relied upon for writing improvement. University students should continue to develop their writing skills independently, treating Grammarly as a supplementary aid. Relying exclusively on Grammarly might hinder the development of critical thinking and writing abilities that are essential for academic success.

Frequently asked questions