Are you a freelance writer looking for easy-to-use, quality online editing software? Or, you are a student wanting to polish your paper or an essay before turning it in? Perhaps, you’re an academic, and you want research papers to shine in all their glory? No matter your industry, you must be wondering if ProWritingAid is better than its competitors.
So, what does this service do for you? Is it worth subscribing and changing your routines? I tried ProWritingAid out for you and here is the complete review.
What Is ProWritingAid?
ProWritingAid is, by many, said to be a great content editing program. It offers multiple solutions for proofreading and improving your writing, like:
● Checking for grammar and spelling errors
● Readability and word choice
● Clarity and suitability of words and phrases
● Consistency in your writing (past and present tense, spelling, hyphenation, and punctuation)
As you can see, ProWritingAid can help make your content easier and smoother to read; eliminate vague, unnecessary, and fluffy words and phrases; and make your writing grammatically impeccable.
But where does this service stand compared to others?
ProWritingAid Review and Features
I found that one of the major advantages is that you can integrate it into your web browser, MS Word, desktop, and Google Docs. This means your writing will be spell-checked in real time and proofread while you’re writing an essay, a blog article, or an e-mail.
It’s suitable for anyone who needs their writing to be particularly polished, whether you’re a student, a freelance writer (copywriter, eBook writer, blog writer), or an academic. It can even help you proofread office work and make sure your reports, presentations, and emails are error free and on point.
Similar to other editing tools, ProWritingAid features both a free and a premium version. But, as with other editing tools, a legitimate question is: Does the premium package offer distinct upgrades worthy of the investment? Let’s make a comparison between the two packages so you can decide for yourself:
● ProWritingAid Free Package allows you to check up to 500 words at once, with a basic extension you can add to your browser to check your writing. Not bad, unless you need to quickly proofread longer pieces of content. This version of the online editor might be suitable for those who send out shorter pieces of writing, but if you’re looking for more serious inside into the quality of your content, you’ll need to upgrade.
● ProWritingAid Premium, on the other hand, gives you access to a desktop app, extensions for Google Docs, MS Word, and Scrivener. It is fully web-based and gives more detailed reports on your writing style. It also doesn’t limit your word count and allows editing lengthy documents.
ProWritingAid Premium Review
You can subscribe and access the premium version in several ways, from purchasing a subscription to even grabbing a discount code from some of their affiliates. But, how does it work?
First, you’ll notice that errors of different categories are marked in different colours after you load your content into the editor. Grammar errors will be marked blue, spelling errors in red, and the yellow underline will signify style errors. Clicking on the underlined word or phrase will show you suggestions to edit, which you can accept or ignore. If your word or a phrase doesn’t need correction (e.g., a brand name or another specific word), you can add it to your dictionary, and the software will no longer mark it as an error.
The main reports you’ll get with the Premium version include:
● An overall review of your content
● How well is your style attuned to the document style
● Grammar and word choice analysis
● A list of overused words
● A review of issues with pacing, sentence structure, and readability
● A plagiarism check
With these reports, you’ll get pretty decent insight into the quality of your writing and changes you should make to improve it. On top of that, you can use the app and extensions to further check your writing.
ProWritingAid Desktop App Overview
ProWritingAid Desktop App gives you access to the editor software without the use of the web browser. This way, you can add .doc, Scrivener, open office, and RTF files to the app and edit straight from your computer. However, you’ll need internet access to run the app.
ProWritingAid Extensions Review
● Microsoft Word plugin adds the checker to your MS Word if you are a Windows user. This way, you don’t have to write in Google Docs (or anywhere else online) to receive reports.
● Google Docs extension gives you real-time reports on your writing while you’re writing in Google Docs. This is convenient because it allows editing without having to copy-paste back and forth between the document and the editor. You don’t have to worry about disturbing your formatting and the structure of the document, or having to do it after you’ve checked your content.
ProWritingAid Vs the Competition: Is It Worth It?
With a $70 yearly subscription, I found ProWritingAid Premium to be much more affordable than its competitors. A special-offer $100 subscription will give you two-year access to the editor’s full features, $140 for three years, and only $240 for a lifetime of using ProWritingAid.
Sounds outstanding, doesn’t it? But how does ProWritingAid compare to other popular grammar checkers, like Grammarly?
First, ProWritingAid Premium yearly subscription is much more affordable compared to Grammarly ($139.95) and gives a deeper insight into the quality of your writing.
According to users, it beats Grammarly by the number of detected errors, but at the cost of somewhat slower speed. ProWritingAid Premium will give you 20 in-depth reports on your writing, while Grammarly Premium only checks for a few additional style errors (hard-to-read sentences, engagement, and clarity) compared to its free version.
Another common complaint is about having to click on each error instead of being able to review all reports for the extension button. Like all other grammar checkers, there is a possibility of getting a suggestion that’s wrong for the context of your document.
Conclusion
The final verdict is that ProWritingAid tightly competes with other grammar checkers and editing tools. However, with a very limited free package, you will have to pay for some features you can get for free with other grammar checkers like Grammarly, but with many other benefits.
This tool is a great option for writers who rely on editing software, mainly because of its flexibility and a budget-friendly subscription.
ProWritingAid Review: FAQs
Can UK, AU, and CA Writers Use ProWritingAid Premium?
Yes! You can set up your software for different English versions, including Canadian, Australian, and British. You can do this by choosing the right version in the Account Settings. The software will also check for spelling consistency depending on the chosen version.
Can Screenwriters Use ProWritingAid?
Yes! Screenwriters can check their scripts using the desktop app. All you need to do is to upload your .fdx file to the app. The software will recognise the format and offer switching to Script mode. Doing so will allow the software to distinguish specific formats and won’t flag them as errors.
What Do ProWritingAid Reports Tell You?
ProWritingAid will generate 20 reports on your writing. These reports analyse different areas of your writing and suggest improvements. They will suggest potential issues you can work on depending on your judgement. Keep in mind that, while accurate, these reports don’t always reflect your writing quality accurately as it is an automated tool.
