Comparisons
Grammarly alternatives for Mac, compared honestly
People leave Grammarly for three different reasons, and they need three different replacements. Sorting out which one you are is most of the decision.
First work out why you are leaving
- Price. You want the same job done for less. → LanguageTool or Apple Intelligence.
- Privacy. You do not want your writing on someone's server. → a local-model tool, or Apple Intelligence, which runs much of its work on-device.
- Capability. Correction is not your problem; you want the text rewritten to your own instructions. → Kerlig, FixKey or KeigoButton.
The third group is the one most often mis-sold to. Grammarly is a correction product at heart — it finds what is wrong and proposes a fix. If what you actually want is "make this sound like I am not annoyed" or "turn this into a client update", you are not looking for a better Grammarly, you are looking for a different category of tool.
The options
| Alternative | Replaces Grammarly's… | Price | Catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Intelligence Writing Tools | Proofreading and basic tone changes | Free, built in | Apple silicon only. Fixed action list — no custom instructions. |
| LanguageTool | Grammar and spelling, across many languages | Free tier; paid premium | Correction only. Not a rewriting tool. |
| Kerlig | The AI rewriting panel | $49 one-time (1 Mac) | Bring your own API key; tokens billed separately. |
| FixKey | The AI rewriting panel, plus dictation | $48/year | Subscription. Mac only. |
| RewriteBar / Elephas | The AI rewriting panel | Varies | Same category; Elephas adds a knowledge base. |
| KeigoButton | The AI rewriting panel, on Mac and iPhone | Free for 50/month; $12/month or $120/year | Newer and much smaller. Strongest if you write Japanese. |
Where Grammarly is still better
Written by the makers of one of the alternatives, so take it with that in mind — but these are checkable:
- Detection you did not ask for. Grammarly flags the mistake you did not know you made. Instruction-driven tools only act when you press something, so they never catch what you were not looking for.
- Breadth of platform. Windows, browser extensions, Google Docs, Word. Most of the alternatives here are macOS-only, including ours.
- Maturity. Years of tuning and an enormous user base behind the suggestions.
- Team features. Style guides, brand tones, admin controls. None of the small Mac utilities have an answer to this.
hey — following up again on the invoice, this is the third time ive asked
Hi — checking in on this invoice once more. I know things get busy, but I'd appreciate an update when you have a moment.
This is the kind of edit correction tools do not make: nothing here was grammatically wrong.
If you want the rewriting half
Every tool in the third group works the same way: a shortcut, your own saved instructions, and the text replaced in place through the macOS Accessibility API. Pick on price model and on whether you need it on your phone too.
- Pay once, bring your own key → Kerlig, $49.
- Flat yearly, unlimited, includes dictation → FixKey, $48/year.
- Free for light use, and the same buttons on an iPhone keyboard → [KeigoButton](/en).
See what the rewriting half looks likeFree in the browser — grammar, natural, professional or shorter.
Where KeigoButton fits
KeigoButton replaces the rewriting half of Grammarly, not the proofreading half. You save the edits you make constantly as buttons — fix grammar, sound natural, shorten, make it formal, write a follow-up — and press one instead of copying your text into a chat window and pasting the result back. It is free for 50 rewrites a month, and the buttons you make on the Mac appear on the iPhone keyboard too.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free Grammarly alternative for Mac?
Apple Intelligence Writing Tools if you have an Apple silicon Mac — it is built into macOS, costs nothing, and covers proofreading and basic tone changes. LanguageTool's free tier is the better choice for grammar across multiple languages. Both are correction tools; neither lets you save your own rewriting instructions.
Is there a Grammarly alternative that works in every Mac app?
Yes. Kerlig, FixKey, RewriteBar, Elephas and KeigoButton all use the macOS Accessibility permission to read and replace text in whatever application you are typing in, including Mail, Slack, Gmail, Notion and Word. Coverage in browsers and Electron apps varies between products, so test the apps you use daily.
Is Grammarly or KeigoButton cheaper?
Grammarly has a genuinely useful free tier and so does KeigoButton (50 rewrites a month). Above that, KeigoButton is $12 a month or $120 a year. Compare against your actual usage rather than the headline: if you only need occasional proofreading, Grammarly's free tier or Apple's built-in tools will cost you nothing at all.
Do I have to stop using Grammarly to use one of these?
No, and many people run both. Grammarly catches mistakes you did not ask about; an instruction-driven rewriter changes text when you tell it to. They do different jobs and do not conflict, though running two tools that both hook into text fields can occasionally produce a duplicated interface in the same field.
Try it on your Mac
Free for 50 rewrites a month, no card required. macOS 14 or later, Apple silicon and Intel.