What it is
Overview
A grammar and style checker that works across 30+ languages, built for writers, students, and non-native speakers who need error detection beyond English. Hybrid architecture combines rule-based grammar engines with AI-powered paraphrasing suggestions. The 7.6 million monthly visits skew toward multilingual users and academic writers who need corrections in German, Spanish, French, and other languages where most grammar tools fall short.
At a glance
Usability & Quality overview
Best for
- Non-native writers (e.g., German writing in English)
- Users needing free proofreading with basic grammar/style checks
- Browser extension users who want real-time checking
Watch out for
- Free tier limitations (10k char limit, 3 paraphrases/day)
- Occasional over-correction of style
- Paraphrasing feature being too limited compared to paid tools
Real product, not a wrapperIndependent product
LanguageTool offers specialized grammar checking for over 30 languages and integrates well with browsers and document editors like Google Docs and Word. While it provides more language support than basic grammar checkers, it doesn't offer significant innovation beyond standard grammar and style checking.
Moderate evidenceQuality score
LanguageTool is a decent free grammar checker for non-native writing with recurring complaints about free tier limitations, but no systematic flaws.
Plans
Pricing
How free is free?
Free with limits
Basic grammar checking free; Premium $20-70/yr for advanced features
What you get for free
- Basic grammar and spelling checking
- Support for 30+ languages
- Browser and basic platform integrations
Behind the paywall
- Enhanced grammar, punctuation, and style checkingPremium
- Up to 150,000 characters per text fieldPremium
- Unlimited sentence paraphrasing powered by A.I.Premium
- Team management and style guidesTeams
Community feedback
Aggregated reviews
Ratings and quoted comments below are aggregated from third-party sources and reflect those users' views, not SearchTools.ai's.
What reviewers talk about
themes inside the Sentiment pillar — not score ingredients
65Output Quality30 mentions
“I use this, and it's the most advanced grammar checker that can find more mistakes than Grammarly. So far, I like how it works. The major issues with Grammarly are bugs, lags, and premium recommendations that make little to no sense at all. It has a habit of removing necessary ph”
“Früher brauchbar, jetzt nicht mehr. Leider. — lo peor no me gusta nada no la recomiendo suspendi trabajos por culapa de lenguage tool porque me corregia mal las faltas — nada no me gusta nada esta aplicacion para mi opinion no vale nada la pena pagar para un corrector,nada. — an”
“LanguageTool review — Früher brauchbar, jetzt nicht mehr. Leider. — Leider NICHTS mehr. Mit der neuen Version (ich habe sie ab September bemerkt) ist das Programm nicht mehr brauchbar. Weder als Plugin für Word noch auf dem Desktop. — As other AI tools, the context might be off ”
“Evaluación — Overall, I am very content with LanguageTool, it has been very helpful for me so far and I would highly recommend it! — I have both the addon-for browsers and the plugin for Word. I like the fact that it instantly checks and corrects anything I type. As a transcripti”
19Value & Pricing17 mentions
“Use it all the time, love it and am paying for it. Would advise anyone to do so.”
“I used LanguegeTool as premium user for many years. When I was going to renew my subscription I noticed that it was sold to Learneo, which is based on the US. After Learneo privacy notes states that they can use trackers and sell data to advertisers. LanguageTool was the best alt”
“Upgrade Required to Use the LanguageTool Browser Extension We have made the difficult decision to limit the use of LanguageTool’s browser extension to Premium users only. The rise of generative AI has made it more challenging to sustainably monetize our offering. A majority of us”
“For those unaware, LanguageTool has for years been this open source alternative to Grammarly and similar grammar checkers. It offers, amongst other things, a browser extension. It has also been integrated into LibreOffice since 7.4 as part of its grammar and style checker as well”
16Reliabilitythin data · 6 mentions
“LanguageTool review — Früher brauchbar, jetzt nicht mehr. Leider. — Leider NICHTS mehr. Mit der neuen Version (ich habe sie ab September bemerkt) ist das Programm nicht mehr brauchbar. Weder als Plugin für Word noch auf dem Desktop. — As other AI tools, the context might be off ”
“I check everything with LanguageTool — Es un corrector muy lento para textos largos. — No hay funciones relevantes. Es un corrector común y corriente. — No permite trabajar en un texto de más de 4 o 5 páginas. Si se trata de un texto largo, hay que hacer copypaste MUY A MENUDO, ”
“mal servicio al cliente — Super Tool für Rechtschreibung. Kein Vergleich zum normalen System. Super gut. — Ich kann leider keine Vorteile sehen. ChatGPT hat mir LT empfohlen. Doch nun korrigiere ich erst recht wieder mit ChatGPT, da LT so viele Fehler anzeigt, die gar keine sind.”
“I did think about self-hosting my own LanguageTool server, but seeing how downloading all those ngrams will take GBs of disk space and the Java server is prone to memory leaks... :/”
65Ease of Use12 mentions
“It's open-source and you can run it locally if you don't want to send any data. There are even some Docker containers that make it quite easy. I've been using it like that for a few months and I'm very happy with it. There are also a good amount of open-source addons that make po”
“I decided to give it a try, but since I use Ubuntu Studio, suggested pacman command would not work, so I had to do a quick research how to install LanguageTool in Ubuntu. I used this command to install it: sudo snap install languagetool. It appears to be available only as a snap ”
“You can download it and run your own private server (java/jar). There is also a data file (4GB) which you can download which enables grammar checking. I don't know of a competing project which is so flexible.”
“LanguageTool is a plugin from Germany that supports a lot of languages, including Esperanto. It has plugins for all sort of browsers, MS Word, Libre Office and Google Docs. https://languagetool.org/ Often there is a link (the explanation mark) with more information about the erro”
60Trust derived from dimensions + predator detectionview math
A composite of the quality dimensions weighted by mention volume, then capped by predator / abuse-detection rules.
Reasoning
Capabilities
Key features
Grammar Checker
Detects and corrects grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors in your writing
Writing Assistants
Helps you draft, edit, and polish written content across many formats
Paraphraser
Rewrites text in different words while keeping the original meaning intact
The honest take
What users love & flag
Distinct themes surfaced across 642 reviews from 3 sources — each grounded in real review text, ranked by how often it comes up.
Questions
Frequently asked
What is LanguageTool?
LanguageTool is an AI-powered grammar and style checker that detects errors across 30+ languages including English, German, French, and less common languages like Khmer and Tamil. It provides real-time suggestions for grammar, spelling, punctuation, and style improvements, and can automatically detect and switch between languages within the same document.
Is LanguageTool free?
Yes, LanguageTool offers a free tier with basic grammar and spell checking for up to 2,000 characters per text field across all supported languages. Premium subscriptions start at $4.99 per month (billed annually) and provide unlimited paraphrasing, up to 150,000 characters per text field, and advanced style checking.
What platforms does LanguageTool work with?
LanguageTool integrates with major browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari), email clients (Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail), and office applications (Google Docs, Microsoft Word, LibreOffice). It also offers desktop applications for Windows and macOS, plus a web interface.
How many languages does LanguageTool support?
LanguageTool supports over 30 languages and dialects, including English variants for different regions, major European languages, and less commonly supported languages like Khmer and Tamil. The tool can automatically detect and switch between languages within the same document.
What is LanguageTool's AI paraphrasing feature?
LanguageTool includes an AI-powered paraphrasing tool that can rephrase sentences to make them more formal, fluent, simple, or concise. This feature is unlimited in premium subscriptions and helps users improve their writing style and clarity.
What's the difference between LanguageTool's free and premium versions?
The free version provides basic grammar and spell checking for up to 2,000 characters per text field. Premium versions offer unlimited paraphrasing, up to 150,000 characters per text field, advanced punctuation and style checking, personal dictionaries, and team features for collaborative writing.
How does LanguageTool indicate different types of errors?
LanguageTool uses colored underlines to highlight different types of issues - red for spelling mistakes and blue for style improvements. It also includes a Picky Mode for advanced punctuation and typography suggestions, making it easy to identify and address specific writing issues.
Does LanguageTool offer team features?
Yes, LanguageTool offers a Teams plan for up to 20 members at $13.28 per user annually. This includes all Premium features plus user management, Team Style Guide, and Team Dictionary for maintaining consistent writing standards across organizations.
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