In early 2024, Grammarly quietly raised prices across its consumer and business plans. The Premium plan increased to $12/month (from $11.99, a negligible 0.08% bump), while the Business plan is now $15/month per user. For most individuals, the change is invisible. For teams, it adds up.
If you're on a 10-person team using the Business plan on annual billing, you'll pay approximately $1,800/year vs $1,640/year previously โ an extra $160 annually. The price increase isn't huge, but it reflects Grammarly's broader strategy: embed deeper AI and monetize users who depend on it.
What exactly changed
| Plan | Old Price | New Price | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | $0 | No change |
| Premium (monthly) | $11.99/mo | $12/mo | +0.08% |
| Premium (annual) | $119.88/yr | $120/yr | Essentially flat |
| Business (per user) | $13.75/user/mo | $15/user/mo | +9.1% |
What Grammarly said about it
Grammarly's official position: the price increase reflects expanded AI capabilities and improved grammar/tone detection powered by their proprietary language model. They positioned it as "more value for a slight price adjustment."
For Premium users, they're right โ the increase is negligible. For Business plan teams (which include advanced brand guidance, admin dashboards, and audit logs), the 9.1% increase is more noticeable.
The nuance: Grammarly's free tier is still genuinely useful for basic grammar checking. The real value-add is in Premium and Business plans. Most individual users won't notice the $0.01/month change, but it's part of a larger SaaS pattern: free tiers and basic plans stay cheap, paid plans climb slowly but steadily.
Impact by usage level
| Scenario | Old Cost/Year | New Cost/Year | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Individual (Premium, annual) | $119.88 | $120 | +$0.12 |
| Team of 5 (Business, annual) | $825 | $900 | +$75 |
| Team of 10 (Business, annual) | $1,650 | $1,800 | +$150 |
| Team of 25 (Business, annual) | $4,125 | $4,500 | +$375 |
Is Grammarly worth it after the price increase?
Yes, if you:
- Write professionally (emails, proposals, reports) and can't afford typos or unclear tone
- Are using the Business plan with a team โ the ROI justifies $15/user when that user sends 50+ professional emails/week
- Have integrated Grammarly into your browser, Slack, and email โ switching costs are real
- Use advanced features like "Tone Detection" or "Plagiarism Checker" regularly
Consider alternatives if you:
- Only use Grammarly occasionally for spell-check โ free tools do this equally well
- Are on a Business team but only a few seats actively use premium features
- Use Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, or Apple devices โ Editor/native tools are free and surprisingly capable
- Need advanced features only for occasional projects โ LanguageTool or QuillBot might suffice
ROI Analysis: Is Grammarly Premium Worth $12/Month After the +33% Price Increase?
Writer / Freelancer (1 Premium user)
Annual cost increase: +$36/year ($3/month)
Time saved per article: Grammarly catches 10โ15 errors that would require manual review
Value of error prevention: 15 errors ร $5 fix cost (credibility/revision time) = $75/article
Articles per year: 50 articles ร $75 = $3,750/year value
ROI: 3,750 รท 144 (annual cost) = 26:1 return
Verdict: โ STAY. ROI is exceptional. The price increase is trivial.
Marketing Team (5 Premium users)
Annual cost increase: +$180 ($3/month ร 5)
Team value: Grammarly + tone detection ensures brand consistency across 100+ monthly pieces
Time saved on review cycles: 5 hours/week eliminated = $10,000/year
Brand reputation value: Prevents grammar errors in public-facing content = avoid one PR disaster ($50K cost)
Annual total value: $10,000 (time) + $50,000 (risk mitigation) = $60,000
Cost increase impact: Only 0.3% of the value created
Verdict: โ STAY. The increase is negligible.
Customer Support / Sales Team (10 Premium users)
Annual cost increase: +$360 ($3/month ร 10)
Support communication quality: Grammarly tone detection prevents frustrated/condescending responses
CSAT improvement: Better-written support responses increase satisfaction by 15%
Value of 15% CSAT improvement: Retention improvement = $100K+/year for SaaS company
Verdict: โ STAY. ROI is exceptional for customer-facing teams.
Budget-Conscious Writer (Price-sensitive)
Current cost: Grammarly Premium $144/year
LanguageTool as alternative: Free tier + $108/year ($8.99/mo) = $108/year
Savings from switching: $36/year
Switching cost: 2โ3 hours to set up and get comfortable with new tool
Quality tradeoff: LanguageTool catches 80% of errors Grammarly does, but less advanced tone detection
Better path: If you have sporadic writing needs, use free LanguageTool. If you write professionally, Grammarly pays for itself.
Verdict: โ ๏ธ EVALUATE. If you write <10 pieces/month, LanguageTool suffices. If you write 20+ pieces/month, Grammarly ROI > cost.
Persona-Based Recommendations
For: Professional Writer / Author
Stay with Grammarly if: You publish 20+ pieces per month (blog, articles, books)
Cost per piece: $144/year รท 240 pieces = $0.60 per article
Value per piece: Catches 10โ15 errors ร $5 fix cost = $50โ$75 value per article (80ร cost)
Verdict: โ STAY. ROI is unquestionable.
For: Marketing Team (3โ10 people)
Stay with Grammarly if: You publish 30+ pieces/month across team
Brand consistency value: Tone detection ensures cohesive brand voice
Error prevention value: Avoid brand damage from grammar mistakes in public content
Verdict: โ STAY. The investment is trivial relative to brand value.
For: Customer-Facing Teams (Support, Sales)
Stay with Grammarly if: Your team sends 100+ emails/day
Communication quality impact: Tone detection prevents frustrated responses, improves satisfaction
Verb: โ STAY. Prevents customer retention issues worth 100ร the tool cost.
For: Casual Writer / Student
Try LanguageTool free tier if: You write <10 pieces per month
Upgrade to Premium ($8.99/mo) if: You need paraphrasing + plagiarism detection
Consider Grammarly ($12/mo) if: You need advanced tone detection and UX
Verdict: โ ๏ธ START with LanguageTool free. Upgrade only if you need specific features.
Best alternatives to Grammarly
LanguageTool โ Best free alternative
Price: Free (with ads); Premium $8.99/month
Why it works: Catches more errors than Grammaly's free tier. Supports 30+ languages. No subscription required for solid writing assistance. Premium removes ads and adds advanced features.
Trade-off: No tone detection or plagiarism checker. Less sophisticated AI than Grammarly Premium. Integrations less seamless.
QuillBot โ Best for students and rewrites
Price: Free (limited paraphrasing); Plus $6/month (student rate), $19.95/month (standard)
Why it works: Superior paraphrasing and rewriting. Great for students who need to rephrase content while maintaining meaning. Advanced plagiarism detection.
Trade-off: Less focused on grammar/tone than Grammarly. Integrations more limited.
Microsoft 365 Editor โ Best if you have M365
Price: Free (included with Microsoft 365 subscription)
Why it works: Surprisingly capable grammar, tone, and clarity detection built into Word, Outlook, and the web. No extra cost if you already subscribe.
Trade-off: Limited to Microsoft applications. Less polished UX than Grammarly. Requires M365 subscription ($6-10/month for individuals, $6/user/month for teams).
Hemingway Editor โ Best for clarity
Price: Free (web), $19 (desktop app)
Why it works: Focuses on clear, concise writing by highlighting complex sentences and passive voice. Best for blog posts, marketing copy, and editing for readability.
Trade-off: Not a full grammar checker. No tone detection. Desktop app requires one-time purchase.
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The bottom line
Grammarly's 2024 price increase is minimal for individuals (+0.08%) but meaningful for teams (+9.1% on Business plan). The tool remains genuinely valuable for professional writers, but better alternatives exist depending on your specific use case.
Before you switch: lock in annual billing to minimize future increases, and consider whether you're truly using advanced features that justify Premium vs the free tier. For Business teams, audit active seats โ you might have dormant licenses paying for nothing.
Check Grammarly's current pricing status โ
Related reading
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