Writing (editing) tools 3 - ProWritingAid (free version)

Writing + Writing Tools

Keep in mind that I'm comparing the free versions...

ProWritingAid is the counterpart to Grammarly. It offers the basics, but has some additional tools (also in the free version) focussed on writing, not just spelling.

I tried it ages ago, and didn't like it back then, as it would mangle my italics when copy / pasting. These days it seems to do a better job.

ProWritingAid

Free's free. But what does it do when it's free?

Well, it won't process anything of more than 500 words, and that would limit ProWritingAid (free) to snippets - a few paragraphs - but not even a full chapter.

1. Deliberately wrong

Very similar to Grammarly, though Grammarly seemed to be a bit better at detecting why something was wrong. The difference is marginal though.

(Click any image to enlarge)

2. Early draft (Docs)

This is copied from Google Docs into ProWritingAid, using Ctrl+C Ctrl+V. 

Again that same annoyance: I cannot disable 'premium suggestions'. I find that very annoying.

ProWritingAid (PWA from now on) picked up a missing comma that Grammarly overlooked. The rest is pretty similar.

PWA did not copy the colors from Docs into PWA, though it kept the italics. It did add additional empty lines, and those stayed when copying back into Docs. This is where Grammarly did a little better, as there were no additional empty lines when returning a text to Google Docs.

3. Late edit (Word)

Let's try Word. Pasted into PWA:

Similar results, no real surprises. Removed the colored parts. Didn't add additional lines between paragraphs.

Pasting back into Word caused no issues.

AI training

According to https://prowritingaid.com/responsible-ai they're never using your text to train their (or anyone else's) AI.

Summary

The free versions of both ProWritingAid and Grammarly are very similar. PWA may have some more and better options for fiction writers, but most of those are hidden behind a monthly fee.

Lifelong

I always feel somewhat uncomfortable with lifelong onetime subscriptions. You see, instead of a monthly fee you could pay a certain amount one time. But there's no guarantee that PWA will exist in one, two, three, even ten years. What use is a one-time payment if the software no longer works?

Still, the option is there, and perhaps I might give it a shot if I can find it at a decent discount.

Note that - even with the one time premium subscription - you still won't have access to tools such as a 'Beta Reader'. You have to pay extra for those...