ProWritingAid
Long-form writing assistant with 25+ analysis reports — built for storytellers, useful for students.
TL;DR
ProWritingAid is the long-form writer's toolkit. The 25+ analysis reports — pacing, sticky sentences, repeated words, sentence variety, dialogue tags — go several layers deeper than Grammarly. For students writing essays or research papers above the 500-word threshold, it's a stronger developmental tool than a grammar checker.
Recommend it if
You're writing 1500+ word pieces (research papers, capstones, fiction), you want reports on style and pacing rather than just commas, or you teach a writing course at a school participating in ProWritingAid for Education.
Skip it if
You only need quick grammar checks (Grammarly is faster), you write in non-English, or your work is mostly under 500 words and the free-tier cap doesn't bite.
Quick facts
- Platforms
- WebWordGoogle DocsScrivenerChromeMacWindows
- Languages
- English
- School fit
- 9-12 Higher Ed Adult / PD
- Subjects
- ELAEnglish CompositionCreative Writing
- Time to first output
- 5 min
- Learning curve
- Moderate
- Setup
- Install browser/Word add-in, paste text or open document
- Works offline
- —
Real-world use cases
How a teacher, student or parent actually puts this tool to work.
| Who | Scenario | Time | Output |
|---|---|---|---|
| Students | College freshman writing a 2000-word literature essay — runs the full report suite, gets pacing, sticky-sentence and word-repetition feedback before submitting. | 10 min | Annotated draft with developmental feedback |
| Teachers | HS English teacher in the free Education program — assigns a 1500-word personal narrative; students self-edit using the Sticky Sentences and Pacing reports before peer review. | 5 min/student | Self-edited drafts before peer review |
| Students | Creative writing student preparing a 60k-word manuscript — uses Manuscript Analysis and Virtual Beta Reader (Story Credits) for whole-book feedback. | 15-30 min/run | Whole-manuscript developmental feedback |
- Students
College freshman writing a 2000-word literature essay — runs the full report suite, gets pacing, sticky-sentence and word-repetition feedback before submitting.
- Time
- 10 min
- Output
- Annotated draft with developmental feedback
- Teachers
HS English teacher in the free Education program — assigns a 1500-word personal narrative; students self-edit using the Sticky Sentences and Pacing reports before peer review.
- Time
- 5 min/student
- Output
- Self-edited drafts before peer review
- Students
Creative writing student preparing a 60k-word manuscript — uses Manuscript Analysis and Virtual Beta Reader (Story Credits) for whole-book feedback.
- Time
- 15-30 min/run
- Output
- Whole-manuscript developmental feedback
ProWritingAid is the long-form writer’s toolkit. Where Grammarly polishes a sentence, ProWritingAid analyzes a chapter. The killer feature is the 25+ writing reports: Pacing, Sticky Sentences, Repeated Words, Sentence Variety, Dialogue Tags, Pronoun Reports, Cliche checks, and more.
When it pays off in week one
- College students writing 1500+ word essays
- High-school students in a participating Education program (free Premium)
- Fiction students working on novels or short-story collections
- Teachers wanting a developmental editing tool to assign
When to pass
For grammar-only quick passes on short pieces, Grammarly is faster and freer. For non- English work, ProWritingAid has no coverage.
What we like
- + 25+ analysis reports that go far beyond grammar — pacing, sticky sentences, dialogue tags
- + Free K-12 access for participating schools (ProWritingAid for Education)
- + Plugs into Word, Google Docs, Scrivener and more — works in your writing app
- + Explicitly states they never train models on user text
Heads up
- − Premium gated above 500 words — free tier is mostly a teaser for serious writers
- − English-only (General, US, UK, Canadian, Australian)
- − Authoring-style framing can feel off-key for short academic writing
Pricing breakdown
Pricing
Verified directly on the vendor site. We re-check every quarter.
Free
- · Basic grammar, spelling and punctuation
- · 500-word check limit per run
- · 2 report runs per day
- · 10 Rephrases / 3 Sparks per day
Premium
Most useful- · Unlimited word count
- · All 25+ writing reports
- · 5 Sparks / 1 Chapter Critique per day
- · Custom style guides and snippets
Premium Pro
- · Everything in Premium
- · 50 Sparks / 3 Chapter Critiques per day
- · Live workshops with authors
- · Up to 65% off Story Credits
Privacy & compliance
Privacy & compliance
What we found in the vendor's terms, DPA, and trust center. Verify with your district before deploying.
- FERPA
- Partial
- SOC 2
- Unclear
- COPPA
- Partial
- GDPR
- Compliant
- Trains on your data
- No
- Data retention
- Texts submitted for analysis are processed in transit and not retained on servers; user-uploaded documents are stored only in the user's account.
- Hosting regions
- US · UK · EU
Explicitly states "we never use your text to train our algorithms." K-12 schools can join the free ProWritingAid for Education program; teachers must obtain parental/guardian consent before inviting students. Operated by Orpheus Technology (UK).
Works with
- Microsoft Word
- Google Docs
- Scrivener
- Chrome
- Final Draft
Frequently asked questions
Frequently asked questions
How is this different from Grammarly?
Grammarly is fast and excellent for grammar/spelling on short pieces. ProWritingAid is built for long-form — its 25+ reports surface style, pacing, dialogue tags, sticky sentences and sentence variety. Most serious writers use both — Grammarly for quick passes, ProWritingAid for developmental edits.
Is the K-12 program really free?
Yes. ProWritingAid for Education provides free Premium access to teachers and students at participating primary/secondary schools. The teacher signs up the school, then invites students. Parental consent is required per ProWritingAid's terms.
Does my text get used to train AI?
No. ProWritingAid explicitly states they never use customer text to train their models, and texts submitted for analysis are not retained on servers.
What's the lifetime plan about?
One-time payment ($399 Premium / $699 Premium Pro) for permanent access. Useful for serious writers who plan to use the product for 4+ years; otherwise the annual is cheaper.
Does it work for academic writing in non-English?
No — only English variants (US, UK, Canadian, Australian, General). For other languages, look at language-specific tools.
Tags
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When to pick it
Grammarly
Tutors & Study Companions
AI writing assistant for both teachers and students — feedback, tone, citations.
You want fast grammar feedback on short pieces, not deep style and pacing reports.