Tools to support writing

Writing a final thesis or article can be a tough nut to crack. Below, you'll find a list of selected language tools that can assist you with this task, along with information about their features, advantages, and suitability for academic writing.

Since language tools are continuously evolving, much of the information here may change in the future. However, everything provided is up-to-date (July 2024).

This section focuses on tools that offer their services for free, though some may have specific limitations. If you have more advanced needs, you can switch to paid or trial tools, which are described in other sections of this guide. Unless otherwise noted, these tools are available in English.

Corrector App

Corrector App is a free language tool for correcting grammar, spelling and punctuations errors. This tool improves writing with suggestions. The interface is very simple, and advertisements can be a bit disturbing to some people. However, it is claimed that data policy is very safe, and users’ data are not stored or shared with other parties. This tool supports 25 different languages. 15 thousand characters are being corrected at one time. Unfortunately, the Corrector App is a bit limited from other tools. It cannot paraphrase your text or other things that other tools can do.

Slick Write

Slick Write is a free online application for grammar correction and stylistics. It also offers interesting features such as “KeyStatistic”, which provides text analysis, word count, approximate reading time, and readability index. Among other features are “Associator”, which helps to find connections between words, “Critique”, which helps to detect repeating words, and “Rephrasing”, which provides alternatives for sentences and words. Slick Write also offers a demo of the application, which introduces the application and explains its features in detail. This app is suitable for correction of academic texts and even for regular use (correcting emails, etc.). Slick Write is in English and does not store any personal data or content provided by users.

Sentence Checkup

Sentence Checkup is a free language tool for grammar correction with many features such as “Sentence Corrector”, which provides analysis of the text with a description of errors, it also recognizes the copied text from Word and allows to keep or delete the format, and can be used as a text editor. This feature proved to be reliable even for academic texts. Other features include “Rewriter”, which offers to choose from the fluency, tone, audience, emotion and length categories, “Sentence Counter”, “Expander” and “Shortener”. The feature “Sentence Generator” unfortunately failed during the testing. There is also the possibility of a “deep check”, which redirects users to Grammarly language tools, but during the testing, the feature “check” was sufficient and reliable enough. Sentence Checkup does not store or share user text input.

Ahrefs

Ahrefs is an online platform that offers “AI Grammar Checker” for free, including spelling and punctuation checks. The app also shows the number of characters and the word count. The design of the application is very simple and clean, with errors clearly pointed out and corrections prepared to be accepted or dismissed. Ahrefs is reliable for academic proofreading purposes, as it is precise and correct, even correcting for extra spaces in the text. Ahrefs is claimed not to store or analyze the user’s input.

Where else to search for help?

Online dictionaries: Glosbe (supports all languages worldwide), Linguee (proposes contextual translation of words and phrases), Oxford Dictionary, Longman Dictionary

Tools for writing and learning Czech

Opravidlo (Czech grammar checker)

Internetová jazyková příručka (spelling, punctuation assistance)

In this section, you will find those language tools that offer both free and paid plans. Many online language applications provide a free plan that is more or less limited, depending on the app, but generally offer the basic features for free and only the advanced features are included within the paid plans. You will find here a description of each tool and its features, advantages and whether it is suitable for academic writing. The mentioned tools are mainly in the English language, if they are offered in different languages, information is provided.

Grammarly

Grammarly is a smart tool that helps improve your English texts. It can correct grammar, spelling and punctuation errors. It will suggest better wording for better intelligibility and readability of the text. It also checks your vocabulary and helps you choose the right words and avoid repetition. It is possible to set a formal or informal text style. The tool is intended for students or professionals. Grammarly offers 3 versions: Free, Premium and Business. For example, the Business version also includes company statistics, how many texts were analyzed, and the like.

Trinka

Trinka is an AI-powered grammar checker and language correction tool for academic and technical writing. It can detect and correct a wide range of errors, and it offers style and tone checks, plagiarism checking, paraphrasing, and journal searches. It offers a free and premium version. However, for the free version, you have to register and there is a limit of 500 words per day. You can use US or UK English spelling. This language tool has many partnerships with well-known universities and institutions such as Columbia University, University of Birmingham, etc. Trinka is supported in English and in addition in Spanish.

Typli.ai

Typli.ai is an AI-powered typing tool that offers a wide range of features to improve your writing. It comes in free and paid versions and can paraphrase and generate text. Typli.ai allows users to paraphrase and generate text in different styles and tones quickly. It also includes SEO optimization to increase the visibility of users’ websites and blogs. Of course, it includes grammar and spelling checks.

Microsoft Editor

Microsoft Editor is an artificial intelligence writing tool built into Microsoft 365 products such as Word, Outlook, and the Edge browser. It is available in free basic and paid versions with advanced features. It has a grammar and spell checker, which helps to improve writing style, paraphrasing tool, text prediction and multi-language support.

DeepL

DeepL is a language platform for translating and grammar correction. DeepL offers a free version of its products with limited but sufficient features. DeepL Translate supports many languages, including Czech, and allows translation of up to 1,500 characters at once. Although the translator is generally reliable, it has trouble translating into Czech, often changing the meaning of sentences and even gender. It is better to use it if there is an elementary understanding of the language. DeepL Write helps with spelling, grammar, and fluency and offers the option to choose a writing style and tone, including the option, especially for academic purposes. However, in the free version, text improvements are limited. It also supports French, German, and Spanish. DeepL offers a trial version for a limited time, after which users can upgrade to Pro versions, which offer unlimited use of the features and maximum data security. The app also provides reliable extensions for browsers and Word, as well as apps for Android, ChromeOS, and iOS.

Scribens

Ludwig.guru is a language tool that helps with grammar correction and stylistics, offering a wide range of features. The app provides its users with free, Premium, and Premium Plus versions. The free version is limited: for example, it offers up to five sentence corrections and five AI feedbacks, with a lot of other features also limited. The sentence rewrite function is reliable and offers several alternatives. However, in the “Editor” feature, the given suggestions are not always reliable and may propose alternatives that do not make sense within the context of the text. To access the app, registration is required, and once you create an account, your searches are saved in the library. Ludwig also offers desktop and Android apps, and even has a blog where articles on writing tips are posted.

Ludwig.guru

Scribens is an online language tool for grammar check, available both for free and for a charge in the premium version. The free version of the app, which was tested, is overall very good, providing reliable corrections. Compared to other apps, Scribens offers to choose from the possible corrections. It also provides text statistics: word and sentence count, reading, and speaking time. There are also apps for Android and iOS, and browser extensions. The paid plan includes extensions for Microsoft Word, LibreOffice, Outlook, social networks, etc. The app is available in not only English but also in French. It does not store user’s data.

ProWritingAid

ProWritingAid is a language tool to correct grammar and stylistics. It offers three plans: Free, Premium, and Premium Pro. The free version is limited, allowing only restricted access to features such as ten rephrases per day and a 500-word count limit, while these features are unlimited in the Premium and Premium Pro versions. ProWritingAid also offers a text analysis, which is very reliable and well categorized, providing many features, including readability, the ability to set tone and style, and citations. Additionally, the paid versions offer features such as advanced citations and “Critique”. Registration is required to access the app. ProWritingAid also provides extensions for browsers, Word, Discord, Google Docs, and more. On the website, you can also find video tutorials and articles with tips and tricks for writing.

Reverso

Reverso is an online grammar correction app that provides both free and paid plans. The free version includes limited access to the rephrasing feature and limited text length for editing. Some features are available only in French. The Premium version includes AI rephrasing for longer texts and a Word add-in. The online application includes ads, with an ad-free experience available in the premium version. Due to inconsistencies in translation and editing features, the free version of the app is not recommended for academic purposes. On the other hand, the app offers extensions for Netflix, YouTube, and more.

Hemingway

Hemingway is an online grammar check app that offers several plans, including free and paid versions. The free version is very limited, providing text analysis features such as readability and text clarity. You can also choose from several paid versions that include AI sentence rewrites, advanced grammar fixes, and more. Hemingway uses color-coding extensively, making the design interesting and clear, but due to the grammatical inconsistencies, the free version of the app cannot be recommended for academic purposes. Hemingway does not store user content or personal data.

PaperRater

PaperRater offers grammar and plagiarism checks. Both free and premium versions are available. The Premium version includes the possibility of uploading files and longer documents, faster processing, and an ad-free experience. The free version also includes interesting features, such as highlighting words that are often spelled and used incorrectly, and a vocabulary feature. The website design may initially seem confusing, but once the text is processed, you are redirected to a much nicer and clearer interface. The “Plagiarism Checker” can identify the source from which the text was copied.

Ginger

Ginger offers a grammar checker and paraphraser with both free and paid plans. The free version includes limited rephrasing and spelling, and grammatical error detection. The rephraser is reliable, even for academic texts, providing spot-on alternatives from which to choose. However, the grammar checker was not proved very reliable and cannot be recommended. Ginger also offers tips and tricks for writing on its blog, many extensions and apps, and also Ginger Business and Ginger Education.

Language Tool

Language Tool is an online application for grammar correction and paraphrasing. It offers both free and premium plans. The free version offers a grammar checker, paraphrasing tool, that is very detailed and offers many possibilities and features. It can also be recommended even for academic texts as it provides thorough corrections. You can also choose from several languages and upload a Word document. The app also offers to download applications for Windows, iOS, as well as browser extensions.

Virtual Writing Tutor

Virtual Writing Tutor is an online application for grammar correction, stylistics, and chatGPT detection. There are both free and paid plans. The free plan includes the possibility of becoming a member, which provides its users with advantages, such as the availability of less limited features. “Virtual Writing Tutor” is reliable and can be recommended for academic texts. Feature “Detect GPT” is also reliable. On the website, there are videos with tips and tricks on writing and also learning materials, not only in English, but also in French.

Writefull

Writefull is a tool that provides language support for many different areas of writing and stylistics. There is the possibility to choose from an online app Writefull X, which is free, or have it installed on MS Word. The online app includes features such as “Title” and “Abstract” generators, “Paraphraser”, “Academizer”, and “GPT Detector”. Both the title and abstract generators are precise and reliable, the issue while testing was only with the GPT detector, which did not provide accurate results. Writefull for Word includes many features, as well as a choice of British / American spelling, and also includes the tools that are mentioned in the online app. Writefull is good for academic writing and for correcting casual texts. Writefull also guarantees that your data will not be stored.

ChatGPT

ChatPGT is an AI language model that can also be used as a grammar corrector with the help of GPT agents or proper prompting. GPT-4o Mini is offered for free, while the advanced version, GPT-4, requires payment. However, both provide good and, to some extent, reliable service for grammar corrections in English. The Czech language correction feature has not been recommended, as it struggles with complex sentences and tends to make mistakes.

Scribbr

is an extensive online platform that specializes in grammar correction, editing, citations, and others. The feature “Checker” offers the correction of text documents and analysis; it can also be used to edit the document. The “Paraphrasing Tool” is an interesting feature that works on an AI basis and also offers users to choose from many different languages (unfortunately not Czech). The “Text Summarizer” is another reliable feature; it summarizes academic texts well and maintains the style and tone of the text. Scribbr also offers to its users to upload the whole document and connect you with an editor, who will correct it for you, however, this feature is paid. The app does not store or share user’s text. Scribbr also offers Google Chrome and Edge extensions.

Quillbot

QuillBot is an application that offers many features for stylistics, grammar corrections, and features summarizer and AI detection. QuillBot offers free and premium plans, which provide its users with unlimited text edits and premium features. The app is very user-friendly and organized. The paraphrasing tool is reliable and offers many options, such as mode of writing (but some of them are included only in the Premium plan). “Grammar checker” is provided for free and can be recommended for academic texts. The “AI detector” recognized the tested samples with high accuracy. The “Summarizer” provides a choice of several languages (though not Czech) and can also be recommended to use for editing academic texts. QuillBot also offers extensions for browsers, Word, and more.

WordTune

WordTune is an AI-powered writing tool that helps users improve and streamline their writing. The tool offers a variety of functions, including paraphrasing and rewriting sentences. It can also summarize longer texts and includes text generation, grammar checking and spelling checking. One of the other features is a personalized knowledge library. The tool has a very clear interface. There is a daily limit in the free version, meaning you only get 10 corrections and AI suggestions, only 3 AI summaries per month, and unlimited spelling corrections and grammar checks. In contrast, in the paid Advance version you already have 30 corrections and AI suggestions, 15 monthly AI summaries and unlimited spelling, grammar and AI recommendations. It is possible to try a 7-day trial. There are also three premium versions (Advanced, Unlimited and Business).

Below, you will find a selection of paid language tools that also offer a free trial, a limited time during which you can use the app without being charged. This allows you to test out the apps and decide whether or not you will invest in purchasing them. Trials allow you to see differences between a wide range of tools, and it is also important to look at the interface of each tool that is suitable for you. Each tool has its own graphics, menu and features that can be suitable for one person but not for another. The tools are mainly in English, if not, information is provided.

Multilings

Multilings is a comprehensive AI-powered platform that offers a range of tools to work with text and languages. It has many tools for example Writing Assistant, Language Translator, Plagiarism Checker and others, which can be useful for marketers, content creators, businesses, and translators. It is not possible to try this tool without registration, there is 7-day trial and then you can use it. It supports text translation in more than 75 languages using neural networks and artificial intelligence to ensure a result very similar to human translation. It offers fast and accurate translations for various needs, from personal conversations to business documents.

DeepL

DeepL is a language platform for translation and grammar correction. DeepL offers both a premium version and a free version, with features varying depending on the license. The paid features of DeepL Pro Translate offer to upload large files and create a shared dictionary. The paid version of DeepL Write Pro offers paraphrasing and writing styles. The app also provides a 30-day free trial.

Hemingway

Hemingway is an online grammar app that offers grammar and stylistics corrections. The app offers both paid and free versions, which is very limited and due to the grammatical inconsistencies cannot be recommended for academic purposes. The paid version of Hemingway Plus includes AI sentence rewrites, advanced grammar fixes, and more. There is also a two-week free trial.

QuillBot

QuillBot is an application that offers many features for stylistics, grammar corrections, and features summarizer and AI detector. QuillBot offers free and premium plans, which provides its users with unlimited text edits and premium features such as plagiarism detections and access to your library of paraphrases. The app also offers a three-day free trial.