WhiteSmoke vs Grammarly: A Actual Creator's Report (2020)

There are so many editing tools these days that it is difficult to keep an eye on the best. Two editing software solutions you may have heard of are WhiteSmoke and Grammarly.

In this article we will compare the two options and find out which one is the best choice for you.

Grammar vs. WhiteSmoke: We compare the couple

Grammar and WhiteSmoke have a lot in common and offer a similar service. To compare these two, we will look at the following categories:

Functions and integrations: What bells and whistles comes with the tool? What integrations does the tool offer?
Accuracy: How many errors will the tool detect and how many false alarms will be displayed?
Design and usability: How easy is the tool to use?
Price and value for money: How much does it cost and is it worth the money?

The four categories mentioned are considered by most potential users when purchasing. We will therefore look at how WhiteSmoke and grammar go together. For this we give both tools a score of five for each category, which corresponds to a maximum of twenty points.

A quick note before I give you the breakdown: Some of the links in this article are affiliate links that help me let the coffee flow and turn on the lights so I can continue to learn and share what I learn with you can. Of course, that had no impact on my rating. As you will see below, I will explain the good and bad sides of both tools.

Grammar check

The first tool we'll look at is grammar. We will evaluate the grammar in all four categories.

Would you like to see grammar yourself? Check out grammar here.

Functions and integrations of the grammar

When it comes to integrations, grammar has all the basics. There is an editor for your desktop, a great web version, an impressive Chrome plugin and a Microsoft Word add-on.

There's also an iOS and Android app, as well as a keyboard that is a lifesaver when you use your phone for business and email.

Grammarly also has a Google Docs add-on that looks promising but a little disappointing in the end. The add-on is BETA, so it can be improved later. However, the Google Docs add-on only covers simple spelling and grammatical errors. So it doesn't differ much from a regular spell check.

All in all, I would give grammar a 4 out of 5 for functions and integrations

How accurate is the grammar?

When it comes to accuracy, I look at how many false alarms are displayed (suggestions that don't make sense) and how many errors the app overlooks.

Grammar is usually incredibly good when you do basic typing. So if you write emails, social media posts and one or two blog posts or newsletters, grammar is perfect. This kind of makes sense when you look at all of the marketing material and the website, it looks like they are aimed at the general internet user and not the dedicated author.

The fact that they are a tool for general internet use becomes clear when you try to edit fiction. Like most general grammar checkers, the tool struggles with book prose and dialogue.

With that in mind, I couldn't give grammar more than 3 out of 5. If you're a general web user looking for basic functionality, this may increase slightly.

Grammar design

Before I start this section, it's important to know that grammar is one of the most intuitive and best-designed tools you can purchase.

Everything feels natural when you use grammar. There are no annoying delays or functions with too many buttons.

Even the little red lines that appear under errors are perfect. I have used other tools where the red line is in an uncomfortable place. If you click to make the proposed editing, it will click away. Grammar, on the other hand, has no problems.

And it's not just the Chrome app that works like magic. The web editor is great too. When you open a new document for the first time, you are asked to select the destinations for your piece. The selection you choose processes your suggestions and gives you an end product that meets your requirements.

It all makes sense if you think about it. Grammar is aimed at the average internet user, so it would be stupid to bombard them with too many writer-oriented decisions. Grammar aims to make the editing tool so easy to use that everyone can master it in a few days.

If you haven't worked it out yet, I'll give grammar a 5 out of 5 for ease of use and design.

What does grammar cost?

Grammar doesn't just have a price. Instead, it's about the tiered pricing structure that is popular with SaaS (Software as a Service) products.

Basically there is a monthly price and you can save more money by buying a longer subscription. Although the monthly version costs a crazy $ 29 a month, I can't imagine many people signing up for it if the annual plan is $ 11.66 a month.

However, Grammarly also offers an amazing free version, which is one of the best free versions of the editing software I've come across. The free grammar version will likely suffice for most users.

When it comes to pricing, I give grammar 4 out of 5 points. This score is mainly based on the somewhat reasonable annual fee and the best free version on the market.

WhiteSmoke Review

After looking at grammar, let's take a look at WhiteSmoke and see how it is compared.

Convince yourself of WhitesSmoke here. Let's start now.

Functions and integrations

For features, WhiteSmoke offers a number of integrations depending on the subscription. Most plans give you access to your main browsers – Chrome, Safari, Opera and Firefox. There is also a desktop version that you can download when you sign up for the premium version. You can also use WhiteSmoke with Gmail, which is convenient.

The limitation: WhiteSmoke only works online, which makes it somewhat impractical.

WhiteSmoke also has a number of resources that will make you a better writer, including a number of templates that you can use for resumes and emails.

There are also a number of short videos that deal with common writing problems and how to avoid them. I think that's a practical function. I'm actually surprised that more writing tools don't: "You used passive language? Click this video and we'll show you what it is and how to avoid it."

WhiteSmoke also has a translator who works in almost every language imaginable. However, I have received a lot of feedback that the WhiteSmoke translator is essentially the same as Google Translate. Now I haven't done much translation work myself, but if it is identical to Google Translate, it will become less important.

All in all, this leads me to give 3 out of 5 for integrations. It offers something less than grammar in terms of integration. However, there are several different functions such as online lessons, templates and, above all, a translator.

Is WhiteSmoke accurate?

WhiteSmoke is a fairly accurate spell and grammar checker. I've used the tool a bit and it offers many of the same grammar checks. I didn't make a style selection like in grammar, so WhiteSmoke's style reviews are a bit boring.

If you want to write accurately, WhiteSmoke can do the job as well as most programs.

I would rate WhiteSmoke 4 out of 5 for accuracy. False positives are a necessary evil when it comes to spell checking.

WhiteSmokes design

One of the biggest drawbacks of WhiteSmoke is its design and ease of use. The tool may be slow to use and not intuitive to navigate.

The WhiteSmoke Windows app can contain a maximum of 10,000 characters at a time. Yes, that's not 10,000 words, it's 10,000 characters. Every letter, every punctuation mark and every space counts. If you write a long form like a book, the WhiteSmoke desktop app is no longer necessary.

For design and usability, I give WhiteSmoke a 3 out of 5.

What does WhiteSmoke cost?

The biggest advantage of WhiteSmoke is the price. Compared to grammar, their premium options are really inexpensive.

Whitesmoke Essential costs $ 10 a month ($ 5 when checked)
Whitesmoke Premium costs $ 13.33 per month (upon review $ 6.66)
Whitesmoke Business costs $ 22.99 per month ($ 11.50 when reviewed)

WhiteSmoke offers annual plans, and both the web and premium versions are significantly cheaper than Grammarly's annual subscription. There is also a three-year subscription, which is cheaper again.

However, WhiteSmoke does not offer a free version, which is a great shame. There is not even a free trial! I have to give WhiteSmoke a 4 out of 5.

And the winner is?

It's time to add up the numbers. The overall results are:

My judgment? Grammar is the better all-round tool. It works well online and offline, has comparable accuracy to most grammar checkers, its design and usability are impeccable, and it offers a great free version if you want to try it out. It also works well for long-form writing, like a book.

If you want to save a bit of money and are not interested in a tool that is a little chunkier than grammar, WhiteSmoke is a good option for you. WhiteSmoke is also the best option if you need a translation tool as it is not offered by Grammarly.

Final thoughts

Even the best authors make mistakes from time to time. While there is no substitute for a professional editor, grammar checking tools such as grammar and WhiteSmoke are great options to help you spot mistakes on your way.

Try a grammar checker and see how many mistakes he can fix for you!

Have you tried out Grammar or WhiteSmoke? How is your experience Let us know in the comments.

Brendan Hufford