Ginger is one of the top online grammar checkers. Some would say it’s nothing but a cheap, student-friendly version of Grammarly. But it’s unfair to say that Ginger’s excellence is all because of its similarities with the competitor.
This Ginger Grammar Checker review will reveal the writing software’s unique features and pros and cons. Find out what makes it different from Grammarly and ProWritingAid!
What is Ginger?
Ginger is an online spelling and grammar checking tool that checks your writing for common mistakes. Aside from fixing your grammar issues, this online editor also teaches you your exact errors and how to correct them.
So, the software program is also a great learning tool for people who want to enhance their English skills. Not only will it save you time for your blog posts, but it will also help you become a better writer.
The Ginger Software finds spelling, grammar, and punctuation mistakes while showing the synonyms of a chosen word. With this online grammar check tool, you can avoid redundancy in your writing. There’s also a dictionary feature to help you check if the word is appropriate.
What Features Does Ginger Offer?
What makes Ginger different from other programs is its learning center feature. Its job is not just to correct your writing pieces. The editor also wants you to be a better writer by addressing the most common mistakes.
For example, Ginger can show you if a word is misplaced. It can tell why a word’s spelling is incorrect and how to practice more accuracy in the future. Here are other features of the Ginger Grammar Checker.
Spell Correction
Your spelling errors will clear out in no time with a single type on your keyboard. It efficiently detects misspelled words and recommends the correct spelling.
Correct All
Another feature of the Ginger Grammar Checker is that you can correct all errors at once. There’s no need to waste time manually accepting every suggestion. This feature works excellently if you trust Ginger’s corrections enough.
Punctuation Checker
Ginger performs punctuation checks on your entry too. It will underline any punctuation mistakes in your content, such as in the sentence “Can I have some food.” The advanced writing tool will suggest you change the period into a question mark to make it correct.
Detailed Feedback
Another feature of the Ginger Grammar Checker is its ability to make suggestions for your sentence structure and style. You can also change your punctuation depending on the detailed feedback of the software.
Here are other ways Ginger will elevate your writing:
- Finding repetitions and giving synonyms.
- Suggests ways to shorten wordy sentences through sentence rephraser.
- Reduces the passive voice.
- Detecting idioms, phrases, and contextual spelling errors.
- Spots fragmented sentences.
Smart Word Prediction Feature
Some users may not find this function useful, but the word predictor guesses the words as you type. Write more quickly as Ginger gives the next word suggestion based on your past writing habits.
Personally, I played around with the program for a while and couldn’t figure out how to activate this feature. Perhaps I write too fast, or maybe I didn’t have enough errors in my writing for the program to pick up.
360-Degree Approach
One of Ginger’s core features is its 360-degree approach. It can assist you in any software, platform, or operating system.
Aside from Microsoft, some platforms that Ginger works with include Mac, iOS, and Android. You can also download extensions on Google Chrome, Edge, and Safari to boost your writing experience.
It’s also mobile-friendly! Perform grammar checks on your Android and Apple device anywhere you are.
Dictionary Feature
Enhance your content with Ginger by checking the instant definitions of each word. Note that some synonyms are inappropriate for the context, but Ginger will help you with that! You’ll be able to try different methods for writing your sentences to improve your vocabulary.
You also get a personal dictionary feature where you can log words it doesn’t recognize. This is great for a Fiction writer. We often use made-up words in our writing.
US/UK English
The tool lets you switch between US and UK English. So, if you write “humor” for your British audience and run it on Ginger, the spelling checker will flag it. You’ll have to replace it with “humour” to cater to your UK audience.
Emoji Feature
The Emoji functionality is one of Ginger’s additional features that other grammar checkers don’t have. It’s perfect for informal writing to make your message more fun.
Text Reader Feature
Another handy feature of the proofreading tool is its text reader. Sometimes, you won’t notice your most frequent writing issues without reading them aloud. Listen to Ginger read your text aloud, then let the Personal Trainer feature teach your mistakes.
Cloud Storage
Ginger includes cloud storage, whether you’re on a subscription or a free version. Store your files in the cloud so you don’t have to copy the documents from one device to another.
Rephrase Feature
The rephrase feature analyzes every line in your writing and offers alternatives to rewriting it. Don’t worry because the alternative sentence will still have the same thought! This nifty feature works hand in hand with the dictionary feature so that you can pick from the suggested words.
For instance, here are possible alternatives that Ginger recommends to the sentence “I will show what this tool offers.”:
- I will depict what this tool offers.
- I will show what this tool volunteers.
- I will show what this tool bids.
- I will show what this tool proposes.
Which one do you think is the more appropriate sentence?
Practice Session Feature
Ginger includes a practice session feature that lets you check your writing ability. This add-on uses your previous grammar errors to provide recommendations for enhancing the quality. But the practice session feature is only available on a premium subscription.
Translator Feature
Ginger has a translation tool that lets you translate your text into any of the 60 languages. However, this cool feature is not always accurate.
Pros and Cons of Ginger Grammar Checker
Here’s my take on the main advantages and downsides of Ginger editing software.
Pros
- Accurate in checking spelling, grammar, and punctuation mistakes.
- Offers style suggestions to improve readability.
- The free version has comprehensive features
- Available as a browser extension.
- Performs mistake analysis of your text in real-time.
- Affordable premium plans.
- Excellent customer support.
- Safe for all users.
Cons
- Does not integrate with Google Docs, OpenOffice, and Libre Office.
- Not as user-friendly as other programs.
- Does not catch all types of mistakes.
- No plagiarism detector.
- No extension for Firefox.
Ease of Use
What makes Ginger worth the splurge is how I can use it with almost all my devices. Its support for multiple platforms means I can perform grammar checks on my phone, Macbook, and another laptop.
The cloud-based software is also a brilliant idea because you can use the program everywhere. If you save your text on your laptop, you can access it from your desktop without losing any data. It automatically syncs your data so you can access your most recent work.
So Many Features
Ginger offers a wealth of features that make it competitive in the market among other online grammar checkers. Some programs also have the Synonyms and Define features, but only Ginger has a Personal Trainer for you.
The Personal Trainer is for people who want to learn the English language better. The user can practice writing as they receive advice on sounding more fluent.
The translation system also puts Ginger a leg up on the competition. It allows you to translate your writing into 60+ languages, although it’s no different from Google Translate.
No Reports
Ginger’s system worked right away upon pasting the content on the space provided. I only had to hover over the underlined word and accept the suggestion window.
But it does not provide any reporting. There is no itemized menu of your mistakes on the side. All you will see are the mistakes underlined in blue.
None of the formattings I copied was applied to Ginger web editor. Everything looks cluttered. It’s also challenging to paste it back into your document.
Style of Writing
I also noticed that Ginger doesn’t allow you to tweak your writing style. You can’t pick your tone, genre, and audience, so you won’t receive corrections regarding these facets.
Every application or browser extension requires a help center or tutorials. While Ginger has one on their website, they aren’t as detailed as others. And ironically, the grammar checker company’s knowledge base has punctuation and capitalization mistakes.
Excellent Customer Service
But Ginger’s quick support team compensates for that flaw. The company is friendly and responsive in resolving issues about my web plug-in. All it took was one interaction, and they were able to provide a solution.
Interface
Another turn-off about Ginger is its clunky interface. Although it’s legit, the program’s awkwardness and outdated design make it look like a bootleg version of Grammarly. Add that to the less-than-ideal accuracy of the grammar checker.
No Plagiarism Detector
The biggest downside to Ginger is its lack of a plagiarism detector. Many online reviews about the program also complained about this.
Plagiarism is a significant writing issue, which is much more severe than grammar errors. College students who turn in plagiarized essays get expelled from the university. Others suffer from hefty lawsuits after stealing intellectual property.
Do you think Ginger would make more sales if they replaced their translation feature with a plagiarism checker? All types of writing need to be original, but only a few require translation.
But why have high expectations for such an affordable service? Ginger already offers more than its price due to its convenience and robust functionality. You could also use the very affordable plagiarism detection service, Copyscape, to handle the plagiarism side of writing.
Is Ginger Grammar Checker Safe?
Yes. Ginger Grammar Checker is a safe website for analyzing your writing. Many users ask if the tool keeps or reviews information or if they claim copyright over your work. The answer to these questions is no.
You don’t have to worry about the third-party server copying or leaking your content. The grammar review is one of the safest tools on the internet, even protecting your work from other forces.
The AI-powered computer software uses a safe connection when sending your text to the correction server. It also doesn’t store whatever you type or paste on the area. The only personally identifiable information it has are your login details.
Ginger also keeps information for statistical purposes, which are pretty harmless. The company does not give access to third parties. Beware of other grammar checkers allowing hosting providers and technical support teams to access your data.
Is Ginger Grammar Checker Accurate?
If you’ve tried several proofreading programs already, you know that Ginger software is only partially accurate. Most of its spelling, grammar, and style suggestions are correct. However, it fails in its inability to spot other errors.
The application can spot errors in confusing words, such as conscience vs. conscence and maintenance vs. maintenence.
It’s also impressive how Ginger corrects some complex grammar mistakes like subject-verb disagreement, sentence fragments, and missing commas. Unfortunately, the grammar checker experiences difficulty correcting unclear antecedents and misplaced modifiers.
Ginger isn’t a perfect tool, so make sure to let a personal editor proofread your work. Still, I consider Ginger an excellent program for basic spelling and grammar checks. After all, I wouldn’t ask for several features from a low-cost tool.
Free Version of Ginger vs. Paid Version
Ginger provides comprehensive but still limited features in its free version. You can enjoy more specialties with the grammar-checking tool if you subscribe to Ginger Premium.
| Features | Ginger Free | Ginger Premium |
| Grammar-checking | Limited | Unlimited and AI-powered |
| Dictionary feature | Available | Available |
| Synonyms | Limited | Unlimited |
| Sentence Rephraser | Limited | Unlimited |
| Translation | No | Yes |
| Characters per entry | 600 | Unlimited |
| Numbers of entries per month | 14 | Unlimited |
| Internet server | Online | Online and offline |
The free version still catches mistakes in spelling and grammar. But it won’t detect more complex grammar mistakes than the premium versions can.
It’s also only available online. You can access the definitions, synonyms, and sentence rephraser features, but only up to 600 characters per entry. You need to make another entry for the rest of your text.
Unlike the premium plan, you can only make 14 entries per month. This amount is undoubtedly not enough if your job depends on writing.
Ginger Grammar Checker Pricing Breakdown
Ginger doesn’t let you pick a plan based on the accessible features since all paid versions are already complete. They all allow you to correct multiple mistakes at once, rephrase, and translate.
You only need to pick when and how often you should pay. Take a look at the three plans that the company offers.
Annual Plan
The annual plan costs $12.48 a month and is billed as one payment at $149.76. You’ll save up to $7.51 every month or $90.12 a year compared to the monthly plan.
Quarterly Plan
If paying once for the rest of the year seems impractical, the quarterly plan is more suitable for you. It costs $15.98 per month, equal to $191.76 a year. You need to make four payments of $47.94 under this subscription.
Monthly Plan
Your last option is the monthly subscription, which costs $13.99 or $167.88 a year. This plan is ideal for students or startup writers who want to pay in short periods.
Note that all first-time users of Ginger Premium are entitled to a 100% money-back guarantee for seven days. It’s a short amount of time, but it’s enough for a trial and review of the app.
Ginger sometimes offers discounts on their premium program for as low as $95.76 for two years. They also give special promos like 30% off on all plans.
Is Ginger Better Than Grammarly?
Grammarly is now known as the most advanced writing assistant because of its unique features like plagiarism checker, inclusive language, and passive voice corrections. So how does it compare to Ginger?
Ginger is definitely a winner when it comes to the availability of languages. Because of its translation feature, Ginger can read entries in up to sixty languages. You can also choose between American and British English.
Meanwhile, Grammarly can only correct English sentences. But it also offers suggestions based on British or American English.
Ginger loses a point for not having a plagiarism checker. Grammarly can detect instances of plagiarism, but I wouldn’t consider it an efficient tool as well.
The writing assistant struggles to flag heavily edited but copied texts. It also can’t find the original source of some plagiarized content.
Another feature where Ginger is defeated is the pricing plan. Ginger only offers a free version and three payment options for the paid, complete plan.
Grammarly has a premium version with different payment options for clarity, style, and other advanced corrections. It also offers Grammarly Business, which has everything in the Premium version plus snippets, brand tones, and style guides.
One of the similarities between Ginger and Grammarly is their keyboard application, although Ginger is only available on Android. Both programs also offer browser extensions for real-time corrections while explaining their suggestions.
If you want to take separate English lessons, Ginger has a special feature that Grammarly lacks: the Personal Trainer feature. It helps users prevent the same mistakes in the future.
But Grammarly offers more comprehensive reports, accuracy scores, and weekly stats. These features seem unnecessary, but they make it more motivating to learn English the way Ginger’s Personal Trainer does.
For the main event, Grammarly tops Ginger for flagging more errors. I tried running a difficult piece of text on both programs, and Ginger offered fewer suggestions. It doesn’t correct dangling modifiers, some wordy sentences, and outdated words.
| Ginger | Grammarly |
| Supports several languages | Only available in one language |
| Does not offer plagiarism checker | Offers plagiarism checker |
| Offers several plans | Offers basic and premium plans |
| Offers mobile application | Offers mobile application |
| Multiple browser extensions | Multiple browser extensions |
| Explains corrections | Explains corrections |
| Offers Personal Trainer feature | No Personal Trainer Feature |
| Offers text-to-speech feature | No text-to-speech feature |
| No detailed reports | Offers Accuracy scores and weekly stats |
| Awkward interface | User-friendly |
| You lose all formatting after pasting | You keep all formatting |
| Flags fewer errors | Flags more errors. |
Read our full comparison on Ginger vs. Grammarly here.
Is Ginger Better Than ProWritingAid?
ProWritingAid is another worthy competitor of Ginger that integrates with Docs, Word, Scrivener, and some browsers to correct your writing. Like Ginger, it eliminates spelling and writing mistakes for the writer to sound more fluent and accurate in English.
Ginger beats ProWritingAid in automatically correcting your grammar mistakes and highlighting them for review. ProWritingAid highlights your errors without automatic corrections. But both writing assistants provide explanations of their suggestions.
Ginger also has a Rephraser that ProWritingAid does not offer. With Ginger, you can try different combinations to see which sentence sounds better. But ProWritingAid offers comprehensive suggestions that are similar, like active voice rephrasing.
Despite the several features of Ginger, ProWritingAid’s star of the show is its 25 writing reports. It can give you summary reports on style, grammar, spelling, sentence variety, passive voice, etc.
ProWritingAid also offers details on emotion tells, quote consistency, pacing, long repeated phases, acronym consistency, and sentence lengths.
Ginger’s browser extension doesn’t work on Google Docs, but ProWritingAid does. You can perform real-time editing on your document without opening the web editor.
Overall, Ginger is enough for basic spelling and grammar reviews. But for a better quality of writing, ProWritingAid is the way to go.
| Ginger | ProWritingAid |
| Automatically highlights corrections | Highlights mistakes without automatic corrections |
| Works through copy and paste | Scrivener, Word, Rich Text, and other file types |
| Offers synonym finder | Offers synonym finder |
| Automatic translator | No automatic translator |
| No extra features | In-built articles, quizzes, and videos |
| No writing reports | 25 writing reports |
Who is Ginger For?
Ginger Grammar Checker has unique features that make it better for specific users. We think these people will enjoy Ginger best.
English Language Learners
English speakers and writers who want to sound more fluent and accurate will benefit the most from Ginger. It will help them correct a wide range of errors through the rephrasing feature, spelling and grammar check, and personalized English practice sessions.
However, if you’re still a beginner in the English language, this program won’t offer much help for you. Ginger offers in-depth proofreading, but it’s not a resource material.
Bloggers, Copywriters, Freelance Writers, Journalists
If you’re one of the professional writers who edit content by themselves, Ginger Grammar Checker will be your best friend. Spend less time on your work by letting this tool correct your grammar and style.
Its read-aloud feature means you don’t have to read the whole material anymore! But you will need another tool for a plagiarism checker since Ginger doesn’t have one.
Those Who Need Their Content in Multiple Languages
Does your company have a presence in other countries? Or do you need to present an article in a different language? Let Ginger translate your text into over 60 languages.
People With Dyslexia
The personal writing coach of Ginger has been a massive help to many students with dyslexia. Some schools use this grammar checker as Assistive Technology for those who have difficulty reading because of issues with speech sounds.
Academic Writers
Academic writers can also use some features of Ginger. Use it for your research projects and essays to identify minor spelling and grammar mistakes. But Ginger might not recognize some technical terms that are not part of its vocabulary.
Ginger will also not help you ensure the originality of your work because it has no built-in plagiarism checker.
Social Media Users
Anyone who regularly posts on social media like Facebook and LinkedIn can benefit from the computer software’s features. It’s also for people who frequently write emails and want to make sure they’re sending grammatically correct messages.
Is Ginger Good for Fiction Writing?
Fiction writers benefit the least from AI-powered grammar checkers like Ginger. While the tool can help them fix basic subject-verb agreement mistakes and typos, it won’t help them be more creative.
Poets, fiction writers, novelists, and other writers on the creative side require various literary devices that will evoke emotions. Ginger won’t be able to rescue you on that aspect. In fact, it might even flag your figurative language as inaccurate or wordy.
One grammar-checking software I recommend for creative writers is ProWritingAid. Professionals swear by its ability to sense dialogues and sentence fragments.
Can Ginger Replace a Real Editor?
Despite its exciting features, Ginger cannot replace a human editor. No grammar checker can replace a real proofreader because these technologies cannot detect all types of error, especially one that involves your tone and style.
Ginger cannot store information on the type of readers you have. It cannot make recommendations about slang, jargon, and other language-related ideas you might have that will attract an audience. Ginger is not intelligent enough for contextual content.
Only an experienced editor will catch mistakes in your story-telling elements. For instance, in one sentence, you might say, “Her friend’s name is Tony.” But in another, you’ll say it’s Toni. Ginger won’t have a sharp eye for this blunder.
How to Use Ginger Grammar Checker
You can start using Ginger by going to gingersoftware.com and downloading the extension. Then, you need to sign up with your Google account, email, or Facebook. You may also access the application on your mobile device.
Browser Extension
You can perform your grammar review in real-time through Ginger’s Safari and Chrome extensions. It’s one of the options for using the software, which automatically checks any text you enter on the browser.
First, download the browser extension on the website. Then, enable Ginger on your extension settings. It’s completely free, so don’t hesitate to try it.
Ginger highlights the errors in blue to notify you. You have to hover over the text, read the explanation, and accept the suggestion. Sometimes, the tool checks your mistakes even before you finish your sentence.
Desktop App
There’s also an option to download the Ginger software for desktop. Start by going to the Ginger page on the internet. Follow the setup wizard, then open your MS Office application.
Hover on the G icon to see the text-to-speech reader, review mode, and other settings. Select the tool you need and correct any writing mistakes on PowerPoint, Word, and other applications.
Your grammatical mistakes will appear in blue highlight as well. The correct suggestions will show up on top of your page. You can also try the learning icon to open the Ginger Genie for an analysis of your common mistakes.
Web Editor
Access the advanced features of Ginger through the web editor. The program has an online Grammar Checker and Sentence Rephraser. Paste your content into the space provided, then make the most out of the online editor.
The web editor is the only way to use Ginger with Google Docs.
Ginger Keyboard App
Ginger recently released its mobile application for Android. Download the app, enable the keyboard on your settings, and start correcting your grammar and spelling mistakes.
The Ginger Keyboard replaces the default keyboard on your Android device. It offers all the advanced features to prevent mistakes in your messages.
Is Ginger Premium Worth It?
I would consider Ginger Premium worth it because of its fantastic pricing and language selection. Every day writers and language learners will maximize this tool the most because of the unlimited, AI-powered corrections and rephrasers.
One feature of Ginger Premium where you might not get your money’s worth is the translator. Only a few writers need this tool since not everyone has audiences from different countries. The translations are also inaccurate sometimes.
But the primary limitation of Ginger Free, which will make you subscribe to the paid version, is the limited characters. If you write over 1000 words per day, you’ll be annoyed at the multiple entries you need to make to check your whole piece.
The Bottom Line
Ginger is an excellent proofreading tool. It can correct your spelling, grammar, and punctuation at an affordable price. You can also enjoy the Rephraser, read-aloud feature, and Translator of the program.
As with ProWritingAid and Grammarly, do not expect the AI-powered Ginger to be perfect. Don’t even expect it to be better than the two pricier programs! Nothing tops a professional human editor who can rationalize your writing. Feel free to subscribe to Ginger and see if it generates ROI for your work!