What’s the best proofreading solution for your business in 2020?

While Grammarly, ProwratingAid and LanguageTool are fighting for the right to be called “the best writing assistant” for individual users, there’s little info about proofreading solutions for corporate clients.

Although the B2C domain has been here for a long time, it is highly unlikely that you will find a detailed overview or comparison of B2B text checkers.

I’d like to fill in this gap by sharing my own analysis of this market section.

Why companies need digital writing assistants

According to Verified Market Research, Global Writing enhancement software market is going to reach the point of $ 767.93 million by 2026, which is two times higher than the 2018 value.

The reason behind the skyrocketing demand for writing assistants is the need for accuracy and precision to improve the agility of companies on the market. Hiring human editors is quite pricey that’s why more and more enterprises invest in online helpers.

The ever-growing demand for professional writing assistants paired with the greater use of advanced software and tools is projected to lead to the development of The Global Natural Language Processing Market.

Experts predict that by 2025 the market value will grow to $29.5 billion with 20.5% CAGR.

NLP-related tasks are based on several techniques — rule-based approach, statistical models and neural networks (deep learning and modern pre-trained models like BERT).

These techniques can be applied to different activities — from text checking and the classification of documents to automated customer support. It means that digital proofreading assistants can effectively solve lots of tasks that earlier were performed by real people.

Companies can greatly benefit from modern AI-based proofreading software as it helps to:

• reduce time on manual text correction;
• maintain consistency of text styles across the documentation;
• make business communication smooth, error-free and fast;
• enhance business reputation;
• prevent textual data from leakage;
• personalise proofreading experience with the help of custom dictionaries;
• improve the grammar and spelling skills of teams;
• produce large volumes of high-quality content;
• increase the success rate of email pitches.

Popular text checkers for business: an overview

With so many brands on the market, it may be a challenge to understand what product is ideal for your domain and infrastructure. How to select the right tool and have no regrets?

There are three large groups of B2B spell- and grammar-check providers over there:

• off-the-shelf proofreading solutions such as Grammarly or Linguix that come as extensions/add-ons for browsers, Google Docs or desktop software. They’re designed for units with a certain number of end-users that have access to the proofreading engine via a team account;
• third-party plugins and components that can be integrated into the environment of WYSIWYG editors/other tools or fine-tuned via APIs. The best-of-breed options to build custom proofreading engines: (WebSpellChecker, NanoSpell, AfterTheDeadline);
• hybrid tools combining the options of both (ProWritingAid, LanguageTool).

All these writing assistants vary by the language coverage, personalization options, security level, integration capabilities and browsers support.

To make an informative decision, think well why you need a text checker, consider the outcome you want to get, analyse the toolkit and pricing policy of service providers.

Here’s a short summary of top proofreading tools, their functionality and prices to help you choose your best writing assistant.

Meet off-the-shelf text checkers!

Grammarly

Originally being a text checker for individual users, Grammarly also has something to offer in the B2B seсtion.

Benefits for corporate clients:

• grammar, spelling and punctuation errors elimination;
• word choice, writing style and tone of voice improvement;
• multiple integration options (socials, WordPress, Google Docs, Slack, etc.);
• usage and performance statistics;
• simplified billing and account management (end-users get access to the proofreading capabilities via one corporate account);
• secure data storage on Grammarly AWS.

How much does it cost to make your business communication effective with Grammarly?

$25/mo per user if you buy a monthly package or $12.50/mo per user in case of an annual plan.

Pros:

• ready-made solution;
• convenient user management;
• high-quality proofreading;
• style and tone improvement;
• high level of data protection;
• numerous integrations;
• usage analytics and results tracking.

Cons:

• support of only English dialects;
• user limit (149 members for one account);
• device limitation (up to 5);
• upload and page limitation;
• lack of customization options;
• the Premium package is more expensive than plans for other solutions.

Linguix

Want a cheaper alternative to Grammarly? Consider Linguix.

For just $10/mo per user, you get an AI-based grammar and style checker for the entire team. Linguix comes with a handy interface, performance and results tracker, usage statistics monitoring and 24/7 support.

As for security issues, Linguix uses a combination of security measures including encryption, secure development best practices, network configuration, protected data transfer etc.

User data is stored on the US servers provided by Digital Ocean.

Pros:

• web browser and app extension;
• a bit cheaper than Grammarly;
• all-around-the-clock support;
• user reports.

Cons:

• support only English and a few dialects (a new feature);
• poor personalization;
• fewer proofreading options comparing to Grammarly.

The other part of the market

Now let’s move to spell- and grammar-check tools for B2B.

WebSpellChecker

WebSpellChecker is a family of tailored spelling, grammar and text style checking solutions to integrate into other web apps or systems.

What WebSpellChecker offers you:

• spell-check coverage for 168 languages and grammar-check — for 15 default and 10 additional languages (including Japanese and Chinese);
• global custom and personal user dictionaries;
• specialised medical and legal dictionaries;
• easy product integration and custom fine-tuning;
• keyboard navigation to make proofreading more accessible for all types of users;
• handy and modern UI;
• individual approach in customer support.

WebSpellChecker products are compatible with a wide range of editors from CKEditor to Quill you might use in any type of a web app. Also, there are separate plugins/apps available for Slack and WordPress.

WProofreader is the core of the WebSpellChecker product family. It’s a spell- and grammar- checker for web applications. It comes with an intuitive UI and powerful functionality to embed in HTML editable controls or modern WYSIWYG editors.

Alongside ready-made tools, WebSpellChecker has developer API — a set of commands for spell- and grammar- checks to build custom proofreading strategies and satisfy unique business needs.

The licensing choice depends on your business demands.

SaaS model (Cloud version) plans are great for small businesses and startups who prefer delegating the maintenance.

Does your company have high requirements for security or specific infrastructure conditions? Then your best choice is the Server version allowing you to install and host the proofreading software on your own servers on premises. What’s more, the Server version implies that the software can be configured to fully adjust to your business needs.

For instance, you can buy the Cloud version of WProofreader with a Basic plan for $14.42/mo and then upgrade it to Plus ($24/mo) or Custom (starting at $48/mo). All the plans are billed annually.

The price for the SaaS model is based on the text volume (number of words) to be checked annually by your proofreading engine.

The cost of the Server version depends on your processing and infrastructure needs and starts at $150/mo.

Pros:

• plugins for WYSIWYG editors, HTML editable elements;
• developer API;
• extensive language coverage;
• specialized dictionaries;
• global and custom dictionaries;
• high data security;
• custom fine-tuning;
• accessible and handy UI;
• value for money;
• support.

Cons:

• no desktop version;
• customer reports only for usage statistics of the service (comparing to other solutions);
• no browsers extensions or add-ons for, Google Docs.

Nanospell

It’s another set of third-party text checkers for WYSIWYG editors. Nanospell has options for TinyMCE and CKEditor and components for JavaScript, jQuery, PHP, ASP.Net, Classic ASP.

Nanospell TinyMCE and CKEditor plugins core features:

• “Spellcheck as you type” mode;
• medical, scientific, and legal dictionaries available across browsers;
• compatibility with older versions of browsers;
• easy-to-use interface with no ads;
• documentation for developers.

If you’re seeking a spellcheck tool for JavaScript, Nanospell has a solution to integrate with form elements, text areas, rich editors and elements that use CSS selectors.

Speaking of numbers, Nanospell offers different types of license regarding the conditions of tools’ usage:

• Public Website License costs $299 and allows using NanoSpell text checkers within one public website domain;
• With Intranet License for $499, you can embed NanoSpell into one private web application accessible across local intranet;
• Enterprise License for $999 is for multiple public website domains and subdomains, for website intranet or extranet applications that refer to one organisation;
• SaaS License is available at $799 and works with multiple public website domains and subdomains;

For companies wanting to distribute Nanospell software in a bundle with their products, there’s OEM Redistribution License available at $1,499.

Pros:

• many languages;
• specialised dictionaries; available online;
• as you type and in-dialogue modes;
• simple interface;
• data processed on servers.

Cons:

• a few integrations;
• only a spell-check mode.

After the Deadline

After the Deadline (AtD) is an AI-based language proofreader designed for web applications to check contextual spelling, advanced style and intelligent grammar.

AtD can be used across numerous platforms and browsers including WordPress, OpenOffice, AtD tool, and Bookmarklet.

The checker has an open-source code that can be reused for commercial purposes.

It provides developer documentation, data, and the source code for personal use at no cost.

AtD supports 5 languages — English, French, German, Portuguese, and Spanish.

Features you get for free:

• spelling recommendations;
• misused words detection;
• suggestions for text style;
• grammar checker;
• error explanation.

Pros:

• free;
• have an open-source code;
• integrations with WordPress, OpenOffice, etc.

Cons:

• supports fewer languages comparing with other text checkers;
• limited functionality.

And finally hybrids

ProWritingAid

ProWritingAid is a universal tool combining the features of both ready-made extensions/add-ons and extensive third-party tools.

It’s a real-time text checker to integrate with any HTML editable control, rich text editor or CMS system. Besides, it’s a Google Chrome/Firefox extension and plug-in for Google Docs to edit your writing on any website, Gmail, Facebook or WordPress.

There’s a free version of ProWritingAid that allows editing 500 words online at a time.

If you want to extend the list of features, you can buy a Premium package for $70/y.

Core features you get in a bundle with a ProWritingAid package:

• contextual spelling, grammar and punctuation checking and terminology manager;
• style suggestions to improve writing;
• 25 summary reports on grammar, spelling and readability;
• highest privacy standards;
• all extensions and add-ons.

Plans with a plagiarism checker feature start at $80/y.

The pricing is tied to the number of active users, but you can inquire about a flexible billing based on the number of users in a given month.

In addition, ProWritingAid has Text and Grammar Checking API to adapt the proofreading engine to any business infrastructure.

The cost of editions is based on the number of calls:

• Standard edition costs $100 and implies 10,000 calls;
• Professional edition — $500 for 100,000 calls.

Each text call is limited to 100,000 characters or about 22,000 words. If you need to analyze larger texts you will have to break them into parts and make separate calls for each part.

They offer appealing discount programs for those buying multiple licences.

The solution is used by Amazon, HomeServe, Equifax and other well-known brands.

Pros:

• many features (text correction, style suggestions, reports, plagiarism);
• security;
• browsers extensions and other integrations;
• ready-made plugins for WYSIWYG environment;
• free trial;
• desktop version;
• API package.

Cons:

• only English dialects (British, American, Australian, and Canadian English);
• no specialized dictionaries;
• per-user limits for grammar components which are hard to measure on dynamic sites or systems;
• text volume limits;
• fewer customization options comparing with other tools;
  expensive.

LanguageTool

LanguageTool is a package of add-ons for browsers, Google Docs, MS Word and LibreOffice and other software.

It provides grammar, style and spelling checking in more than 20 languages.

You can check 20,000 characters at a time for free.

Premium package allows checking 40,000 characters at a time. A monthly subscription costs $19.00, the annual package is available at $59.00.

For corporate clients with greater needs, there’s Enterprise plan with API access. The price tag for the Enterprise plan depends on the number of calls per day:

• 500 API calls/day: $39.00/mo;
• 1,000 API calls/day: $59.00/mo;
• 2,500 API calls/day: $99.00/mo.

LanguageTool has an option for software companies and publishing houses as well — Developer API that comes with 40,000+ characters per check.

In addition, LanguageTool can be installed on a desktop and used offline.

Pros:

• open-source (can be used for free under certain conditions);
• grammar- and spell- check in more than 20 languages;
• browser extensions and add-ons;
• free plan;
• offline server version;
• developer API;
• value for money.

Cons:

• few customization options;
• fewer opportunities for integration with rich text editors and components compared to other tools.

What about native browser spell-checkers?

Alternatively, you can rely on free native browser spellcheckers, however, their functionality is basic, limited by only spell-check and you’ll rarely find some options for customization.

In Chrome spell-checker enabled by default, you can choose multiple languages for your dictionaries, add personalised spellings or ask Google for custom suggestions.

If you’re a Safari user, you must know that there’s a built-in tool which you can turn on to check your text for errors.

Tweak Safari native text checker to:

• check and grammar spelling;
• add words into the spelling dictionary;
• proofread in an in-dialogue mode;
• ignore misspellings.

Pros:

• free;
• no need to install;
• already built-in a browser.

Cons:

• basic functionality;
• no customization options;
• no out-of-the-box functionality;
• different results depending on the browser;
• no global management.

Who’s the winner?

It won’t be fair to say that there’s one best option for each and every business. Just like companies differ by type and specialization, writing assistants have their own target audience, advantages and limitations.

If you just need a second pair of eyes on your email before sending, you can rely on free browser spell-checkers or a built-in tool for text correction inside the software you use on a daily basis. For example, Gmail and Google Docs have a pretty good AI-based spelling/grammar checking option which is available within G Suite.

Nanospell is similar to the browser spellcheck yet it has a wider language coverage, customization settings, and a few integrations.

If you’re in the quest for software with extensions for users, then Grammarly, LanguageTool or ProWritingAid can be a good match.

Seeking third-party components to integrate with your software? Consider WebSpellChecker, AfterTheDeadline, LanguageTool, ProWritingAid, or Nanospell.

Here’s a checklist to help you select the right proofreading solution for your business:

• What product do we need — a ready-made solution for users or a third-party tool to integrate with our system or both?
• What environment (browser, rich text editor, software) a tool should be integrated with?
• What browsers is the tool compatible with?
• Do we need software with monolingual or multilingual support?
• Does the tool come with customization options to be smoothly integrated into a business infrastructure?
• What licensing options does the provider offer?
• Do we need a super-secure solution to be installed on our server-end?
• What pricing policy does the provider have?
• Does the provider offer product support or maintenance?
• Should we pay extra money for the support they provide?