LanguageTool Review
Reviewed by Carlos Gil · Founder & Editor, The Best Network
Updated 5 min readEditorially reviewed
Quick facts
- Starting price
- Free; Premium $69.90/yr ($24.90 monthly)
- Free plan
- Yes
- Best for
- Writers and teams who check text in more than one language, or want a cheaper annual alternative to Grammarly
- Platforms
- Web editor; Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Opera and Safari extensions; Word, Google Docs, Apple Pages, LibreOffice; macOS, Windows and iOS apps
BestStacked Score
Weighted average of 5 categories. Methodology below.
Quick answer
What is LanguageTool, and is Premium worth it?
LanguageTool is a grammar, spelling, punctuation and style checker that works in more than 30 languages and dialects, in the browser, Microsoft Word, Google Docs, email clients and its own desktop and iPhone apps. It began as an open-source project in 2003 and is now owned by Learneo, Inc., the company behind QuillBot. Premium is worth it if you write long documents, write in more than one language, or want unlimited AI rephrasing: it raises the per-field limit from 2,000 to 150,000 characters and adds deeper style checks. On October 14, 2026 Premium cost $69.90 a year, $49.90 a quarter or $24.90 a month, and Teams cost $66.40 per user a year for two users. There's a 14-day money-back guarantee instead of a trial.
- Best for
- Multilingual writers, students and small teams who want grammar and style checks in several languages at a low yearly price.
- Skip it if
- You only write in English and want the most polished AI writing features, or you need an Android keyboard.
- Strongest capability
- Grammar and style checking across 30-plus languages, with enhanced checks for English, German, French, Spanish, Dutch, Polish and Portuguese.
- Biggest limitation
- The free plan stops at 2,000 characters per text field and 3 AI rephrasings a day, and monthly billing costs more than four times the annual rate.
- Current cost
- Free; Premium $69.90 a year ($5.83 a month), $119.80 for two years or $24.90 monthly; Teams from $66.40 per user a year.
The Verdict
LanguageTool is the strongest option here for anyone who writes in more than one language. Its free plan already checks grammar and spelling in every supported language, and Premium adds style checks, a 150,000-character limit per text field and unlimited AI paraphrasing for $69.90 a year, which is far cheaper than paying monthly ($24.90). The open-source core can still be self-hosted. The weaker spots are the free plan's 2,000-character cap, an AI writing toolset that is narrower than Grammarly's, no published Android app, and pages that disagree on how many languages it covers and on who owns it (a Hamburg GmbH in the imprint, Learneo, Inc. in the terms). Learneo's privacy policy says LanguageTool inputs aren't used to train its models. We score LanguageTool 8.5/10.
Best for
Writers who need grammar and style checks in several languages, on a yearly budget.
Skip if
You write only in English and want the deepest AI rewriting, or you need Android support.
AlternativesGrammarly, Writer, ProWritingAid
The Background
What Is LanguageTool?
LanguageTool checks grammar, spelling, punctuation and style as you type. It underlines issues in browser text fields, email clients, Google Docs, Microsoft Word, Apple Pages and LibreOffice, and in its own web editor and desktop and iPhone apps. It started in 2003 as an open-source project; the core checker is still published under the LGPL on GitHub and can be run on your own server. Learneo, Inc. (the San Francisco company that also owns QuillBot) announced its acquisition in April 2023, and LanguageTool's terms now say it is owned and operated by Learneo, while the imprint names LanguageTooler GmbH in Hamburg. The free Basic plan covers basic grammar and spelling in all languages; Premium adds advanced grammar, style and punctuation rules, Picky Mode, a personal style guide and unlimited AI sentence rephrasing.
The Product
LanguageTool Features: What You Actually Get
Grammar and style checks in 30-plus languages
LanguageTool says it covers more than 30 languages and dialects, with enhanced checks for English, German, French, Spanish, Dutch, Polish and Portuguese. It detects the language as you type, so one document can mix languages. Premium adds advanced comma and punctuation rules, word-confusion and style suggestions, and a stricter Picky Mode.
A Berlin-based marketer writes German landing pages and English emails and gets checks in both without switching tools.
AI paraphrasing
The rephraser rewrites a sentence in formal, fluent, simple or shortened form. Free accounts get 3 sentence rephrasings a day; Premium makes it unlimited. It is a sentence-level rewriter, not a full drafting assistant.
A support lead rewrites a blunt reply in a more formal tone before sending it.
Add-ons for browsers, email and documents
Extensions cover Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Opera and Safari. Email add-ons cover Gmail, Apple Mail, Thunderbird and Outlook (beta), and document add-ons cover Google Docs, Word, Apple Pages and LibreOffice. Native apps run on macOS, Windows and iOS. One Premium account works across all of them.
A freelancer gets the same checks in Google Docs drafts, Gmail replies and Word files a client sends back.
Teams, style guides and the open-source core
Teams adds user management, a shared style guide and a team dictionary. For developers, the open-source checker can run as a self-hosted HTTP server, and a paid Proofreading API (servers in Germany, up to 60,000 characters per request) is sold by daily call volume.
A five-person agency keeps product names and house style consistent across everyone's writing.
Feature recap
- Grammar, spelling, punctuation and style checks in 30-plus languages and dialects
- Free Basic plan: 2,000 characters per text field and 3 AI rephrasings a day
- Premium: 150,000 characters per field, advanced rules, Picky Mode and unlimited rephrasing
- Browser, email and document add-ons plus macOS, Windows and iOS apps
- Personal dictionary and style guide; shared style guide and dictionary on Teams
- Open-source core (LGPL) that can be self-hosted; paid Proofreading API
- 14-day money-back guarantee on every Premium package
The Numbers
LanguageTool Pricing: Every Plan Explained
These are LanguageTool's US prices on October 14, 2026, which its page says include VAT. Premium is one plan sold on four billing intervals; Teams is priced per user by a slider.
| Plan | Monthly | Annual | Included Features | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic (free) | $0 | $0 | Basic grammar and spelling in all languages, 2,000 characters per text field, 3 AI rephrasings a day, limited Picky Mode | Short emails and occasional checks |
| Premium (monthly) | $24.90/mo | — | 150,000 characters per field, advanced grammar, punctuation and style rules, unlimited AI rephrasing, personal style guide | Trying Premium for a single project |
| Premium (annual)Best value | — | $69.90/yr ($5.83/mo) | Everything in Premium; LanguageTool's best-selling interval | Regular writers |
| Premium (quarterly or two years) | $49.90 per quarter | $119.80 per two years ($4.99/mo) | Everything in Premium | Short projects (quarterly) or the lowest monthly equivalent (two years) |
| Teams | — | $66.40 per user/yr at 2 users ($132.80/yr) | Everything in Premium plus user management, a team style guide and a team dictionary; slider from 2 to 1,000 users | Small teams that want shared terminology |
The billing interval matters more than the plan. Paying monthly costs $24.90, so a year of monthly billing is $298.80, against $69.90 for the annual plan and $119.80 for two years. Teams is priced per user per year ($66.40 at two users, shown against a struck-through $139.80) and adds shared style and dictionary features rather than extra checking power. There's no free trial of Premium; instead the pricing FAQ promises a 14-day money-back guarantee on every Premium package, "No questions asked," and says you can cancel at any time and keep access to the end of the period. The terms say subscriptions renew automatically and don't override local refund laws, but don't repeat the guarantee. Proofreading API prices aren't shown on its page, and Enterprise pricing isn't published.
Read before you buy
Who owns LanguageTool, and what happens to your text
Ownership: LanguageTool's imprint names LanguageTooler GmbH in Hamburg, while its terms (effective August 21, 2026) say the service is owned and operated by Learneo, Inc., a Delaware company in San Francisco. Learneo announced the acquisition in April 2023 and also owns QuillBot. No LanguageTool page explains how the two entities relate.
Text storage: the pricing FAQ says texts written through the browser add-on are usually not saved, and texts in the web editor are saved so you can open them on other devices. The Proofreading API page says texts sent to the API aren't stored and that its servers are in Germany.
AI training: the terms say LanguageTool doesn't use your content to train its AI models, and the privacy policy says Learneo doesn't use inputs from any LanguageTool user, individual or team, to train its models. The same privacy policy also contains general Learneo wording that it may use the data it collects to train its algorithms, so teams with strict data rules should get the LanguageTool-specific commitment in writing.
Read before you buy
Where LanguageTool's pages differ
Language count: the Premium page says 30-plus languages, the homepage says more than 30 languages and dialects, one section of the business page says more than twenty, and the GitHub project describes 25-plus. Check your language on the list before buying.
Refunds: the pricing FAQ promises a 14-day money-back guarantee with no questions asked; the terms of service don't mention it and defer to local law.
The Tradeoffs
LanguageTool Pros and Cons
What we love
- Checks 30-plus languages, with mixed-language documents handled automatically
- Annual Premium ($69.90) is cheap for a full grammar and style checker
- Free plan works in every supported language
- Add-ons cover major browsers, Word, Google Docs, Pages, LibreOffice and email clients
- Open-source core can be self-hosted
- Terms and privacy policy say user text isn't used to train its AI models
What could be better
- Free plan caps each text field at 2,000 characters and rephrasing at 3 a day
- Monthly Premium ($24.90) costs far more than annual
- AI writing features are narrower than Grammarly's
- No Android app or keyboard listed on its site
- Its pages disagree on language count and name two different owners
The Audience
Who Should Use LanguageTool?
Best for: multilingual writers
Anyone writing in German, French, Spanish, Dutch, Polish or Portuguese as well as English gets checks in each without switching tools, and the free plan covers all languages.
Best for: budget-conscious students and freelancers
The annual plan costs less than many tools' monthly price. Pay yearly; monthly billing erases the value.
Skip if: you want an AI writing assistant
If you mainly want drafting, tone rewrites of whole documents or brand-voice controls in English, Grammarly or Writer offer more AI features.
The Methodology
How We Reviewed LanguageTool
This is an editorial review, not a documented hands-on test. We didn't use a LanguageTool account for this review. It's based on LanguageTool's Premium page (rendered in a browser, including the Teams slider and FAQ), homepage, about, business and Proofreading API pages, imprint, terms of service and privacy policy, Learneo's 2023 acquisition release and the open-source repository on GitHub, all checked on October 14, 2026. Where LanguageTool's pages differ, we report both statements. No accuracy, speed or support results are claimed.
Our editorial evaluation considers product information, official documentation, pricing, features and professional experience. It is not a claim of documented hands-on testing.
Our review methodology →What changed
- : First published. Editorial review based on LanguageTool's Premium page (rendered), homepage, about, business and Proofreading API pages, imprint, terms, privacy policy, Learneo's acquisition release and the GitHub repository, all checked October 14, 2026. Sub-scores are provisional pending editorial approval.
The Field
LanguageTool vs The Competition
LanguageTool competes with other grammar checkers and AI writing assistants. Prices below were checked on each vendor's pricing page on October 14, 2026.
| Tool | Starting Price | Free plan | Best Feature | BS Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LanguageTool | Free; Premium $69.90/yr ($24.90 monthly) | Yes | Grammar and style checks in 30-plus languages | 8.5/10 |
| Grammarly | Free; Pro $12 per member/mo | Yes | Polished English corrections plus a broad AI writing toolset | 9/10 |
| ProWritingAid | Free; Premium $10/mo billed yearly ($30 monthly), $399 lifetime | Yes | Long-form style and structure reports | 8.4/10 |
| DeepL Write (DeepL Pro) | Free; Pro Individual €7.49/mo billed annually | Yes | Rewriting tied to DeepL's translator | —No BestStacked review yet |
Grammarly: Grammarly's free plan includes 100 AI prompts a month and Pro adds 2,000 per member, with a 7-day Pro trial. It's the stronger English and AI-writing tool; LanguageTool is cheaper on an annual plan and checks more languages.Read our Grammarly review →
ProWritingAid: ProWritingAid suits novelists and long-form writers who want reports on pacing, repetition and readability; its free plan checks 500 words at a time, and it supports English only.Read our ProWritingAid review →
DeepL Write (DeepL Pro): DeepL Pro bundles translation with Write, and Write Pro is sold as an add-on; DeepL says Pro data isn't used to train its models. It's a rewriting and translation tool more than a full grammar checker. BestStacked hasn't reviewed DeepL yet.
In The Wild
How People Actually Use LanguageTool
A student writing in a second language
The free plan catches basic grammar and spelling in the target language. Upgrade to annual Premium ($69.90) for long essays over 2,000 characters per field and stricter style checks.
A European agency with clients in several countries
Teams ($66.40 per user a year at two users) adds a shared style guide and dictionary so product names and house style stay consistent across languages.
A developer adding grammar checks to an app
Self-host the open-source LanguageTool server, or buy the Proofreading API, which runs on servers in Germany and says it doesn't store submitted texts. API prices aren't shown on its page.
The Ecosystem
LanguageTool Integrations
LanguageTool runs as add-ons inside the tools where people write, plus its own apps.
- →Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Opera and Safari browser extensions
- →Gmail, Apple Mail, Thunderbird and Outlook (beta)
- →Google Docs, Microsoft Word, Apple Pages and LibreOffice
- →macOS, Windows and iOS apps (iOS includes a keyboard)
- →Self-hosted open-source server and paid Proofreading API
LanguageTool's site lists no Android app. The Proofreading API is sold by daily call volume (100 to 10,000 calls a day) with up to 60,000 characters per request; its prices aren't shown on the page.
Common Questions
LanguageTool FAQ
The Final Word
Should You Use LanguageTool?
LanguageTool is the grammar checker to choose when you write in more than one language, and its annual Premium plan is one of the cheapest ways to get full style checking. Pay yearly, check that your language is covered, and be aware that the AI features are narrower than Grammarly's and there's no Android app. We score LanguageTool 8.5/10.
Yes, if
You write in several languages, or want solid grammar and style checks in English at a low yearly price.
No, if
You want an English-only AI writing assistant with drafting tools, or you work mainly on Android.
About the reviewer
Carlos Gil
Founder & Editor, The Best Network
Carlos Gil is the bestselling author of The End of Marketing, a LinkedIn Top Voice, and founder of The Best Network. He brings 15+ years in marketing to practical reviews of AI, SaaS, email marketing, creator, and ecommerce software.
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