Grammarly alternative for Mac

The Grammarly habit. Without the cage.

Grammarly got one thing exactly right: fix your writing where you wrote it, no copy-paste. ElastoType keeps that — then works in every app, runs your prompts, and drops the metered AI.

macOS 13+ · Apple Silicon & Intel · No account needed

What made Grammarly stick

The best thing about Grammarly was never the grammar engine. It was the shape: you select text, the tool does something to it, and the result lands back where you were already typing. No tab, no paste. That workflow is why it became muscle memory.

But the AI is metered — a fixed number of generative requests, then you upgrade or wait. The model is chosen for you. The prompts are someone else's. And it only reaches as far as its browser extension and a few integrations.

ElastoType keeps the shape and removes the cage. Same select-and-replace gesture — anywhere on your Mac, with prompts you write, on AI you control.

ElastoType vs Grammarly

GrammarlyElastoType
Where it worksBrowser + a few integrationsAny app you can select text in — native, web, Electron
The AIMetered generative requests; upgrade past the capGenerous free tier · no cap when you bring your own key
PromptsPreset suggestions, chosen for youYour own saved prompts, run by name
Beyond grammarMostly writing correctionsRewrite, translate, summarize, reply, extract, code — anything you can prompt
Your textSent to Grammarly's serversStraight to the AI provider, never to us · BYO key
PriceMonthly subscriptionFree to start · $39/yr Pro · or $25 once (your key)

What you keep, what you gain

↩︎

Keep: fix in place

Select, trigger, replace — the answer lands right where your cursor was. No tab-hopping, no paste.

🗂️

Gain: your own prompts

Write a prompt once, save it as a chip, run it by name in any app. Your toolkit, not a fixed menu.

🔑

Gain: no meter

Bring your own OpenAI, Anthropic, or Groq key and pay raw model cost — no request cap, no markup.

Questions

Is ElastoType a good Grammarly alternative for Mac?

Yes. It keeps the Grammarly workflow you rely on — select text, transform it, replace in place — but works in any Mac app, runs prompts you write yourself, and has no metered generative limit on the Lifetime plan.

Does it work in every app, not just the browser?

Yes. Anywhere you can select text on macOS — Mail, Slack, Notion, Chrome, VS Code, your notes — the same gesture works. It's not a browser extension.

Is there a free version?

Yes — free to download and use with a generous monthly allowance, no account needed. Pro is $39/yr for unlimited hosted AI; Lifetime is a one-time $25 to bring your own API key.

Does it do more than fix grammar?

Much more — rewrite for tone, translate, summarize a thread, draft a reply, extract action items, or run any custom prompt you save.

Where does my text go — is it private?

Your text only leaves your Mac to reach the AI model, never to us. With Lifetime you bring your own provider key, so requests go straight from your machine to the provider.

Try the workflow you already trust.

Free, no account. It'll feel familiar in about ten seconds.

Download for macOS