Keep Antidote for French. For your English at work, there is WriteNative.
Antidote by Druide is the corrector many French speakers trust, in Quebec and in France. WriteNative does something narrower: it checks the English you write in Mail, Outlook, Slack and the browser as you type, explains each suggestion in French, and turns what you write in French into natural English.
What Antidote does well
Antidote is a corrector, a set of dictionaries and a set of language guides in one program, made by Druide in Montreal. Its French is its strength, and it has an English module of its own: a corrector, English dictionaries, and guides on syntax, punctuation and style. The English module watches for the mistakes French speakers make, such as gallicisms and false friends, and with both languages you get English–French dictionaries and bilingual guides on the differences between the two.
Antidote 12 runs on Windows and macOS, connects to Word, Outlook, Mail, Pages, the main browsers and Google Docs, and its corrector, dictionaries and guides work offline on your computer. Rephrasing and audio pronunciation need a connection. Since Antidote 12, new customers buy it as Antidote+, an annual subscription that includes the desktop app, Antidote Web and Antidote Mobile.
Where WriteNative is different
WriteNative only checks English, and it is built for people who think in another language. It lives on your Mac rather than in a separate window: you keep typing where you are, and it does the rest.
- Underlines as you type. Spelling and grammar are marked in the field you are writing in, in Mail, Outlook, Slack, Notion, Messages and text boxes in the browser.
- Obvious typos fixed by itself. In native apps such as Notes and Messages, "recieve" becomes "receive" as you finish the word; in Mail, Slack, Notion and the browser the fix goes in with one click.
- Every suggestion explained in French. Click an underline: the card says what is wrong and why, in French, with the meaning and pronunciation of the suggested words.
- Write in French, get English. Press ⌥ twice with nothing selected, write in French, and natural English appears at the cursor.
- Rewrite and understand. Select text, press ⌥ twice: rewrite it Formal, Friendly or Shorter, with Polite no and Gentle nudge in Mail, Outlook and Slack, or have a received English message explained in French.
WriteNative and Antidote side by side
Compared with Antidote's website in October 2026. Where Antidote is the better choice, the table says so.
| WriteNative | Antidote | |
|---|---|---|
| Corrects French | No, English only | Yes, in depth: its main strength |
| Corrects English | Yes | Yes, with the English module |
| French and English dictionaries and language guides | No | Yes, including English–French |
| Underlines English as you type | Yes, in most Mac apps | Yes on the web, with live correction |
| Explanations in French for English suggestions | Yes, every suggestion | Bilingual guides and francophone mistakes |
| Write in French, get natural English at the cursor | Yes, press ⌥ twice | Translations of words and expressions in its bilingual dictionary |
| Works without the Internet | With On-device, checks on your Mac | Yes: corrector, dictionaries and guides |
| Price | Free to start; Pro $20/month or $96/year; On-device $49 once | Antidote+ annual subscription |
| Windows, iPhone and iPad | No, Mac only | Yes |
Which one to choose
If most of what you write is French, or you need a dictionary and grammar guides at hand, Antidote is the better tool, and WriteNative does not replace it. If you write English every day at work, in email and chat, and want each mistake explained in French as you go, WriteNative is made for that. Many people can use both: Antidote for French, WriteNative for English; WriteNative can be switched off per app.
Getting started
Download WriteNative (macOS 14 or later), allow Accessibility when it asks, and keep writing where you already write. Spelling and typo fixes are free without an account; a free account adds 30 paragraph checks and 5 AI uses a day. Pro starts with a 7-day free trial. Cloud checks send only the paragraph, which is not stored or used for training; with On-device, checks run on your Mac.
Questions
- What is a good Antidote alternative for checking my English on a Mac when French is my first language?
- WriteNative checks the English you write in Mail, Outlook, Slack, Notion and the browser as you type, explains every suggestion in French, and turns what you write in French into natural English. It does not correct French: for French, Antidote remains the better choice.
- Does WriteNative correct French like Antidote?
- No. WriteNative checks English only. Antidote's French corrector, dictionaries and guides are what it is known for, and WriteNative does not try to replace them.
- Is WriteNative cheaper than Antidote?
- It depends on what you need. Spelling and typo fixes in WriteNative are free, and a free account adds 30 paragraph checks and 5 AI uses a day. Pro is $20 a month or $96 a year, and On-device is $49 once for up to 3 Macs. Antidote+ is an annual subscription that covers French or English, or both for more.
- Does WriteNative work offline like Antidote?
- With the On-device plan, WriteNative checks your English on your Mac. On the other plans, cloud checks send only the paragraph you just finished, and it is neither stored nor used for training.
- Can I use WriteNative and Antidote together?
- Yes. Use Antidote for your French texts and WriteNative for English; if both underline the same field, switch WriteNative off for that app.
Try it on your next English email.
Free to download. Each suggestion explained in French.