A Grammarly alternative made for the Mac, and for people who think in another language.
WriteNative checks your English in Mail, Slack, Notion, Chrome and the other apps you write in. It fixes obvious typos as you type, tells you why each suggestion matters in your own language, and turns what you write in your language into natural English.
Why people look for something other than Grammarly
Grammarly is good at what it does, and it runs on more places than we do. People who write to us usually want one of three things it does not do: a typo fixed without stopping to click, an explanation they can read in their first language, or a checker that never sends their text anywhere.
WriteNative is built around those three. It is a Mac app, not a browser extension, so it works in native apps and in the browser alike.
WriteNative and Grammarly side by side
Compared with Grammarly's Mac app and plans page in October 2026. Where Grammarly is the better choice, the table says so.
| WriteNative | Grammarly | |
|---|---|---|
| Underlines spelling, grammar and punctuation in any Mac app | Yes | Yes |
| Fixes obvious typos by itself as you type, with one-click undo | Yes, in native Mac apps | No, every fix is a click |
| Explains each suggestion in your language | Yes, in 9 languages | No, short labels in English |
| Meanings and pronunciation of suggested words in your first language | Yes, 30 languages | No |
| Write in your language, get English at the cursor | Yes, press ⌥ twice | Translation is a separate step |
| Runs entirely on your Mac | Yes, with On-device | No, cloud only |
| One-time purchase | $49, up to 3 Macs | No, subscription only |
| Unlimited plan | Pro, $20 a month or $96 a year | Pro subscription |
| Windows, iPhone and Android keyboards | No, Mac only | Yes |
| Google Docs and Microsoft Word add-in | No | Yes |
| Plagiarism and AI-text detection | No | Yes |
What you get that Grammarly does not do
The parts our users mention first:
- Typos fixed as you finish the word. "recieve" becomes "receive" without a click, and a small chip lets you undo it.
- A reason you can read. Click an underline and the card says what is wrong and why, in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Portuguese, German, French or English.
- Words explained in your first language. Each suggested word shows its meaning in context and how to say it.
- Write in your language. Press ⌥ twice with nothing selected, write in your language, and the English is ready by the time you stop typing.
- Rewrite in a tone. Select text, press ⌥ twice and pick Improve, Shorter, Formal, Friendly or Confident.
- Private when you need it. With the On-device plan, grammar checks and translation run on your Mac and nothing is sent.
When Grammarly is still the better choice
If you write on Windows or on your phone as much as on your Mac, if your work lives in Google Docs or Word, or if you need plagiarism checks, Grammarly covers that and we do not. WriteNative is for people who do most of their writing on a Mac, in email, chat and notes.
Switching takes a minute
Download WriteNative, allow Accessibility when it asks, and keep typing where you already write. There is no new editor and nothing to paste. Spelling and typo fixes are free without an account; a free account adds 30 paragraph checks and 5 rewrites or translations a day. Pro starts with a 7-day free trial.
Questions
- Is WriteNative a free Grammarly alternative?
- Partly. Spelling and automatic typo fixes are free without an account, and a free account adds 30 grammar checks and 5 rewrites or translations a day. Unlimited checks, clarity suggestions and rewrites are in Pro.
- Does WriteNative work in the same apps as Grammarly on Mac?
- In most of them: Mail, Messages, Notes, Slack, Notion and text boxes in Chrome, among others. It does not work inside Google Docs, and Pages and Keynote only through the shortcut.
- Can I use both at the same time?
- You can, but two sets of underlines in one field get confusing. Turn one of them off for the apps where you prefer the other; WriteNative can be switched off per app.
- Is my text stored?
- No. Cloud checks send only the paragraph you just finished, and nothing is kept or used for training. With the On-device plan your text never leaves your Mac.
Try it on your next email.
Free to download. Your first typo is fixed before you notice it.