Grammarly alternative
A Grammarly alternative that does more than check grammar
Looking for a Grammarly alternative? KeyShift fixes grammar on command in any app on Windows and Mac, and also translates, rewrites tone and runs your own prompts. Free plan, no card.
Grammarly is very good at the job it was built for: underlining mistakes as you type and suggesting the fix, with years of tuning behind it. If passive, always-on checking is all you want, it remains a solid choice.
KeyShift starts from a different question. Most of the time you do not want a suggestion under a word; you want the sentence fixed, shortened, made more polite, or translated, right now, in the field you are typing in. KeyShift is built around that: select text, press one shortcut, and the result is typed back in place.
What Grammarly is built around
- Real-time checking as you type, with suggestions you accept one by one.
- A browser extension, a desktop app and per-app integrations, each covering some of the places you write.
- Rewrites and tone changes that live inside Grammarly's own interface and plan tiers.
- Grammarly's model of good writing. It is a sensible default, but it is not your voice.
What KeyShift does instead
- Fix grammar is one action among many. Select a paragraph in Outlook, press Ctrl+Shift+A, pick Fix grammar, and the corrected version replaces the original. The same shortcut offers Translate, Make professional, Shorten, Summarize and Reply.
- The typed trigger needs no selection. Finish a Slack message, type keyshift fix grammar, press space twice, and the message is rewritten where it sits.
- Custom actions carry your voice. Write the instruction once ("keep it under three sentences, British spelling, never an exclamation mark") and give it a hotkey. Every result follows it.
- One mechanism at the operating-system level, so it works in the CRM field, the support console and the desktop app nobody wrote an extension for.
- Your own AI if you want it. On Pro, bring an OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini or OpenRouter key, or run a local model through Ollama so text never leaves your machine.
Grammarly vs KeyShift at a glance
| Grammarly | KeyShift | |
|---|---|---|
| Fix grammar and typos | Yes, as you type | Yes, on command, in place |
| Rewrite tone or length | In Grammarly's interface, paid tiers | One action, every plan |
| Translate | Limited | 50+ languages, in place |
| Your own prompts with hotkeys | No | Yes (Pro) |
| Voice typing | No | Yes, with AI clean-up |
| Works in | Browser and supported apps | Any text field on Windows, macOS, Android |
| Bring your own AI key or local model | No | Yes (Pro) |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes, 25 AI actions a month |
Based on each product's public features. Other products change; if something here is out of date, write to support@keyshift.ai and we will fix it.
How KeyShift works, in any app
- Quick Actions: select text, press Ctrl+Shift+A (⌘⇧A on Mac), pick an action. The result replaces the selection.
- The typed trigger: write normally, add keyshift plus your instruction, press space twice. No selection, no shortcut.
- Voice (Ctrl+Shift+M), text from screen (Ctrl+Shift+O) and clipboard history (Ctrl+Shift+V) for the text you do not have yet.
- Undo any replacement with Ctrl+Shift+Z, up to 20 steps.
Windows 10 and later, macOS 11 and later, and Android. See the getting started guide.
Questions people ask
Does KeyShift check my writing as I type, like Grammarly?
No. KeyShift does nothing until you ask, which is the point: no underlines, no pop-ups. When you want the sentence fixed, press the shortcut or type the trigger and it is fixed in place.
Can I use both?
Yes. Many people keep a checker for passive underlines and use KeyShift for the rewrite, the translation and the reply. They do not conflict.
Is KeyShift free?
The Free plan includes 25 AI actions a month with every tool. Pro adds 10,000 actions, custom actions and your own API key, from €4 a month billed yearly.
Try it in your own apps
Free plan, 25 AI actions a month, no card needed. Pro from €4 a month billed yearly.