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LanguageTool Review

Worth it

Should I use LanguageTool?

Instantly check grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors with LanguageTool's AI-powered grammar checker. Enhance your writing in over 30 languages with ease. - languagetool.org

· 1 month ago

Buy if you write in multiple languages or want a cheap, open-source Grammarly alternative. Skip it if you need deep English-only editing, enterprise compliance, or strict privacy without self-hosting.

Confidence

Medium. Based on ~30 public sources: reviews (G2, Capterra, Trustpilot, editor roundups), Reddit threads, pricing pages, and CVE databases. Many snippets truncated, so some claims rest on titles only.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support quality
  • Security posture

Pricing

$0

Free

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes
Premium$4.99/mo ($59.90/yr)

Best for

  • Multilingual writers
  • Non-native English speakers
  • Budget Grammarly switchers
  • Open-source/self-host fans

Not for

  • English-only power writers wanting deepest style editing
  • Free-only users needing full browser extension features
  • Privacy-purists unwilling to self-host
  • Teams needing vendor security pages and compliance docs

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

Free browser extension limits keep shrinking; more features now Premium-only

medium

Premium runs ~$59.90/year; some users say too pricey for individuals

medium

Text is processed in the cloud unless you self-host the open-source server

low

Premium comes with a 14-day money-back guarantee, not a free trial

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Strong multilingual support; popular with non-native English writers
  • Ranked high for accuracy in a professional editor's roundup
  • Open-source core; can be self-hosted
  • Free basic tier for simple checking
  • Far cheaper than Grammarly's ~$30/month

Cons

  • Trustpilot rating just 1.9/5 across 55 reviews
  • Free extension functionality cut; Premium now pushed
  • Heavy writers call the paid tier expensive
  • Privacy concerns raised; self-hosting recommended by some

Sources & method

- 12 sources - Open-source core you can self-host; a few dependency CVEs and one brand-abuse incident, no major product breach found.

official x3review x4security x3news x2
  • Three CVEs in opennlp-tools 1.9.4 dependency, Two critical and one high severity vulnerabilities in a dependency, disclosed May 4 via the project's GitHub.
  • CVE-2007-1939: cross-site scripting, Historical XSS vulnerability in LanguageTool, dating to 2007 and predating current versions.
  • Malware abused the LanguageTool name, Threat actors used the LanguageTool name in a credit-card exfiltration campaign; project investigating. Brand abuse, not a product flaw.

Key stats

  • Value for money: 4/5

    Rating

  • $0

    Starting price

  • 12

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 4/5. Undercuts Grammarly's ~$30/mo significantly
  • Ease of use: 4/5. Wide integrations praised: browser, LibreOffice, Office
  • Feature depth: 3/5. 30+ languages, paraphrasing; lighter than Grammarly
  • Support quality: 2/5. 1.9/5 Trustpilot suggests unresolved gripes
  • Security posture: 3/5. Self-hostable open source; some dependency CVEs
  • 1.9/5 Trustpilot rating 55 reviews
  • $4.99/mo Premium price $59.90 billed yearly
  • Yes Free tier Basic checks only
  • $3.3M ARR Est. revenue 2025 estimate (GetLatka)

Pricing

Free

$0

  • Basic grammar and spell check
  • Limited features vs Premium

Premium

$4.99/mo ($59.90/yr)

  • Advanced grammar and style detection
  • Paraphrasing tool
  • Discounted 2-year subscription offered

Security

Open-source core you can self-host; a few dependency CVEs and one brand-abuse incident, no major product breach found.

  • Three CVEs in opennlp-tools 1.9.4 dependencyTwo critical and one high severity vulnerabilities in a dependency, disclosed May 4 via the project's GitHub.⁸
  • CVE-2007-1939: cross-site scriptingHistorical XSS vulnerability in LanguageTool, dating to 2007 and predating current versions.⁹
  • Malware abused the LanguageTool nameThreat actors used the LanguageTool name in a credit-card exfiltration campaign; project investigating. Brand abuse, not a product flaw.10

What users say

Reviewers praise its multilingual accuracy and integrations, while Reddit users grumble that the free tier keeps shrinking and Premium feels expensive.

“Overall, I am satisfied with LanguageTool proofread”
It's FOSS review
“LanguageTool - Free is Good, Paid is Better, but Expensive”
Reddit, r/macapps
“LanguageTool ranked high for accuracy”
Content Estate editor roundup

Alternatives

Compare LanguageTool with each alternative.

  • Harper

    Guess: lightweight, fully local open-source grammar checker

Full analysis

Based on ~30 public sources: reviews (G2, Capterra, Trustpilot, editor roundups), Reddit threads, pricing pages, and CVE databases. Many snippets truncated, so some claims rest on titles only.

Solid multilingual grammar checker at $4.99/mo; great for non-English writers, but weak Trustpilot and shrinking free tier are catches.

Methodology

Based on ~30 public sources: reviews (G2, Capterra, Trustpilot, editor roundups), Reddit threads, pricing pages, and CVE databases. Many snippets truncated, so some claims rest on titles only.

Read how a report is made.

Sources

  1. LanguageTool Review: Pricing, Features, Pros and Conskindlepreneur.com
    review
  2. LanguageTool Review 2025: Multilingual Grammar Checkertechforword.com
    review
  3. Trustpilot reviews of languagetool.orgtrustpilot.com
    review
  4. LanguageTool open-source GitHub repositorygithub.com
    official
  5. LanguageTool Premium now mandatory for the extensiondiscuss.privacyguides.net
    news
  6. Grammarly vs LanguageTool (XDA Developers)xda-developers.com
    review
  7. LanguageTool revenue estimategetlatka.com
    news
  8. Three CVEs in opennlp-tools dependencygithub.com
    security
  9. CVE-2007-1939 detailnvd.nist.gov
    security
  10. Malware abusing LanguageTool namegithub.com
    security
  11. LanguageTool Premium pagelanguagetool.org
    official
  12. LanguageTool subscription help articlehelp.languagetool.org
    official

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