Grammar Apps for Android: Checkers and Learning Apps
Gboard and Samsung Keyboard can already check your grammar. Past that, Grammarly works across your apps and the British Council teaches the rules for free.
Grammar apps come in two kinds. A checker corrects what you have just written. A learning app teaches you the rule so that you stop making the mistake. Decide which one you are after before you install anything, because the keyboard already on your phone may cover the first.
We read Google’s and Samsung’s help pages for the built-in tools, then the Google Play listing of each app. Two things have changed since this list was first written in 2019. Grammarly now works on top of whatever keyboard you use instead of replacing it, and Cambridge’s English Grammar in Use app can no longer be found on the store.
What your phone already does
Gboard
Gboard, Google’s keyboard, has had grammar correction since 2022. Google’s announcement described it as more than a spell check and said it works entirely on the device.
Some phones get more. Gboard’s help pages describe a set of writing tools with a Proofread option, which corrects grammar and spelling in the text you have written, next to options that rephrase or shorten it. English is supported for India, the UK, Australia, Canada and the US. The catch is the phone list: Google names six Pixel 9 and Pixel 10 models and a few recent phones from Honor, Motorola, OnePlus, OPPO, POCO, realme, vivo and Xiaomi.
There is also a Fix it button that corrects typos, grammar and punctuation in one tap. Google’s help page limits it to English in the US.
To see what your own phone offers, tap the features menu at the top of the keyboard, then More, Settings and Text correction. Google’s writing tools page has the full list of supported phones.
Samsung Keyboard
On Galaxy phones the tool is Writing assist, which some models call Chat assist. Type your message, tap the three-star icon on the keyboard’s toolbar and tap Spelling and grammar. The corrected text appears, and Replace swaps it in.
Samsung says the feature is on select phones and tablets running One UI 6.1 or later, and that its basic Galaxy AI features are free. Its Writing assist guide has the full steps.
Google Docs
The Docs app on Android has a Spellcheck tool: open the document, tap Edit, then More, then Spellcheck. Google’s help page for the Android app describes spelling suggestions only, so do not count on it for grammar.
Grammar apps compared
| App | Maker | Kind | On Google Play | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grammarly | Grammarly, Inc. | Checker | Free, no ads, in-app purchases | Checks grammar, spelling and punctuation as you type in other apps. |
| QuillBot | QuillBot | Checker | Free, no ads, in-app purchases | Grammar check, paraphraser and translator. Needs an account. |
| Ginger Writer | GingerSoftware Inc. | Checker | Free, no ads, in-app purchases | Type or paste text and it corrects it. Unlimited checks are part of Premium. |
| LangTool | optaDroid | Checker | Free, no ads, no purchases | A simple front end for the open-source LanguageTool checker. |
| LearnEnglish Grammar | British Council | Learning | Free with ads, in-app purchases | Practice questions at four levels, beginner to advanced. |
| Johnny Grammar Word Challenge | British Council | Learning | Free with ads | 60-second quizzes on grammar, spelling and vocabulary. |
| English Grammar Test | SevenLynx | Learning | Free with ads, in-app purchases | 60 tests, with an explanation for each wrong answer. |
| English Grammar Book | TalkEnglish | Learning | Free with ads, in-app purchases | 138 grammar points with examples and quizzes. |
| Khan Academy | Khan Academy | Learning | Free, no ads, no purchases | Videos and exercises in many subjects, grammar among them. |
| Oxford Grammar and Punctuation | MobiSystems | Reference | Free with ads for a 30-day trial, then paid | More than 250 grammar and punctuation rules, A to Z. |
Grammar checkers
Grammarly is the one to add if your keyboard’s own checking is not enough. Its listing says it works with any Android keyboard, such as Gboard or SwiftKey, so you keep the one you have. Grammarly’s user guide describes a floating widget that appears when you tap a text field and shows suggestions as you type. It needs Android 9 or later.
The free version covers grammar, spelling and punctuation, with a short explanation for each correction. Tone, clarity and vocabulary suggestions are listed under Premium. The listing also carries a notice that the older Grammarly Keyboard for Android is being discontinued.
QuillBot is closer to a rewriting tool that also checks grammar. Its listing describes a keyboard, a floating widget that works across apps and a built-in editor, and says you create an account to start. Two paraphrase modes are free and eight more are Premium.
Ginger Writer is the paste-in kind. You type or paste text into the app, it marks the mistakes, and you accept the corrections. It lets you choose US or UK English. Unlimited grammar and spelling checks are listed under Premium, so expect a cap on the free version. The same company has Ginger Keyboard, which checks whole sentences as you type and carries ads.
LangTool is the plain option. It is a front end, from a developer called optaDroid, for the open-source LanguageTool checker. You pick one of more than ten languages, enter your text, and it highlights mistakes with suggested fixes. There are no ads and nothing to buy.
One thing to weigh before you choose. Grammarly’s listing says it uses Android’s accessibility permission to process the text you write in other apps, and LangTool’s says it sends your text to the LanguageTool server. If you would sooner nothing left the phone, Gboard’s built-in grammar correction is the one Google says runs on the device.
Apps that teach grammar
LearnEnglish Grammar from the British Council is the place to start if English is your second language. It has four levels from beginner to advanced. Each has more than 600 activities across about 25 topics, such as the simple past, question tags and conditionals, with separate Practice and Test sections. The listing says content that used to be paid is now free. Google Play still shows ads and in-app purchases on it.
Johnny Grammar Word Challenge, also from the British Council, is a quiz against the clock: as many grammar, spelling and vocabulary questions as you can answer in 60 seconds, at three levels of difficulty. It tells you why a wrong answer was wrong.
English Grammar Test is aimed at intermediate and upper-intermediate learners. It has two levels of 30 tests, 20 questions each, and explains every answer you get wrong. Afterwards it shows which areas of grammar need more work.
English Grammar Book from TalkEnglish is a set of 138 short lessons with examples and quizzes. You can go through them in order from easy to hard, or by type, such as nouns, articles or verb tenses. An in-app purchase removes the ads.
Khan Academy is not a grammar app, but grammar is one of the subjects it teaches, with videos and exercises. It is free, with no ads label and no purchases on Google Play, and you can download lessons to watch offline. We would point students and people brushing up here, and beginners in English to the British Council app.
Oxford Grammar and Punctuation
This one is a reference book, not a course. It explains more than 250 grammar and punctuation rules in alphabetical order, with real examples, and settles questions such as “that” or “which” and “its” or “it’s”.
Read the listing before you rely on it. The free download is a 30-day trial with ads. Buying the full version unlocks it for good, removes the ads and adds an offline mode.
Which one to pick
- Everyday messages: no app. Use the grammar correction in Gboard, or Writing assist on a Galaxy phone.
- Emails and longer writing in any app: Grammarly’s free version.
- An occasional check with nothing to pay: LangTool.
- Learning English grammar from the ground up: LearnEnglish Grammar.
- Finding your weak spots: English Grammar Test.
- Looking up a rule: Oxford Grammar and Punctuation, if you are willing to pay after the trial.
What happened to the old list
English Grammar in Use, the Cambridge app based on Raymond Murphy’s book, no longer turns up on Google Play, and it is not among the apps on Cambridge University Press & Assessment’s developer page. Several apps from other developers now use the same name. They are not Cambridge’s, so we have left them out.
Basic English Grammar could not be matched: the app with that name on the store today does not fit the old description. Merriam-Webster is still on the store, free with ads, but it is a dictionary. Udemy, YouTube and ebook readers are places to find grammar lessons, not grammar apps, so they are out too.
Quick answers
Does Gboard have a grammar check?
Yes. Google announced grammar correction for Gboard in 2022, and newer supported phones also have a Proofread tool. The settings are under Text correction.
What is the best free grammar checker app for Android?
Try the keyboard you already have first. Past that, Grammarly’s free version checks grammar, spelling and punctuation in other apps, and LangTool is free with no ads or purchases.
Is there an offline grammar checker for Android?
Gboard’s grammar correction is the one Google says works entirely on the device. LangTool sends your text to a server, so it needs a connection.
Which app is best for learning English grammar for free?
LearnEnglish Grammar from the British Council, which has four levels and separate practice and test sections. Khan Academy is free with no ads if you want video lessons.
Is Grammarly free on Android?
It is free to install and its basic grammar, spelling and punctuation checks are free. Premium features such as tone and vocabulary suggestions cost extra.
