Updated 4 September 2026 · Independent comparison

Grammarly vs Qwen:
which should you use?

Grammarly and Qwen, side by side. Find the one that fits what you need to do.

Find your best fit

The 30-second answer

Grammarly is built for writing, communication & language. Qwen among the best open options for multilingual drafting and translation, especially across Asian languages.

Pricing, simplified

Start free. Upgrade when you need more.

2 of 2 have a free plan 0 of 2 prices re-read automatically · how we know No paid placement

The 30-second comparison

If you only read one section, make it this one. Rows where both sides say the same thing are left out — the point is where they differ. Where each row came from is listed underneath.

Grammarly and Qwen side by side, with the better fit for each row.
CategoryGrammarlyQwenBetter fit
What it's built forWorks inside the apps you already write in rather than a separate window, which is why it actually gets used. Grammar, tone and clarity in place.Among the best open options for multilingual drafting and translation, especially across Asian languages.Grammarly
Fit for writing, communication & languageBuilt for thisStrong fitGrammarly
Free planYes. Free tier: writing without spelling and grammar mistakes, tone detection, and 100 AI prompts for generating textYes. Free to use, weights downloadableTie
Cheapest way to pay$30 a month.No paid tier — it is free.Qwen
What the paid tiers cost
  • One person, from $30/month
  • Enterprise, priced on request
No paid tier — it is free.Tie
What to watch out forBetter at fixing than composing. It smooths writing toward a neutral register, which is not always what you want. The free tier caps generation at 100 AI prompts, and the enterprise tier now arrives through Superhuman Go rather than as Grammarly itself.Self-host or use a third-party host if the text is sensitive.Tie
Who it is usually forstudents, working professionalsworking professionals, developersTie
Runs on your own machineHosted service only — your material goes to their servers.Can be run on your own machine, so the material never leaves it.Qwen
What it asks of youNo setup — it works in a browser.Expects some technical comfort to get going.Tie
Made byGrammarly — San Francisco, US.Alibaba Qwen — Hangzhou, CN.Tie

Neither leads on the 10 rows above: 2 each. The job decides it, not the table.

Too close to call

Grammarly or Qwen

Neither leads on the rows above — the job decides it.

✓ The job is mainly writing, communication & language ✓ Works inside the apps you already write in rather than a separate window, which is why it actually gets used. ✓ You would rather not configure anything first ✓ You are among students
Choose Qwen instead if…

Among the best open options for multilingual drafting and translation, especially across Asian languages.

Qwen is the better answer when the job is what it was built for rather than what the pick above does broadly.

✓ The job is mainly writing, communication & language ✓ Works inside the apps you already write in rather than a separate window, which is why it actually gets used. ✓ You would rather not configure anything first ✓ You are among students

How we know

Every row that separated these two, and where it came from. Nothing here is a hands-on test — if a line rests on a vendor’s own pricing page, it says so and links it.

The 4 rows that decided this page, with the source for each.
RowFavoursWeightWhere it came from
What it's built forGrammarlyHow well it does the jobFrom this site’s own catalogue record for each product — compiled by hand, not imported. How a product gets listed
Fit for writing, communication & languageGrammarlyHow well it does the jobBoth products are listed under writing, communication & language in the catalogue, and this is the fit recorded against each listing. Everything listed under writing, communication & language
Cheapest way to payQwenEverything elseFrom each vendor’s own pricing page. Dates and pages are listed below.
Runs on your own machineQwenHow well it does the jobFrom this site’s own catalogue record for each product — compiled by hand, not imported. How a product gets listed

The prices

Grammarly. Read by hand off grammarly.com on 4 September 2026. It is not on the monthly re-check, so confirm there before paying. grammarly.com/plans

Qwen. Read by hand off chat.qwen.ai on 4 September 2026. It is not on the monthly re-check, so confirm there before paying. chat.qwen.ai/pricing

The ratings

The category these two share. Writing, Communication & Language — both are listed there in the catalogue, and the fit recorded against each listing is a judgement made here, by hand.

The nine-category grid below. Derived from what each product is listed for, by one script, once per build — so the same pair always reads the same. It is a derivation, not a review.

What this is not

Neither product was run side by side to produce this page. Nobody was paid to appear on it and nothing here is ranked by commission.

To put the same question to both and read the answers yourself, run them side by side — that is a live test, and this is not.

Choose based on what you’re doing

All ten categories, including the ones where neither of these is the answer. These ratings are derived from what each product is listed for, not from running it — a rating here is a reading of the record, and the record is linked.

01

General-Purpose AI Assistants

Questions, brainstorming, explanations, everyday tasks, decision-making, general advice.

Grammarly
Not a good fit
Qwen
Good fit
Best choice: Qwen
02

Search, Research & Academics

Web research, deep research, books, academic papers, citations, news, fact-checking.

Grammarly
Not a good fit
Qwen
Limited fit
Best choice: Qwen
03

Writing, Communication & Language

Emails, reports, essays, editing, summarizing, translation, presentations.

Grammarly
Built for this
Qwen
Good fit
Best choice: Grammarly
04

Coding, Data & Technical Work

Programming, debugging, data analysis, spreadsheets, math, engineering, technical research.

Grammarly
Bad fit
Qwen
Limited fit
Best choice: Qwen
05

Business, Finance & Professional Work

Business strategy, investing, market research, legal, sales, HR, accounting, consulting.

Grammarly
Not a good fit
Qwen
Limited fit
Best choice: Qwen
06

Image & Design

Image generation, photo editing, logos, graphics, product design, advertising creatives.

Grammarly
Bad fit
Qwen
Bad fit
Best choice: Neither
07

Video

Video generation and editing, clipping, subtitles, avatars, animation and motion capture.

Grammarly
Bad fit
Qwen
Bad fit
Best choice: Neither
08

Audio, Voice & Music

Voice generation, transcription, music, dubbing, sound cleanup and podcast production.

Grammarly
Bad fit
Qwen
Bad fit
Best choice: Neither
09

Marketing & Content Creation

Social media, SEO, advertising, copywriting, content ideas, scripts, brand development.

Grammarly
Not a good fit
Qwen
Limited fit
Best choice: Qwen
10

Productivity, Automation & Personal Life

AI agents, workflows, scheduling, meetings, organization, shopping, travel, personal finance.

Grammarly
Not a good fit
Qwen
Limited fit
Best choice: Qwen
Pick Grammarly if

Works inside the apps you already write in rather than a separate window, which is why it actually gets used.

San Francisco, US
The job is mainly writing, communication & language
Works inside the apps you already write in rather than a separate window, which is why it actually gets used.
You would rather not configure anything first
You are among students
Pick Qwen if

Among the best open options for multilingual drafting and translation, especially across Asian languages.

by Alibaba Qwen
Among the best open options for multilingual drafting and translation, especially across Asian languages.
You would rather not take on a subscription at all
The material cannot leave your own machine
You are among developers

Pricing, simplified

The plans people actually compare, read from each vendor’s own page.

PricingSimple, up-to-date plan overview.
Grammarlyby Grammarly
Qwenby Alibaba Qwen
Free version
Grammarly
Yes — Free plan availableWriting without spelling and grammar mistakes, tone detection, and 100 AI prompts for
Qwen
Yes — Free plan availableFree to use, weights downloadable
Individual plans
Grammarly
Pro $30 / month$12 / month (annual)
QwenFree plan only
Business plans
GrammarlyNot sold to teams
QwenNot sold to teams
Enterprise
Grammarly
Custom pricing
QwenNot published
View full details
Interactive

Tell us what you use AI for

Pick your main job and the verdict below changes to match. Every answer is on the page already, so this works as a reader, not a lookup.

The verdict for that job
Evenly matched
Grammarly. It is built for writing, communication & language; Qwen does it well without it being its focus; both have a free plan you can start on.
10 rows compared

Frequently asked questions

Is Grammarly or Qwen better?

Neither leads on the 10 rows above: 2 each. The job decides it, not the table. Grammarly is built for writing, communication & language; Qwen does it well without it being its focus; both have a free plan you can start on. Grammarly: Works inside the apps you already write in rather than a separate window, which is why it actually gets used. Grammar, tone and clarity in place. Qwen: Among the best open options for multilingual drafting and translation, especially across Asian languages.

Is Grammarly or Qwen cheaper?

Only one of the two publishes a ladder we have verified, so a like-for-like comparison is not possible yet.

Do Grammarly and Qwen both have free plans?

Yes. Grammarly: Free tier: writing without spelling and grammar mistakes, tone detection, and 100 AI prompts for generating text. Qwen: Free to use, weights downloadable.

What should I watch out for?

Grammarly: Better at fixing than composing. It smooths writing toward a neutral register, which is not always what you want. The free tier caps generation at 100 AI prompts, and the enterprise tier now arrives through Superhuman Go rather than as Grammarly itself. Qwen: Self-host or use a third-party host if the text is sensitive.

Read more

Grammarly

What it is for, who makes it, what it costs and what to use instead.

Qwen

What it is for, who makes it, what it costs and what to use instead.

Best AI for Writing

Emails, reports, essays, editing, summarizing, translation, presentations.