Recently I was asked to do a review of grammar/style checking applications, what I found is a rather quirky niche market in terms of software applications. The first notable thing about this market is the lack of free demonstration versions available to properly evaluate the application before purchase, from experience this is never a good sign. Some have a 30 day money back guarantee but that’s not quite the same thing. In the end, I managed to borrow a copy of StyleWriter and the good folks at Serenity Software offered a 10 day evaluation copy of Editor so some testing was possible.

Below are five of the main contenders and some pertinent points which I considered during my evaluation.

StyleWriter http://www.stylewriter.com.au

  • Supports US, UK and Australian writing styles and is the only application to use the Macquarie Dictionary as its base reference.
  • Compatible with all versions of Microsoft Word.
  • It also can analyse text in your clipboard which means it will work with any program.
  • Encourages a clear writing style by removing excessive wording, cliché phrases etc.
  • The user interface is reasonably intuitive and takes a minimal amount of time to understand how to use the application.
  • Claims to be able to find more than 35,000 common writing mistakes.
  • A summary of the issues identified is provided, which helps the user understand their current deficiencies in their writing technique.
  • Single user license US$160.

WhiteSmoke http://www.whitesmoke.com

  • Compatible with all versions of Microsoft Word.
  • Transmits portions of the document to the vendor’s server for analysis, for this reason it should not be considered as an option.
  • Examples shown of the product led to an increased word count by inserting adjectives which are not required.
  • You can’t get a price unless you register your details, not a good sign
  • There are numerous reports on forums about unethical business dealings by the vendor.
  • Web of Trust gives it a pretty low rating http://www.mywot.com/en/scorecard/buy.whitesmoke.com
  • The VeriSign logo at the bottom of the page is not linked back to VeriSign, another bad sign
  • Finally here are some of their aliases

      .www.writebetterenglish.com.
      .www.english-writing-solutions.com.
      .www.bestenglishsoftware.com.
      .www.WritingSoftwareTools.com.
      .www.propergrammarchecker.com..
      .www.writer-toolbox.com.
      .www.english-Writing-Solutions.com.
      .www.writeInPerfectEnglish.com.
      www.englishsoftware.org
      www.englishgrammarwriting.com
      www.englishgrammarchecker.com

Editor – Serenity Software http://www.serenity-software.com/

  • Supports US, UK and Australian writing styles.
  • Compatible with all versions of Microsoft Word plus WordPerfect, RTF and HTML files.
  • Compatible with windows 7.
  • The Word plug-in has a dependency on Dot Net v2.0, which is an older framework, this might be acceptable for home use but not something I would accept in an Enterprise environment.
  • Claims to be able to find more than 100,000 common writing mistakes.
  • The user interface is less intuitive than StyleWriter but is still usable.
  • The network version has a simple install.
  • The lack of summary or score is an advantage. Instead of focusing on a style score the user focuses on improving the quality of the document.
  • Single user license US$50

Writers Workbench http://www.writersworkbench.com

  • Compatible with windows 7 and Office 2007 and has a Word Plug-in available.
  • Appears to have an overly complicated assessment interface and places more of an emphasis on scoring the text rather than correcting it.
  • Single user license US$100.

RightWriter http://www.right-writer.com

  • Compatible with Windows XP/Vista/Windows 7
  • It is a standalone application requiring the user to copy text into the application.
  • Claims to be able to find over 25,000 common writing mistakes.
  • The vendor website lacks product information suggesting there may be weaknesses in the product.
  • Single user license US$30