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Is ProWritingAid Free? The 500 Word Limit and What Premium Costs

Yes, ProWritingAid has a free plan with grammar, spelling and punctuation checks, but it only gives suggestions for 500 words at a time. ProWritingAid's pricing page says Premium and Premium Pro remove that limit and let you check documents of any length.

That word limit is the thing to know before you paste in a chapter or a long report. The free plan also caps several tools per day. Here's exactly what you get free, what the paid plans cost, and the refund rule that catches people out, all from ProWritingAid's own pricing page, checked as of October 2026.

What ProWritingAid's free plan includes

ProWritingAid describes Free as the plan for writers taking the first step. It includes:

  • Grammar, spelling and punctuation checks
  • Word Explorer and thesaurus
  • A choice of 40+ document types for tailored suggestions
  • 2 runs per line editing report per day, excluding Story Critiques
  • 10 Rephrases a day, to make a sentence more formal, shorter, longer or more fluent
  • 3 Sparks and 3 Creative Nudges a day
  • 3 runs of Idea Feedback in Story Canvas

The free plan's limits

The FAQ is clear: with a free account, you only get suggestions for 500 words at a time. For a blog post you can work through it section by section. For a novel or a long report, it's slow going.

The other limits are daily. Paid plans list unlimited line editing report runs, unlimited Rephrases, advanced style improvements and Chapter Critique, which tells you those are the main things the free plan holds back.

ProWritingAid prices

PlanMonthly billingYearly billingLifetime
FreeFreeFreeFree
Premium$30 a month$10 a month, billed yearly at $120$399 one-time payment
Premium Pro$36 a month$12 a month, billed yearly at $144$699 one-time payment

Prices are as shown on ProWritingAid's pricing page as of October 2026. The yearly plan works out at a third of the monthly price for Premium, which is why ProWritingAid pushes yearly billing so hard.

What Premium and Premium Pro add

Premium is aimed at writers serious about finishing. It adds unlimited word count and Rephrases, 1 Chapter Critique a day, 5 Sparks and 9 Creative Nudges a day, the Outline Crafter, a custom style guide and dictionary, 25+ writing analysis reports, comparison with 90 fiction authors, sharing with comments and unlimited document storage.

Premium Pro adds 30 Chapter Critiques and 50 Sparks a day, 15 Creative Nudges, plus community features: weekly live workshops with authors and editors, a library of 200+ recorded workshops, daily cowriting sprints, group critiques and writer networking events. It also gets the biggest discounts on Story Credits, which pay for whole-manuscript analysis.

Where you can use ProWritingAid

ProWritingAid lists integrations with Google Docs and Microsoft Office, plus its own desktop editor, so you can check your writing where you already work. Its licences are for individual users: you can install it on several computers as long as you're the only person using the account. If other people share your computer, ProWritingAid says they'll need their own licence.

On privacy, ProWritingAid says it never keeps text entered into its editor. Your writing is encrypted and sent to its servers to be processed, but not stored there, and documents you upload to your account are only visible to you.

The refund rule to read first

This is the part most people miss. ProWritingAid only refunds yearly or lifetime plans, and only if you contact it within three days of purchase. Cancelling doesn't trigger a refund automatically, so you still need to ask within those three days. Monthly plans can't be refunded at all; you just turn off auto-renew in your profile to stop future payments. Story Credits are non-refundable too.

Free ways to get more from ProWritingAid

  • Schools: K-12 organisations can get premium features for free through ProWritingAid for Education, and pupils join when a teacher invites them.
  • University and college students: a discount on yearly plans with a verified Student Beans account.
  • Free users can still buy Story Credits for manuscript, plot or character analysis without upgrading.

How to make the free plan work for you

  1. Sign up for Free and set the document type and your English variant, whether British, US, Australian or Canadian.
  2. Paste or check your work in sections of up to 500 words.
  3. Fix grammar and spelling first, then use your 2 report runs a day on the sections that matter most.
  4. Save your 10 daily Rephrases for the sentences you're least happy with.
  5. If you're hitting the limits every day, try a monthly plan for one month rather than paying yearly straight away.

If you're comparing tools, my head-to-head of Grammarly vs ProWritingAid covers the differences, my guide on whether Grammarly is free explains its free plan, and my list of ProWritingAid alternatives has other options.

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My verdict: is ProWritingAid free?

Yes, for short pieces. The free plan covers grammar, spelling and style with daily limits, and it checks 500 words at a time. If you write books or long reports, you'll want Premium: as of October 2026 that was $30 a month or $120 a year, with a lifetime option at $399. Use the monthly plan to test it, because only yearly and lifetime plans have the three-day refund window.

For making step by step guides, see Scribe's free plan.

Frequently asked questions

Is ProWritingAid free to use?

Yes. ProWritingAid has a free plan with grammar, spelling and punctuation checks and daily limits on its other tools.

How many words can ProWritingAid check for free?

With a free account you get suggestions for 500 words at a time. Paid plans check documents of any length.

How much is ProWritingAid Premium?

As of October 2026 Premium was $30 a month, or $10 a month billed yearly at $120, or a $399 one-time payment.

Does ProWritingAid give refunds?

Only on yearly or lifetime plans, if you contact it within three days of purchase. Monthly plans can't be refunded.

Is ProWritingAid free for students?

Schools can get it free through ProWritingAid for Education. College students get a discount on yearly plans via Student Beans.

Does ProWritingAid support British English?

Yes. It's available in English only, including General, British, US, Australian and Canadian English.

Can I use ProWritingAid on more than one computer?

Yes, as long as you're the only person using the account. People sharing a computer need their own licence.

Does ProWritingAid store my writing?

ProWritingAid says text entered into its editor is encrypted and processed but never stored on its servers.

Published and maintained by the Lilach Bullock team, covering marketing, AI and business growth.
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