Grammarly
Original author(s)Alex Shevchenko, Max Lytvyn, and Dmytro Lider[1][2]
Developer(s)Grammarly Inc.
Initial releaseJuly 1, 2009; 14 years ago (2009-07-01)[3]
Operating systemWindows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS, various web browsers
Available in
TypeOnline text editor, browser extension, and mobile app with grammar checker, spell checker, and plagiarism detector
LicenseProprietary software
Websitegrammarly.com

Grammarly is an American cloud-based[4] typing assistant.[5][6] It reviews spelling, grammar, punctuation, clarity, engagement, and delivery mistakes in English texts, detects plagiarism, and suggests replacements for the identified errors.[7] It also allows users to customize their style, tone, and context-specific language.[8]

Grammarly was launched in 2009 by Alex Shevchenko, Max Lytvyn, and Dmytro Lider.[9] Grammarly is available as a standalone application for use with desktop programs, a browser extension optimized for Google Docs, and a smartphone keyboard.[9][10]

Grammarly is developed by Grammarly Inc., with hubs in San Francisco, California,[11] and offices in Kyiv,[12] New York City, Vancouver, and Berlin.[13][14]

History

Grammarly was founded by Max Lytvyn, Alex Shevchenko, and Dmytro Lider,[9] the creators of My Dropbox, an app that checks essays for plagiarism.[15][16] Grammarly was initially designed as an educational app to help university students improve their English skills. It was later offered to the end customers who use English in everyday life.[15][16]

In early 2018, a security researcher at Google discovered a vulnerability in Grammarly's browser extension beta version, which exposed authentication tokens to websites and potentially allowed them to access the users' documents and other data.[17] Within a few hours, the company released a hotfix and reported that it found no evidence of compromised user data.[18] Later in December, Grammarly launched a bug bounty program on HackerOne, offering a US$100,000 reward to the first white hat hacker to access a specific document on the company's server.[19]

Grammarly effectively severed all business relations with users in Russia and Belarus in response to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. The company also announced that it would donate the net revenue earned in Russia and Belarus since 2014 to Ukraine. It also provided free access to Ukrainian media, which reported on the war in English.[20][21][22]

In April 2023, Grammarly launched a beta-stage product using generative AI called Grammarly GO, built on the GPT-3 large language models.[23] The software can generate and re-write content based on prompts.[24]

Reception

Reviewers have praised Grammarly for its ease of use and helpful suggestions, considering it worthwhile despite its relatively high price and lack of offline functionality.[25] Josh Steimle of Forbes lauded it in 2013, saying that "It's an online services [sic] that quickly and easily makes your writing better and makes you sound like a pro, or at least helps you avoid looking like a fool."[26] Conversely, some users have criticized Grammarly for incorrect suggestions, ignorance of tone and context, and reduction of writers' freedom of expression.[27][28]

See also

References

  1. ^ Krasnikov, Denys (July 6, 2018). "Grammarly opens new Kyiv office as demand rises for help with English". Kyiv Post. Businessgroup LLC. Archived from the original on August 28, 2018. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
  2. ^ Wiggers, Kyle (September 12, 2018). "Grammarly brings its AI-powered proofreading tools to Google Docs". VentureBeat. Archived from the original on September 9, 2019. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
  3. ^ "Grammarly.com WHOIS, DNS, & Domain Info – DomainTools". WHOIS. Archived from the original on April 19, 2019. Retrieved August 27, 2016.
  4. ^ Doyle, Alison (October 3, 2020). "What Is Grammarly?". The Balance Careers. Archived from the original on February 28, 2021. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  5. ^ "Grammarly Inc". Bloomberg. n.d. Archived from the original on January 30, 2022. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  6. ^ "Grammarly". Forbes. n.d. Archived from the original on November 12, 2019. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  7. ^ Moore, Ben (July 16, 2020). "Grammarly Review". PCMag. Archived from the original on April 10, 2021. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  8. ^ Lardinois, Frederic (July 16, 2019). "Grammarly goes beyond grammar". Techcrunch. Archived from the original on January 15, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2021.
  9. ^ a b c "Grammarly brings its AI-powered proofreading tools to Google Docs". VentureBeat. September 12, 2018. Archived from the original on May 16, 2021. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  10. ^ Coberly, Cohen (September 12, 2018). "You can finally use Grammarly within Google Docs". TechSpot. Archived from the original on April 4, 2019. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
  11. ^ "Grammarly · 548 Market St, San Francisco, CA 94104". Grammarly · 548 Market St, San Francisco, CA 94104. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  12. ^ "Grammarly opens new Kyiv office as demand rises for help with English | KyivPost - Ukraine's Global Voice". KyivPost. July 6, 2018. Archived from the original on April 7, 2021. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  13. ^ McCracken, Harry (April 1, 2019). "On its 10th anniversary, Grammarly looks way beyond grammar". Fast Company. Archived from the original on September 9, 2019. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
  14. ^ "AI-powered writing assistant Grammarly opens new office in downtown Vancouver | Venture". dailyhive.com. Archived from the original on September 14, 2019. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
  15. ^ a b "Как двое киевлян создали сервис проверки английского правописания стоимостью $100 млн". Escadra Recruitment Agency (in Russian). Retrieved February 19, 2022.
  16. ^ a b Rahman, Tameem (June 5, 2020). "How Grammarly Grew to 7 Million Daily Users". Medium. Retrieved February 19, 2022.
  17. ^ Ormandy, Tavis (February 2, 2018). "Issue 1527: Grammarly: auth tokens are accessible to all websites". project-zero. Google. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
  18. ^ Couts, Andrew (February 5, 2018). "Grammarly Bug Let Snoops Read What You Wrote, Typos and All (Updated)". Gizmodo. Archived from the original on January 13, 2021. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
  19. ^ "Grammarly - Bug Bounty Program". HackerOne. March 2022.
  20. ^ MacLellan, Lila (March 5, 2022). "Ukrainian-founded Grammarly is donating all the money it made in Russia since 2014". Quartz. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
  21. ^ Renbarger, Madeline. "'We feel frustrated': Startup CEOs with teams in Ukraine struggle to help their employees in any way they can". Business Insider. Retrieved March 7, 2022.
  22. ^ Lila MacLellan (March 4, 2022). "Ukrainian-founded Grammarly is donating all the money it made in Russia since 2014". Quartz. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  23. ^ Hamish Hector (March 9, 2023). "Grammarly's ChatGPT upgrade won't just improve your writing, it'll do it for you". TechRadar. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
  24. ^ Akuchie, Michael (March 16, 2023). "GrammarlyGo: Everything You Need To Know About The AI Writing Assistant". ScreenRant. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
  25. ^ Moore, Ben (July 6, 2020). "Grammarly Review: A slick writing assistant for all your documents". PCMag.
  26. ^ Steimle, Josh (November 19, 2013). "Top 5 Writing Tips For Entrepreneurs". Forbes. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
  27. ^ Mayne, Dorothy (January 26, 2021). "Revisiting Grammarly: An Imperfect Tool for Final Editing". another word. Archived from the original on February 19, 2022. Retrieved February 19, 2022.
  28. ^ Brogan, Jacob (February 7, 2018). "Grammarly Fixed a Security Vulnerability, but It Still Can't Fix Our Writing". Slate Magazine.

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