Apple Writing Tools replaces 4 paid apps
One genuinely free tool, 4 subscriptions it can stand in for. Each pairing below is curated and verified by hand, with the honest catch spelled out. No votes, no pay-to-list.
licenseproprietary, free
runsyour machine or their cloud
installBuilt into current macOS, iOS and iPadOS; enable Apple Intelligence and let the required models download
enginesApple on-device foundation models and, for harder requests, Apple Private Cloud Compute; optional ChatGPT is used for Compose
dataEdits are applied to text in the host app rather than kept in a separate Writing Tools library; on-device requests stay local, Private Cloud Compute says request data is not stored, and optional ChatGPT receives the selected content
setupRequires Apple Intelligence-compatible Apple hardware, a supported language/region and several gigabytes of downloaded models
facts verified 2026-08-14
Proofread, rewrite, shorten, or change tone almost anywhere, assuming your Apple hardware made the guest list.
the catchIt is restricted to supported Apple hardware and offers fewer continuous cross-app style, brand and writing analytics controls than Grammarly.
the verdict →all Grammarly alternatives →
Proofread, rewrite, shorten, or change tone almost anywhere, assuming your Apple hardware made the guest list.
the catchIt covers basic proofreading and rewriting, but lacks QuillBot's dedicated paraphrase modes, synonym controls, citation tools, and broad cross-platform availability.
the verdict →all QuillBot alternatives →
Proofread, rewrite, shorten, or change tone almost anywhere, assuming your Apple hardware made the guest list.
the catchIt rewrites and changes tone, but it offers fewer side-by-side alternatives and less granular sentence-level control than Wordtune.
the verdict →all Wordtune alternatives →
Proofread, rewrite, shorten, or change tone almost anywhere, assuming your Apple hardware made the guest list.
the catchIt is convenient on supported Apple hardware, but it covers fewer languages and gives less rule-based grammar explanation and customization than LanguageTool.
the verdict →all LanguageTool alternatives →last updated 2026-08-14 · up to $744/yr replaced · no votes, no pay-to-list
