Grammarly is good at what it does, but it checks your text on its servers. That means it needs a connection, and everything you type in a supported field goes to the cloud for analysis. If you write on planes, handle client or medical text, or just don't like the idea, you'll want something that runs locally.
Apple Silicon Macs can now run small language models fast enough for real-time writing help, and several apps take advantage of that. Below are the ones worth looking at, grouped by what they replace. I built one of them (DraftKey), which I note where it comes up. Prices were checked on each app's own site in October 2026.
At a glance
| Tool | Replaces which part of Grammarly | Offline? | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charm | Spelling + grammar as you type | Yes, after model download | $19.99 once |
| LanguageTool (local server) | Rule-based grammar checking | Yes, self-hosted | Free (open-source server) |
| WunderType | Rewrites and fixes on demand | Yes, with on-device or Ollama models | $8.99 once |
| RewriteBar | Rewrites, tone, translation | Yes, with local providers | Free tier; $29/$59 once |
| DraftKey | Rewrites + inline autocomplete | Yes, after model download | $4.99 once |
| Cotypist | Inline autocomplete | Yes | Free tier; $72–$108/yr |
| Grammarly (for reference) | Everything above, in the cloud | No | Free; Pro listed at $12/mo |
If you mainly want spelling and grammar fixed
Charm
$19.99 once: theodorehq.com/charm
Charm is the closest thing to a direct offline Grammarly replacement. It fixes typos and grammar (capitalization, apostrophes, missing articles) as you type in most apps, and it predicts your next word, which you accept with Tab. Corrections run on a local model (Gemma 2 2B or Qwen3 4B, roughly 1.5 GB or 2.3 GB). After the one-time model download, it only goes online for updates and license checks.
Limits worth knowing: it currently supports UK and US English, it can't correct live in Google Docs (use its Fix Selection shortcut instead), and it needs Apple Silicon on macOS 14+. It does come with a 14-day money-back guarantee and covers three Macs.
LanguageTool with a local server
Free, open-source server: dev.languagetool.org/http-server
LanguageTool's core checker can run as a local HTTP server on your Mac (brew install languagetool works, though Homebrew support isn't official). You then point the LanguageTool browser add-on at your local server. It's free and private.
The catch: it's command-line setup, the local server doesn't include LanguageTool's AI-based rules (those are cloud-only), and the docs note Safari needs extra HTTPS setup. Best for developers who want rule-based grammar checking with no data leaving the machine.
If you want rewrites, tone changes and "make this clearer"
This is the part of Grammarly Pro that people miss most: full-sentence rewrites and tone adjustment.
WunderType
$8.99 once: wundertype.com
Select text, press ⌘⇧G, and WunderType corrects or rewrites it in place. Five built-in modes plus unlimited custom prompts, each bindable to its own shortcut. Since version 1.5 it can run models directly on your Mac's GPU through Apple MLX, with no Ollama or API key, and it works fully offline after a one-time model download. Intel Macs can use Ollama instead. No account, no telemetry.
RewriteBar
Free tier; $29 or $59 once: rewritebar.com
RewriteBar offers a long menu of actions (grammar, tone, translation, summaries, custom chained workflows) on any selected text. It's only offline if you configure a local provider such as Ollama, LM Studio, oMLX or Apple Intelligence. Its default provider routes text through RewriteBar's server, so check your settings if privacy is the reason you're switching.
DraftKey
$4.99 once: getdraftkey.com
DraftKey is the one I built. Tap Command + Option in a compatible text field and it opens a rewrite panel on the current paragraph (or your selection): Fix writing, Shorter, Clearer, Friendly, Professional, or your own instruction. You review the result, then insert it. It also does inline autocomplete, covered below.
The model runs on your Mac and works offline after setup; it needs Apple Silicon, macOS 14+, 8 GB of memory and a separate download of about 1.12 GB. There's no free trial. A license covers three Macs.
Apple Writing Tools
Built into macOS with Apple Intelligence
If your Mac supports Apple Intelligence, you already have Proofread, Rewrite (Friendly, Professional, Concise) and Summarize: select text, Control-click, and choose Writing Tools. It's free and works in most apps. It's not a strict "offline" option: Apple runs some requests on its Private Cloud Compute servers, the optional ChatGPT Compose feature sends text to OpenAI, and availability depends on language and region.
If you want help writing faster, not just fixing
Grammarly has started moving into generating text for you (its Superhuman Go agents launched in October 2026). The offline equivalent is inline autocomplete: a model suggests your next words and you press Tab.
Cotypist
Free tier (100 accepted words/day); Plus $72/yr, Pro $108/yr: cotypist.app
Cotypist is the most established local autocomplete app for Mac. It works in nearly every app, learns your phrasing, and lets you accept word by word. It's entirely on-device and works offline. It recommends 16 GB of memory for the best experience, and the paid tiers are subscriptions.
DraftKey (again)
DraftKey's autocomplete works the same way: gray suggestion, Tab to accept, keep typing to ignore it. The difference from Cotypist is the price model ($4.99 once) and the rewrite panel in the same app. Cotypist has a free tier and a 30-day trial, while DraftKey has neither, so you can test Cotypist before paying and you can't test DraftKey.
What you give up by leaving Grammarly
Being fair about it:
- Breadth of checks. Grammarly does plagiarism detection, AI-text detection, citation consistency and style guides. None of the local apps here do all of that.
- Language coverage. Several local tools focus on English.
- Team features. Shared style guides and admin controls are Grammarly territory.
- Hardware. Local models need Apple Silicon and some RAM. Older Intel Macs are mostly limited to Ollama-based setups.
What you gain is that your text stays on your machine, everything works with no connection, and most of these are one-time purchases.
My suggested setups
- Closest drop-in replacement: Charm for live spelling and grammar.
- Free and fully local: LanguageTool server, plus Apple Writing Tools if you're fine with Apple's privacy model.
- Rewrites on a budget: WunderType ($8.99) or DraftKey ($4.99).
- Autocomplete: Cotypist if you want to try before you buy, DraftKey if you want to pay once.
You can also combine them. A spelling/grammar tool and a rewrite or autocomplete tool generally cover different moments in your writing. Just avoid running two apps that both claim the Tab key for suggestions, or turn one off per app.
What do you use instead of Grammarly on your Mac? Let me know in the comments.
Disclosure: I built DraftKey.
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