Best LanguageTool Alternative For Privacy Focused Users
Looking for a grammar tool that prioritizes your privacy? Many grammar checkers send your text to remote servers, creating potential risks for sensitive information. This article explores three alternatives to LanguageTool that offer privacy-first features, multilingual support, and offline options:
- BeLikeNative: A browser extension that processes text locally without sending data to external servers. Supports 80+ languages and offers customization options.
- ProWritingAid Desktop App: Offers advanced English writing analysis with strong encryption but relies on cloud-based processing, which may not suit users needing offline privacy.
- LibreOffice with LanguageTool Extension: A free, open-source option that supports 31 languages. It can be self-hosted for complete offline functionality and control over your data.
Quick Comparison
| Tool | Privacy Features | Offline Availability | Language Support | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BeLikeNative | Local processing, no servers | No | 80+ languages | $4–$14/month |
| ProWritingAid Desktop App | Cloud-based with encryption | No | English only | $79–$89/year |
| LibreOffice + LanguageTool | Self-hosting, open-source | Yes | 31 languages | Free |
If privacy is your top priority, LibreOffice with LanguageTool is the best choice for offline and multilingual needs. For ease of use and local processing, BeLikeNative is a strong contender. ProWritingAid is ideal for advanced English analysis but involves cloud processing. Choose based on your writing needs and privacy preferences.
Privacy-Focused Grammar Tools Comparison: Features, Cost, and Language Support
1. BeLikeNative
BeLikeNative is a Chrome extension that works entirely within your browser, ensuring local text processing. It seamlessly integrates with platforms like WhatsApp Web, Google products, and Notion without requiring any additional installations.
Privacy Features
This tool prioritizes your privacy by processing everything locally on your device. That means your sensitive documents, business messages, and personal chats stay with you – no external servers involved. Plus, BeLikeNative doesn’t use your text to train AI models or share it with third parties, making it an excellent choice for handling confidential information.
Whether you’re using the free Explorer plan or the $14/month Premium plan, every tier offers the same local data processing. This means you don’t have to sacrifice privacy, no matter your budget.
Multilingual Support
BeLikeNative supports more than 80 languages, making it a great fit for multilingual users and global teams. You can tweak not only the language but also the tone and style of your writing, all while maintaining strict privacy standards.
Customization Options
Starting with the Learner plan ($4/month), you can customize functions and shortcuts, tailoring the tool to your workflow. The Native plan ($6/month) takes it up a notch with priority bandwidth and even gives you a say in the tool’s future development. For those on the Premium tier, benefits include partnership opportunities and potential equity after two years of subscription – offering a unique way to align the tool’s growth with your needs.
Using the extension is straightforward: a simple keyboard shortcut activates it directly from your clipboard, saving you time and effort.
Next, we’ll explore the ProWritingAid Desktop App, another privacy-first tool packed with features.
2. ProWritingAid Desktop App
The ProWritingAid Desktop App is built with robust security measures, though it operates using a cloud-based privacy model. To access the desktop version, users need a Premium subscription, which costs $79 per year, or $89 per year if plagiarism checks are included. The app also integrates seamlessly with tools like Scrivener and Word, among others.
Privacy Features
ProWritingAid emphasizes the importance of safeguarding your work, stating:
Your writing is sacred, so we use bank-level security to keep it safe and never use your text to train our algorithms
The app employs advanced security protocols, including TLS 1.2+ for data in transit, AES-256 encryption for stored data, and compliance with SOC 2 Type 2 standards. Additionally, it undergoes CREST-approved penetration testing to ensure data protection.
However, it’s important to note that all text is processed on cloud servers located in the U.S., rather than on your local device. As the company explains:
We only use your text to help you improve your writing. Nothing else. Period
Their Natural Language Processing (NLP) models are designed to process text without retaining it after the analysis is complete. While this cloud-based approach enhances functionality, it may not align with the preferences of users who prioritize local data processing.
Offline Availability
Unlike some tools that offer offline functionality, ProWritingAid requires an active internet connection to operate. Without connectivity, the app cannot process documents. This means all text is sent to their servers for analysis, which might not appeal to users who need complete data isolation or offline accessibility.
Multilingual Support
ProWritingAid is designed exclusively for English dialects, including American, British, Australian, and Canadian English. If you’re looking for support in languages like German, Spanish, or French, this tool won’t meet your needs. As the company clarifies, it "only checks for spelling and grammar errors in English". This limitation makes it less suitable for multilingual teams or users working in non-English languages.
3. LibreOffice with LanguageTool Extension
Pairing LibreOffice with the LanguageTool extension creates a powerful, free, and open-source option for writers who value privacy. Unlike cloud-based tools, this setup keeps everything under your control. Both LibreOffice and LanguageTool are open to public code audits, ensuring transparency and eliminating concerns about hidden data collection. The extension itself is about 200 MB in size and operates entirely on your local machine.
Privacy Features
For those focused on privacy, this combination offers a standout feature: you can self-host your LanguageTool server. This ensures that your text stays within your own infrastructure and never leaves your control.
Offline Availability
You can configure a local server to run LanguageTool completely offline. This requires Java 8 or newer and disabling LibreOffice’s built-in "Lightproof" checker for the best results. This setup is perfect for users who need offline functionality and complete data isolation.
Multilingual Support
LanguageTool supports 31 languages, including English, Spanish, German, French, Portuguese, Dutch, and Ukrainian. Many of the language rules are curated by native-speaking volunteers, making the tool highly reliable. You can even check multiple languages within the same document, and it handles advanced rules like matching quotation marks across paragraphs. These features work seamlessly with the privacy and offline capabilities.
Customization Options
You can personalize your setup with features like custom dictionaries, tailored style rules, and document profiles, ensuring the tool meets your specific writing needs.
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Advantages and Disadvantages
Here’s a breakdown of how these tools stack up when it comes to privacy, functionality, cost, and performance.
Each tool has its own strengths and compromises, especially when balancing privacy with functionality.
ProWritingAid Desktop App comes with 25 specialized reports tailored for creative writers. However, it processes text through U.S. servers, raising potential privacy concerns, and its grammar accuracy sits at 90%, slightly below LanguageTool’s 95%.
LibreOffice with the LanguageTool Extension operates completely offline when self-hosted. Its open-source design ensures full transparency and supports over 30 languages. That said, it occasionally suffers from slower response times due to its Java-based framework and has some quirks in its user interface.
When comparing the two, a self-hosted LanguageTool setup offers maximum privacy, while ProWritingAid’s cloud-based model sacrifices some control for more advanced English analysis. For users needing support across multiple languages, LanguageTool is the clear winner. In fact, error detection tests revealed LanguageTool caught 12 errors compared to just five identified by ProWritingAid.
On the cost front, LibreOffice with LanguageTool is completely free and open source, meaning no subscription fees or data transmission risks. ProWritingAid, however, costs around $120 per year (roughly $10 per month), while LanguageTool’s premium plans range from $15 to $70 annually. Both offline solutions maintain high accuracy without requiring an internet connection. While ProWritingAid demands more effort to master, LanguageTool keeps its interface user-friendly, even when handling lengthy texts. For U.S.-based writers, this comparison highlights the trade-off between advanced features and privacy considerations.
Conclusion
Deciding on the best privacy-focused writing tool comes down to your specific privacy requirements and how comfortable you are with the technical setup. LanguageTool shines as a flexible choice for privacy-conscious users, thanks to its open-source framework and support for over 30 languages. For those needing multilingual capabilities while maintaining complete control over their data, running a self-hosted LanguageTool server keeps everything within your own infrastructure. This makes it a standout option for those prioritizing privacy and control.
BeLikeNative offers a straightforward, secure, in-browser editing experience without requiring additional installation or setup. Its browser-based approach ensures your data stays protected while still providing multilingual support, making it an excellent choice for users seeking easy integration across devices.
On the other hand, ProWritingAid caters to users looking for a detailed writing analysis. Its desktop app provides an offline experience and delivers over 25 specialized reports for in-depth stylistic and creative writing insights. While it may involve some trade-offs in data control, it offers advanced tools for writers who want to refine their craft.
For those who need comprehensive privacy, LibreOffice with the LanguageTool Extension is a strong contender. It’s free, open-source, and operates entirely offline, making it perfect for handling sensitive documents.
"LanguageTool enables users who feel confident enough to self-host a server to do that. Instead of your keyboard inputs ending up on a server that is out of your reach and control, you can send it to your own server instead." – PrivacyTools.io
Ultimately, U.S.-based writers must weigh privacy against functionality to find the right fit. A self-hosted LanguageTool setup offers unmatched privacy, while ProWritingAid delivers advanced English writing analysis with some compromise on data control. No matter the choice, these tools provide reliable accuracy without requiring constant internet connectivity.
FAQs
How does BeLikeNative protect my privacy?
BeLikeNative takes your privacy seriously and employs strong measures to protect your data. The platform focuses on keeping user information secure by collecting only what’s absolutely necessary and guarantees that sensitive details are never shared or sold to third parties.
To further safeguard your information, BeLikeNative relies on advanced encryption and secure storage methods. This means your writing and personal data stay private and protected, so you can use the tool with confidence and peace of mind.
Does ProWritingAid offer an offline mode for better privacy?
ProWritingAid functions as an online writing assistant, which means it processes your writing through its servers. At this time, it does not provide an offline mode. For users who prioritize privacy, this might not be the ideal solution.
If safeguarding your data is critical, you might want to look into tools that are specifically designed for offline use or explore open-source alternatives that let you maintain complete control over your work.
What are the advantages of using a self-hosted LanguageTool with LibreOffice?
Using a self-hosted LanguageTool with LibreOffice offers a secure and private writing experience. Since everything runs on your own hardware, your text stays local – nothing is sent to external servers. This ensures you have full control over your data, making it ideal for handling sensitive information. Plus, it works offline, which is a huge advantage if you’re traveling or working in areas with limited internet access.
Hosting LanguageTool yourself also boosts performance, delivering faster grammar checks even for lengthy documents. On top of that, you can customize it to match your specific needs. Whether it’s tweaking rules, adding personalized dictionaries, or setting up style guides, everything can be tailored without depending on third-party services. This setup is perfect for anyone who prioritizes privacy and needs dependable multilingual writing support.
