Yes, but not from the default cloud paths of the two tools in your question. As of July 2026, LanguageTool and ProWritingAid are cloud-first: by default they send your draft to their servers to check it, and “offline” for them means either self-hosting LanguageTool’s open-source engine or leaning on a desktop app whose deeper checks still expect a connection. If you want grammar, clarity, and tone edited locally on a compatible iPhone or iPad, Better Writing, the app we make at Studio AM, is one option. It uses Apple’s built-in model where available or a downloaded on-device model on other supported hardware. After setup, editing works in airplane mode and no Studio AM AI server processes the writing.
Does LanguageTool send my text to a server?
By default, yes, and so does ProWritingAid. Both are built cloud-first: to turn your rough sentence into a clean one, a server reads it, analyzes it, and sends suggestions back. That is the normal, mainstream design, and both companies encrypt that trip and publish policies about what they keep. Those are real promises. But they are promises about text you handed over, not text you kept.
LanguageTool is the more nuanced case. Its core engine is open source, so you can run it yourself (a self-hosted server or the local checks in its desktop app), and at that point it is as private as anything on this list, because you own the machine. That takes setup most people won’t do, and, as of July 2026, its more advanced Premium checks have generally leaned on its cloud. ProWritingAid has offered desktop apps with some offline checking, but its deeper long-form reports and newer AI features have typically needed a connection. Both companies change these details often, so confirm the current behavior and plan before you trust either with something sensitive.
What does “offline” actually mean for a grammar checker?
The word hides a fork, and the fork is the whole decision.
One kind of offline is bolt-on: the tool is a cloud service, but you can self-host it or install a desktop app that does part of the work locally. It can be private, but only if you do the setup and the feature you want is one of the local ones.
The other kind is on-device by construction: the editing model runs on your phone or tablet rather than a writing server. That is the category Better Writing is built in. Its AI path has no Studio AM server to fall back to. Other network boundaries remain explicit: a model or optional voice download, a purchase, optional private iCloud sync, a user-directed export or Share action, and a DuckDuckGo handoff you approve can still use a connection.
How do they compare?
Data handling as verified in July 2026. A competitor can change its policy or its offline support, so check the current one before trusting any app.
| Tool | Where the AI runs | Account | Works offline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Better Writing (Studio AM) | Compatible iPhone or iPad; Apple’s model or a downloaded local model | Not required | Yes, after model setup |
| LanguageTool | Cloud by default; open-source engine you can self-host | Cloud: account for Premium | Only if you self-host / desktop |
| ProWritingAid | Cloud servers; desktop apps | Account (Premium for full features) | Partial on desktop; deeper checks expect a connection; verify |
| Apple Writing Tools | On-device; harder tasks to Apple’s Private Cloud Compute | Apple ID (device) | On-device tasks, yes |
Better Writing keeps editing local after compatible model setup. Apple’s Writing Tools uses an Apple-managed mix of on-device processing and, for some requests, Private Cloud Compute. LanguageTool can be local if you are willing to run the necessary setup yourself.
Will it rewrite my meaning or invent facts?
This is the worry a more technical writer actually has, and it is separate from where the text goes. Hand your sentence to a general chat model and it might answer a question buried inside it, add a confident “fact” that isn’t true, or quietly shift your meaning while “improving” it.
Better Writing’s Rewrite mode is scoped to one job: improve the wording while preserving the supplied meaning. It rejects some unsupported details, and every change is shown as a word-level diff so you can inspect and reject it. Refine options such as Shorter, More formal, Simpler, More natural, and Elevate reshape the result. The app now also includes Draft from user-supplied notes, Reply from a screenshot transcript you confirm, and Ask Your Writing against saved sessions. Those workflows are grounded in material you provide, but they are still AI-generated and can be wrong. Review anything important.
Where LanguageTool and ProWritingAid still win
We are not going to pretend Better Writing beats them on everything.
- LanguageTool is open source, covers 30-plus languages, and runs across browsers, Word, and Google Docs. Self-hosted, it is as private as anything here, and multilingual in a way an English-only tool is not.
- ProWritingAid goes deeper than almost anyone on long-form craft: pacing, repetition, and sentence-length reports built for novelists and editors.
- Apple’s Writing Tools are free, built into iOS, and (like us) run on-device for many tasks. For a quick system-wide proofread, they are already in your keyboard.
Breadth, languages, long-form depth, platform reach: those are real wins, fairly earned.
Where Better Writing fits
Its wedge is narrow and honest. Against the default cloud tools, editing runs locally after model setup, there is no Studio AM account, and it works with no signal. Against Apple’s Writing Tools, Better Writing is built as a dedicated coach: word-level changes, saved style preferences, recurring-pattern tracking, a weekly plan, targeted practice, read-aloud, a Share extension, App Shortcuts, and widgets. The system voice highlights words as it reads; the optional on-device natural voice is about 320 MB and does not currently highlight words.
The limits, stated plainly: it requires iOS 26 or iPadOS 26 and a compatible model runtime. Apple’s built-in model is used where available. Other supported devices may use a lighter download of about 0.9 GB with at least 3.5 GB of physical memory, or an enhanced download of about 2.6 GB with at least 5.5 GB. Devices below that downloaded-model memory floor need Apple’s compatible built-in runtime. Compatibility depends on the active runtime and memory, not a rough device-generation promise.
There is no permanent free tier for fresh writing work. Eligible new subscribers may receive a 3-day trial on either plan; US prices are $4.99 per month or $29.99 per year. The retired lifetime purchase is restore-only. If access ends, saved sessions remain readable, searchable, copyable, individually deletable, and exportable as Markdown or versioned JSON; fresh edits, drafts, replies, coaching, practice, reminders, and model work require active access.
See how it works on the Better Writing app page, or browse the writing guides on our grammar hub.
The best thing a grammar checker can do with your private draft is never receive it.
FAQ
Does LanguageTool send my text to a server? By default, yes. As of July 2026 the cloud service sends your text to LanguageTool’s servers to check it. Because its core engine is open source, you can self-host it or use its desktop app for local checks, which makes it private, but that takes setup and some advanced Premium features have leaned on the cloud. Verify the current behavior before trusting it with sensitive text.
Does Better Writing work offline? Yes, after compatible model setup. Better Writing uses Apple’s built-in model where available or a downloaded local model on other supported devices. Editing works in airplane mode, and no Studio AM AI server processes the writing. Model downloads, purchases, optional private iCloud sync, exports, and user-approved web searches still use a connection.
Will it rewrite my meaning or invent facts? Rewrite mode is built to preserve your meaning and reject unsupported details, and every change is shown as a word-level diff. Better Writing can also draft from notes you supply and draft a reply from a screenshot transcript you confirm. All AI output can be wrong, so review anything important.
Is there a free tier? No permanent tier supports fresh writing work. Eligible new subscribers may receive a 3-day trial on either plan. US prices are $4.99 per month or $29.99 per year; Apple shows local eligibility, price, and terms before purchase.