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Grammarly vs Yomu AI: should the AI check your essay or write it?
The question that splits these two is who writes the first draft. Yomu AI will: describe the paper and it writes a full, researched draft, with citations from your library or its own search. Grammarly mainly works on text you've already written, estimating a grade from your rubric and flagging claims that need a source.
If your course limits AI-written text, start with Grammarly, which works mainly on your own writing and has a free plan. If you want a drafting partner with a source library and more citation styles, Yomu AI covers that, and its Pro plan costs less than Grammarly Pro on either billing period.
Prices and features checked on October 17, 2026.
At a glance
Writing assistants help you write; essay generators write the essay for you.
| Product | Type | Paid from | Free tier | Citations | Ghostwriting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grammarly | Writing assistant | $12/month | Yes | Your sources, or papers it finds for you | Drafts text when asked |
| Yomu AI | Writing assistant | $10/month | No | Your sources, or papers it finds for you | Writes the essay |
Who writes the first draft
Yomu AI is open about it. The new-document flow “writes a full, researched draft”, and the Document Assistant helps “write entire sections”. Its ethics statement asks you to use it alongside your own writing, “not as a replacement for” it, which is advice the product leaves you to follow.
Grammarly does less, but not nothing. Agents in Grammarly docs will put new text straight into your draft, and AI Grader proposes AI rewrites that, by Grammarly's own warning, could get the work flagged. What it adds is Authorship: a record of what you typed, pasted or generated, with a replay and a report you choose whether to share. If you're ever asked how a draft came together, that report is your answer.
Two kinds of feedback
Grammarly's feedback is about the assignment. AI Grader takes your assignment details and rubric, estimates a grade and gives personalized feedback, with the caveat that the estimate isn't your actual grade. Reader Reactions points out where a reader could get confused and what they're likely to take away.
Yomu AI added Get Feedback in September 2026. It runs focused academic reviews of your draft, and you can preview each suggestion and apply it in the editor. That's handy, but applying a suggestion changes your wording, so preview first and keep only what you'd have written yourself.
Where the citations come from
Yomu AI keeps a personal library of sources you can reuse across documents and chats with PDFs, images and web search. Its citation tool, powered by Sourcely, finds and inserts sources and formats them in 700+ styles. DIY AI's review, based on public information (the site may earn an affiliate commission), likes having all that in one workspace, but warns the citations still need checking against the sources.
Grammarly works differently. Citation Finder flags claims that need support, suggests web-based sources and formats the citation in APA, MLA or Chicago only, without naming the databases it searches. If your department wants a style beyond those three, check Yomu's list of 700+.
Prices, and what you can try free
Yomu AI Pro costs $10 a month on annual billing ($120 a year) or $21 month to month, with a cap of 1,000 AI actions a month. Ultra lifts the cap and adds frontier models for $17 a month annually or $35 monthly. Grammarly Pro is $144 a year (the $12 a month on its plans page spreads that over twelve months) or $30 month to month. So Yomu Pro is below Grammarly Pro on both bases, and Ultra is above it on both.
Grammarly has a free plan with docs, Authorship and most agents, metered by the day for AI Grader, Citation Finder and Reader Reactions, plus 100 AI prompts a month. Yomu AI's pricing page lists only paid plans for the editor, although its FAQ says you can start using it free to try the service, and it offers separate free tools such as an essay outline generator and citation generators.
What users complain about
Grammarly's long-time users say the newer AI prompts and upgrade pop-ups get in the way, and that its suggestions flatten a writer's voice. On billing, Trustpilot reviewers split: some describe renewal charges and refused refunds, others got refunds quickly. Yomu AI has a single Trustpilot review, and it complains that the subscription renewed without notice. One review isn't a pattern, but it's worth setting a reminder before any renewal date.
Which should you choose?
Choose Grammarly if you write your own essays and want a grade estimate against the rubric before you submit, plus an Authorship record to back you up. The free plan covers enough to try it on your next assignment.
Choose Yomu AI if you want an editor that drafts with you from a source library, cites in hundreds of styles, and lets you choose models from several AI providers. Its pricing page lists no free plan for the editor, so expect to pay once you've tried it.
There's a middle path if neither fits. EthiWrite keeps a Library of your sources like Yomu AI, but cites only from it, and its autocomplete stops at a sentence of about thirty words. Its free Plan holds 10 Sources, though, so a long reference list means upgrading.
FAQ
- Is Yomu AI or Grammarly better for writing essays?
- They do different jobs. Yomu AI writes a researched draft on request and cites from a library or its own search. Grammarly works on the essay you wrote, estimating a grade and suggesting sources. Check your course's AI policy before letting either write for you.
- Which is cheaper, Grammarly or Yomu AI?
- Yomu AI Pro: $120 a year or $21 a month, against Grammarly Pro at $144 a year or $30 a month. Yomu's unlimited Ultra plan costs more than Grammarly Pro on both bases.
- Does Yomu AI have a free plan like Grammarly?
- Its pricing page shows only paid plans for the editor, but the pricing FAQ says you can start for free to try it, and its single-purpose tools are free. Grammarly has a standing free plan with daily limits.
- Which citation styles do Grammarly and Yomu AI support?
- Grammarly's Citation Finder formats in APA, MLA or Chicago only. Yomu AI formats in 700+ styles.