Grammarly is the most popular writing tool in the world, and for good reason. It pioneered real-time grammar feedback and built a desktop app that works across browsers and native apps via accessibility permissions. But it doesn’t translate, it costs $12–30/month, and it requires an account to start.
Kalamy takes a different approach. It’s a menu bar app that watches your clipboard system-wide. Double-copy any text to fix grammar, rephrase, translate, or explain it — in any app, at a fraction of the price. Here’s how they compare.
| Kalamy | Grammarly | |
|---|---|---|
| Works in native desktop apps | Yes | Yes (accessibility permission) |
| Translation between languages | 14 languages | No |
| Trigger mechanism | Double-copy (instant) | Auto-underline (always-on) |
| Real-time inline suggestions | No — on-demand only | Yes |
| Team/enterprise features | No | Yes |
| Price | $5/mo | $12–30/mo |
| Signup to start trial | Not required | Email required |
Grammarly uses accessibility permissions to overlay real-time underline suggestions as you type. It works in browsers and many native Mac apps. Kalamy uses the system clipboard — you select text, double-copy it, and a popup shows the result. Both work system-wide, but the interaction model is different: Grammarly is always-on, Kalamy is on-demand.
Grammarly Pro is $12/month billed annually, or $30/month billed monthly. Kalamy Pro is $5/month, or $50/year. Both offer free tiers — Grammarly’s free tier is basic grammar checking; Kalamy’s free tier is unlimited translation plus a 14-day AI trial. For individual users, Kalamy costs less than half of Grammarly’s annual price.
Grammarly is better if you want real-time inline suggestions as you type. Its underline-and-suggest model catches errors before you finish the sentence. Kalamy is on-demand — you have to double-copy to trigger it. Grammarly also has team and enterprise features, style guides, and brand tone detection. And its standalone editor is genuinely useful for long-form writing sessions.
Choose Kalamy if you write in multiple languages and need translation built into the same tool as grammar fixing. Choose Kalamy if you want a lighter, cheaper tool — $5/mo vs $12–30/mo. Choose Kalamy if you don’t want to create an account just to try it. And choose Kalamy if you use both Mac and Windows and want the same shortcut on both.
Download Kalamy from kalamy.app. Open the DMG (Mac) or installer (Windows) and follow the one-step setup. Select any text in any app, press Cmd+C Cmd+C. Your improved text appears in a popup. Copy it back with one click. No account to create. No extension to install.
Grammarly for Mac works in some native apps via accessibility permissions, but support varies by app. Kalamy works in any app where you can select and copy text, including VS Code, because it uses the system clipboard rather than app-specific integrations.
Yes. Kalamy Pro is $5/month ($50/year). Grammarly Pro is $12/month billed annually, or $30/month billed monthly. Kalamy also includes translation, which Grammarly does not offer.
Yes. Some users keep Grammarly for real-time browser suggestions and use Kalamy for translation, Explain, and the faster double-copy trigger. They don’t conflict.
No. Kalamy is on-demand — you double-copy to trigger it. It doesn’t underline errors as you type. This is a deliberate design choice: Kalamy uses the clipboard, which means it works universally without per-app integration.
Kalamy