If you want AI writing assistance without the subscription fees or constant background scanning, Polishly is built for you.
Grammarly is a powerful tool with great features. But if you value explicit control over when your text is analyzed, and prefer an open-source, free solution, Polishly offers a different approach.
Grammarly Premium costs around $30/month. Polishly is 100% free and open-source. By bringing your own API key (like a free Groq or Cerebras key), you can get high-quality rewrites without paying a monthly fee.
Grammarly often relies on background scanning to underline errors as you type. Polishly takes a privacy-first approach: it only reads your text when you explicitly press the ⌃⌥Space hotkey. Nothing is sent in the background.
Like the best writing tools, Polishly works where you do. Whether you're in Notes, Mail, Slack, or Teams, Polishly reads your selection and replaces it in place. No copying and pasting back and forth.
With Polishly, you aren't locked into one provider's AI. You can use OpenAI, Anthropic, Groq, or Cerebras. If a better model comes out tomorrow, you can switch to it instantly.
Ready to give it a try? Check out our download section to get started.
Free, open source, and yours to run however you like.