DeepL Write
DeepL Write is a translation-aware rewriting tool for European languages, not a general-purpose writing assistant: it offers strong natural-phrasing correction for non-native speakers, but excludes plagiarism detection, AI detection, generative drafting, and tone controls for Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.
What is DeepL Write?
DeepL Write is the writing half of DeepL’s product line. Where DeepL Translator converts text from one language to another, Write edits text that is already written—correcting grammar, spelling, and punctuation, suggesting alternative words and phrasing, and rewriting sentences toward a chosen tone or style. It launched in beta in January 2023, and DeepL Write Pro followed in April 2024 as the company’s first service powered by its own large language model. The product is built for a specific problem: text that is grammatically correct but reads as translated, stilted, or unnatural, particularly for non-native speakers of European languages.
That specificity is both the product’s strength and its boundary. DeepL Write is exceptionally good at making German, French, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese sound as though they were written by a fluent speaker rather than assembled from translated fragments. It is not a general-purpose writing environment. It does not generate drafts, does not check for plagiarism, does not detect AI-generated text, and does not follow the user across every browser text field the way Grammarly does. It is a focused rewriting step inside a multilingual workflow.
The pricing structure reflects this focus and introduces a boundary that is easy to miss. A DeepL Pro Translator subscription does not include Write Pro. It raises the free Write character limit from 1,500 to 2,000 per pass and nothing more. Unlimited characters, tone adjustment, and maximum data security require a separate Write Pro subscription ($8.99/month) or a bundle. Custom brand styles, team collaboration, and Translation Flow require Pro Advanced ($29.99/month). DeepL Business and Enterprise include Write Pro at no add-on cost.
How does DeepL Write work?
A user pastes or types a draft into the Write editor—web, desktop, or an integration with Word, Microsoft 365, or Google Workspace—and selects the target language. Write returns a corrected version with inline suggestions for grammar, spelling, punctuation, word choice, and phrasing. On paid plans, the user can also select a writing style (business, academic, casual, and others) and a tone (friendly, enthusiastic, diplomatic, confident, and others). These controls are available in English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese; they are not available for Chinese, Japanese, or Korean, where correction is available but tone/style rewriting is not.
A corrections-only mode is available for users who want errors fixed without stylistic rewriting. On Write Pro, character limits are removed, and the data-security guarantee applies: texts are not stored while the user is logged in, and are not used for model training. On the free tier, the character cap is 1,500 without an account and 2,000 with a DeepL Pro Translator account, and texts may be used for training.
Write Pro Advanced adds custom writing styles that encode a brand voice and apply it to every suggestion, team collaboration features, Translation Flow automation inside Google Drive and Contentful, and API access for programmatic style enforcement. The API endpoint (`/v2/write/rephrase`) accepts `writing_style` and `tone` parameters, allowing teams to apply style rules programmatically rather than manually. Write Pro is also accessible via the DeepL API Pro subscription; API Free users cannot use Write.
Use Cases
- Polishing business correspondence, reports, or presentations written in German, French, Spanish, Italian, or Portuguese when the goal is natural, non-translated-sounding phrasing
- Using the free tier for occasional correction of short texts where the 1,500–2,000 character limit is sufficient and confidentiality is not a concern
- Applying a consistent brand voice across a multilingual team with Write Pro Advanced’s custom styles and Translation Flow automation
- Rewriting academic or professional text toward a formal or diplomatic tone in English or a major European language, subject to the six-language tone/style restriction
- Using the Write API to enforce style rules programmatically inside a content pipeline, available on Write Pro Advanced or DeepL API Pro
- Contracting DeepL Business or Enterprise where Write Pro is included and EU data residency is required through the add-on
Pricing
Pricing model: Freemium
| Plan | Price | Billing | Included usage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free (no account) | $0 | free | Up to 1,500 characters per pass. No account required. Text may be used for model training. No access to tone/style controls, custom styles, or maximum data security. | — |
| Free (with DeepL Pro Translator account) | $0 | free (included with DeepL Pro Translator) | Up to 2,000 characters per pass. Access to the free version of DeepL Write while logged in. A DeepL Pro Translator subscription does not include the paid version of DeepL Write or its maximum data security guarantee. A bundle is required for Write Pro benefits. | — |
| Write Pro (standalone or add-on) | $8.99 | per month | Unlimited characters. Maximum data security: texts are not stored while logged in, and are not used for model training. Tone adjustment and writing styles in English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese (tone/style not available for Chinese, Japanese, or Korean). Available as a standalone subscription or as an add-on to DeepL Individual/Team at $7.49/user/month (annual). Does not include custom brand styles, team collaboration, or Translation Flow. | — |
| Write Pro Advanced | $29.99 | per month | Everything in Write Pro, plus custom writing styles for brand-voice enforcement, team collaboration, Translation Flow automation inside Google Drive and Contentful, and API access for programmatic style rules. Intended for teams rather than solo writers. | — |
| Included in DeepL Business / Enterprise | Included | included in Business/Enterprise subscription | Write Pro is included at no additional add-on cost on DeepL Business ($49.99–$57.49/user/month annual) and Enterprise plans. Business includes shared style rule lists, SCIM, and a 99.0% availability SLA. Enterprise adds SSO, audit logs, BYOK encryption, and custom terms. | — |
Common Limitations
- A DeepL Pro Translator subscription does not include Write Pro · This is the most common and most expensive misunderstanding. DeepL Pro (the Translator subscription) and DeepL Write Pro are separate products. A DeepL Pro Translator account raises the Write free-tier character limit from 1,500 to 2,000 per pass, but it does not unlock Write Pro, unlimited characters, tone adjustment, custom styles, or maximum data security. DeepL’s official support documentation states this explicitly: “access to the paid version of DeepL Write (including maximum data security) is not included in a DeepL Pro plan.” Users who need both translation and writing must purchase a bundle or add Write Pro separately at $7.49/user/month on Individual/Team plans.
- Tone and style controls are unavailable for Chinese, Japanese, and Korean · DeepL Write supports nine languages for basic correction: Chinese, English (UK/US), French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish. However, the tone and writing-style controls—the features that differentiate Write Pro from a generic grammar checker—are restricted to six languages: English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese. Japanese, Korean, and Chinese texts can be corrected for grammar and spelling but cannot be rewritten toward a selected tone or style. A user writing in Japanese who purchases Write Pro for tone adjustment will find that feature unavailable in their language. DeepL’s help centre lists the tone/style restriction separately from the language list, which makes it easy to miss.
- No plagiarism detection, no AI-text detection, no generative drafting · DeepL Write edits text that already exists. It does not generate drafts from a blank page, does not check for plagiarism, and does not detect whether text was AI-generated. Grammarly offers all three on its Pro and Enterprise tiers; DeepL Write offers none of them on any tier. For academic users, this means DeepL Write cannot substitute for a similarity checker. For teams evaluating AI-writing policies, it means DeepL Write cannot provide a provenance signal. The product is positioned as a rewriting and correction step, not as a comprehensive writing environment.
- Browser coverage is narrower than Grammarly, and there is no system-wide inline checking · DeepL Write is available as a web editor, a browser extension, Windows and macOS desktop apps, and integrations with Microsoft Word, Microsoft 365, and Google Workspace. It does not offer the system-wide inline correction that Grammarly provides across every text field in every browser tab and mobile keyboard. A user who wants real-time underlining as they type in Gmail, Slack, LinkedIn, or a random web form will not get that from DeepL Write’s browser extension in the same way they do from Grammarly. The extension is a gateway to the Write editor rather than a universal inline checker. Third-party reviews consistently note the integration ecosystem as a limitation compared to Grammarly.
- Free-tier texts may be used for model training; “maximum data security” requires a paid plan and an active login · DeepL states that paid Write Pro texts are deleted after processing and are not used to train its models, and that “maximum data security” applies while the user is logged in. On the free tier, texts may be used for training. This means the privacy posture that motivates some users to choose a European vendor over a US one is not automatically active on the free tier. It requires a Write Pro subscription and a logged-in session. The free tier is a functional evaluation tool, not a confidential-writing path.
- Custom brand styles and team features require Pro Advanced at $29.99/month, not the $8.99 Pro tier · The $8.99/month Write Pro tier provides unlimited characters, tone adjustment, and basic writing styles for a single writer. It does not include custom writing styles for brand-voice enforcement, team collaboration, Translation Flow automation, or API access. Those features are gated behind Write Pro Advanced at $29.99/month. A solo writer who subscribes to Pro expecting to enforce a brand voice will find that capability absent; a team that needs shared style rules must budget for Pro Advanced from the start rather than upgrading later. DeepL’s own product structure makes the $8.99 tier a single-writer utility rather than a team tool.
- Data processing is no longer EU-only by default since May 2026 · DeepL is a German company (DeepL SE, Cologne) and markets itself on European data handling. However, since 20 May 2026, DeepL uses AWS as a sub-processor, and customer content may by default be processed in AWS regions in the EU, the US, and Japan. Organizations that require EU-only processing must contract a Data Residency add-on, which is sold through DeepL’s sales team rather than self-serve. The jurisdictional advantage of contracting with an EU company remains, but the default data location is no longer exclusively European. This is a material change for buyers whose procurement decisions were based on DeepL’s pre-2026 EU-only posture.
Key Features
- Grammar, spelling, and punctuation correction in nine languages
- Tone adjustment and writing styles in six European languages (not available for Chinese, Japanese, or Korean)
- Corrections-only mode for error fixes without stylistic rewriting
- Unlimited characters on Write Pro
- Maximum data security on Write Pro: texts not stored while logged in and not used for training
DeepL Write vs. Grammarly and LanguageTool
This comparison focuses on documented differences in language coverage, feature scope, pricing structure, and data-handling posture. It does not rank suggestion quality, which depends on the target language, the user’s native language, and the genre of the text.
| Tool | Positioning | Key differences | Best fit | Pricing note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DeepL Write About DeepL Write (character limits, Pro exclusion) DeepL Write Pro pricing and tiers Language and tone/style restrictions | A translation-aware rewriting tool for European languages, built by the company behind DeepL Translator, focused on making existing text sound natural rather than on generating new text. | Strongest at natural phrasing in German, French, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese. Tone/style controls are limited to six European languages and unavailable for Chinese, Japanese, and Korean. No plagiarism detection, no AI-text detection, no prompt-based drafting. Browser coverage is narrower than Grammarly’s; no system-wide inline checking across every text field. Write Pro is not included in a DeepL Pro Translator subscription and must be purchased separately ($8.99/mo or $7.49/mo add-on). Maximum data security applies to paid Write Pro with an active login. Since May 2026, default data processing may occur in AWS regions outside the EU unless a Data Residency add-on is contracted. | Non-native speakers and multilingual teams writing in major European languages who need natural-sounding phrasing and can work within the editor or supported integrations rather than a system-wide checker. | Free: 1,500 chars (2,000 with DeepL Pro Translator), training may apply. Write Pro $8.99/mo (unlimited, tone/style, max data security) or $7.49/user/mo add-on. Pro Advanced $29.99/mo (custom styles, team, Translation Flow, API). Included in DeepL Business/Enterprise. |
| Grammarly Grammarly Pro pricing Product Improvement and Training control | A cross-app writing assistant that embeds corrections, tone feedback, generative drafting, plagiarism detection, and AI-text detection inside browsers, desktop apps, and mobile keyboards. | Broader feature scope: generative prompts (100/month free, 2,000/month Pro), plagiarism detection, AI-text detection, system-wide inline checking across browser text fields, and mobile keyboards. Stronger English tone engine; DeepL’s rewrites read more naturally in German, French, Spanish, and Italian. Grammarly Pro is $12/month annual ($144/year) or $30/month monthly. Individual accounts have model training on by default (opt-out available); Enterprise training is off by default. US parent company and US-hosted AWS infrastructure. | English-first writers and teams that need a comprehensive writing environment with generative drafting, plagiarism checks, AI detection, and correction that follows the user across applications. | Free: basic corrections, 100 AI prompts/month, 100 AI detection checks. Pro $12/mo annual ($144/yr) or $30/mo monthly. Enterprise: custom, unlimited prompts, training off by default. |
| LanguageTool LanguageTool self-hosted vs Grammarly comparison (betterineurope.eu) LanguageTool pricing and language coverage | An open-source grammar and style checker with self-hosting options, broad language coverage, and a privacy posture that does not depend on a US or EU cloud vendor. | Open-source and self-hostable, giving organizations full control over data location and processing. Supports 30+ languages, broader than DeepL Write’s nine and Grammarly’s advanced six. The self-hosted version has no character limits and no per-word billing. The cloud Premium tier is $4.99/month annual for unlimited characters and style suggestions. LanguageTool’s style and tone controls are less sophisticated than DeepL Write Pro or Grammarly Pro, and it does not offer generative drafting or plagiarism detection. Its differentiator is language breadth and deployment control rather than rewriting quality. | Organizations that need multi-language grammar checking with self-hosted or EU-hosted data processing, and that do not require translation-aware rewriting or a comprehensive generative writing environment. | Free: basic checks. Premium $4.99/mo annual ($6.99 monthly). Self-hosted: free for open-source use, commercial license available. No per-character metering on self-hosted. |
Comparison checked against official product information on 2026-11-05. Features and pricing may change.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a DeepL Pro subscription include DeepL Write Pro?
No. A DeepL Pro Translator subscription raises the Write free-tier character limit from 1,500 to 2,000 per pass, but it does not include Write Pro, unlimited characters, tone adjustment, or maximum data security. DeepL’s support documentation states this explicitly. To get Write Pro benefits, you need a separate Write Pro subscription ($8.99/month), a Write Pro add-on ($7.49/user/month on Individual/Team annual), a bundle, or a Business/Enterprise plan where Write Pro is included.
Is DeepL Write a replacement for Grammarly?
No, unless your only need is natural-sounding phrasing in European languages. DeepL Write is stronger than Grammarly at making German, French, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese read naturally, especially for non-native speakers. But it does not offer plagiarism detection, AI-text detection, prompt-based drafting, system-wide inline checking across every browser text field, or tone/style controls for Chinese, Japanese, or Korean. Grammarly covers a broader writing environment; DeepL Write is a focused rewriting step inside a multilingual workflow.
Does DeepL Write support Japanese, Korean, or Chinese?
It supports correction—grammar, spelling, and punctuation—for Japanese, Korean, and Simplified Chinese. However, tone adjustment and writing-style controls are not available for these languages; they are restricted to English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese. A user writing in Japanese or Korean can have errors corrected but cannot rewrite toward a selected tone or style.
Is the free version of DeepL Write safe for confidential text?
The free tier does not provide the same data-security guarantee as Write Pro. Free-tier texts may be used for model training. Write Pro provides “maximum data security,” meaning texts are not stored while the user is logged in and are not used for training. For confidential or client material, a Write Pro subscription (or a Business/Enterprise plan) is the appropriate tier; the free tier is an evaluation tool.
What is the difference between Write Pro and Write Pro Advanced?
Write Pro ($8.99/month) provides unlimited characters, tone adjustment, and basic writing styles for a single writer. Write Pro Advanced ($29.99/month) adds custom brand-voice writing styles, team collaboration, Translation Flow automation inside Google Drive and Contentful, and API access for programmatic style rules. The $8.99 tier does not include brand-voice enforcement or team features; a team that needs shared style rules must budget for Pro Advanced from the start.
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