1Checker

Created by a company that programs artificial intelligence systems and purported to be a "smart" editing system, 1Checker successfully helps the user with spell checking and English grammar. The interface is easy to use, although it froze and needed to be restarted with our first usage.

In a side-by-side comparison, MS Word and 1Checker found approximately the same errors. The program does make suggestions by giving you alternative word choices throughout your writing to help you polish your language. However, when tested on typical academic writing, this application is not perfect. Grammar mistakes identified were either wrong or had "mistakes" that were part of a proper name or place. In order to use this free service, you must sign up with your contact information and e-mail address or use your Facebook log-in info. No payment is needed, however, so no financial information is exchanged. While the program is rather basic in its scope and function, it does perform as an educational tool to help writers make better use of English. While the "smart" suggestions may or may not be applicable, they are always informative. One nice feature of this program is that you can easily save documents to Evernote.

1Checker could easily be used by anyone who can turn a computer on and is in need of an editing program. It was easy to install and takes up very little computer resources. The only downside is that you have to sign up for the service, but this is a minor nuisance to bear for the use of this editing program.