Whether you are a student, professional writer, or engaged in any other form of writing, chances are you’ve been told to avoid using passive voice. And although it’s not a grammatical error to use passive voice in your writing, the unwritten rule of forbidding it has become a widely accepted truism in the English grammar realm. And with a reason…
As a writer, it’s important to carefully consider not only how you structure your texts but also how well you write them. After all, the same way you change your voice when speaking, you can also change your voice when writing. And how well you choose to use your voice can make all the difference in helping your readers what you’re trying to communicate.
If you are having challenges in mastering English grammar or detecting passive voice in your essays, articles, or any other form of writing, a passive voice identifier can help. Unfortunately, the number of active to passive voice changer software out there can be overwhelming. Fortunately for you, we have curated a list of the 15 best editing tools to find passive voice.
15 Software to Replace Passive Voice to Active Voice
#1. Grammarly
Grammarly is a popular passive voice to active voice converter tool which is available in free and paid versions. Thanks to Grammarly’s simple green interface, which makes it super easy to navigate. On top of being a passive voice editor, Grammarly also helps you identify and correct punctuation mistakes, grammar mistakes, writing style, structural style, and check plagiarism. What’s best, Grammarly is available as Chrome and Safari plugin.
Pros:
- An all-rounded proofreading solution
- Easy-to-use interface
- Compatible with multiple platforms
- Highly customizable
Cons:
- Can be expensive for short-term users
#2. Ginger
At number two on our list is Ginger Software. Established in 2007, it is one of the oldest passive to active sentence converter software, and it comes in both a free and premium version. Ginger Software utilizes natural language processing algorithms to identify and correct up to 95 percent of writing mistakes. In terms of compatibility, this software for passive active writing is available as a Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer plugin, as well as a Windows, Mac, desktop, Android, and iOS app.
Pros:
- Versatile
- Available as a free and paid version
Cons:
- Missing plagiarism checker
#3. ProWritingAid
This online tool helps students and professional writers quickly identify and edit spelling and grammar error mistakes in their writing. It also helps improve the sentence structure by doubling as a passive to active voice editor. And if you’re worried about any accidental plagiarism in your work, it can also help compare your work against already published texts. But that’s not the best part.ProWritingAid easily integrates with WordPress, Scrivener, Google Docs, Gmail, MS Outlook, and many other browsers. For PC users, ProWritingAid is also available as Windows and Mac apps.
Pros:
- Easy to use
- Integrates with multiple browsers
- Available as a Windows and Mac app
- No word-count limit
Cons:
- The free version has a limited scope
#4. PaperRater
This free full active voice changer software leverages Machine Learning, Computational Linguistics, Natural Language Processing, and Data Mining to crawl through your texts to identify spelling and grammar mistakes, as well as to conduct plagiarism scans. And thanks to PaperRater’s Vocabulary Builder tool, this tool can learn sophisticated English words and phrases, making it ideal for non-native English speakers.
Pros:
- Easy-to-use interface
- 100% free
- Has a plagiarism checker
Cons:
- Limited word count
#5. Hemingway Editor
Unlike many online tools out there that have several functionalities, Hemingway Editor has a limited scope, as it strictly deals with sentence structure. If you’re a wordy writer with a tendency to hedge your ideas, this tool helps identify passive voice, wordy sentences, and complicated phrases by highlighting them with unique color codes.
Using Hemmingway Editor is a piece of cake, as it allows you to directly type on the text’s editor, upload them from different sources, or even copy and paste them. And if you’re a professional blogger, the tool’s one-click integration allows you to publish your articles on WordPress and Medium directly.
Pros:
- No monthly subscription
- One-time payment model
- Free online version available
Cons:
- No spell checker
#6. Scribens
Scribens is one of the best websites to check for passive voice out there. Along with its passive recognition capabilities, it uses a patented syntactical recognition algorithm to identify stylistic and structural issues in your texts. And thanks to the built-in thesaurus and dictionary, Scriben works great in helping improve your English, making it ideal for non-English native speakers.
Scribens also integrates with multiple browsers, platforms, and apps.
Pros:
- Clutter-free and easy-to-use interface
- Multi-platform compatibility
Cons:
- Doesn’t have a plagiarism checker
#7. Linguix
Linguix is an advanced fix passive voice tool that leverages AI and 2,000+ grammar-based rules to fix passive voice usage in your texts. But beyond its passive checking capabilities, Linguix also helps identify grammar mistakes and punctuation errors, as well as improve grammar, thanks to the built-in dictionary and thesaurus.
Pros:
- Free
- Provides instant feedback
- Versatile
- Multi-platform compatibility
Cons:
- No plagiarism checker
#8. WhiteSmoke
WhiteSmoke is an easy-to-use app to check active passive voice in writing, thanks to its minimalistic and clutter-free interface. Just like many other similar tools and websites, WhiteSmoke uses Artificial Intelligence and NLP technologies to pinpoint grammatical and syntax mistakes in your writing, making it super-accurate. WhiteSmoke also features a built-in thesaurus dictionary, text editor, a translation tool, and a plagiarism checker, all of which are important to making writing and editing less hectic.
Pros:
- Multi-platform compatibility
- Versatile in identifying multiple grammar and syntax mistakes
- Comes with free document templates
Cons:
- The interface can be improved to make it more modern
Although relatively new, this website that changes passive voice to active works great in offering sentence construction and vocabulary suggestions. Under the hood, OnlineCorrection.com is fitted with several groundbreaking technologies such as DICTION and LanguageTool, giving it faster processing speeds and utmost accuracy. And the mere fact that it is free and available in 8 different languages, makes it the go-to editing tool for students and professional writers alike.
Pros:
- Faster processing speeds
- Multi-lingual
- Versatile
Cons:
- The website has many ads
#10. LanguageTool
LanguageTool is yet another helpful website to use to make sure you aren’t using passive voice. It also helps you easily identify grammar, spelling, and punctuation mistakes in your texts, making them stylistically and syntactically coherent. Another important element of LanguageTool is that the website is available in 20+ languages, allowing non-English native students and authors to use it. Performance-wise, LanguageTool’s free version accommodates up to 20,000 characters per check, although you can upgrade to the paid version to expand this capability. Still, it’s available as a Chrome, Firefox, LibreOffice, and Google Docs add-on, meaning you don’t have to keep on downloading it.
Pros:
- Multi-platform compatibility
- High character limit
- Easy to use
- Rapid results
Cons:
- No plagiarism checker
#11. After the Deadline
After the Deadline is a free open-source passive voice checker that deploys Artificial Intelligence and NLP technology to conduct grammar, contextual, and structural checking. It is also available as an add-on for WordPress, Chrome, Firefox, and OpenOffice. Another area that After the Deadline manages to score big is in its multilingual capability. It’s available in multiple languages, making it ideal for non-English native students and professional writers.
Pros:
- 100% free
- Compatible with multiple platforms
- Multilingual
Cons:
- No plagiarism detector
#12. Writefull
This free app that checks for passive voice comes in three distinct modes including Writefull Revise, Writefull for Overleaf, and Writefull for Word. It is linked with multiple literature papers, indexed Google Books, and databases, which gives it high accuracy and faster processing speeds when looking to find the sentence with active voice software.
Pros:
- Faster processing speed
- Instant results
Cons:
- Doesn’t have an offline version
- No plagiarism checker
#13. WriteMonkey
This website to reformat passive voice sentences offers a hassle-free user experience, thanks to the pared-back interface. All the screen furniture is deceptively veiled behind, allowing you to edit your work without distractions. But that’s not the best part as Write Monkey is one of the very few portable editing and proofreading tools, giving you the freedom to edit even while on the move. Simply stick it on a USB drive and you’re good to go.
Pros:
- Portable
- Easy-to-use interface
- Distraction-free experience
Cons:
- Can be hard to learn at first.
#14. Reverso
Are finding it hard to identify and correct cumbersome passive voice usage and other grammar-related mistakes in your work? Or still, looking for an effective translation tool? Reverso allows you to do all that, and with a high level of accuracy. It is available in up to 12 different languages and can be used as a Google Chrome add-on, mobile browser app, as well as a web browser app.
Pros:
- 100% free
- Multilingual
- Combines passive check, grammar check, and translation capabilities
Cons:
- Limited character and word limit
#15. CorrectMe
CorrectMe active and passive voice app is a free, all-in-one iOS grammar checker. It leverages a built-in synonym checker and grammar-based rules to identify mistakes in your texts and give the most appropriate suggestions.
Pros:
- Mobile-based
- Offers a free version
Cons:
- Limited scope
Passive Voice to Active Voice Converter Tool: Concluding Remarks
There you have it. The top 15 passive voice to active voice converter tools on the market in 2021. As you can see, all of them have different technologies, functionalities, and capabilities, which can be intimidating when looking for the right one. The key lies in choosing a passive voice checker that is convenient and meets all your editing needs. And with our list of the best passive checkers, you shouldn’t have a problem choosing the right one.
Go ahead and try out any of the listed passive voice editors and see improvements in your texts!
