AI Tool Risk Directory ← All 26 tools Verdict assessed 29 July 2026

Is Grammarly (free) safe for work? Verdict: Limited

Limited

Grammarly (free) can be used at work only under specific conditions. Our verdict for a typical 50–500 person company handling client or regulated data, assessed 29 July 2026: Limited. A browser extension that reads nearly everything an employee types — on a free personal account, that stream sits outside company control and outside any agreement you signed. The risk profile is unusual: it is not one paste, it is continuous capture of everything typed — emails, HR docs, legal drafts. Note also that the counterparty name has changed: the Grammarly privacy policy is now published by Superhuman Platform Inc. (formerly Grammarly), which matters if you name vendors in contracts or in your policy.

This verdict reflects Grammarly (Superhuman Platform Inc.)’s published terms as we read them on 29 July 2026. A vendor can change its terms the day after; the primary sources below are how you check.

Grammarly (free) at a glance

VendorGrammarly (Superhuman Platform Inc.)
CategoryWriting assistant
Our tier verdictLimited (assessed 29 July 2026) — A browser extension that reads nearly everything an employee types — on a free personal account, that stream sits outside company control and outside any agreement you signed. source
Trains on your data?Depends on plan / settings
Depends on a per-user setting. Grammarly states you can opt out of allowing it to use your content to train its models by turning off "Product Improvement and Training" in account settings — which means, on a personal account, an employee makes that call. source
Data retentionGoverned by the consumer privacy policy of Superhuman Platform Inc. (formerly Grammarly), not by any agreement your company holds. source
Admin controlsNone on free personal accounts.
Compliance certificationsThe trust page references a SOC 2 report and ISO certifications for the company; we did not verify the current certificate list from a primary document on this check date. source
HIPAA / BAANo — No BAA on free consumer accounts.

Does Grammarly train on your data?

Depends on a per-user setting. Grammarly states you can opt out of allowing it to use your content to train its models by turning off "Product Improvement and Training" in account settings — which means, on a personal account, an employee makes that call.

Retention: Governed by the consumer privacy policy of Superhuman Platform Inc. (formerly Grammarly), not by any agreement your company holds.

Is Grammarly HIPAA compliant?

No BAA on free consumer accounts. As a rule: no signed Business Associate Agreement means no protected health information (PHI) — a BAA is the gate, not the security posture. A vendor can hold every certification on the market and still be the wrong place for PHI, because what makes PHI processing lawful for a covered entity is the contract, not the encryption.

Comparing vendors on this specifically? See BAA status for all 26 tools →

Is Grammarly SOC 2 certified?

Not verified from a primary document on this check date. The trust page references a SOC 2 report and ISO certifications for the company; we did not verify the current certificate list from a primary document on this check date. Ask for the current SOC 2 report under NDA before you rely on it. A certification is also not a contract: it describes how Grammarly runs its controls, not what your agreement with them permits.

Industry risk notes

Healthcare

HIPAA is the gate: No BAA on free consumer accounts. Until a BAA is confirmed in writing, treat Grammarly (free) as off-limits for anything containing PHI — patient names, appointment details, clinical notes, even "anonymized" summaries that could be re-identified.

Financial services

For SEC/FINRA-regulated firms the questions are recordkeeping and confidentiality: can communications through Grammarly (free) be captured for books-and-records requirements, and do the data terms hold up in vendor due diligence? None on free personal accounts.

Legal & professional services

The privilege question comes first: entering client-confidential facts into any third-party AI service must be evaluated as a potential disclosure. Because training and retention on Grammarly (free) depend on account type and settings, assume client matter data is off-limits unless your firm controls the account and has verified the terms.

Primary sources

Every vendor claim above traces to a document the vendor publishes, and every document below is one we actually opened and read — each carries the date we read it. All of them were read on 29 July 2026. The verdict date on this page is not a build stamp and is not "today": it is the oldest of those dates, because a verdict is only as current as the stalest document under it. Rebuilding the site does not move it.

Where a fact is not in one of these documents, the page says so rather than filling the gap. That is why some rows read "not publicly documented" or "not established from a primary source" instead of naming a certification or rounding an open question to a convenient answer.

Why the tier verdict is "generic": Limited is the right starting classification for most 50–500 person companies — but a healthcare company, a law firm, and a SaaS startup should not have identical tool lists. The $79 policy kit classifies Grammarly (free) and 25 other tools specifically for your industry, company size, and the data your team handles.

And a verdict has a shelf life: vendor data policies change quietly — a terms update can move a tool between tiers overnight. This page states what we read on 29 July 2026. The $149/mo Monitor plan exists precisely because that date keeps receding.

Frequently asked questions

Is Grammarly safe for work?

Grammarly (free) can be used at work only under specific conditions. Our verdict for a typical 50–500 person company handling client or regulated data, assessed 29 July 2026: Limited. A browser extension that reads nearly everything an employee types — on a free personal account, that stream sits outside company control and outside any agreement you signed. The risk profile is unusual: it is not one paste, it is continuous capture of everything typed — emails, HR docs, legal drafts. Note also that the counterparty name has changed: the Grammarly privacy policy is now published by Superhuman Platform Inc. (formerly Grammarly), which matters if you name vendors in contracts or in your policy.

Does Grammarly train on your data?

Depends on a per-user setting. Grammarly states you can opt out of allowing it to use your content to train its models by turning off "Product Improvement and Training" in account settings — which means, on a personal account, an employee makes that call.

Is Grammarly HIPAA compliant?

No BAA on free consumer accounts. As a rule: no signed Business Associate Agreement means no protected health information (PHI) — a BAA is the gate, not the security posture. A vendor can hold every certification on the market and still be the wrong place for PHI, because what makes PHI processing lawful for a covered entity is the contract, not the encryption.

Is Grammarly SOC 2 certified?

Not verified from a primary document on this check date. The trust page references a SOC 2 report and ISO certifications for the company; we did not verify the current certificate list from a primary document on this check date. Ask for the current SOC 2 report under NDA before you rely on it. A certification is also not a contract: it describes how Grammarly runs its controls, not what your agreement with them permits.

What tier should Grammarly (free) be in an AI acceptable use policy?

We classify Grammarly (free) as Limited for a typical 50–500 person company, assessed 29 July 2026. A browser extension that reads nearly everything an employee types — on a free personal account, that stream sits outside company control and outside any agreement you signed. Your own classification should reflect your industry, data types, and which plan or account type your company actually uses.

New to the topic? Start with what shadow AI is — definition, examples and risks, then measure your own exposure with the shadow AI scorer.

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