A Grammarly Authorship alternative that keeps the record with you
Grammarly Authorship, GPTZero’s writing replay and a Google Docs version history all show how a text was written, and all keep the work, or the record of it, in the company’s account. Here is how they compare with a record you keep yourself, checked on 5 October 2026.
Written · Updated
OBSCURA Authorship records how you write in a browser editor of its own and keeps that record on your device, not in an account. You make a .oauthor file when you choose, and anyone checks it free at /verify-authorship, without an account and without trusting us: the checks are a hash chain, RFC 3161 timestamps from an independent authority, and a signature by a key that never leaves your browser. It is part of OBSCURA Pro.
How the others work
Grammarly Authorship works through Grammarly’s extension and account in the places Grammarly runs, records the writing process there, and produces a report with a replay from what Grammarly recorded. GPTZero’s writing replay is built from a Google Docs document’s history. Google Docs keeps a version history of every document in Google’s account. Each is useful, and each depends on the work living on that company’s servers and on the company standing behind the report.
What is different here
- The record is a file you own, kept in your browser while you write, and nothing is uploaded unless you hand the file to somebody.
- The check does not depend on us. The record is a chain of SHA-256 hashes, timestamped by DigiCert’s or Sectigo’s public authority, in a format written out in full in free code. A teacher, an editor or a court can check it with the free page, or write their own checker.
- Pastes are shown, and a move within the text is not called a paste. You can withhold the words of a paste, a link or a footnote before sharing, and the record still checks.
- Teachers can issue briefs with a random code that goes into the first block of a student’s record, which shows the work began after the brief.
- There is no AI in it and no AI detection: the checking page states counts and times, never a judgement.
What it does not do
- It does not record in Word, Google Docs or other editors. You write in Authorship’s own editor. A draft from elsewhere can be imported, and is marked as imported.
- No tables, pictures or comments in a text, and no working together on one document.
- It cannot prove that no AI was used. No tool can: someone could retype text by hand, or script keystrokes. It makes faking a record costly and gives an honest writer strong evidence.
| Grammarly Authorship | Google Docs history | OBSCURA Authorship | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where the record is kept | Grammarly’s account | Google’s account | Your browser, then a file you hand over |
| Who has to be trusted | Grammarly | Nobody: hashes, public timestamps and a signature anyone can check | |
| Independent timestamps | Not that we found | No | RFC 3161, from DigiCert or Sectigo, if you turn them on |
| Checking it costs the checker | Nothing | Access to the document | Nothing, and no account |
| Records in Word and Google Docs | Where Grammarly runs | Google Docs only | No: its own editor |
Questions people ask about A Grammarly Authorship alternative that keeps the record with you
Is there an alternative to Grammarly Authorship that does not keep my writing in an account?
OBSCURA Authorship keeps the record of your writing in your browser on your device, and you hand over a file when you choose. Anyone checks it free at /verify-authorship, without an account.
Does Authorship work inside Google Docs or Word?
No. You write in Authorship's own editor, which is what lets it record every change exactly. A draft written elsewhere can be imported, and is marked as imported text.
Does it detect AI?
No. There is no AI in it and no AI detection. It records how a work was made and states the facts: what was typed, what was pasted and when.
What does it cost?
Authorship on its own is US$2 a month or US$19 a year, and all of OBSCURA Pro is US$5 a month or US$48 a year, each with 7 days free first. Checking a record at /verify-authorship is free for everyone.
- A record of your writing process that you keepA tamper-evident, timestamped record of how a piece of writing was made, kept on your device, in a file anyone can check for free.
- How to prove you did not use AI to write somethingNo test can prove a text was not written with AI. What you can show is how it was written: drafts, history and a timestamped record of the process.
- Falsely accused of using AI: what to doAccused of using AI on work you wrote yourself? What a detector score does and does not show, what to ask for, and the evidence you can give.
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