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Using an AI writing assistant is a great way to speed up the writing process and fix any typos or grammatical errors along the way.
QuillBot is one of the leading AI writing assistants offering a free and Premium version, but is it the best writing assistant for you? This article evaluates QuillBot, explaining each of its features with pros and cons so you can make an informed decision.
But first, what is QuillBot, and how does it work?
What Is QuillBot?
QuillBot is a tool that uses artificial intelligence to help with the writing process. It’s well known for its ability to paraphrase sentences, but it also has features to correct grammar and punctuation errors, summarize information, conduct research, cite sources, and check for plagiarism.
The tool supports students with academic writing, but it’s also used by professionals. QuillBot increases productivity and ensures quality by speeding up writing, researching, catching mistakes, and helping with writer’s block.
Features of QuillBot
QuillBot has several features and customizable elements that help you speed up the writing process.
When you enter the editor, there’s a panel giving you access to eight tools.
Each of these features can be accessed individually, but if you want them all in the same tool, QuillBot Flow is what you’re after.
In the next section, we’ll break down each one so you can get a better understanding of the features.
QuillBot’s Paraphraser
Paraphrasing is QuillBot’s primary function. You can input text into the tool and hit “Paraphrase.” On the right-hand side, your paraphrased text will populate. QuillBot underlines words and phrases and offers suggestions to replace text with synonyms or paraphrased sentences.
The editor has several customizable options. Choose from nine different writing styles, such as Academic, Formal, and Humanize—though only Standard and Fluency are available with the free version.
QuillBot allows users to select between American English, Canadian English, British English, and Australian English to accommodate for different spellings.
You also have the option to use the Synonyms tool to adjust how closely you’d like the paraphrased text to resemble the original text you entered.
You can paraphrase up to 125 words with the free version. If you need to paraphrase more than that, you’ll need to upgrade to Premium.
QuillBot’s Grammar Checker
The Grammar Checker is a great tool to catch any grammatical errors that have slipped through the net. Once you input text, QuillBot highlights errors in red and offers suggestions to correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation mistakes.
With each suggestion, QuillBot explains what correction it is making, but the tool doesn’t go into much detail about why it needs correcting.
If you want to learn more about the errors or to find examples, you’ll need to conduct your own research.
Much like Google Docs and Microsoft Word, you can work within the platform and add styling elements, such as changing the size of text, bolding words, or even adding italics. It’s not possible to add images, diagrams, links, etc., so if this is something you need, another tool may be more suitable.
QuillBot’s Plagiarism Checker
The Plagiarism Checker is bundled into the Premium plan and allows you to check up to 25,000 words per month at a cost of $19.95.
Make sure your word count isn’t over this before you decide to purchase, especially if you’re writing a dissertation.
If price is important in your consideration, ProWritingAid offers 20,000 words (or ten checks) for $10, so you may find this is a better value depending on your specific needs.
QuillBot’s AI Detector
Paste or upload your text in English, French, German, or Spanish to check for AI written content by tools such as ChatGPT or Gemini. After scanning your text, you get a breakdown of:
% AI-generated
% AI-generated & AI-refined
% Human-written & AI-refined
% Human-written
The tool will check 1,200 words for free, and if you need more, you’ll need to upgrade for an unlimited word count. It’s important to note the tool isn’t 100% reliable and can produce false results.
QuillBot’s Summarizer
The Summarizer is a neat little tool that allows you to shorten text, such as long emails or work documents, into their core concepts. You can select “Paragraph” if you want a paragraph or “Bullet Points” if you just want bullet points.
QuillBot’s free version allows you to summarize up to 1,200 words, while the Premium version has a limit of 6,000 words. If this is a deal-breaker, you might be better off trying other tools with no limits.
In summary (no pun intended), it’s a useful tool to save you time reading, but there’s no guarantee you won’t miss out on the finer details.
QuillBot’s Translator
QuillBot lets you instantly translate text into 45 different languages, including French, Spanish, Russian, and Chinese. In the Translator, there is a 5,000-character limit, which is larger than Google Translate, and the tool is completely free to use without advertisements.
The translation quality is good, and when you combine it with the other tools that QuillBot has, such as the Paraphraser and Grammar Checker, it can be very powerful.
It is worth mentioning, only 26 languages are available within the Paraphraser and only 6 in the Grammar Checker.
QuillBot’s Citation Generator
The Citation Generator allows you to look up references for books, websites, and journals so you don’t have to spend time manually creating them. You can select the citation style you require, like MLA and APA, and then you can copy and paste the citation where you need it.
The tool’s use extends beyond books and online journals. You can also reference videos, dictionaries, and reports. Students and academics will get lots of use out of the citation tool, especially when writing large pieces, such as a thesis, dissertation, or research paper.
QuillBot Flow
This is the all-in-one tool QuillBot offers if you don’t want to switch between tabs. You can paste your text straight into the tool or upload an existing file. QuillBot Flow is a blend of all the tools with additional handy features, such as Suggest Text and Flares.
Suggest Text provides you with suggestions on what to write next based on QuillBot’s AI capabilities, while Flares provides prompts on how you might want to generate content. If you plan to use these features often, be careful because AI content detection tools might pick up that the writing was done by a computer.
QuillBot’s Extensions and Desktop Apps
If you want to access QuillBot without having a tab open, you can download the Chrome extension or Mac app. This enables the tool to work in the background, and it’s compatible with most website applications, such as Google Docs, Facebook, X, and LinkedIn.
QuillBot also has a specific add-on for Google Docs and Microsoft Word if you prefer to limit it to the apps where you work.
Pros of Quillbot
The best thing about QuillBot is that it’s quick and easy to use. There’s a minimal learning curve, so you can go straight into testing the tool.
QuillBot has high quality paraphrasing and grammar checking tools that can help you speed up writing and editing.
The free version of the tool gives you the opportunity to explore the different features. And if you have a paid plan, there are multiple writing modes available to suit your needs.
Finally, QuillBot offers extensions so you can use the tool online without having to switch tabs or download the desktop app.
Cons of QuillBot
Although QuillBot is an affordable tool with plenty of features, paraphrased text still needs a manual check as the suggestions don’t always sound like a human wrote them.
If you are planning to use the tool to churn out large amounts of work in a short time, be aware that the tool won’t always pass AI content detection checks. Make sure you always review work before submitting.
As with all freemium software, there are limitations in the free version. The Paraphrasing tool lets you paraphrase up to 125 words at a time and restricts you to two writing modes: Standard and Fluency.
So if you’re a copywriter and want to use the Creative writing mode, you’ll need to pay for Premium before you can understand how you might benefit from the tool. Premium is also necessary to unlock the full potential of the Synonyms tool.
The Plagiarism Checker is only available in the Premium version and allows you to check 25,000 words per month.
QuillBot’s AI Detector allows you to check 1,200 words in the free version, and Premium will grant you access to unlimited words.
The Summarizer allows you to summarize 1,200 words in the free version and 6,000 in the Premium version.
You can translate into 45 languages using QuillBot’s Translator, but it misses some languages, such as Catalan, and doesn’t let you differentiate between dialects such as Spanish from Latin America or Spain. There’s a limit of 5,000 words, which is more than Google Translate, but you will still need to split up lengthy translations.
While QuillBot does offer an AI review of your content (in Beta), the word count is limited to 5,000 words, and suggestions only scratch the surface. If you need more in-depth analysis and feedback, or if you need feedback on more lengthy writing, such as a book, there are better tools out there.
Last but not least, QuillBot gives you limited insight into how to improve your writing. It’s important to understand how to write effectively and avoid mistakes to reduce your reliance on writing tools.
Is QuillBot Free?
QuillBot provides free access to the Paraphraser, Grammar Checker, AI Detector, Summarizer, Citation Generator, and Translator. However, as covered in the previous section, there are limits in the free plan.
The Paraphraser allows up to 125 words
Writing modes are limited to Standard and Fluency
The Synonyms tool is restricted
Advanced grammar suggestions are behind a paywall
The AI Detector is restricted to 1,200 words
The Summarizer is capped at 1,200 words
The Translator is limited to 5,000 words
With Premium, you remove the limit of 125 words in the Paraphraser. You can unlock additional writing modes, like Creative and Academic, and make use of plagiarism checks. You also gain full access to the AI Detector, Synonyms tool, and the limit on the Summarizer increases to 6,000 words.
If you want to upgrade, QuillBot has a monthly cost of $19.95, but you can make savings if you purchase a semiannual or annual plan.
Is QuillBot Worth It?
QuillBot is a great tool for people who are looking to correct grammar and paraphrase text, for example, academics writing a dissertation or thesis. It includes features specifically built for academic purposes, such as a plagiarism detection tool and AI detector.
However, depending on what type of writer you are, it may not be the perfect tool for you needs. For example, if you are a creative writer, it can’t give genre-specific suggestions or developmental feedback on your stories—for which there are better tools out there.
Why ProWritingAid Is a Great Alternative
If you are considering QuillBot, you should also consider ProWritingAid. ProWritingAid does more than just check your writing for basic errors. It offers clever suggestions to take your writing to the next level.
Here’s what makes ProWritingAid stand out from other writing tools:
In-depth analysis and actionable feedback: Tailored analytical tools assess every aspect of your writing in seconds and teach you how to improve.
Works with your favorite writing app: ProWritingAid works wherever you do, fitting neatly into any writing app, like Word, Google Docs, or Scrivener.
Your writing is safe with ProWritingAid: Your writing is sacred, so we use bank-level security to keep it safe and never use your text to train our algorithms.
In addition, ProWritingAid offers a range of core features designed to support writers at every stage of their work.
ProWritingAid’s Core Features
Grammar, spelling, and style checking: Ensure every sentence is polished and error-free.
Paraphrasing: Find the perfect wording with tools designed to help you express your ideas clearly.
Writing style analysis and actionable insights: Access in-depth reports that analyze everything from sentence length to readability.
Story analysis: Ideal for aspiring authors, this feature offers feedback on structure, pacing, character development, and more.
Author comparison feature: Compare your writing to well-known authors, and identify areas for improvement.
Ideation: Boost your creativity with suggestions to help overcome writer’s block.
Customizable options: Tailor ProWritingAid’s suggestions to match your writing style and genre preferences.
ProWritingAid gives you all the tools necessary for detailed editing and story analysis. So, what are you waiting for? Try ProWritingAid today.
Rated 4.8* on Chrome Web Store with 6000+ reviews and 4.7* on Capterra with 400+ reviews
QuillBot Review Summary
Overall, QuillBot is a great tool with plenty of useful features in the free version. Though QuillBot is most commonly known for its paraphrasing capabilities, the tool offers other features to assist your writing, including grammar checking, plagiarism checking, summarizing, and translation.
You will need to upgrade to Premium to access customizable options and strengthen your writing further. For example, a copywriter will want to tweak the tool and set the writing type to Creative. Equally, a student will want to set the writer type to Academic.
If you are not sure the tool will suit your needs, there are alternatives like ProWritingAid that offer comprehensive grammar checking, advanced writing style suggestions, and story analysis features. What’s more, unlike QuillBot, you can set your writer type to Creative within the free version, so you can test it to see if it suits your needs.
What are you waiting for? Try ProWritingAid today.
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