Grammarly vs QuillBot (2026)
A side-by-side comparison to help you choose the best tool for your needs.
Grammarly
Grammarly uses AI to help students write better essays, research papers, and emails. Beyond grammar checking, it provides style suggestions, tone analysis, plagiarism detection, and a generative AI assistant to help with writing from scratch.
Free version available; Premium from $12/month
Pros
- ✓Seamlessly integrates everywhere you write — browser, Word, Google Docs, and more
- ✓Tone detection is genuinely useful for academic writing where formality matters
- ✓Non-native English speakers see dramatic improvements in phrasing and grammar
QuillBot
QuillBot offers a suite of AI writing tools designed to help students improve their writing. Its paraphrasing tool can reword sentences while maintaining meaning, the summarizer condenses long texts, and the grammar checker catches errors—all useful for academic writing.
Free version available; Premium from $19.95/month
Pros
- ✓Seven paraphrase modes give precise control over tone from casual to academic
- ✓Integrated grammar checker, summarizer, and citation generator in one platform
- ✓Browser and Word extensions enable seamless in-context writing assistance
Feature Comparison
In-Depth Analysis
Grammarly and QuillBot both help students improve their writing, but they attack the problem from different angles. Grammarly is a comprehensive writing assistant that checks grammar, spelling, punctuation, clarity, engagement, and delivery style. Its browser extension and desktop app integrate into nearly every writing surface, making real-time suggestions as you type. Grammarly also offers plagiarism detection and a tone detector, which are valuable for academic writing.
QuillBot is primarily a paraphrasing and summarization tool. Its core feature is rewriting text in different modes—Standard, Fluency, Formal, Expand, Shorten—making it especially useful for students who need to paraphrase source material without plagiarizing, or who want to simplify or formalize their prose. QuillBot also offers a citation generator, grammar checker, and AI-powered summarizer as supplementary tools.
For most students, these tools are complementary rather than competing. Grammarly is the better choice for real-time grammar and style editing as you write. QuillBot is more useful when working with existing text—paraphrasing research sources, condensing long passages, or rewriting sentences for clarity. Students writing research papers often use QuillBot to handle source material and Grammarly to polish their final draft.
Which Should You Choose?
Choose Grammarly if:
Choose Grammarly if you want real-time grammar, style, and clarity corrections as you write, especially for academic essays and professional communication.
Choose QuillBot if:
Choose QuillBot if you primarily need to paraphrase sources, summarize long texts, or rephrase sentences in different tones without starting from scratch.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Grammarly detect AI-generated text?
Yes, Grammarly offers AI detection as part of its Premium and Business plans. It can flag text that may have been generated by AI tools, which is useful for educators. Students should be aware that using AI-generated text without disclosure may violate academic integrity policies.
Is QuillBot considered cheating in academic settings?
Policies vary by institution. Many universities consider using QuillBot to paraphrase without proper citation as a form of academic dishonesty. Students should check their institution's policy and always properly cite original sources even when paraphrasing.
Which tool is better for non-native English speakers?
Both are valuable for non-native English speakers. QuillBot's Fluency mode can help produce more natural-sounding English, while Grammarly catches grammatical errors in real time. Many ESL students benefit from using both together.