About 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.
Pricing
Free version available; Premium from $19.95/month
Key Features
- AI paraphrasing in multiple modes
- Summarize articles and documents
- Grammar checker and corrector
- Citation generator (MLA, APA, Chicago)
- Plagiarism checker
Our Review
What Is QuillBot?
QuillBot is an AI-powered writing suite built primarily around a paraphrasing engine that can rewrite text in multiple styles and tones. Launched in 2017, it has grown into a comprehensive writing assistant with tools for summarization, grammar checking, citation generation, plagiarism detection, and a full AI writing mode. It is one of the most widely used writing tools among college students and academics globally.
Key Features
- Paraphraser — the core tool offers seven modes: Standard, Fluency, Formal, Academic, Simple, Creative, and Expand/Shorten. Users can adjust the synonym slider to control how heavily the text is altered.
- Grammar Checker — catches grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors and explains corrections, similar to Grammarly but integrated directly with the paraphraser workflow.
- Summarizer — condenses long articles, papers, or documents into bullet points or a short paragraph; useful for research and literature review.
- AI Writer — generates drafts from a prompt, available in the Premium plan.
- Citation Generator — auto-generates APA, MLA, Chicago, and other citation formats from a URL, DOI, or manual input.
- Plagiarism Checker — Premium feature that checks text against billions of web pages and academic sources.
- Chrome and Word extensions — allows QuillBot to work inline in Google Docs, Gmail, Microsoft Word, and most web text areas.
Who Should Use QuillBot?
QuillBot is best suited for students who write research papers and essays, non-native English speakers who want to improve fluency and formality, and anyone who needs to paraphrase sources accurately for academic writing. Researchers will appreciate the summarizer and citation tools. Content writers use it to rewrite drafts quickly. It is not the right tool for purely creative, original writing — a blank-page AI writer like Claude or ChatGPT serves that use case better.
Pricing
Free plan: paraphraser (limited to 125 words per input), summarizer (1,200 words), grammar checker, citation generator. Premium: approximately $19.95/month or $99.95/year (~$8.33/month), unlocking unlimited paraphrasing, all paraphrase modes, longer summarizer, AI Writer, and plagiarism checker.
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
- Free tier is genuinely useful for short paraphrasing and grammar checks
- Premium annual plan is among the best-value AI writing tools for students
Cons
- Free paraphraser is capped at 125 words per input — too short for paragraph-level work
- Paraphrased output can sound mechanical if the synonym slider is set too high
- AI Writer produces generic drafts and is weaker than dedicated AI writing tools like Claude or ChatGPT
- Plagiarism checker is a Premium-only feature, unlike Grammarly's partial free access
Verdict
QuillBot is the best dedicated paraphrasing tool available, and its bundled grammar, citation, and summarization tools make it exceptional value for students. The free tier covers basic needs, but the annual Premium plan is a worthwhile investment for anyone who writes academic content regularly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does using QuillBot count as plagiarism or academic dishonesty?
Using QuillBot to paraphrase your own writing for clarity is generally considered acceptable. Using it to paraphrase sources without proper citation is plagiarism, regardless of the tool used. Using it to pass off AI-generated text as your own original work violates most academic integrity policies. Always follow your institution's AI use guidelines.
How does QuillBot compare to Grammarly?
Grammarly is primarily a grammar and style checker with some AI writing features. QuillBot's core strength is paraphrasing and rewriting, with grammar checking as a secondary feature. Many students use both: Grammarly for real-time grammar checking while writing, and QuillBot for paraphrasing and citation when editing or referencing sources.
Is the QuillBot Premium plan worth it for students?
At ~$8.33/month on the annual plan, QuillBot Premium is one of the most affordable AI writing tools with this feature breadth. For students who write multiple papers per semester and need unlimited paraphrasing, longer summarization, and a plagiarism checker, it typically pays for itself in saved time. Students who write infrequently may find the free tier sufficient.