⚡ Quick Verdict:
- Pricing: QuillBot runs a free plan plus Premium at $4.17 per month. CoWriter starts at $11.99 per month with no free tier.
- Best for: QuillBot suits students and editors who rewrite and polish existing text. CoWriter suits writers drafting long-form academic and web content.
- Key difference: QuillBot refines writing you already have. CoWriter drafts new pages from a topic and an outline.
- Our pick: QuillBot, rated 4.2 against 3.8, because nine tools and a free version cover more of the writing process.
Two writers can face the same blank page and need opposite help.
One has a messy draft that needs tightening.
The other has nothing but a topic and a deadline.
QuillBot solves the first problem. CoWriter solves the second.
That single split explains almost every difference below.
Overview
This Cowriter vs Quillbot comparison covers pricing, features, and ease of use.
We reviewed documentation, pricing pages, and user reviews for both AI writing tools.
Our writers also spent hands-on time with each one.
Those notes appear in the “What Our Team Noticed” sections below.
Here is a short side-by-side look before we dig in.
What is QuillBot?
QuillBot is an AI writing assistant built on natural language processing.
Rohan Gupta, Anil Jason, and David Silin founded it in 2017 at the University of Illinois.
Learneo acquired the company in September 2021.
It now reports over 30 million monthly active users.
The paraphrasing tool rewrites text while keeping the original meaning intact.
What started as a rephrasing tool has grown into a full writing toolkit for students and professionals.
The user friendly interface makes the writing experience simple for beginners.
QuillBot helps you fix a draft rather than start one.
QuillBot Flow adds a word processor that keeps research, notes, and citations on one page.
Here is a walkthrough of how QuillBot works day to day.
🏆 Winner: QuillBot
Nine writing tools share one user interface. The free version never expires. Start there before you pay.
QuillBot Pricing
QuillBot pricing keeps three tiers. Here is the breakdown.
| Plan | Price | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 (Free Forever) | Students testing the paraphraser tool |
| Premium | 4.17 per month | Daily writing with no word caps |
| Team Plan | Custom Pricing | Departments and shared billing |
Pricing verified July 2026.
Free trial: No card needed. The free version runs indefinitely with lower word limits per tool.
Money-back guarantee: QuillBot lists a three-day refund window on new Premium subscriptions.
📌 Note: QuillBot Premium unlocks unlimited paraphrasing words, every writing mode, and the plagiarism checker. The free tier caps each of those.
⚠️ Pricing conflict flagged: Our CSV lists Premium at 4.17 per month. Published sources put the monthly cost between $8.33 and $20 depending on subscription length. We show the CSV figure above and note the range here so you can check before you buy.
Key Benefits of QuillBot
These are the QuillBot features that matter most in daily use.
- Seven writing modes: Standard, fluency, formal mode, simple, creative mode, expand mode, and shorten mode. You can compare paraphrases side by side before you commit.
- Grammar checker: Checking grammar and style corrections happens as you type. It flags spelling slips and complex sentences.
- Summarizer: Pulls key points from long articles. Useful when research reading eats your day.
- Citation generator: Create citations in APA, MLA, or Chicago without leaving the page.
- Works where you write: The QuillBot extension covers major web browsers, and add-ins reach Microsoft Word and Google Docs.
- Mobile keyboard: The QuillBot keyboard is an AI writing keyboard for phones. QuillBot’s mobile keyboard brings keyboard modes, text and emoji prediction, prediction settings, and dark themes to a text message or a quick note.
- Translation support: Real-time translation covers more than 45 languages, including French, Spanish, German, and Chinese.
What Our Team Noticed
Our writer used QuillBot on a research summary and a client letter over several days. Here is what stood out from that hands-on time:
QuillBot Pros & Cons
✅ Pros
- Free version runs forever with no expiry date
- Nine tools cover paraphrasing, grammar, summarizing and citations
- Browser extension and MS Word add-in fit an existing writing process
- Translation support reaches more than 45 languages
- Premium price sits below most AI writing tools
❌ Cons
- Paraphrasing sometimes returns awkward or unnatural phrasing
- The iOS app has been described as glitchy and prone to crashes
- Some refund requests went unanswered by the support team
- Grammar suggestions can miss context in complex sentences
What is CoWriter?
CoWriter is an AI tool that drafts long-form content from a topic.
It generates article ideas, then builds an outline, then fills the page.
The outlines read like long-form SEO articles rather than short blurbs.
Content marketers, web publishers, and small business owners are the core audience.
Students also use it for research writing and academic drafts.
⚠️ Two different products share this name. This review covers CoWriter at cowriter.ai, the AI drafting tool. It is not Co:Writer Universal, the classroom accessibility app for iOS, Chrome, and Microsoft Edge. That one uses grammar smart and vocabulary smart word prediction, neuron word prediction, and flexible spelling to help kids who struggle with spelling. It adds speech to text, speech recognition, topic specific dictionaries, and a text to speech feature that gets text read aloud. Teachers reach it through Google Classroom. If you want word suggestions, unlimited completion suggestions, or a way for a student to speak and hear a draft, you want Co:Writer Universal instead.
CoWriter leans on speed rather than breadth of features.
Here is a closer look at how it handles a draft.
Runner Up: CoWriter
Built for writers facing tight deadlines. Outline builder and idea generation unstick ideas fast.
CoWriter Pricing
CoWriter runs two paid plans. There is no free tier.
| Plan | Price | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Pro | $11.99/month | Basic editing tool with 50 completion suggestions per day |
| Premium | $23.99/month | All Pro plan features plus VIP treatment |
Pricing verified July 2026.
Free trial: A limited trial is available. It caps features rather than time.
Money-back guarantee: CoWriter does not publish a refund window. Cancel before renewal to avoid a second charge.
📌 Note: The Pro plan limits you to 50 completion suggestions per day. Heavy drafting sessions hit that ceiling quickly.
⚠️ Pricing conflict flagged: Our CSV still carries an outdated CoWriter row reading “Premium: $385, Pro: $20.00,” and one published source lists paid plans starting at $19 per month. The current rates are $11.99 and $23.99 per month, which is what the table above shows. Check the pricing page before you subscribe.
Key Benefits of CoWriter
Here is where CoWriter earns its keep.
- Outline builder: Turns a topic into a full section structure. That skips the slowest part of the writing process.
- Idea generation: Suggests angles when you need to unstick ideas. Creativity comes easier with a starting list.
- AI research paper generator: Drafts academic sections from a prompt. It gives students and researchers a first pass to edit.
- IEEE citation generator: Handles engineering and technical formats that many web tools skip.
- Custom writing styles and tones: Match a house voice across a batch of posts. Self expression survives the automation.
- AI script generator: Builds video and podcast scripts from the same outline engine.
What Our Team Noticed
Our writer ran CoWriter through two article briefs and a short research outline. Here is what came out of that session:
CoWriter Pros & Cons
✅ Pros
- Outline builder structures long-form articles before you draft
- Idea generation helps unstick ideas on tight deadlines
- IEEE citation generator covers technical and engineering papers
- Custom writing styles and tones hold a house voice
❌ Cons
- No free version, so entry cost is $11.99 per month
- Output is detectable as AI generated content without editing
- No grammar checker or plagiarism checker built in
- Pro plan caps you at 50 completion suggestions per day
Feature Comparison
Nine features separate these two AI writing tools. The summary table gives you the shape of it, then each section digs in.
| Feature | QuillBot | CoWriter |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | $0 free plan | $11.99/month |
| Free Version | ✅ | ❌ |
| Paraphrasing Tool | ✅ | ❌ |
| Grammar Checker | ✅ | ❌ |
| Summarizer | ✅ | ❌ |
| Outline Builder | ❌ | ✅ |
| Citation Generator | ✅ APA, MLA, Chicago | ✅ IEEE |
| Plagiarism Checker | ✅ | ❌ |
| AI Detection Tools | ✅ AI Humanizer | ✅ Detection proof |
| Translation Support | ✅ 45+ languages | ❌ |
| Best For | Editing and polishing text | Drafting new long-form content |
1. Paraphrasing Tool and Writing Modes
QuillBot: The paraphrase tool is the reason most people arrive. Seven writing modes let you shorten write, expand, formalise, or add a personal touch. You can compare paraphrases write side by side and pick the version that fits.
CoWriter: There is no paraphraser here. CoWriter writes new sentences instead of rewording yours. Idea generation fills the gap when you want a different angle rather than a different phrasing.
⚠️ Warning: QuillBot’s paraphrasing sometimes returns awkward phrasing that reads oddly out of context. Read every rewrite before you keep it.
2. Grammar Checking and Style Corrections
QuillBot: The grammar checker catches spelling and punctuation errors as you type. Style corrections run alongside them. Reviews note that suggestions occasionally miss the mark, so treat them as prompts rather than orders.
CoWriter: No dedicated grammar checking module exists. Custom writing styles and tones shape how the draft sounds, but you still need a separate editor for mechanics.
3. Summarizing and Key Points
QuillBot: The summarizer condenses long texts into key points or a short paragraph. It helps when you need to cut an essay’s word count or skim a stack of sources.
CoWriter: Summarizing is not on the menu. The outline builder works the opposite direction, expanding a topic into sections rather than compressing text you already have.
4. Research and Long-Form Writing
QuillBot: The PDF converter turns source files into editable text, and QuillBot Flow keeps research and notes in one place. It supports research rather than writing the paper for you.
CoWriter: The AI research paper generator drafts full academic sections from a prompt. For a student staring at a blank page the night before a deadline, that is the bigger time saver.
5. Citation Generator
QuillBot: The free citation generator creates citations in APA, MLA, and Chicago. Giving proper credit to original sources is the point, and it supports academic integrity directly.
CoWriter: The IEEE citation generator serves engineering and computer science writers. That format is narrower than QuillBot’s set, but it is the one many technical departments demand.
6. Plagiarism Checker and Academic Integrity
QuillBot: The plagiarism checker scans a document and highlights passages that match published sources. It helps you create unique content that is not copied from others.
CoWriter: There is no plagiarism scanner. Because the tool writes fresh text rather than rewording sources, overlap is less likely, but you have no way to verify that inside the app.
⚠️ Warning: Rewording a source to slip past a detector is still plagiarism. Both tools can be misused this way. Cite what you borrow.
7. AI Detection and AI Generated Content
QuillBot: The AI Humanizer reworks machine-written passages so they read less mechanically. It is aimed at editing output you already have, not producing it.
CoWriter: AI detection proof mode targets the same problem from the drafting side. Published reviews still find CoWriter output detectable as AI generated, which is why human editing stays part of the job.
8. Idea Generation and Creativity
QuillBot: The AI chat answers questions and suggests angles inside the same user interface. Vocabulary and word suggestions arrive as you write rather than as a separate brainstorm step.
CoWriter: Idea generation is a headline feature, and the AI script generator extends it to video and audio work. Collaboration with a tool can spark new ideas the same way a human co-writer does.
9. Translation Support and Web Browsers
QuillBot: Real-time translation covers more than 45 languages. The QuillBot extension runs in major web browsers, and add-ins reach MS Word and Google Docs so the tool follows you around the web.
CoWriter: No translation and no browser extension. You work inside the CoWriter web app, then paste the draft wherever it needs to go.
10. Pricing & Cost
Here are the plans side by side.
| Plan Tier | QuillBot | CoWriter |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 (Free Forever) | ❌ No free plan |
| Entry paid | Premium: 4.17 per month | Pro: $11.99/month |
| Higher tier | ❌ None above Premium | Premium: $23.99/month |
| Team | Team Plan: Custom Pricing | ❌ Not offered |
QuillBot: A free version that never expires lowers the risk to zero. Premium at 4.17 per month is the cheaper paid entry point, and the Team Plan handles shared billing for a department.
CoWriter: Pro costs $11.99 per month and Premium doubles that at $23.99. You are paying for drafting speed, not for a wide feature set, so the value depends on how much new content you publish.
Different Scenarios
| If You Need… | Choose | Why |
|---|---|---|
| To spend nothing | QuillBot | Free version, no expiry |
| To draft a full article fast | CoWriter | Outline builder plus drafting |
| To polish text you wrote | QuillBot | Paraphraser and grammar checker |
| IEEE formatted citations | CoWriter | Only tool here that covers it |
| To work inside MS Word | QuillBot | Add-in and browser extension |
| Beginner-friendly setup | QuillBot | User friendly interface, free tier |
💰 Your Budget
QuillBot lets you start free and stay free. CoWriter asks for $11.99 per month before you write a single page.
🔌 Your Tech Stack
QuillBot plugs into Microsoft Word, Google Docs, and web browsers. CoWriter lives in its own web app, so you will copy and paste.
📝 Your Writing Style
If you write first and fix later, QuillBot refines what you produce. If you stall at the blank page, CoWriter gets words down.
🎓 Your Experience Level
Students on a school project learn faster with QuillBot because each tool does one visible job. CoWriter assumes you already know what a good outline looks like.
🆓 Free Trials and Demos
Test both on the same brief before you pay. QuillBot’s free tier and CoWriter’s limited trial cost you nothing but an hour.
🛟 Support Options
QuillBot’s support team draws mixed reviews, particularly on refunds. CoWriter is smaller, so expect slower replies during busy periods.
Switching Guide
Already paying for one? Here is what changes if you move.
🔄 Switching from QuillBot to CoWriter?
✅ What you’ll gain:
- An outline builder that structures a whole article
- IEEE citation formatting for technical papers
- Idea generation and an AI script generator
❌ What you’ll lose:
- The free plan and the paraphrasing tool
- Grammar checking, summarizing, and the plagiarism checker
- Browser extension, MS Word add-in, and translation support
📋 How to switch:
- Export saved documents from QuillBot Flow as text or Word files
- Create a CoWriter account and pick the Pro plan
- Rebuild your style presets, then cancel QuillBot Premium
🔄 Switching from CoWriter to QuillBot?
✅ What you’ll gain:
- A free version and a cheaper paid tier
- Paraphraser, summarizer, grammar checker, and plagiarism checker
- Extensions for web browsers, MS Word, and Google Docs
❌ What you’ll lose:
- The outline builder and long-form drafting engine
- IEEE citation support
- The AI research paper generator and script tools
📋 How to switch:
- Copy finished drafts out of the CoWriter web app
- Sign up for QuillBot free and install the extension
- Run one draft through the paraphraser, then decide on Premium
What Our Review Didn’t Cover
This comparison focused on individual writers, students, and small content teams. We did not test either tool at department scale, and we did not evaluate the Co:Writer Universal accessibility app that shares the CoWriter name. New features shipping through early access programs were out of scope, as were long-term accuracy trends after bug fixes. If you publish at high volume or work in a regulated field, your priorities will differ from ours.
Final Verdict
| Category | Winner |
|---|---|
| 💰 Pricing | QuillBot |
| 🚀 Range of Tools | QuillBot |
| ✍️ Drafting New Content | CoWriter |
| 🎯 Editing and Accuracy | QuillBot |
| 👶 Ease of Use | QuillBot |
| 🔌 Integrations | QuillBot |
| 🎓 Academic Drafting | CoWriter |
| 🏆 Overall Winner | QuillBot |
🏆 WINNER: QUILLBOT
QuillBot wins 5 out of 7 categories.
Best for: Students polishing essays, editors tightening drafts, and anyone who wants a free writing assistant that works inside Word and the browser.
These two tools sit at opposite ends of the writing process. QuillBot improves text that already exists. CoWriter produces text that does not exist yet.
CoWriter is the better pick if your bottleneck is the blank page and you publish on tight deadlines. The outline builder and idea generation genuinely save time there.
Neither one replaces writing skills. Both AI tools hand you a draft that still needs a human read before it goes anywhere.
For most people, though, QuillBot covers more of the job for less money. QuillBot makes a useful tool at almost every editing stage, and that breadth benefits users who write daily.
Nine tools, a free tier, and a 4.2 rating against 3.8 make it the best AI writing assistant of the two.
More of QuillBot Compared
QuillBot alternatives are easy to find. Here is how three of the closest rivals stack up.
QuillBot wins on: Seven paraphrasing modes against Grammarly’s single rewrite, a cheaper premium version, and a built-in summarizer for cutting long documents.
Grammarly wins on: Sharper grammar checking on complex sentences, a stronger tone detector for professional communication, and wider app coverage across desktop and mobile.
QuillBot vs Writesonic
QuillBot wins on: A free tier with no expiry, a plagiarism checker Writesonic lacks, and translation support across 45+ languages.
Writesonic wins on: Generating marketing copy from scratch, bulk article production for content creation teams, and built-in SEO briefs.
QuillBot vs Paperpal
QuillBot wins on: Price, a broader writing toolkit beyond academia, and the ability to create citations in three common styles for free.
Paperpal wins on: Journal-specific language checks, manuscript submission readiness reports, and subject-aware edits tuned for research papers.
This video walks through several of those alternatives in more detail.
More of CoWriter Compared
CoWriter competes with a different group. These three overlap most.
CoWriter vs Jenni
CoWriter wins on: IEEE citation output, an AI script generator for video work, and custom tone presets that hold across a batch of posts.
Jenni wins on: Inline autocomplete while you type, a free daily word allowance, and citation insertion pulled from a live source library.
CoWriter vs Frase
CoWriter wins on: Academic drafting, a lower entry price, and script formats that Frase does not attempt.
Frase wins on: Search intent research baked into the brief, competitor content scoring, and a topic gap report before you draft.
CoWriter vs SciSpace
CoWriter wins on: Producing a finished draft rather than notes, tone control, and general web content beyond academia.
SciSpace wins on: Explaining dense papers line by line, a searchable literature database, and answering questions against uploaded PDFs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is QuillBot detectable by AI?
Often, yes. Detectors flag paraphrased text when sentence patterns stay predictable. Editing the output yourself lowers that risk more than any single setting does.
Is cowriter AI free?
No. A limited trial exists, but there is no permanent free plan. Paid access starts at $11.99 per month on the Pro tier.
Is QuillBot cheating?
Using it to reword a source and pass it off as yours is. Using it to tighten your own sentences is ordinary editing.
What does Cowriter do?
It generates article ideas, builds outlines, and drafts long-form content. Research papers, scripts, and web articles are its main output types.
Is it worth paying for QuillBot?
If you paraphrase daily, yes. Premium removes word caps and unlocks every mode. Occasional users get real value from the free version alone.
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