An AI writing tool is software that helps you write, fix or rewrite text with AI, from catching grammar mistakes to drafting a whole email or ad. The best AI writing tool for most people is Grammarly, because its free plan checks grammar, spelling and tone in almost every app you write in, and Pro adds full rewrites for $12 a month.
The right pick depends on what you write. Some tools polish your own words, some rephrase and summarize, and some draft new content from a prompt. This guide compares five tools on pricing, free plans and what each one actually does best.
How we chose these tools
We researched each tool’s official pricing page, help center and feature pages, plus user feedback on review sites. We compared them on:
- Free plan or trial: what you can do without paying, and where it stops.
- Pricing: the real cost on annual and monthly billing.
- Main job: correcting, rephrasing, rewriting or generating new content.
- Where it works: browser, Google Docs, Microsoft Word, email and mobile.
- Limits: AI prompts, daily rewrites, word caps and characters.
What to look for in an AI writing tool
Most “AI writing tools” do quite different jobs, so start with the job you need done.
Fixing vs writing. Grammarly and Wordtune improve text you’ve already written. Jasper and Rytr write new drafts from a prompt. QuillBot sits in between, rewording and summarizing existing text.
Free plan limits. Every free plan stops somewhere: 100 AI prompts a month on Grammarly, 125 words at a time on QuillBot, 10 rewrites a day on Wordtune and 10,000 characters a month on Rytr. Jasper has no free plan.
Where you write. A tool only helps if it works where you type. Grammarly, QuillBot and Wordtune all work in the browser, Google Docs and Microsoft Word.
Annual vs monthly billing. Annual plans are often less than half the monthly price. Grammarly Pro costs $12 a month billed annually but $30 billed monthly.
Language. If you write in languages other than English, check first. Wordtune’s rewrites are English-only, while Jasper supports more than 30 languages.
The best AI writing tools at a glance
| Tool | Best for | Free plan | Paid plans from | Cappy Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grammarly (Cappy’s Pick) | Best overall | Grammar checks, 100 AI prompts a month | $12/member/month (annual) | 4.6/5 |
| QuillBot | Paraphrasing and summarizing | 125 words at a time, 2 modes | $8.33/month (annual) | 4.3/5 |
| Wordtune | Rewriting your own sentences | 10 rewrites a day | $4.89/month (annual) | 4.0/5 |
| Jasper | Marketing teams | No, 7-day trial | $59/seat/month (annual) | 4.0/5 |
| Rytr | Short-form copy on a budget | 10,000 characters a month | $7.50/month (annual) | 3.9/5 |
1. Grammarly: best AI writing tool overall
Grammarly checks spelling, grammar, punctuation and tone as you type, in your browser, email, documents and apps. The same suggestions follow you almost everywhere you write, from Gmail to Google Docs to Microsoft Word.
Pro adds one-click full-sentence rewrites, plagiarism and AI-text detection, and 2,000 AI prompts a month instead of 100. It covers individuals and teams of up to 149 people on the same plan.
Key features: real-time grammar and tone checks, full-sentence rewrites on Pro, works in almost every app.
Best for: students, professionals and non-native English writers who want clear, error-free text everywhere.
Where it falls short: full rewrites and plagiarism checks need Pro, and monthly Pro billing costs two and a half times the annual price.
Pricing: Free plan; Pro $12/member/month (annual) or $30 monthly; Enterprise custom.
2. QuillBot: best for paraphrasing and summarizing
QuillBot is best known for its paraphraser, which rewrites sentences and paragraphs in 9 modes, from Formal to Shorten to Creative. One subscription also includes a grammar checker, summarizer, translator, citation generator, AI detector and humanizer.
Premium removes the paraphrasing limits, unlocks every mode and adds a plagiarism checker. It’s especially popular with students and researchers who rephrase and condense a lot of text.
Key features: 9 paraphrasing modes, summarizer, plagiarism checker on Premium.
Best for: students, researchers and writers who rephrase and summarize long text.
Where it falls short: the free paraphraser stops at 125 words at a time in just 2 modes, which gets tedious for longer documents.
Pricing: Free plan; Premium $8.33/month billed annually ($99.95/year), or $19.95 monthly.
3. Wordtune: best for rewriting your own sentences
Wordtune focuses on rewriting. Highlight a sentence and it suggests alternative versions that are more casual, more formal, shorter or longer. It also summarizes long articles and fixes spelling and grammar.
It works as a browser extension in Google Docs, Gmail and most websites, plus a Microsoft Word add-in. It’s built for polishing what you’ve already written rather than drafting from scratch.
Key features: sentence rewrites by tone and length, summaries, unlimited spelling and grammar fixes on every plan.
Best for: professionals and non-native English writers who want natural-sounding rewrites.
Where it falls short: the 10 free rewrites a day go quickly, and rewrites are English-only.
Pricing: Free plan; Advanced $4.89/month and Unlimited $6.99/month billed annually, or $9.79 and $13.99 monthly.
4. Jasper: best for marketing teams
Jasper is an AI content platform built for marketing. It writes blog posts, ads, emails, social posts and landing page copy using your brand voice and company knowledge, so the output sounds like your brand rather than generic AI.
You can teach it your brand voice, upload product details as knowledge assets and define audiences. Its AI agents handle common marketing workflows, and it creates content in more than 30 languages.
Key features: brand voices, knowledge assets, marketing agents, 30+ languages.
Best for: marketing teams and agencies producing on-brand content at scale.
Where it falls short: there’s no free plan, Pro includes one seat, and it costs far more than general writing tools.
Pricing: Pro $59/seat/month (annual) or $69 monthly, with a 7-day free trial; Business custom, with a 12-month minimum.
5. Rytr: best for short-form copy on a budget
Rytr writes short-form drafts in seconds. Pick a use case, such as an email, product description, social post or ad, choose from 20+ tones, and it writes a first version.
Its free plan never expires, and the paid Lite plan removes the character limit for $7.50 a month. In late October 2026, Rytr renamed its plans and added Personal and Pro tiers with new Engage features.
Key features: 40+ use cases, 20+ tones, unlimited characters on paid plans, Chrome extension.
Best for: freelancers, small businesses and social media managers who need quick, cheap drafts.
Where it falls short: it’s built for short content, and long articles need heavy editing.
Pricing: Free plan; Lite $7.50/month, Personal $15/month, Pro $39/month (annual). Monthly billing costs $9, $19 and $49.
Feature comparison
| Tool | Main job | Free plan limit | Works in Google Docs and Word |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grammarly | Correcting and polishing | 100 AI prompts a month | Yes |
| QuillBot | Paraphrasing and summarizing | 125 words at a time | Yes |
| Wordtune | Rewriting sentences | 10 rewrites a day | Yes |
| Jasper | Writing marketing content | No free plan | Google Docs, through its browser extension |
| Rytr | Writing short-form drafts | 10,000 characters a month | Google Docs, through its Chrome extension |
What the free plans really give you
Free plans are the easiest way to test these tools, but they stop at very different points.
| Tool | What you get free | Roughly enough for |
|---|---|---|
| Grammarly | Unlimited grammar, spelling and tone checks, plus 100 AI prompts a month | Everyday proofreading for most people |
| QuillBot | Paraphrasing 125 words at a time in 2 modes, summaries up to 1,200 words | A few short paragraphs at a time |
| Wordtune | 10 rewrites a day, 3 summaries a month, unlimited grammar fixes | Polishing a few emails a day |
| Rytr | 10,000 characters a month | About 1,500 to 2,000 words of drafts |
| Jasper | No free plan, a 7-day trial of Pro | Testing it on one real campaign |
If proofreading is all you need, Grammarly Free may be the only writing tool you ever use.
What each tool costs for one person for a year
Here’s the yearly cost of each tool’s cheapest paid plan for one person, billed annually.
| Tool | Plan | Cost per year |
|---|---|---|
| Wordtune | Advanced | about $59 |
| Rytr | Lite | $90 |
| QuillBot | Premium | $99.95 |
| Grammarly | Pro | $144 |
| Jasper | Pro | $708 |
Four of the five cost less than $150 a year. Jasper costs about five times more than Grammarly Pro, which only pays off if you produce marketing content every day.
The best AI writing tool for your type of work
Students. You need clean essays and help with research. Grammarly Free catches mistakes in every assignment, and QuillBot helps you summarize sources and rephrase notes. Always follow your school’s rules on AI use.
Professionals. Emails, reports and messages should sound clear and confident. Grammarly covers most of this on its free plan, and Pro adds full rewrites when a sentence just isn’t working.
Non-native English writers. You want your writing to sound natural. Wordtune suggests several rewrites for each sentence, and Grammarly flags tone and fluency issues as you type.
Marketing teams. Campaigns need many pieces in one brand voice. Jasper is built for exactly this, with brand voices, knowledge assets and audiences.
Freelancers and small businesses. You need product descriptions, ads and emails fast and cheap. Rytr Lite gives you unlimited drafts for $7.50 a month.
Bloggers and content writers. Draft with a general AI tool, then polish with Grammarly and reword awkward passages with QuillBot or Wordtune.
Which AI writing tool should you choose?
- Best overall → Grammarly
- Paraphrasing and summarizing → QuillBot
- Rewriting your own sentences → Wordtune
- Marketing content in a brand voice → Jasper
- Cheapest unlimited drafts → Rytr
To compare every tool side by side, browse all AI writing tools.
How to get started with an AI writing tool
- Decide on the job. Fixing, rephrasing or drafting new content each point to a different tool.
- Start on a free plan or trial. Four of the five have a free plan, and Jasper has a 7-day trial.
- Install the browser extension so the tool works where you already write.
- Use it on real work for a week. See how often you hit the free limits before you pay.
- Upgrade only when you hit a limit, and choose annual billing if you’ll use it all year.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Accepting every suggestion. AI tools can change your meaning or flatten your voice. Read each change before you accept it.
- Publishing AI drafts as is. Generated text can include wrong facts and generic phrasing. Check the facts and rewrite in your own words.
- Pasting confidential text. Check each tool’s privacy settings before you paste client or company documents.
- Paying monthly by default. Monthly billing costs up to two and a half times the annual price on several of these tools.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free AI writing tool?
Grammarly, for most people. Its free plan checks grammar, spelling and tone everywhere you write and includes 100 AI prompts a month. QuillBot Free is better if you mainly paraphrase short passages.
What is the cheapest AI writing tool?
Wordtune Advanced is the cheapest paid plan here, at about $4.89 a month billed annually. Rytr Lite follows at $7.50 a month, with unlimited characters.
Is Grammarly better than QuillBot?
They do different jobs. Grammarly is better for correcting and polishing your writing in every app, while QuillBot is better for paraphrasing and summarizing. Many students use both.
Which AI writing tool is best for students?
Grammarly Free for proofreading, plus QuillBot for summarizing sources and rephrasing notes. QuillBot also offers a student discount on Premium.
Can AI writing tools write a whole article?
Jasper and Rytr can draft one, but Rytr is built for short content and long drafts need heavy editing. For long articles, a general assistant like ChatGPT is often a better starting point, followed by Grammarly for polishing.
Do AI writing tools work in Google Docs and Microsoft Word?
Grammarly, QuillBot and Wordtune all work in Google Docs and Microsoft Word. Rytr works in Google Docs through its Chrome extension.
Does Rytr have a free trial?
Rytr has no time-limited trial. Its free plan works as one: 10,000 characters a month, no card needed, and it doesn’t expire.
Is AI-written text detectable?
Sometimes. AI detectors are often unreliable, but heavily AI-written text can read as generic. Editing drafts in your own words makes them both better and more personal.