Grammarly is better for most people, because it checks grammar, spelling and tone as you type in almost every app, and its free plan is useful on its own. QuillBot is better if you mainly paraphrase, summarize or write in languages other than English, and its Premium plan costs less than Grammarly Pro. If you want clean, correct writing everywhere, choose Grammarly; if you want to reword and condense text, choose QuillBot.
Grammarly and QuillBot are two of the most popular AI writing tools, and both have free plans, browser extensions and Microsoft Word add-ins. But they started from different jobs: Grammarly is a writing assistant that corrects and polishes, while QuillBot is a paraphraser that grew into a full writing suite.
This comparison covers grammar checking, paraphrasing, plagiarism and AI detection, languages, integrations and pricing side by side, then shows which tool fits common situations, from students to marketing teams. Prices are taken from each tool’s official pricing page.
Grammarly vs QuillBot at a glance
| Grammarly | QuillBot | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Correcting and polishing writing in every app | Paraphrasing, summarizing and rewording text |
| Free plan | Grammar, spelling and tone checks, 100 AI prompts a month | Paraphrasing up to 125 words at a time in 2 modes, basic grammar |
| Paid plans from | $12/member/month (Pro, annual) | $8.33/month (Premium, annual) |
| Standout feature | Real-time suggestions almost everywhere you type | 9 paraphrasing modes, plus custom modes |
| Biggest catch | Full rewrites and plagiarism checks need Pro | Free paraphraser stops at 125 words |
| Cappy Score | 4.6/5 | 4.3/5 |
What’s the main difference between Grammarly and QuillBot?
Grammarly watches your writing as you type and suggests fixes: spelling, grammar, punctuation, clarity and tone. Its AI can also draft and rewrite text, but its core job is making what you’ve written correct and clear.
QuillBot takes text you already have and transforms it: it rewrites sentences in different styles, summarizes long passages, translates and checks grammar. Its grammar checker is solid, but its core job is rewording and condensing.
So the question isn’t which is “better” overall, but which job you do most. Many students and writers use both: Grammarly for proofreading, QuillBot for paraphrasing and summaries.
Feature-by-feature comparison
Grammar and spelling checks
Grammarly checks spelling, grammar and punctuation in real time on every plan, including Free, and explains why each change helps. Pro adds clarity, conciseness and full-sentence rewrites. QuillBot’s free plan fixes basic grammar errors, and Premium adds advanced grammar recommendations and tone insights.
Winner: Grammarly. It’s the more complete grammar tool, and its free plan does more.
Paraphrasing and rewriting
QuillBot’s paraphraser is its signature feature, with 9 modes, from Formal and Academic to Shorten and Creative, plus unlimited custom modes on Premium. You can lock words you want to keep, compare modes and adjust how many synonyms it uses. Free users can paraphrase 125 words at a time in 2 modes.
Grammarly Pro rewrites unclear sentences in one click and adjusts tone, and its AI prompts can rephrase a paragraph. But it doesn’t offer QuillBot’s range of modes and controls.
Winner: QuillBot, clearly.
Summarizing
QuillBot’s summarizer condenses text into key points or paragraphs: up to 1,200 words on Free and 6,000 words on Premium. Grammarly can summarize with its AI prompts, which count toward your monthly allowance of 100 on Free or 2,000 on Pro.
Winner: QuillBot.
Plagiarism and AI detection
Both check plagiarism only on paid plans. Grammarly Pro includes plagiarism and AI-text detection. QuillBot Premium includes a plagiarism checker for up to 25,000 words a month, and its AI Detector is limited on Free and unlimited on Premium. QuillBot also has an AI Humanizer, with 3 uses on Free and unlimited on Premium.
Winner: Tie. Grammarly bundles both into Pro, while QuillBot gives free users a limited AI detector but caps plagiarism checks.
Languages
Grammarly’s suggestions are built for English. QuillBot can paraphrase in 23 languages, translate into more than 40 and check grammar in 6.
Winner: QuillBot, if you write in more than one language.
Integrations
Grammarly works in your browser, its Windows and Mac desktop apps, Microsoft Word, Google Docs, email and a mobile keyboard. QuillBot works through Chrome and Edge extensions, a macOS app, a Word add-in, Google Docs and Android and iOS keyboards.
Winner: Grammarly, for working in more apps automatically, though QuillBot covers the main places people write.
Pricing: Grammarly vs QuillBot
Grammarly Pro costs $12 per member per month billed annually ($144 a year), or $30 billed monthly. QuillBot Premium costs $8.33 a month billed annually ($99.95 a year), or $19.95 billed monthly.
| Plan | Grammarly | QuillBot |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Grammar, spelling, tone, 100 AI prompts a month | 125-word paraphrasing, 2 modes, basic grammar, 1,200-word summaries |
| Paid, annual billing | Pro $12/member/month ($144/year) | Premium $8.33/month ($99.95/year) |
| Paid, monthly billing | Pro $30/month | Premium $19.95/month |
| Teams | Pro covers up to 149 members; Enterprise custom | Team plan with a discount for 5 or more members |
| Money-back or trial | 7-day free trial of Pro | 3-day money-back guarantee for new users |
Cost for one person, billed annually: QuillBot Premium costs $99.95 a year and Grammarly Pro $144. Paying for both costs about $244 a year. On monthly billing, the gap is bigger: $239.40 a year for QuillBot against $360 for Grammarly.
Cost for a team of 5, billed annually: Grammarly Pro costs $720 a year ($12 × 5 × 12). QuillBot’s Team plan is priced on request, with a discount for 5 or more members.
QuillBot also lets you pause your Premium subscription, for example over a summer break, and you won’t be billed while it’s paused.
Free plan comparison
| Free plan | Grammarly | QuillBot |
|---|---|---|
| Grammar and spelling | Full real-time checks | Basic fixes |
| Tone | Tone detection | Not on Free |
| Paraphrasing | Through AI prompts | 125 words at a time, 2 modes |
| Summaries | Through AI prompts | Up to 1,200 words |
| AI prompts | 100 a month | Not applicable |
| AI detection | Pro only | Limited |
| Plagiarism checks | Pro only | Premium only |
For everyday proofreading, Grammarly Free is the better free plan. For paraphrasing short passages and summarizing articles, QuillBot Free gives you more.
Ease of use and setup
Both take a few minutes to set up. Install the browser extension, sign in, and suggestions appear where you write.
Grammarly works passively: it underlines issues as you type, and you click to accept. QuillBot works actively: you highlight or paste text, choose a mode and get a rewritten version. That makes Grammarly better for “always on” help and QuillBot better for deliberate editing sessions.
Privacy and security
Both process the text you write or paste, so check each tool’s privacy settings before using them with confidential client or company documents. Grammarly’s Enterprise plan adds advanced security and admin controls for larger organizations, and QuillBot’s Team plan adds data control and a user management dashboard.
For school work, check your institution’s rules on AI tools before paraphrasing or generating text.
Grammarly vs QuillBot for common situations
| Situation | Better choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Proofreading emails and documents | Grammarly | Real-time checks in every app, free |
| Rephrasing research for an essay | QuillBot | 9 paraphrasing modes and word freezing |
| Summarizing long articles | QuillBot | Up to 6,000 words on Premium |
| Writing in Spanish, French or German | QuillBot | Paraphrasing in 23 languages |
| Polishing tone for work messages | Grammarly | Tone detection and rewrites |
| A team that needs consistent writing | Grammarly | Pro covers up to 149 members with team features |
| The lowest yearly cost | QuillBot | $99.95 a year against $144 |
What each tool costs as you grow
| Situation | Grammarly | QuillBot |
|---|---|---|
| One person on the free plan | $0 | $0 |
| One person, billed annually | $144 a year | $99.95 a year |
| One person, billed monthly | $360 a year | $239.40 a year |
| A student with a verified school email, billed annually | $144 a year | $74.95 a year with QuillBot’s student discount |
| A team of 5, billed annually | $720 a year | Quote, with a discount for 5 or more members |
Paying monthly costs Grammarly users two and a half times the annual price, and QuillBot users more than twice as much. If you’ll write all year, annual billing is the biggest saving on both.
The limits people run into most
On Grammarly, the most common surprise is how much is locked behind Pro: full-sentence rewrites, plagiarism checks and most AI prompts. The 100 free AI prompts go quickly if you rely on AI to draft. Monthly Pro billing is also expensive at $30.
On QuillBot, the most common surprise is the 125-word free paraphrasing limit, which means rewriting a short paragraph at a time. Premium removes it, but plagiarism checks stay capped at 25,000 words a month.
How to get the most out of either tool
- Install the browser extension so the tool works where you already write.
- Read each suggestion before accepting it. Both tools can change your meaning.
- Use QuillBot’s Freeze Words to protect names, terms and quotes when you paraphrase.
- Set Grammarly’s goals for audience and tone, so suggestions fit what you’re writing.
- Choose annual billing once you know you’ll use the tool all year.
Which one should you try first?
Start with Grammarly Free if your main need is correct, clear writing in emails, documents and messages. Install the extension and use it for a week; most people find it useful immediately.
Start with QuillBot Free if you mainly rephrase or summarize: students working with sources, researchers, or writers who refresh existing content. If the 125-word limit gets in your way, Premium is one of the cheapest paid plans in AI writing.
Who should choose Grammarly?
- Professionals who write emails, reports and messages all day.
- Non-native English writers who want clear, confident English.
- Teams that want consistent writing across many people.
- Anyone who wants one tool that works everywhere without copying and pasting.
Who should choose QuillBot?
- Students and researchers who paraphrase and summarize sources.
- Content writers who refresh and reword existing text.
- Multilingual writers who need paraphrasing and translation beyond English.
- Budget-conscious users who want a full writing suite for under $100 a year.
Cappy’s pick
Grammarly is our pick for most people, because it improves everything you write, in almost every app, even on the free plan. QuillBot wins for paraphrasing, summarizing and writing in other languages, at a lower price.
If you can afford both, they work well together: Grammarly for proofreading as you type, and QuillBot for rewording and condensing. For more options, including Wordtune for sentence rewrites and Rytr for cheap drafts, read our guide to the best AI writing tools, or browse all AI writing tools.
Frequently asked questions
Is Grammarly better than QuillBot?
For grammar, spelling and tone, yes: Grammarly checks your writing in real time in almost every app. For paraphrasing and summarizing, QuillBot is better, with 9 modes and a 6,000-word summarizer on Premium.
Is QuillBot cheaper than Grammarly?
Yes. QuillBot Premium costs $8.33 a month billed annually ($99.95 a year), and Grammarly Pro costs $12 a month billed annually ($144 a year). On monthly billing, QuillBot costs $19.95 and Grammarly $30.
Can QuillBot replace Grammarly?
For basic grammar fixes, partly. QuillBot’s grammar checker catches common errors, but Grammarly gives more detailed, real-time suggestions on clarity and tone, and works in more apps automatically.
Which is better for students, Grammarly or QuillBot?
Many students use both: Grammarly Free for proofreading essays, and QuillBot for summarizing sources and rephrasing notes. Always follow your school’s rules on AI tools.
Do Grammarly and QuillBot check for plagiarism?
Yes, on paid plans. Grammarly Pro includes plagiarism and AI-text detection. QuillBot Premium checks up to 25,000 words a month for plagiarism and includes an unlimited AI Detector.
Can I use Grammarly and QuillBot together?
Yes. They do different jobs, so they work well side by side: QuillBot to reword or summarize, then Grammarly to polish the final text.
Does QuillBot work in other languages?
Yes. QuillBot can paraphrase in 23 languages, translate into more than 40 and check grammar in 6. Grammarly’s suggestions are built for English.
Do Grammarly and QuillBot have free trials?
Grammarly offers a 7-day free trial of Pro. QuillBot doesn’t have a trial, but new users get a 3-day money-back guarantee on Premium.