Quillbot Review (2023) - Is It Useful for Writers?

Modern software has functionality that we couldn't have imagined a couple of decades ago, thanks to advances in AI technology. However, for every genuinely useful tool based on the power of AI, there’s at least one other that fails to deliver the goods. So how does AI paraphrasing and writing tool Quillbot perform and does it live up to its own hype?

This Quillbot review explores exactly what Quillbot is, how it works, and what it’s capable of. We break down how much Quillbot costs and other alternatives you should know about.

Read through this Quillbot review to discover:

1. What is Quillbot?
2. Who created Quillbot?
3. Who is Quillbot for?
4. Quillbot pros and cons
5. How much does Quillbot cost?
6. Alternatives to Quillbot
7. Quillbot review – final verdict

What is Quillbot?

Quillbot is an AI-based writing tool that has several core functionalities. Its primary purpose is as a paraphrasing tool that uses artificial intelligence to reword your writing in a number of different styles.

Let’s take a closer look at each of the main functions of Quillbot in turn.

Quillbot Paraphrasing Tool

You can either type directly into Quillbot or paste in an existing section of text. It then uses AI to reword your writing. By default, Quillbot will paraphrase your work on a straightforward basis, using different words without necessarily aiming for a different style or purpose. However, you can also specify that Quillbot should make your writing simpler or more formal depending on your needs and the purpose of your writing.

You can use Quillbot as an online tool accessible via your usual web browser. You also have the option to integrate Quillbot into Word, Google Docs, or as a Chrome extension. This allows you to access its functionality in whichever tool you happen to usually work in. 

Quillbot Grammar Checker

One of the fastest ways to ensure a reader stops focusing on the message of your writing is to use improper grammar, spelling, or punctuation. Quillbot has a free grammar and punctuation checker tool.

While there’s no doubting this tool is useful, most writers will probably already have a grammar checker solution such as Grammarly or ProWritingAid. It’s hard to imagine there are many people who hear about Quillbot without first having a grammar check solution in place.

Quillbot Plagiarism Checker

Although plagiarism checkers have the most utility in the world of academic writing, that’s by no means their only use. You might want to check that your own writing hasn’t subconsciously used material you’ve read elsewhere, for example. Or, you might have outsourced some written content, such as a blog post for your author website. In such cases, it’s a great idea to make sure the content you’re paying for is actually original.

Quillbot Summarizer

One of the most interesting features of Quillbot is its summarizer tool. Every writer knows that the quality of the research they carry out has a huge impact on their final book. This is the case for fiction and nonfiction authors alike.

For example, nonfiction authors need to be true experts in their subject matter. It’s essential to read widely to have a solid grasp of the topic at hand and understand it well enough to offer some kind of unique twist or insight on the body of knowledge currently out there.

Similarly, fiction books can live and die on the level of detail they provide. If you’re writing about a topic or location you’re not personally familiar with, it’s vital to become as familiar with it as possible in order to offer an immersive level of detail for your reader.

Quillbot is able to use AI to sift through stacks of reading material and summarize their key points and findings. This is a little bit like having a virtual research assistant to help with your work.

Who created Quillbot?

Quillbot has a very large team compared to many other author software tools out there on the market. 

By itself, this fact is neither good or bad. On the one hand, a larger team suggests a careful end product. On the other, a larger team requires more revenue in order to pay everyone.

One thing that’s reassuring about the Quillbot team, in spite of its large size, is the type of people hired by the organization. Research scientists and linguists make up some of the people working on Quillbot, suggesting it's a tool that will benefit from the input of experts.

Who is Quillbot for?

Although Quillbot is an interesting tool that uses AI in an innovative way, we don’t necessarily see it as being ideally suited to the needs of self-published authors. Think about your own writing process and how often you need to have AI paraphrase your work when writing. 

However, that’s not to say that Quillbot is entirely useless for indie authors. We can think of two primary reasons why you might want to check out Quillbot if you’re writing and publishing your own books:

1. If you regularly feel the need to rewrite your work, either simplifying it or making it more formal, Quillbot might save you time over having to do this manually. 
2. If you need to digest large amounts of research, but don’t want to sift through everything manually, the Quillbot summarizer tool might play a helpful role in your process. 

Ultimately, we feel most self-published authors would find better value by investing in a tool such as Grammarly or ProWritingAid, not to mention a dedicated writing environment like Scrivener. However, if you’ve tried those options and still find Quillbot has something different to offer, give it a go and see if it plays a valuable part in your process. 

Quillbot review – Pros and cons

Now that we’ve explored the functionality behind Quillbot, let’s summarize its key pros and cons from the point of view of an independent author. 

Pros

1. Creative use of AI
2. Summarizer tool useful for research
3. Option to try the tool for free before investing

Cons

1. Writers likely to already have a grammar tool
2. Limited use for the paraphrasing capability
3. Expensive and no one-off cost option

How much does Quillbot cost?

If you like the sound of what Quillbot has to offer and feel it has a role to play in your writing process, it’s available as both a free and paid offering. Here are the differences as well as how much the paid version of Quillbot costs.

The free version of Quillbot allows you to paraphrase up to 125 words, and limits the paraphrasing styles available. You can summarize up to 1200 words of research.

The paid version of Quillbot allows you to paraphrase text of unlimited length. The summarizer tool has a 6000 word limit. You also unlock different paraphrasing styles as well as access to the plagiarism checker. 

If you want to invest in Quillbot, the tool is only available on a subscription basis. You have the following three options:

1. Monthly Quillbot subscription for $19.95 a month
2. 6 month Quillbot subscription for $79.95 every 6 months
3. Annual Quillbot subscription for $99.95

Overall, we honestly feel that the Quillbot subscription cost is expensive and not justified by the functionality on offer. If more benefits for authors are added, perhaps the cost would be more justified.

Alternatives to Quillbot

So what else is out there offering similar functions to Quillbot?

Regarding Quillbot’s paraphrasing capabilities, we will almost always advocate for manual paraphrasing. It’s essential to retain your voice and unique style as a writer. If you let AI do the work for you, is it still truly your writing?

We also highly recommend using a tool like Grammarly or ProWritingAid. It can help you rewrite your work according to a more formal or straightforward style. The free versions are arguably better than Quillbot. 

Quillbot review – what's the final verdict?

Overall, we award Quillbot 3.2 stars. 

We feel that the free version of the tool is interesting and a nice use of AI. 

However, we feel the paid version does not represent the best value for money, and authors are better off looking at options such as Grammarly or ProWritingAid. 

Do you have experience using Quillbot? How do you feel it stacks up against the other options out there? Please take a moment to share your thoughts in the comments!