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Side-by-side comparison · Writing & Translation

Hemingway Editor vs Originality.ai vs QuillBot

Everything that matters when choosing between them, in one place: our rating, what each can do, what they cost, and the trade-offs.

Best overall

Hemingway Editor

4.3

From $0

Originality.ai

4.1

From $14.95/mo

QuillBot

4.1

From $19.95/mo

Comparing 3 tools, the maximum.

At a glance

Best overall

Pick it if: Business owners, marketers and bloggers who want their website copy, emails and posts easier to read.

Pick it if: Publishers, content agencies, SEO teams and businesses that commission written content and want to check it before publishing.

Pick it if: Students, non-native English writers and anyone who wants a paragraph cleaned up or reworded in one click.

Overview

AttributeHemingway EditorOriginality.aiQuillBot
In one lineHighlights hard-to-read sentences so your writing is clear, and rewrites them with AI.Checks content for AI writing, plagiarism and factual errors before you publish it.Rewords, fixes grammar and summarises text, with an AI checker and humaniser built in.
Pricing modelFreemiumFreemiumFreemium
Starting price$0$14.95/mo$19.95/mo
Free plan Yes Yes Yes
Works with Claude Code No Yes No

Rating breakdown

Our scores out of 5. The higher bar in each row is highlighted.

AttributeHemingway EditorOriginality.aiQuillBot
Overall rating4.3Winner4.14.1
Ease of useHow quickly someone non-technical gets value from it.
5.0
4.0
5.0
FeaturesHow completely it covers its own job, and how well the pieces fit together.
4.0
4.5
4.0
Output qualityHow good the results are before you fix them.
4.0
3.5
3.5
Value for moneyWhat you get for the price, including the free plan.
4.0
4.0
4.0
Speed & reliabilityHow fast it is and how often it falls over.
4.5
4.5
4.0

Feature comparison

A tick means it does this today. A dash means we haven't checked.

AttributeHemingway EditorOriginality.aiQuillBot
Access & platform
Free plan Yes Yes Yes
Mobile app No– Yes
Desktop app–– Yes
Browser extension No Yes Yes
API access No Yes No
Teams & business
Team workspace Yes Yes Yes
Enterprise plan or SSO Yes Yes–
Connects to other apps No Yes Yes
Open source or self-hosted No No No
AI abilities
Works with your files– Yes Yes
Understands images–– No
Makes images No No–
Makes video No No No
Writes code No No No
Runs agents or automations No No No
Learns your brand or style Yes– Yes
Works in many languages–– Yes
Capabilities score4/ 177/ 179/ 17

Pricing

Plans as listed on each vendor's site when we last checked. Confirm before you buy.

AttributeHemingway EditorOriginality.aiQuillBot
Plans

Free

$0

Checking how readable your writing is.

Free

Free

Checking the odd article.

Free

Free

Odd sentences and quick grammar checks.

Individual 5K

$100/yr ($8.33/mo)

Occasional AI help.

ProOur pick

$14.95/mo, or $12.95/mo billed yearly

Agencies and site owners checking content every week.

PremiumOur pick

$19.95/mo, or $99.95/yr ($8.33/mo)

Anyone rewording or checking text most weeks.

Individual 10KOur pick

$150/yr ($12.50/mo)

Writers editing most days.

Enterprise

$179/mo, or $136.58/mo billed yearly

Publishers and large content teams.

Team

Per seat, billed yearly

Schools and companies buying for a group.

Team 10K

$150/user/yr ($12.50/user/mo)

Teams of up to 50.

Enterprise

Custom

Large organisations.

Which plan to pickUse the free editor first. If you want the fixes done for you, try Editor Plus free for two weeks. Individual 10K is the best value if you write most days. Monthly billing is available but costs more than yearly.Pro is enough for most agencies and site owners. An AI and plagiarism check together uses two credits per 100 words, so budget about 100,000 words of checked content a month. Go Enterprise only if you need the API or very high volume.Stay on Free if you only reword the odd sentence. If you use it every week, the yearly Premium plan is far cheaper than paying monthly, but set a reminder before it renews because refunds after renewal are hard to get.

Key features

AttributeHemingway EditorOriginality.aiQuillBot
Standout features
  • Readability highlights
  • Reading grade level
  • AI sentence rewrites
  • Tone, length and style
  • Style guide
  • AI detection
  • Plagiarism checker
  • Fact checker
  • Bulk and site scans
  • Writing replay
  • API
  • Paraphraser
  • Grammar checker
  • Summariser
  • AI detector and humaniser
  • Plagiarism checker and citations
  • Works where you write

Pros and cons

AttributeHemingway EditorOriginality.aiQuillBot
Pros
  • Shows readability problems at a glance
  • Free web editor with no sign-up
  • Teaches you to write more clearly over time
  • AI rewrites are one click on Editor Plus
  • Cheap next to most writing tools
  • AI, plagiarism, facts and readability in one scan
  • Cheap for the volume on Pro
  • Bulk and whole-site scanning
  • Writing replay gives honest writers a way to prove their work
  • API for content teams
  • No learning curve: paste, pick a mode, click
  • Yearly Premium is cheap next to Grammarly or a chat assistant
  • Many rewrite styles, including ones you define yourself
  • Grammar, summaries, citations and plagiarism checks in one subscription
  • Works inside Chrome and Word so you stay in your document
Cons
  • Free version highlights but doesn't fix anything
  • Can push all writing towards the same short, flat style
  • AI plans are mainly sold yearly
  • Editor Plus caps AI rewrites each month
  • False positives are a recurring complaint, and independent tests find more than the vendor claims
  • Monthly credits expire if you don't use them
  • API is only on the expensive Enterprise plan
  • A score can sour a client or writer relationship if treated as proof
  • Free plan caps paraphrasing at 125 words per go and hides most modes
  • Reworded text can change your meaning or read awkwardly, so every rewrite needs checking
  • AI detector and humaniser are inconsistent, and the humaniser often still gets flagged by school checkers
  • Complaints about surprise annual renewals, refused refunds and constant upgrade pop-ups on the free plan
  • Owned by Learneo (Course Hero), and some users object to its data and privacy terms

Who each one is for

AttributeHemingway EditorOriginality.aiQuillBot
Best for
  • Making website and blog copy easier to read
  • Checking a reading grade level
  • Cutting long, wordy sentences
  • Writing for a general audience
  • Checking freelance and agency content
  • AI and plagiarism checks in one scan
  • Fact-checking articles before they go live
  • Bulk scanning a website
  • Proving a writer wrote their own draft
  • Rewording a sentence or paragraph
  • Grammar and spelling fixes
  • Summarising articles and readings
  • Writing in a second language
  • Making formal writing simpler
You'll find it used by
  • Bloggers
  • Marketers
  • Small business owners
  • Copywriters
  • Students
  • Content agencies
  • Publishers
  • SEO teams
  • Marketing managers
  • Website buyers
  • Students
  • Non-native English writers
  • Academics
  • Freelance writers
  • Office staff

Questions people ask

Which is better, Hemingway Editor, Originality.ai or QuillBot?

Hemingway Editor scores highest overall in our ratings (Hemingway Editor 4.3/5, Originality.ai 4.1/5 and QuillBot 4.1/5). Hemingway Editor is best for making website and blog copy easier to read and checking a reading grade level. Originality.ai is best for checking freelance and agency content and AI and plagiarism checks in one scan. QuillBot is best for rewording a sentence or paragraph and grammar and spelling fixes.

Which is cheaper, Hemingway Editor, Originality.ai or QuillBot?

Hemingway Editor: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $0. Originality.ai: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $14.95/mo. QuillBot: There's a free plan, and paid plans start at $19.95/mo.

How we compare

Ratings are our own, from using each tool, across ease of use, features, output quality, value for money, speed & reliability.

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