Bottom line: QuillBot and Grammarly solve different writing problems. QuillBot is a paraphrasing specialist — it rewrites text you already have, in multiple modes, for less money. Grammarly is an everywhere editor — it checks grammar, tone and clarity inside almost every app you type in. If your main job is rewording drafts, pick QuillBot Premium. If your main job is not making mistakes in the first place, pick Grammarly Pro.
QuillBot vs Grammarly at a glance
| Feature | QuillBot | Grammarly | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core job | Paraphrasing and rewriting existing text | Grammar, spelling, tone and clarity checking as you type | Depends on your task |
| Free plan | Paraphraser up to 100 words in 2 modes, basic grammar fixes, limited AI Detector | Basic grammar and tone detection, 100 AI prompts per month | Grammarly for everyday typing; QuillBot for quick rewrites |
| Paid price | Premium from $6.25/month billed annually ($74.96/year) on QuillBot’s upgrade page; monthly billing is higher | Pro $12/month billed annually ($144/year), or $30/month billed monthly | QuillBot is cheaper |
| Paraphrasing modes | 9 predefined modes plus unlimited custom modes on Premium | Full-sentence rewrites and tone adjustment on Pro, not a dedicated paraphraser | QuillBot |
| Plagiarism checker | Premium includes 25,000 words per month | Included in Pro, with AI-text detection | Tie |
| Works where you write | Web app, Chrome extension, Google Docs and Word integrations | Browser, desktop, mobile keyboard, Docs, Word, Outlook and 500,000+ apps and sites | Grammarly |
| Extras | Summarizer (6,000 words on Premium), Citation Generator, AI Humanizer, AI Detector | Style guides and brand tones for teams on Pro | QuillBot for students; Grammarly for teams |
What is QuillBot best at?
QuillBot started as a paraphrasing tool and that is still its centre of gravity. Paste in a paragraph and it returns reworded versions in modes such as Standard, Fluency, Formal, Simple, Creative and Shorten, with a Synonym Slider that controls how much changes. Premium removes the word limit, unlocks all modes plus custom modes, and adds Compare Modes so you can judge versions side by side.
Around that core sit genuinely useful student tools: a Summarizer, a Citation Generator covering more than 1,000 styles, a Plagiarism Checker and an AI Detector. Its grammar checker is competent, but it is not the reason you buy QuillBot.
What is Grammarly best at?
Grammarly’s strength is presence. It sits inside your email, your documents, your browser and your phone keyboard, quietly fixing spelling, grammar and punctuation and flagging tone before you hit send. The free plan already covers basic checks and tone detection, which is why so many people never pay.
Pro adds the things professionals actually feel: full-sentence rewrites, tone adjustment, fluency suggestions, plagiarism and AI-text detection, and 2,000 generative AI prompts per member per month, up from 100 on Free. For teams of up to 149 seats it adds a shared style guide and brand tone.
How do the free plans compare?
Both free plans are real, not demos, but they ration different things. QuillBot Free caps the Paraphraser at short passages and two modes, so it suits occasional rewording of a paragraph or two. Grammarly Free has no word cap on basic checking — it will proofread everything you type — but limits AI generation to 100 prompts a month. If you write all day and rarely paraphrase, Grammarly Free goes further. If you rewrite more than you proofread, QuillBot’s limits will bite sooner.
Which should you pick?
Pick QuillBot Premium if you are a student or writer whose core task is rephrasing, summarising and citing sources, and you want the lowest price: annual Premium costs about half of Grammarly Pro’s annual price.
Pick Grammarly Pro if you write across many apps at work, English polish matters more than paraphrasing, or your team needs one shared style and tone. Pay annually — at $30, monthly billing costs two and a half times the annual rate.
Pick neither yet if a general AI assistant already covers your light editing. Both tools earn their subscription only when you use their speciality every week.
Frequently asked questions
Is QuillBot better than Grammarly for paraphrasing?
Yes. Paraphrasing is QuillBot’s core product, with dedicated modes, a synonym slider and unlimited length on Premium. Grammarly rewrites sentences for clarity and tone, but it is not built as a paraphraser.
Can Grammarly detect plagiarism and AI text?
Yes, on the Pro plan. Grammarly Pro includes plagiarism detection and AI-text detection. QuillBot Premium also includes a plagiarism checker (25,000 words per month) and full AI Detector access.
Which is cheaper, QuillBot or Grammarly?
QuillBot. Premium starts at $6.25 per month billed annually on QuillBot’s upgrade page, while Grammarly Pro is $12 per month billed annually. Always confirm the live price at checkout, as promotions change.
Do I need both QuillBot and Grammarly?
For most people, no. Students who paraphrase daily sometimes pair QuillBot Premium with Grammarly’s free plan, which covers everyday proofreading at no cost.