Best AI Writing Tools of 2026
Ten AI writing tools ranked for the job each does best, with every plan price, free limit and rating checked against the vendor's own pages in October 2026.
By , research by the BestBots team ยท Updated Oct 18, 2026
Fact checked against each company's published pricing, documentation and verified user ratings. How we score
Grammarly is the best AI writing tool for most people: it checks writing in every app, has a free plan in 23 languages, and Pro costs $12 per month on annual billing. Claude Pro ($20) is better for drafting long documents, QuillBot ($8.33) is the best value for students, and Jasper is the pick for marketing teams.
Our top picks
How to choose
"AI writing tool" covers four different products. Decide which one you need before comparing prices.
- Checkers and assistants fix and improve what you write, in the apps you write in. Grammarly, QuillBot and Wordtune.
- General AI assistants draft, rewrite and edit anything from a prompt. Claude and ChatGPT.
- Marketing platforms generate on brand content for teams, with brand voices, agents and workflows. Jasper and Copy.ai.
- Specialists solve one job: Surfer and Writesonic for search, Sudowrite for fiction.
Then check four things on the pricing page:
- The real monthly price. Many headline prices are annual. Grammarly Pro is $12 annually but $30 monthly; QuillBot is $8.33 annually but $19.95 monthly.
- The limit that binds. Prompts (Grammarly), word caps (QuillBot Free), articles (Writesonic), documents (Surfer), credits (Sudowrite, Copy.ai workflows) or brand voices (Jasper).
- Plagiarism and AI detection. Included on Grammarly Pro, QuillBot Premium and Surfer; extra on Jasper; absent from Claude and ChatGPT.
- Data use. Whether your text can train models, and whether you can opt out.
Our picks, in detail
- Starting price
- $30 per month
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- Free Pro trial, length shown at checkout
- Plagiarism checker
- Pro and up, against 16 billion+ web pages and ProQuest academic papers
Grammarly works inside email, docs and browsers, checks spelling and grammar in 23 languages on a free plan, and Pro adds 2,000 AI prompts, rewrites, tone controls and plagiarism checks for $12 per month on annual billing. It publishes SOC 2, ISO 42001, HIPAA and FedRAMP, so it clears IT review.
Pros
- Free plan covers spelling and grammar in 23 languages
- Pro drops to $12 per month on annual billing
- Plagiarism check against 16 billion+ web pages and ProQuest papers
- SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 27001, ISO 42001, HIPAA and FedRAMP listed
- Opt out of model training in account settings
Cons
- $30 per month on monthly billing, 2.5x the annual rate
- Free plan has no plagiarism check and only 100 AI prompts
- Trustpilot score of 3.1 with recurring billing and pop up complaints
- Paragraph rewrites limited to 6 languages
Skip it if you only want drafts generated from scratch, or will pay monthly, where Pro is $30.
- Starting price
- $20 per month
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- None listed
- Plagiarism checker
- Not published
Claude Pro at $20 per month ($17 annually) handles up to 1M tokens of context depending on model, so a full report, transcript or manuscript fits in one conversation. Projects hold your style guide and examples, and the free plan includes Sonnet and Haiku.
Pros
- Claude Code included on Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise with one shared usage pool
- Context window up to 1M tokens depending on model
- Max plans add $100 to $200 per month in API credits
- Enterprise list price is published ($20 per seat plus usage), unlike most rivals
Cons
- No fixed message counts: limits reset on 5 hour windows with weekly caps on paid plans
- Top Fable model is only partly included, even on Max
- No image or video generator listed on the pricing page
Skip it if you need inline suggestions while you type in other apps, or image generation.
- Starting price
- $8 per month
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- None listed
- Plagiarism checker
- Not published
ChatGPT Free gives unlimited everyday text chats, so drafting, rewriting and proofreading cost nothing for most people. Go is $8 per month and Plus $20 with GPT-6, image creation on every plan and the widest set of tools.
Pros
- Widest feature set in one app: chat, images, voice, Work agent, Codex and connectors
- Five consumer price points from $0 to $500 per month, so you can pay for exactly the usage you need
- Business seats at $20 per month annually undercut most rivals' team plans
- Largest review base in the category: 4.8 on the App Store from over 11 million ratings
Cons
- Go plan at $8 carries ads and stays on the smaller GPT-5.6 Luna model
- GPT-6 Pro is capped by weekly allowances even on Pro, per OpenAI's help center
- Plan and model naming (Sol, Luna, Terra, Astra) is hard to follow
Skip it if you need plagiarism checks or a shared brand voice across a team.
- Starting price
- $19.95 per month
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- None listed
- Plagiarism checker
- Premium, 25,000 words per month in 100+ languages; more words can be bought
QuillBot Premium is $8.33 per month on annual billing and bundles a 9 mode paraphraser, 6,000 word summarizer, AI detector, humanizer and 25,000 plagiarism words a month. It has the best Trustpilot score in the category: 4.8 from 14,537 reviews.
Pros
- $8.33 per month on annual billing, the cheapest full toolkit here
- 25,000 plagiarism words per month included
- 9 paraphrase modes plus unlimited custom modes
- 4.8 on Trustpilot from 14,537 reviews
- Pause your subscription instead of cancelling
Cons
- Free plan caps paraphrasing and humanizing at 100 words
- Monthly billing costs 2.4x the annual rate
- Grammar checks cover only 6 languages
- Security certifications not published on pages we could open
Skip it if you write in languages beyond the 6 its grammar checker covers or need brand voice controls.
- Starting price
- $69 per seat per month
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- 7 days
- Plagiarism checker
- Copyscape add-on, price not listed
Jasper puts Brand Voice, Knowledge and Audiences behind every draft, ships 100+ marketing agents and lists no word cap, for $59 per seat billed annually. It states SOC 2 and that customer data never trains third party models.
Pros
- Brand Voices, Knowledge and Audiences apply to every draft
- 100+ prebuilt marketing agents, plus a no code agent builder on Business
- No word cap listed on Pro
- SOC 2 and a stated policy that customer data never trains third party models
Cons
- No free plan; $69 per seat monthly is the highest entry price here
- Only 2 brand voices on Pro, and extra seats require Business
- Plagiarism checks cost extra through Copyscape
- Trustpilot 3.3 with complaints about cancellations and renewals
Skip it if you write alone; at $69 per seat monthly with no free plan, a $20 assistant does most of the same drafting.
- Starting price
- $10 per month
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- Free trial, no card
- Plagiarism checker
- Not listed
Sudowrite is built for novelists, with Write, Rewrite, Describe and Expand tools, style matching, series continuity and its own Muse and Ballad models, from $10 per month for 225,000 credits. Professional at $22 adds developmental edits and beta reads.
Pros
- Built for fiction, with scene level tools
- Professional plan adds developmental edits, line edits and beta reads
- Max credits roll over for 12 months
- Free trial with no card
Cons
- Little value for business or SEO writing
- Credits per action are not published
- Trustpilot 3.0 from only 33 reviews, with billing complaints
Skip it if for business, marketing or SEO writing.
- Starting price
- $49 per month billed annually
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- None listed
- Plagiarism checker
- Yes, on every content plan
Surfer scores drafts against live search results and includes a plagiarism check, AI detector, humanizer and Custom Voices on every content plan, from $49 per month billed annually for 120 documents. Higher plans add AI answer tracking.
Pros
- Content score against live search results
- Plagiarism check, AI detector and humanizer on every content plan
- Brand Knowledge and Custom Voices included
- Parent company Positive is ISO 27001 certified and hosts in Europe
Cons
- Priced for SEO teams; $49 per month is the floor on annual billing
- Monthly rates are not printed on the pricing page
- Trustpilot complaints about price rises and expiring AI credits
Skip it if search traffic is not your goal; you pay for SEO tools you will not use.
- Starting price
- $99 per month
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- 7 days, no card
- Plagiarism checker
- Not listed on the pricing page
Writesonic tracks how ChatGPT, Gemini and Google AI Overviews mention your brand and includes 15 AI articles and 10 site audits a month on Starter, $79 billed annually, with a 7 day no card trial.
Pros
- AI visibility tracking across ChatGPT, Gemini and Google AI Overviews on every plan
- 15 to 50 AI articles a month included
- 7 day trial with no card
- SOC 2 Type II and HIPAA on Enterprise
Cons
- $99 per month entry price, far above writing only tools
- Only 1 user on Starter; extra users $50 each
- Claude, Perplexity and Copilot tracking only on Enterprise
- Few recent Trustpilot reviews, and some billing after cancellation complaints
Skip it if you just need a writer; $99 monthly is a lot for drafts alone.
- Starting price
- $29 per month
- Free plan
- No
- Free trial
- None listed
- Plagiarism checker
- Not listed
Copy.ai's Chat plan is $29 per month for 5 seats, with unlimited words and models from OpenAI, Anthropic and Gemini, which works out to $5.80 per person.
Pros
- $29 Chat plan covers 5 seats with unlimited words
- Models from OpenAI, Anthropic and Gemini in one plan
- Brand Voice and Infobase for company context
- SOC 2 and GDPR badges, SSO available
Cons
- Workflow plans jump from $29 to $1,000 per month, billed annually
- Credit cost per workflow run is not published
- Trustpilot 1.8 from 196 reviews, with support and cancellation complaints
- No plagiarism checker listed, and annual plans cannot be switched back to monthly
Skip it if support matters; Copy.ai scores 1.8 on Trustpilot, and workflow plans start at $1,000 per month.
- Starting price
- $6.99 per month
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- 3 days on paid plans
- Plagiarism checker
- Not listed
Wordtune rewrites your own sentences to be clearer, shorter or more formal, with unlimited rewrites for $9.99 per month or $6.99 annually and free unlimited grammar checks.
Pros
- Unlimited rewrites for $9.99, or $6.99 annually
- Free grammar and spelling checks with no cap
- 30% off for students and educators
Cons
- No plagiarism checker or brand voice
- Not a long form generator
- Trustpilot reports of iOS feature outages
Skip it if you need long form generation, plagiarism checks or brand voice.
What it costs
| Tool | Free plan | Entry price, monthly | Entry price, annual (per month) | What the entry plan limits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grammarly | Yes | $30 | $12 | 2,000 AI prompts per member |
| Claude | Yes | $20 | $17 | Session and weekly usage limits |
| ChatGPT | Yes | $8 (Go), $20 (Plus) | Not listed | Model and tool limits |
| QuillBot | Yes | $19.95 | $8.33 | 25,000 plagiarism words, 6,000 word summaries |
| Jasper | No, 7 day trial | $69 per seat | $59 per seat | 2 Brand Voices, 1 seat |
| Sudowrite | No, free trial | $10 | Up to 50% off, amounts not listed | 225,000 credits |
| Surfer | Not listed | Not printed | $49 | 120 documents |
| Writesonic | No, 7 day trial | $99 | $79 | 15 articles, 1 user |
| Copy.ai | No | $29 for 5 seats | $24 | Chat only, no workflow credits listed |
| Wordtune | Yes | $6.99 | $4.89 | 30 rewrites per day |
The spread is wide. A student can get a full toolkit for $99.95 a year with QuillBot. A writer who wants a general assistant pays $20 per month. A marketing team pays $59 to $79 per seat or plan per month before add ons. All prices are from each vendor's pricing page in October 2026; see every tool side by side in the Price Index.
Assistants vs marketing platforms
The most common buying mistake is paying for a marketing platform when a general assistant would do, or the reverse.
Pick a general assistant (Claude, ChatGPT) when you are one writer, your content varies, and you can keep a brand guide and examples in a project. At $20 per month you get the vendors' newest models directly, long context and broad tools.
Pick a marketing platform (Jasper, Copy.ai) when several people write under one brand and you need the voice enforced without manual review, prebuilt workflows for repeated jobs, and admin controls. Jasper's Brand Voice, Knowledge and Audiences, or Copy.ai's Brand Voice and Infobase, do this. Expect $59 per seat (Jasper Pro, annual) or a five figure workflow contract (Copy.ai Growth at $12,000 a year).
Pick a checker (Grammarly, QuillBot, Wordtune) when the words are yours and you want them cleaner. These tools do not replace drafting; they make every email and doc better.
Company changes to know
- Grammarly is now Superhuman. Grammarly announced it would acquire the Superhuman email app on June 30, 2025, renamed the company Superhuman on November 5, 2025, and agreed to acquire GPTZero, the AI detection company, on June 23, 2026. The writing product keeps the Grammarly name and is also bundled in Superhuman plans from $12 per member annually.
- Writesonic became a GEO platform. It now sells AI search visibility tracking, with an article writer included, rather than a cheap AI writer.
- Copy.ai moved to go to market software. Its free plan was sunset, its help center is hosted by Fullcast, and plans above $29 start at $1,000 per month.
- Surfer is part of Positive, a European software group, according to its site.
- Rytr added relationship tools. Its higher plans now sell briefings, follow ups and person research alongside writing.
Red flags
- Trial auto renewals. Grammarly, Jasper, Writesonic and Sudowrite all have Trustpilot reviews about charges after a trial or cancellation. Cancel from the billing page and keep the confirmation.
- Annual only headline prices. Surfer prints annual rates; Grammarly's $12 is annual. Do the monthly math before you commit.
- Unpublished credit costs. Copy.ai and Sudowrite sell credits without publishing what a typical action costs.
- Detection and humanizer claims. No vendor here publishes independent accuracy data for AI detectors or humanizers.
- Weak support records. Copy.ai scores 1.8 on Trustpilot from 196 reviews, with reports of unanswered tickets and lost projects.
Other tools we considered
Rytr is the cheapest unlimited AI writer at $9 per month, with a 10,000 character free plan, but lists no plagiarism checker or browser extension. ProWritingAid is the best editor for long manuscripts, from $10 per month billed yearly or $399 lifetime, and appears in our best AI grammar checker guide. Gemini and Microsoft Copilot are strong if you live in Google Workspace or Microsoft 365; see best AI assistants.
How we picked
We listed the AI writing tools people search for most and grouped them by job. For each, we read the vendor's pricing page, plan limits, security or trust page and help center in October 2026, and recorded ratings and review counts from Trustpilot and the App Store. Picks are ranked by fit for the most readers on those published facts: price at the limit that binds, free plan usefulness, feature coverage, security commitments and user ratings. Scores follow our published method. We do not test with private accounts and do not rank by commission.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best AI writing tool?
Grammarly is the best overall writing assistant for most people because it works in every app, has a useful free plan and costs $12 per month on annual billing for Pro. For drafting long documents, Claude Pro at $20 is stronger. For marketing teams, Jasper.
What is the best free AI writing tool?
ChatGPT Free, with unlimited everyday text chats. Claude Free includes Sonnet and Haiku for drafting and editing. Grammarly Free covers spelling and grammar in 23 languages with 100 AI prompts a month.
Is ChatGPT better than Jasper for writing?
For a single writer, ChatGPT Plus at $20 covers most drafting Jasper does. Jasper is better for teams that need shared Brand Voices, Knowledge and Audiences, 100+ marketing agents and governance, at $59 to $69 per seat.
Which AI writing tool is best for students?
QuillBot Premium at $99.95 a year for paraphrasing, summaries, citations and 25,000 plagiarism words a month. Grammarly is better for always on grammar checks and Authorship. Check your school's AI policy before using any tool on graded work.
Which AI writer is best for SEO?
Surfer for content scored against Google results, from $49 per month billed annually. Writesonic for tracking and improving visibility in ChatGPT, Gemini and Google AI Overviews, from $79.
What is the best AI tool for writing a book?
Sudowrite for drafting fiction, from $10 per month, with style matching and series continuity. Claude Pro for long context on a full manuscript. ProWritingAid for editing book length documents.
Do AI writing tools check for plagiarism?
Some do. Grammarly Pro checks against 16 billion+ web pages and ProQuest papers, QuillBot Premium includes 25,000 words a month, and Surfer includes a plagiarism check on every content plan. Jasper offers Copyscape as a paid add on. ChatGPT and Claude do not include one.
Will AI writing tools train on my content?
It depends on the vendor and plan. Grammarly lets you opt out of training in settings, Jasper states customer data never trains third party models, and Claude and ChatGPT business plans state no training on business data by default. Check each vendor's policy before pasting confidential text.
Are AI humanizers reliable?
No vendor we checked publishes independent accuracy rates for humanizers or detectors, and results vary between detectors. Treat humanizers as rewriting aids, not a guarantee, and disclose AI use where your school or employer requires it.