Head to head · Writing · updated Oct 15, 2026
Turnitin vs QuillBot
Turnitin scores 12 to QuillBot's 11 on public evidence for AI content detection, and they rank #1 and #2 there. Only QuillBot has a free tier. Numbers below are the same public signals the ranking uses, recomputed nightly — nothing here is sponsored.
Turnitin
The dominant academic plagiarism checker, with an AI-writing indicator built into its similarity reports.
+ Already deployed at most universities, so AI scores appear inside the workflow instructors use.
− No individual access, and its AI indicator has led to disputed accusations against students.
QuillBot
A paraphraser, grammar checker, summarizer and AI detector/humanizer popular with students.
+ The paraphraser's mode slider (fluency, formal, simple, creative) is the fastest way to rework a clumsy paragraph.
− Paraphrased text sometimes changes meaning, and its humanizer and detector are unreliable against serious detection tools.
Side by side
public evidence| Turnitin | QuillBot | |
|---|---|---|
| Evidence score / 100 | 12 | 11 |
| GitHub stars | closed source | closed source |
| Hacker News stories, 30d | 2 | 0 |
| Release-feed mentions, 30d | 0 | 0 |
| Last activity | – | – |
| Pricing | Paid · Institutional licensing only | Free tier · Premium from $4.17/mo billed annually |
| Platforms | web | web, mac, windows, ios, android, chrome-extension |
| Maker | Turnitin | QuillBot (Learneo) |
Which one?
Pick Turnitin if
- you want the stronger public evidence (12 vs 11)
Best for institution-wide academic integrity.
Pick QuillBot if
- you want a free tier to start on
- you need it on android, chrome-extension, ios
Best for paraphrasing and quick rewrites.