QuillBot Review 2023 – How Good Is It?

QuillBot is an all-in-one AI writing tool that combines different editing features to help users create clear and concise sentences.

Its most popular feature is the Paraphraser that can rephrase any text in a variety of ways. Effectively, it is a full-sentence thesaurus.

It’s been around since 2017, amassing over 50 million users worldwide since then.

QuillBot is primarily web-based, but it is also available as an extension on Microsoft Word, Google Chrome, and Google Docs.

But is it worth the hype? In this article, we will review QuillBot. We will discuss its features, how effective they are, the best alternatives, and everything else worth knowing.

Ready? Let’s get to it.

How to Install QuillBot

QuillBot is available via web browsers, so you don’t have to install anything.

However, if you do most of your writing on MS Word or Google Docs, you can install extensions (addons). That way, you never have to shuffle between tabs and programs.

Installing on Microsoft Word

There is no system requirement to install the QuillBot addon on MS Word other than that your software has to be a licensed version.

It is also compatible with version 16.0.11629 and higher and works with World Online.

The installation process is pretty easy. To install QuillBot on MS Word,

1. Make sure you are signed into Word
2. Go to the Insert tab and select Add-ins
3. Select the Office Store button
4. Search for QuillBot and select the Add button
5. Return to Insert and select QuillBot under My Add-ins
6. Finally, launch QuillBot from the newly created tab and enter your login details.

That might seem like a lot of steps, but it is pretty standard for installing add-ins on MS Word.

The steps are shorter on Google Docs. You only need to search for QuillBot in the Google Workspace Marketplace and select install.

Installing on Google Chrome

On Google Chrome, it is no different than installing a regular extension. Search for QuillBot in the Chrome Web Store and select Add to Chrome.

You can also click Google Chrome under the extension page on the QuillBot website. It will take you directly to the Web Store page.

The cool thing about the Chrome extension is it works for other Chromium-based browsers. So if you use Brave or Vivaldi, or even the new Microsoft Edge, it should work just fine.

Now, let’s talk about features.

QuillBot Features

Here are all the main QuillBot features.

Paraphraser

Paraphrasing is the biggest attraction of QuillBot for most users. It does exactly as the name suggests, rephrase sentences.

With it, you can restructure, rearrange, and wholly rearrange sentences without changing the original text’s meaning.

It comes in seven editing modes, starting with Standard and Fluency. We will discuss them in-depth later in the article.

The Paraphraser is also the default option when you open the app, thus easy to get to.

Once it’s opened, all you have to do is paste the content or type the sentence(s) you want to rephrase in the left textbox. If you are fixing an entire document, there is also an upload button.

When the content is in the textbox, all you have to do is click Rephrase. The AI will modify the content, and the result will show on the right based on the Quill-mode you selected.

Paraphraser also comes with a Synonym bar. It is a nifty feature that gives you control over how many changes the AI can make to the text.

The lower the bar, the more accurate the result will be to the meaning in the original text and vice versa.

There are four points, starting from low to high. The tool is on the second dot by default except in Fluency mode, where it is on the first.

Summarizer

QuillBot’s Summarizer reduces long paragraphs or makes them as dense as possible.

It does this with two functions. A Key Sentences mode that extracts the important sentences into bullet points. A Paragraph mode that removes the fluff and generates a more cohesive paragraph.

Both functions work for articles, papers, and any other document type.

Using either function works the same as using the Paraphraser. First, paste, type, or upload the content. Select your preferred mode and select Summarize.

You can also set the depth of the summary. The Summary length lets you choose if you want a shorter or longer summary.

In this case, the sweet spot is somewhere in the middle. The shorter summary is inaccurate and a longer summary means more fluff.

Grammar Checker

Grammar Checker enables you to resolve inaccuracies in the Paraphraser and Summarizer results.

The tool works as a regular old grammar correcting software. It fixes spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors.

It doesn’t fix the results from the other features either. The Checker also serves as a word editing environment with different headings and styling features. It also has all four alignments (left, center, right, justify).

Also, the Fix All Errors button makes it possible to fix all mistakes at once, saving you a lot of time.

Lastly, you can download your work into an MS Word document by pressing the Download icon at the bottom right-hand corner.

Citation Generator

Students, academics, and professional writers regularly need to cite sources in their work. It doesn’t matter whether it is an essay, presentation, or a book.

QuillBot’s Citation Generator allows users to create citations with a link or book title easily.

When you enter the link or title, the program automatically extracts basic information from the page, such as the title, author(s) name, and published date.

In cases when the information is not available, it asks you to fill in the data manually.

When you finish, click Save Citation, the Generator will produce a complete citation based on the set format. The feature supports APA, MLA, and Chicago style formats.

It also allows you to create multiple citations and copy the generated results individually. You can export all at once by downloading them in an MS Word document.

QuillBot Modes

As mentioned earlier, the writing tool comes in seven modes. They are tonal settings for the AI behind the Paraphraser.

You can apply each setting to an entire document or differently for individual sentences within a paragraph.

Out of all seven modes, just two are available for free. The rest are available in the premium version.

Below are explanations for all seven modes.

1. Standard Mode

Standard mode is the default setting when you launch QuillBot. It is useful when you want to rephrase your sentences in a neutral way. The AI changes your phrasing without changing the meaning of the sentence as seen in the screenshot below:

You can, however, adjust this by increasing the synonym bar, giving more room for the program to make changes.

2. Fluency Mode

In Fluency mode, the bot makes minor changes to sentences without compromising accuracy. It smooths out the language and fixes any grammatical errors.

3. Creative Mode

Creative mode gives the bot more freedom in choosing the phrasing and word choice of your sentences. It is best used to express an idea in a completely new way.

As a result, there is a higher chance that the meaning might change or cause grammatical errors.

If you choose this mode, it is necessary to double-check the text for accuracy and errors.

4. Formal Mode

As the name suggests, this mode rephrases text for a formal setting, be it for official, business, or academic writing.

In Formal mode, the bot rephrases your words to make you sound professional and sophisticated.

5. Simple Mode

Bloggers and writers creating public-facing content will appreciate this mode, whether it’s for a blog article, landing page, or ad copy.

QuillBot rewrites your text so everyone can understand.

6. Shorten Mode

While it performs a similar role to the Summarizer, it is not quite the same.

QuillBot removes extra words in Shorten mode and makes the sentence concise all without changing the context.

It is useful when writing content in fields with limited characters and word counts.

7. Expand Mode

The opposite of Shorten mode, it adds more words to your phrases and helps you meet specified word counts.

Each mode has its contextual focus. Regardless, you can adjust the degree of changes in all seven modes by sliding the Synonym bar according to your preferences.

QuillBot User Interface

QuillBot’s interface is plain and simple. Most of what you need is easily accessible, so you don’t have to waste time finding it. This is true for using all three primary tools and the Citation feature.

All you have to do is paste or upload your content in the blank input field and hit the green button.

QuillBot also gives you significant control over how the AI works. Besides the tonal modes and Synonym bar, you can also freeze certain words or phrases.

This is useful for preventing QuillBot from changing nouns, quotes, and other unreplaceable parts of your text. It is a premium feature, but free accounts can freeze one word.

To use the feature, one only needs to launch the interface by clicking the snow icon. Then enter the word or phrase you want to freeze and hit enter.

You can also simply highlight the word or phrase within the text and select the Freeze button that pops up above.

Other user interface features include a Hotkeys button for people who prefer keyboard shortcuts. Clicking the button reveals a list of shortcuts you can use when working on the platform.

Additionally, all changes are color-coded in the output field. This makes it easy to recognize and fix changes in the text, if necessary.

Also Read: Can Turnitin Detect QuillBot?

If you are not a fan, you can remove this in the easy to grasp settings page by clicking the gear button in the top right corner.

QuillBot Customer Support

Depending on the issue, QuillBot offers varying levels of support to customers. A Student Resources page explains the service with videos and blog articles on using each feature.

Another is a free online course that teaches the ins and outs of academic writing.

Plus, there are answers to frequently asked questions, managing user and premium accounts, and resolving error messages.

You can also submit a request or ask a question via a website contact form. However, according to reports from other users, it might take a minute before you get a reply.

QuillBot Privacy

Naturally, data privacy is a concern with a service like this. QuillBot claims it shares data with third parties for several reasons.

One of them is a payment processor that enables them to bill users securely and ensures subscription data works properly. Also, it uses cookies to read user behavior for product analytics and improvement.

They also collect personal information attached to user accounts for customer service management.

Lastly, QuillBot gathers and uses the text you input to train the AI to improve the quality of the output. According to the developers, it makes the bot sound more natural and accurate.

That said, since launch, there hasn’t been a reported data breach, and it is up to you to decide if you are okay with how they handle your data.

Interesting Comparison: QuillBot vs Grammarly

QuillBot Pricing

QuillBot has two pricing tiers. One is a forever-free version with limited features that don’t require a credit card. In the free plan, you get:

• 125 Word limit on Paraphraser
• 1200 Word limit on Summarizer
• 2 Sentences processed at once
• 3 Synonym options
• 2 Writing modes
• 1 freeze word or phrase

You also get full cross-platform functionality with Google Chrome, MS Word, and Google Docs extensions. The Citation Generator and Grammar Checker are free.

The free version is not entirely unusable. But it is too limited for anyone who wants to check serious work. Thankfully, the paid tier is reasonably accessible.

Here is the breakdown:

• Monthly Subscription – $4.95
• Six months subscription – $24.95 ($4.15 per month)
• Yearly subscription – $39.95 ($3.33 per month)

On top of unlimited words in the Paraphraser and Freeze Words, you also get Compare Modes. The feature allows you to compare the output in all seven modes at once.

If you are not satisfied with the premium plan, you can ask for a refund within three days.

The subscription is also flexible. You can pause your subscription if you are taking a break from writing.

Does QuillBot Support Different Languages?

Yes and No. You can paste or upload text in a non-English language. The Paraphraser will translate and deliver the output in English.

However, it currently only returns English output. If you input Spanish text, you won’t get the paraphrased version in Spanish.

Also, QuillBot only has three English dictionaries – American, British, and Australian.

QuillBot Pros

• No sign-up or credit card is required for the free plan
• Free Grammar Checker and Citation Generator
• Export feature makes output extraction easy
• Easy-to-use interface
• All-in-one writing tool, no need for shuffling between different tools
• Paid plan is relatively cheap
• User has control over AI behavior

QuillBot Cons

• Summarizer in premium plan still has limited words
• Only supports three English dictionaries
• The free account has a one-word freezing limit

Ratings

Based on everything we’ve discussed so far, here are my QuillBot ratings.

Features

All three primary features, Paraphraser, Summarizer, and Grammar Checker, combine to make QuillBot an efficient writing tool. They speed up your process and save time rewriting manually or switching between different writing tools.

But that doesn’t make it perfect. The AI, while evidently advanced, still makes mistakes, making personal review necessary.

Regardless, I give Quilbot a rating of 4.5 over 5.

Ease of Use

QuillBot excels with its design. It is easy to use and the learning curve is almost nonexistent. It is also available on Google Chrome, Docs, and MS Word, and users have control over the results they get.

That is an A1 design. For this, I give the service 5 over 5.

Pricing

QuillBot developers offer a substantial amount of freebies. But it only works if you want to edit a few lines like an email.

That said, the grammar editor is completely free and the price is relatively low.

3.5/5.

Support

QuillBot doesn’t have a direct customer service system. However, the blog posts and help center cover most issues fairly.

Based on this, QuillBot gets a rating of 4 over 5.

Best QuillBot Alternatives

So far, we’ve established that QuillBot is pretty excellent as a writing tool. But it is never wrong to have good alternatives.

Here are the top three best QuillBot alternatives.

1. Jasper AI 

Jasper AI was Conversion AI, or Jarvis earlier. It is an excellent alternative to QuillBot if you are looking for something that goes beyond rewriting content.

Besides rewriting your copy, it can also generate content from scratch using the keywords and topics you set. The result is natural too, which gives a broader use case compared to QuillBot.

You can use it to generate product descriptions, listicles, blog post ideas, headlines, and more.

Jasper is also SEO conscious. It integrates with Surfer SEO (requires separate subscription), allowing it (and you) to create content that ranks high on search engines.

The tool also supports multiple languages, up to 25 of them. You can translate text from English without worrying about losing the natural tone in the destination language.

This feature enables writers and business owners to create content and attract customers that speak non-native languages.

It will cost $29/month at minimum to access all of this, with a 20,000-word limit per month. That’s more than QuillBot’s six-month subscription, but you are getting a lot more for your money.

There is also a Pro tier at $59 per month for 50,000 words per month. This is great for those who need long-form content. Check the pricing page for updated information and additional benefits.

2. SpinBot

If a free alternative to QuillBot is your primary goal, especially if you write long articles, you will like SpinBot.

The free plan has a 10,000 character limit, far more than QuillBot’s free tier. What’s more, you don’t have to sign up for an account to access all of that.

Unfortunately, SpinBot doesn’t have a grammar checker, but it has a Text Spinner that works similarly to the Summarizer. You also get 10,000 characters for free if you want to use it to create fresh and grammatically accurate content.

Also, there is a SpinBot API that allows developers to integrate the problem into any website or app.

The paid plan, which gives you unlimited spins, is also pretty cheap. It costs $10 a month or $75 a year. You can check the pricing page for more information.

3. Rewriter Tools

Rewriter Tools is the closest in spirit to QuillBot. The writing service combines different tools into an all-in-one writing service.

There are five: Article Spinner, Article Rewriter, Paraphrasing Tool, Grammar Checker, and Word Counter.

The Article Spinner rewrites an entire article in one go. If you want more control over the sentences, try the Article Rewriter or the Paraphrasing Tool. Both do the same thing with varying degrees of efficiency.

In all, there is something for everyone.

What’s more, it is free, without the character limitations of QuillBot. You also don’t have to create an account to use it. So, you can always log on and get your job done without worrying about exposing your data.

Some users have complained that Rewrite Tools is slow at times. But considering it is free and is a better-than-decent rewriter, it is undoubtedly one of the best QuillBot alternatives.

Wrapping Up – QuillBot Review

Being a good writer is now a necessity of modern life. It doesn’t matter whether you are a professional writer or an executive. Thankfully, QuillBot makes its users look good.

Its flagship feature, Paraphraser, deepens your ability to express yourself in different ways, and it saves you plenty of editing time. You no longer have to Google synonyms of a particular word.

Combined with the Summarizer, Grammar Checker, and Citation Generator, QuillBot improves your writing.

Does that make it worth the subscription fee? As always, it depends on your needs. But if you write more than 100 words per day professionally or as a student, it is worth it.