Best AI Writing Tools: An Interactive Comparison for Writers
Find your tool
Filter today's AI writing tools by what you are writing, price and free tier. Everything runs in your browser.
What are you writing?
Price
- Freemium
ChatGPT
by OpenAI
All-purpose assistantResearch & notesBest for: General drafting, brainstorming, rewriting and quick research across almost any format.
Free tierFree tier; Plus around $20/month (see site). - Freemium
Claude
by Anthropic
All-purpose assistantLong-form & booksResearch & notesBest for: Long, structured drafts and careful editing where you want a steady, natural voice.
Free tierFree tier with daily caps; Pro around $20/month (see site). - Freemium
Google Gemini
by Google
All-purpose assistantResearch & notesBest for: Drafting and research inside the Google ecosystem, with Docs and Gmail integration. Formerly Bard.
Free tierFree tier; Google AI Pro around $20/month (see site). - Freemium
Microsoft Copilot
by Microsoft
All-purpose assistantResearch & notesBest for: Writing and research for people who live in Windows, Edge and Microsoft 365.
Free tierFree tier; Copilot Pro around $20/month (see site). - Paid
Jasper
by Jasper AI
Copywriting & marketingLong-form & booksBest for: Marketing teams producing on-brand campaign, ad and blog copy at volume.
No free tierFree trial only; paid plans (see site for current pricing). - Paid
Copy.ai
by Copy.ai
Copywriting & marketingBest for: Marketing and go-to-market copy for teams, from short-form posts to campaign workflows.
No free tierNo ongoing free plan; entry plan from around $29/month (see site). - Freemium
Writesonic
by Writesonic
Copywriting & marketingResearch & notesBest for: SEO-focused articles and marketing copy, with brand voice and research features.
Free tierLimited free plan; paid plans (see site). - Freemium
Rytr
by Rytr
Copywriting & marketingBest for: Budget-conscious writers who want fast short-form copy without a steep price.
Free tierFree plan (limited characters/month); paid plans from a few dollars/month (see site). - Paid
Sudowrite
by Sudowrite
Long-form & booksBest for: Novelists and fiction writers who want AI help with prose, description and plot.
No free tierOne-time free trial (no ongoing free plan); paid plans (see site). - Paid
Novelcrafter
by Novelcrafter
Long-form & booksBest for: Series authors who want a codex, planning boards and a bring-your-own-AI-model setup.
No free tierFree trial; low monthly plans plus your own AI API usage (see site). - Freemium
Grammarly
by Grammarly (Superhuman)
Grammar & editingBest for: Real-time grammar, clarity and tone checks everywhere you write online.
Free tierFree tier; Pro (see site for current pricing). - Freemium
ProWritingAid
by ProWritingAid
Grammar & editingBest for: Long-form writers who want deep style reports and Scrivener integration.
Free tierLimited free tier; paid and lifetime plans (see site). - Freemium
LanguageTool
by LanguageTool
Grammar & editingBest for: Multilingual grammar and style checking across 30+ languages, with an open-source core.
Free tierGenerous free tier; Premium (see site). - Freemium
Hemingway Editor
by Hemingway
Grammar & editingBest for: Cutting wordiness and passive voice to make prose clearer and easier to read.
Free tierFree web app; paid Plus tier and one-time desktop app (see site). - Freemium
Microsoft Editor
by Microsoft
Grammar & editingBest for: Writers who work mostly in Word and Outlook and want checks built in.
Free tierFree basic checks; advanced features need Microsoft 365 (see site). - Freemium
QuillBot
by QuillBot (Learneo)
Paraphrasing & rewritingGrammar & editingBest for: Rephrasing and summarising, with a free unlimited grammar checker alongside.
Free tierFree grammar checker and limited paraphrasing; Premium (see site). - Freemium
Wordtune
by Wordtune
Paraphrasing & rewritingBest for: Rewriting a sentence you already have into clearer, tighter or more formal versions.
Free tierFree plan (limited daily rewrites); paid plans (see site). - Freemium
Perplexity
by Perplexity AI
Research & notesBest for: Answering research questions with live web sources and citations you can check.
Free tierFree tier with sourced answers; Pro around $20/month (see site). - Freemium
Notion AI
by Notion
Research & notesAll-purpose assistantBest for: Turning notes and docs into drafts inside a Notion workspace.
Free tierFree Notion plan with limited AI; AI included in paid plans (see site).
Everything runs in your browser from a fixed, dated list. Prices and free tiers change often, so confirm the current rate on each tool's own site before you subscribe.
There is no single best AI writing tool, only the right one for the job in front of you. A tool that drafts a marketing email well is not the tool that helps you outline a novel or catch a comma splice. The finder above lets you filter the current tools by what you are writing, the price band and whether there is a free tier, so you can shortlist a few and try them yourself.
AI writing tools at a glance
| What you are writing | Tools that lead here |
|---|---|
| General drafting, rewriting, research | ChatGPT, Claude, Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot |
| Books and long-form fiction | Sudowrite, Novelcrafter, Claude |
| Marketing and copywriting at volume | Jasper, Copy.ai, Writesonic, Rytr |
| Grammar and editing | Grammarly, ProWritingAid, LanguageTool, Hemingway Editor |
| Paraphrasing and rewriting | QuillBot, Wordtune |
| Research with sources | Perplexity, plus the all-purpose assistants |
Use the finder above to filter by price and free tier within any of these categories.
The list is a dated snapshot, kept current by hand rather than generated on the fly. Prices and free tiers change often and vary by region, so treat the bands as a guide and confirm the current rate on each tool’s own site before you subscribe.
Try Grammarly: if grammar and clarity are your main worry, Grammarly checks your writing in real time wherever you work, or ProWritingAid for deeper style reports.
How the AI writing landscape looks now
The market has changed a lot since the first wave of AI writing apps. A few things are worth knowing before you pick a tool.
Most tools sit on top of the same frontier models. The all-purpose assistants, ChatGPT, Claude, Google Gemini and Microsoft Copilot, run their own leading models and set the pace. Many marketing and SEO writing apps are built on top of those same models and add templates, brand voice and workflows on top. That is not a criticism, it is just where the real value lives: in the workflow around the model, not the raw text generation.
Google Bard is gone. Google folded it into Gemini, which is now its main assistant brand. If an older guide points you at Bard, it is out of date.
The categories have settled. It helps to think in terms of jobs rather than brand names:
- All-purpose assistants (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot) draft, rewrite, brainstorm and research across almost any format.
- Long-form and book tools (Sudowrite, Novelcrafter, and Claude for careful prose) are built for fiction and manuscript-length work.
- Copywriting and marketing tools (Jasper, Copy.ai, Writesonic, Rytr) focus on ads, emails, landing pages and on-brand blog copy.
- Grammar and editing tools (Grammarly, ProWritingAid, LanguageTool, Hemingway Editor, Microsoft Editor) catch errors and sharpen style.
- Paraphrasing tools (QuillBot, Wordtune) reshape a sentence you already have into a clearer or tighter version.
- Research tools (Perplexity, plus the all-purpose assistants) answer questions with sources you can check.
How to choose the right AI writing tool
Start with the job, not the brand. Pick the category that matches what you are writing, then narrow by price and whether you need a free tier to test it first.
If you write across many formats, an all-purpose assistant covers most of the ground for a single subscription, and the free tiers are generous enough to see whether the tool fits how you work. If you are writing a book, a dedicated fiction tool that understands chapters, characters and long context will serve you better than a general chatbot. If your job is marketing copy at volume, a copywriting tool with brand voice and templates saves real time. And whatever you draft with, a grammar and editing tool is the cheap insurance that stops small errors reaching your reader.
One thing has not changed: AI drafts fastest, but it does not do original thinking. It recombines what already exists. Your ideas, your experience and your judgement are still what make writing worth reading, so treat these tools as an accelerant for research, first drafts and editing, not a replacement for the writer.
Where to go next
- Browse the wider writing software hub for the full toolkit.
- Want free options only? See the best free writing software finder.
- Editing is your priority? Compare the best grammar checkers, or run a draft through the free grammar and style checker on this site.
Why you can trust this comparison
Become a Writer Today has run for more than a decade, and we have used most of these tools at the comma face across thousands of posts. The list is compiled from vendor pricing pages and current comparison coverage, and it is dated so you can see how fresh it is. We do not accept payment for rankings. Some links are affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you if you sign up through them, but that never changes which tool we would actually recommend.
Related reading
Frequently asked questions
What is the best AI writing tool?
There is no single best tool. For general drafting and research, an all-purpose assistant like ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini covers most needs. For fiction, Sudowrite or Novelcrafter are purpose-built. For marketing copy, Jasper or Copy.ai lead. For grammar and editing, Grammarly and ProWritingAid are the usual picks. Match the tool to the job using the finder above.
Which AI writing tools have a free tier?
Many do. ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Copilot, Rytr, Grammarly, LanguageTool, QuillBot, Wordtune, Hemingway Editor, Notion AI and Perplexity all offer some free access, though limits vary. Use the has-a-free-tier filter in the finder to see the current list. Tools built for professionals, such as Jasper, Copy.ai and Sudowrite, offer a trial rather than an ongoing free plan.
Are AI writing tools worth paying for?
If you write regularly, a paid plan usually pays for itself in saved time, especially for editing and repetitive marketing copy. Start on a free tier, notice where the tool actually saves you effort, and upgrade only when the limits get in your way. For occasional writing, the free tiers are often enough.
Can AI writing tools replace human writers?
No. AI recombines existing information quickly but does not produce original ideas, first-hand experience or genuine expertise. It is best used to speed up research, first drafts and editing while you supply the thinking, the voice and the judgement that make writing worth reading.
How accurate are the prices shown in the finder?
The finder stores a price band (free, freemium or paid) plus a short note, captured on a dated snapshot. Exact figures change often and vary by region, so always confirm the current price on the tool's own site before subscribing.
The writer's edit
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