8 Of The Best Essay Checkers: Free And Paid

Are you tired of the painstaking proofreading that comes with writing an essay? Or perhaps you're looking for the best essay checker for your papers.

You need one of the best essay checkers online today, but the tricky part is finding the right software for your needs so you can submit a paper or essay accurately and on time. 

You can banish these headaches with the right essay corrector. 

We’re helping out with this round-up of best essay checkers for academic papers and have included several of the best free and paid options, based on our experiences writing essays and research papers for various publications and academic bodies. We've tested these essay checkers extensively using a variety of articles and other documents.

Grammarly’s free essay check app is particularly ubiquitous, in part because it’s so easy to use as a Chrome extension that will watch over all your web forms and emails, offering one-click grammar fixes, corrections for spelling errors, and suggestions for better phrasing. 

Those who write a lot of papers outside of their internet browser can also choose to download the app version of Grammarly, which functions in a similar way as the desktop, but requires dragging an essay file to the app itself.

Grammarly’s AI functions are powerful, and in any form, the app is constantly updated to grow smarter and keep up with the latest grammar errors. It's a good option for students on a budget.

There’s also a paid version of the online tool that adds more in-depth checks for word choices, plagiarism detection, inclusive language, formality checks, and a lot more. 

If you like Grammarly’s interface – and we think it’s easily one of the best – paying more for a lot of extra information may be worth it to really make your academic papers as impressive as they can be.

Read our Grammarly review

ProWritingAid is one of the most professional grammar check programs available, an in-depth app designed to help out with nearly every aspect of your writing, including grammar issues, style problems, spell-checking and basic editing, word searches, and a variety of learning tools to teach people more about grammar mistakes and improve writing skills. 

There is a section for a free checker via a web app and an extension you can download for the Chrome browser with only basic spell-checking and some proofreading features. 

The proofreader tool is also a great way for marketing teams to make sure that the tone or voice of the brand remains consistent, no matter who is working on content. 

If your business is looking for a grammar tool to adopt, this is probably the best choice. ProWritingAid has the best options for detailed tools, complex grammar needs, and teaching better writing over time, although the cost is an important consideration.

Read our ProWritingAid review.  

AntiDote’s app takes a slightly different approach, with a slower process that’s also designed to teach you more while improving academic writing. 

It looks for spelling and grammar errors, as well as sentence structure problems like repetition and poor verb use – then underline any potential problems. When you hover over an issue, instead of just giving you a replacement, AntiDote goes into depth as to why there’s a problem. 

You can choose to correct or ignore each issue as they come up. For more ideas, the app also has its own dictionary to consult as well as writing guides. This combination makes the essay checker a particularly good choice for paper writers who are practicing in a secondary language.

There’s also a mobile version of the app for Android and iOS, which is useful if you have completed an essay but want to casually edit it from a mobile device as you have time available (plus, it’s handy when whipping up a quick error-free email).

Ginger’s core tool is a super-simple web app designed to drop a block of text into and search for grammar corrections, then copy and paste it back into your text editor. 

Some of our other free grammar check picks have this option, too, but Ginger’s online grammar check interface is particularly easy to use on the fly. There’s also a plugin that you can get for the Chrome browser.

Ginger is a good choice for confident writers who believe in their writing skills, but who may want to check a certain tricky paragraph or two as they work, just to make sure there are no spelling errors, accidental typos, or grammatical errors. 

Read our Ginger vs Grammarly review

Google Docs also has a default grammar checker that works alongside its spell-check tool to make sure that you haven’t made any mistakes. 

All you have to do is make sure that Docs is set for the right language, and Google will do the rest (the technology is based on Google’s translation AI, so it can work in multiple languages beyond English grammar, too).

The writing tool is quick, effective, and will be very familiar to anyone who has used a spell-checker before. Grammar issues are underlined in blue, and you can click on them to choose replacement options or corrections.

Unlike many of the grammar check tools available, the Analyze web app is specifically designed to help students in high school and college write essays. Both students and bloggers improving their essay work can find a lot to use here!

It will check grammar and proper spelling like the other apps, but it also offers structural advice like organizing paragraphs, getting rid of improper white space, and other formatting issues that could cause a lower grade. 

Previously know as Gradeproof, it is a more established plagiarism checker. 

Obviously, no competent paper writer wants to plagiarize and risk their entire grade, but this plagiarism check can be very helpful to avoid the appearance of plagiarizing – a possibility when writing on a common subject or popular take.

The basic version of this plagiarism tool is free to use! The pro version costs $14.95 a month and includes a plagiarism checker and more detailed suggestions.

Like Grammarly, it supports multiple variations of the English language including British, American, and Canadian. 

Founded in 2009, PaperRater is proofreading software from Barnes and Noble Education. It relies on artificial intelligence to help students write better essays, papers, and articles. PaperRater checks essays for spelling mistakes and plagiarism issues.

If you’re a student on a budget and need a tool to paste your essays into without installing apps or plugins, PaperRater is a good choice. It’s also cheaper than other essay checkers here. However, PaperRater lacks advanced features like an AI-powered writing assistant.

Read our PaperRater vs Grammarly comparison

Why You Can Trust Us

Over the years, I (Bryan) have written dozens of essays for newspapers, magazines, and online publications. Several years ago, I also completed a Master thesis at Trinity College Dublin, which was awarded a distinction. I also have a degree and several diplomas from various Irish universities.

I worked with Tyler to select these essay checkers based on usability, functionality, and affordability for students and essayists. A good essay checker should help you find and fix errors in your work and submit it on time. It should also help rather than hinder the essay writing process.

We also reviewed several of these essay checkers individually. I've included links to those reviews.

The Final Word on the Best Essay Checkers for Papers

This round-up of the top free essay checker apps includes professional options for more marketing-oriented whitepapers, apps that are particularly helpful for those learning a new language, and popular choices for speedy editing after you’ve completed an essay. 

You can use them to fix common spelling mistakes, punctuation errors, misplaced commas and more. If you want to grammar check your essay online, there really is something for everyone! You can also use them to write a personal essay.

But if you’re still having trouble picking a grammar corrector, we suggest starting with options that include a free browser extension or plugin. We like Google Docs and Grammarly.

You can instantly download these and try them out on email and online forms to see how they work – then pick your favorite for more in-depth paper editing and grammatical improvements.

When you're ready, upgrade to Grammarly Premium and or ProWritingAid. PaperRater holds a middle-ground between free and premium apps. Antidote is another interesting choice if you prefer editing essays on your machine and not online

Best Essay Checkers FAQs

Essay Writing Resources

What is a Personal Essay?

Great Essay Writing Topics

The Difference Between Grammar and Punctuation

Using an AI Grammar Checker

PaperRater Vs Grammarly

Transition Words For Essays

Essay Writing Tips