Whether you’re a high school learner, university student, or professional in South Africa, writing essays is a skill you’ll use throughout your academic and career journey. With the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), tools like Grammarly and QuillBot have become popular for improving writing quality.
Grammarly vs Quillbot: Which AI Tool Should You Use for Essay Writing?
But which one is better for essay writing? Here’s a comparison to help you decide.
1. Purpose and Core Features
Grammarly is primarily a writing assistant that checks your spelling, grammar, punctuation, and style. It also offers advanced suggestions for clarity, tone, and conciseness. Grammarly is useful for catching common errors and improving your overall writing quality in real-time.
QuillBot, on the other hand, is best known as a paraphrasing tool. It helps you rephrase sentences, improve fluency, and rewrite content while maintaining the original meaning. It also includes tools like a grammar checker, summariser, and citation generator.
2. Accuracy and Writing Feedback
Grammarly shines in its grammar and punctuation correction. It provides context-specific suggestions that help you understand why something is incorrect. It also offers explanations for each change, which is useful for learners looking to improve their writing skills.
QuillBot’s grammar checker is decent but not as advanced. Its strength lies in paraphrasing, especially if you need to avoid repetition or rephrase complicated sentences for clarity. However, you need to review its suggestions carefully to ensure meaning isn’t lost.
3. Ease of Use and Interface
Both tools are easy to use and offer clean, intuitive interfaces. Grammarly integrates well with Microsoft Word, web browsers, and Google Docs, making it convenient for students writing essays online.
QuillBot is web-based and also offers a Chrome extension. While it does not integrate with Word as smoothly as Grammarly, it is straightforward to use for rewriting and summarising content.
4. Free vs Paid Versions
For South African students and writers on a budget, the free versions of both tools offer value, but with limitations.
Grammarly Free includes basic grammar and spelling checks. The Premium version (approximately R300-R500/month depending on the exchange rate and plan) adds tone suggestions, plagiarism detection, and full-sentence rewrites.
QuillBot Free gives you limited access to the paraphrasing tool and grammar checker. The Premium version (about R150-R250/month) unlocks all rewriting modes, faster processing, longer character limits, and citation tools.
If affordability is a key factor, QuillBot may offer more value for money, especially if paraphrasing is your main need.
Also check: How to Write a Winning Exam Essay (Even If You Struggle With English)
5. Plagiarism Checking
Plagiarism is a serious concern in South African schools and universities. Grammarly Premium includes a plagiarism checker that scans your writing against billions of web pages and academic sources.
QuillBot, on the other hand, does not offer plagiarism detection (as of 2025). You’d need to use a separate tool to check for copied content, which could be inconvenient.
6. Best Use Cases for Essay Writing
- Use Grammarly if you want to write original essays with good grammar, professional tone, and clear structure. It’s ideal for academic writing, reports, and formal communication.
- Use QuillBot if you struggle with rewriting or want help summarising or paraphrasing text. It’s great for revising drafts, avoiding plagiarism, or improving sentence flow.
7. Final Verdict: Which One Should You Choose?
If you’re a South African student looking for comprehensive grammar and writing feedback, Grammarly is the better tool—especially if you’re writing essays from scratch and need to polish your work.
However, if your main goal is paraphrasing, rewriting, or simplifying complex information, QuillBot is a powerful and budget-friendly option.
Many students find that using both tools together provides the best results—QuillBot for paraphrasing and Grammarly for editing and final checks.
Read more: Side Hustles That Can Boost Your Income as a Student
Conclusion
Both Grammarly and QuillBot can improve your essay writing, but they serve slightly different purposes. Depending on your writing goals, budget, and academic needs, one may be more suitable than the other—or you might benefit from using both.
By choosing the right tool, you can sharpen your writing skills and produce essays that meet South African academic standards with confidence.
