Shortlist by what you need
Start here if you know why you are leaving WriterBuddy.
Want the closest match?
QuillBotMost similar to WriterBuddy in what it does, its category and its price.
Visit (opens QuillBot in a new tab)Need a free plan?
Jenni AIHas a free plan, rated 4.4 out of 5.
Visit (opens Jenni AI in a new tab)Want the lowest price?
Samwell AIFrom $8/mo, the lowest starting price here.
Visit (opens Samwell AI in a new tab)Want the best rated?
SmodinRated 4.2 out of 5 in our review, against 3.7 for WriterBuddy.
Visit (opens Smodin in a new tab)
At a glance
Green means better than WriterBuddy, red means worse. Prices are starting prices per month.
| Tool | Our rating | Starts at | Free plan | Best for | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 WriterBuddyBaseline | 3.7 | Free | Yes | 40+ academic writing tools in one place - co-writer, plagiarism checker, citation generator (MLA/APA/Chicago), ChatPDF - across 25+ languages. | |
| QuillBot | 4.5+0.8 | $10/mo | Yes | Started as a paraphraser, grew into a full writing suite | vs WriterBuddy |
| Samwell AI | 3.0−0.7 | $8/mo | Yes | Guided paper creation with verified MLA/APA citations and a built-in plagiarism checker - not a remover - for students and academics writing structured essays. | vs WriterBuddy |
 JustDone | 2.7−1.0 | Not listed | No | Eleven student writing tools, two of which cancel each other out. | vs WriterBuddy |
| Smodin | 4.2+0.5 | $10/mo | Yes | A grab-bag of writing utilities rather than one flagship feature | vs WriterBuddy |
| Jenni AI | 4.4+0.7 | Free | Yes | In-line AI drafting built for academic papers | vs WriterBuddy |
 Conch AI | 3.8+0.1 | $9.99/mo | Yes | Conch AI rewrites, summarizes, and cites text for students and researchers, and rephrases AI-generated writing to read as human-authored. | vs WriterBuddy |
 ReWrite It.AI | 2.9−0.8 | $9.99/mo | Yes | Paraphrase, summarize, and grammar-check your emails, essays, and social posts across multiple languages - a free tier covers up to 250 words. | vs WriterBuddy |
 Charley AI | 2.7−1.0 | Free | Yes | AI writing companion for students - essay generation, citation finding, lecture summarization and style matching, used by 550,000+ students. Also pairs a plagiarism detector with plagiarism removal. | vs WriterBuddy |
The alternatives in detail
In order of how closely each one matches WriterBuddy.
QuillBot
4.5$10/mo
vs WriterBuddy+0.8
Started as a paraphraser, grew into a full writing suite.
- Multi-mode sentence and paragraph paraphrasing
- Grammar and clarity checking
- Text summarizer for long source material
Paraphrasing engine is genuinely strong and the tool's original focus
Heavy student association raises academic-integrity questions
Samwell AI
3.0$8/mo
vs WriterBuddy−0.7
Guided paper creation with verified MLA/APA citations and a built-in plagiarism checker - not a remover - for students and academics writing structured essays.
- Guided paper creation with a structured essay outline builder
- Verified citation formatting across MLA, APA, and other styles
- Built-in plagiarism checker (not a remover)
Plagiarism checker (not a remover) is a genuinely more integrity-conscious design than similar tools
Free plan is limited to roughly 1,000 words
JustDone
2.7Not listed
vs WriterBuddy−1.0
Eleven student writing tools, two of which cancel each other out.
- Plagiarism checker and citation generator
- Summariser, paraphraser and grammar checker
- AI chat that reads PDFs and websites
Most of the toolkit is ordinary, useful study software
Ships an AI humanizer beside an AI detector, defeating both
Smodin
4.2$10/mo
vs WriterBuddy+0.5
A grab-bag of writing utilities rather than one flagship feature.
- Multi-mode paraphrasing tool
- AI content detector
- Plagiarism checker
Covers many unrelated writing tasks in one account
No single feature matches dedicated specialist tools
Jenni AI
4.4Free
vs WriterBuddy+0.7
In-line AI drafting built for academic papers.
- In-line autocomplete drafting inside a document editor
- AI-assisted citation and source pulling
- Paraphrasing tool for reworking source material
Purpose-built for academic writing, not adapted marketing tooling
Narrow fit for anyone outside academic or research writing
Conch AI
3.8$9.99/mo
vs WriterBuddy+0.1
Conch AI rewrites, summarizes, and cites text for students and researchers, and rephrases AI-generated writing to read as human-authored.
- AI-generated text rewriting aimed at reducing AI-detector flags
- Research paper drafting and summarization assistant
- Flashcard and mind-map generation from uploaded notes or PDFs
Combines writing, studying, and citation tools instead of separate single-purpose apps
Rewrite/detection-evasion framing raises academic integrity concerns for classroom use
ReWrite It.AI
2.9$9.99/mo
vs WriterBuddy−0.8
Paraphrase, summarize, and grammar-check your emails, essays, and social posts across multiple languages - a free tier covers up to 250 words.
- AI paraphrasing, summarization, and grammar checking
- Automatic detection and correction of grammar, spelling, and style issues
- Multiple templates for different writing types
Free tier available to try before paying
Free tier is quite limited at 250 words
Charley AI
2.7Free
vs WriterBuddy−1.0
AI writing companion for students - essay generation, citation finding, lecture summarization and style matching, used by 550,000+ students. Also pairs a plagiarism detector with plagiarism removal.
- AI essay generation and expansion
- Automatic citation generation
- Lecture and video summarization
Citation generation and lecture summarization are genuine, uncontroversial study aids
Pairs a plagiarism detector with plagiarism removal in the same product - a self-defeating combination
FAQ
Questions people ask
Is WriterBuddy free?
WriterBuddy has a free plan.
What is the best free alternative to WriterBuddy?
QuillBot is the highest-rated alternative here with a free plan (4.5 out of 5). Other free options: Jenni AI, Smodin, Conch AI.
What is the cheapest alternative to WriterBuddy?
Among paid plans, Samwell AI has the lowest starting price (from $8/mo). If you need it free, start with QuillBot.
How did you pick these alternatives?
We match tools on what they do, their category and their price, using the details in our directory. Ratings come from our reviews and reader reviews.