The 10 Best AI Writing Tools in 2026, Compared
"AI writing tool" now covers very different products. General assistants such as ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini draft almost anything from a prompt. Editors such as Grammarly, ProWritingAid and Hemingway improve text you have already written. And specialist tools serve one kind of writer: Sudowrite for novelists, Jenni AI for academics, DeepL for anyone working across languages. The best choice depends on whether you need words generated, words improved, or both.
We picked 10 tools from the 42 writing products profiled on All About AI and ranked them by the job they do best. Each entry covers what the tool does, who it suits, key features, pros, cons, current pricing and a bottom line. Prices come from vendor pricing pages and documentation as of late October 2026, and each tool links to a full profile with sources.
A note on privacy before you start: several consumer plans use your writing to improve models unless you opt out, while others promise never to train on it. We flag the policy for each tool, because it matters for client work, manuscripts and unpublished research.
10 best AI writing tools: TL;DR
- ChatGPT: Best all-round AI writing assistant
- Claude: Best for long documents and careful drafting
- Gemini: Best for writing inside Google Workspace
- Grammarly: Best for grammar and tone across every app
- ProWritingAid: Best for in-depth manuscript editing
- Hemingway Editor: Best for clear, readable prose
- QuillBot: Best for paraphrasing and student writing
- Sudowrite: Best for fiction drafting
- Jenni AI: Best for academic writing with citations
- DeepL: Best for translation and multilingual writing
How we chose these tools
We ranked the tools on five criteria:
- Job fit: each pick leads a distinct writing job, from first drafts to line edits, fiction, research papers and translation.
- Writing quality signals: we looked at published features, model access, context limits and editing depth, and attributed performance claims to the vendor.
- Pricing clarity: we favored published prices and called out credit systems, prompt caps and regional pricing.
- Data handling: we checked whether each vendor trains on your writing by default and which plans change that.
- Where you write: we weighed browser extensions, desktop apps and integrations with Word, Google Docs and other editors.
Comparison table
| Tool | Best for | Free option | Paid from | Platform |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | All-round drafting | Yes | $8/month (Go) | Web, desktop, mobile |
| Claude | Long documents | Yes | $20/month | Web, desktop, mobile |
| Gemini | Google Workspace users | Yes | $4.99/month | Web, mobile |
| Grammarly | Grammar across apps | Yes | $12/month billed annually | Extensions, desktop, web |
| ProWritingAid | Manuscript editing | 500 words per check | $120/year | Web, desktop, extensions |
| Hemingway Editor | Readability | Free web editor | $10/month or $19.99 desktop | Web, Mac, PC |
| QuillBot | Paraphrasing | Yes | $99.95/year | Web, extensions, mobile |
| Sudowrite | Fiction | No | $10/month billed annually | Web |
| Jenni AI | Academic papers | Yes | $12/month billed annually | Web |
| DeepL | Translation | Yes | EUR7.49/month billed annually | Web, desktop, API |
1. ChatGPT
What it does: ChatGPT is OpenAI's AI assistant for writing, research, file analysis, images, voice and coding, available on web, desktop and mobile.
Best for: Writers, marketers and professionals who want one tool for drafting, revising, outlining and research.
ChatGPT launched in 2022 and remains the default starting point for AI writing. You can ask for a first draft, then refine it through follow-up prompts that change tone, length, structure or audience. Projects keep instructions and files together for ongoing work, memory can retain preferences such as house style, and custom GPTs package a repeatable writing workflow, such as a newsletter format, for reuse.
Writing benefits from the surrounding tools. Web search and deep research help with background and current facts, file uploads let ChatGPT edit or summarize existing documents, and image generation covers simple illustrations. The free plan offers unlimited text chats subject to abuse guardrails, though uploads, deep research and image generation are limited.
Consumer content may be used for training unless you opt out, while Business workspaces exclude business data from training by default. Outputs still need fact-checking.
Key features
- Drafting and revision: iterate on tone, structure and length through conversation.
- Projects and memory: keep instructions, files and preferences across sessions.
- Custom GPTs: reusable writing workflows.
- Deep research and web search: current sources for factual writing.
Pros
- Widest set of tools in one assistant.
- Unlimited free text chats.
- Business plans exclude data from training by default.
Cons
- Consumer chats can be used for training unless you opt out.
- Limits vary by plan, model and tool.
- API usage is billed separately.
Pricing
- Free: $0 with limits on uploads and advanced tools.
- Go: $8/month; may include ads.
- Plus: $20/month with deep research, custom GPTs and Projects.
- Pro: from $100/month; Business from $25/user/month ($20 billed annually).
Bottom line
ChatGPT is the most versatile AI writing assistant and the safest first pick for most people. Read the full ChatGPT review or compare ChatGPT vs Claude.
2. Claude
What it does: Claude is Anthropic's AI assistant for writing, research and coding, with long-context models, Projects, Artifacts and connectors to services such as Google Drive and Notion.
Best for: Writers, researchers and analysts working with long documents or detailed drafts.
Claude's current models support context windows of up to one million tokens, enough to load a full manuscript, a stack of reports or a long contract and work across all of it at once. That makes it well suited to tasks such as revising a long draft for consistency, summarizing research or turning notes into a structured report. Artifacts turn outputs into shareable documents, tables or small apps, and Projects keep instructions and reference files together.
Connectors reach Google Drive, Gmail, Notion, OneDrive and other services depending on plan, so Claude can draw on existing material without copy and paste. Web search adds current information, and memory can retain preferences across conversations.
Free usage runs on rolling five-hour limits that vary by demand and task, and long conversations use those limits faster. Consumer plans use an opt-out setting for model training.
Key features
- Long context: up to one million tokens on current models.
- Artifacts: shareable documents and interactive outputs.
- Projects and connectors: reference files and links to Drive, Notion and more.
- Web search and file creation: current facts and finished files.
Pros
- Handles very long documents in one session.
- Strong for structured, careful drafting.
- Team and Enterprise plans add admin and retention controls.
Cons
- Usage limits shift with conversation length.
- No built-in image or video generation.
- Consumer plans use opt-out training.
Pricing
- Free: $0 with rolling limits.
- Pro: $20/month or $200/year.
- Max: $100 or $200/month for more usage.
- Team: $25/user/month, or $20 billed annually; Enterprise from $20/user/month plus usage.
Bottom line
Claude is the strongest choice for long-form and document-heavy writing. See the full Claude review or read our ChatGPT vs Claude vs Gemini comparison.
3. Gemini
What it does: Gemini is Google's AI assistant, with Google Search grounding and integration with Gmail, Docs, Drive, Calendar and other Workspace apps.
Best for: People and teams who already write in Google Docs and Gmail.
Gemini's advantage is where it sits. It can draft an email from a Gmail thread, summarize a folder in Drive or help write inside Google Docs, using context from files you already have. Real-time Google Search helps when writing needs current information, and the paid AI Pro plan adds full Deep Research reports and a one million token context window.
The free tier is generous for everyday drafting, and the AI Plus plan at $4.99 a month is one of the cheapest paid AI writing upgrades available. Workspace business plans include Gemini with enterprise data protection, and Google says it does not train on that business data.
Gemini makes most sense inside the Google world. Teams on Microsoft 365 will get more from Copilot, and privacy-sensitive work should stay on business plans.
Key features
- Workspace integration: write with context from Gmail, Docs and Drive.
- Search grounding: current information from Google Search.
- Deep Research: long, sourced reports on AI Pro.
- Long context: one million tokens on AI Pro.
Pros
- Strong free tier.
- Low-cost paid plan from $4.99/month.
- Business data protection on Workspace plans.
Cons
- Most valuable only for Google users.
- Consumer data is processed by Google.
- Plan names and model access change often.
Pricing
- Free: $0 with daily limits.
- Google AI Plus: $4.99/month.
- Google AI Pro: $19.99/month with Deep Research and Workspace integration.
- Google AI Ultra: $99.99 to $199.99/month.
Bottom line
Gemini is the natural writing assistant for anyone who lives in Gmail and Google Docs. Read the full Gemini review or compare Gemini vs ChatGPT.
4. Grammarly
What it does: Grammarly checks spelling, grammar and tone, rewrites sentences and detects plagiarism and AI-generated text inside the apps where you already write.
Best for: Professionals and teams who want consistent, correct writing across email, documents and the web.
Grammarly, now part of Superhuman (the company formerly called Grammarly), says it serves more than 40 million people and 50,000 organizations and works across more than one million applications and websites. Suggestions appear inline as you type, covering correctness, clarity, tone and fluency. Pro adds full-sentence rewrites, tone adjustment, plagiarism detection and AI-generated text detection, plus 2,000 AI prompts per member per month.
For teams, style guides, brand tones, snippets and analytics keep writing consistent across a company, and Enterprise adds BYOK encryption, confidential mode, DLP and SSO. Newer writing agents help with drafting, revision and audience feedback without leaving your current app.
For individual accounts, training and product-improvement use is on by default until you opt out.
Key features
- Inline suggestions: grammar, clarity and tone wherever you type.
- Rewrites: full sentences and paragraphs on Pro.
- Plagiarism and AI detection: included in Pro.
- Team style guides: brand tones, snippets and analytics.
Pros
- Works in almost every app and site.
- Strong team and enterprise controls.
- Low annual price for Pro.
Cons
- Pro caps AI generation at 2,000 prompts a month.
- Training is on by default for individuals.
- Monthly billing costs much more than annual.
Pricing
- Free: grammar and spelling with 100 AI prompts a month.
- Pro: $12/member/month billed annually, or $30 monthly.
- Enterprise: contact sales.
Bottom line
Grammarly is the best everyday writing safety net for individuals and teams. See the full Grammarly review or compare Grammarly vs ProWritingAid.
5. ProWritingAid
What it does: ProWritingAid analyzes writing with grammar checks, more than 25 reports, rewriting suggestions and story critique tools for fiction and business writers.
Best for: Novelists and serious writers revising long manuscripts.
ProWritingAid was founded in London in 2013 by Chris Banks, who built it to help with a novel, and the company says it remains independent with no venture capital. Its reports go far beyond grammar: style, readability, sentence length, repetition, consistency, clichés, dialogue, pacing and sensory detail. It works in a web editor, as a desktop app for Windows and Mac, through browser extensions, and inside Word, Google Docs, Scrivener and other writing apps.
Story tools set it apart. Chapter Critique, Manuscript Analysis, Plot Analysis, Character Analysis, Virtual Beta Reader and Marketability Analysis use large language models to give developmental feedback, with Rephrase and Sparks as optional generative helpers. The company says it does not use customer writing to train its models.
The depth of reports takes time to work through, and the company itself notes that story reports can make mistakes and do not replace human editors.
Key features
- 25+ reports: style, pacing, dialogue, repetition and more.
- Story critique: chapter, manuscript, plot and character analysis.
- Integrations: Word, Google Docs, Scrivener and browsers.
- Rephrase: alternative wording on demand.
Pros
- Deepest editing reports in this list.
- Built for fiction as well as business writing.
- No training on customer writing, per the company.
Cons
- Many reports to review.
- Daily limits on critiques and generative features.
- Story analysis is not a substitute for an editor.
Pricing
- Free: 500 words per analysis.
- Premium: $30/month or $120/year.
- Premium Pro: $36/month or $144/year.
- Story Credits and lifetime plans: priced at checkout.
Bottom line
ProWritingAid is the editor to choose when you are revising a book, not an email. Read the full ProWritingAid review.
6. Hemingway Editor
What it does: Hemingway Editor highlights hard-to-read sentences, passive voice, adverbs and weak language, scores readability, and offers AI rewrites on its Plus plan.
Best for: Writers, students and editors who want shorter, clearer prose.
Paste a draft into the free web editor and Hemingway color-codes the problems: long sentences, passive constructions, weakeners and adverbs, along with a readability grade. You set a target reading level and fix issues yourself. Plus adds AI rewrites, grammar fixes, tone and formality controls, length changes and synonyms, metered by sentence rewrites.
Hemingway refined its detection in August 2026, adding five weakener types and more accurate passive-voice detection, and it no longer flags every adverb. A one-time $19.99 desktop app for Mac and PC works offline, saves locally and publishes to WordPress, though it excludes the Plus AI features. Hemingway says it and its AI providers do not use customer writing to train AI models.
Its rules are opinionated, and literary or technical writing sometimes needs the long sentences it flags.
Key features
- Readability highlights: long sentences, passive voice and weak language.
- Reading grade: with a target level setting.
- Plus AI: rewrites, grammar fixes and tone control.
- Desktop app: offline editing for a one-time fee.
Pros
- Free analysis with no account.
- Clear visual feedback.
- No training on customer writing, per the company.
Cons
- Rewrites are metered per sentence.
- Desktop app excludes AI features.
- Rules can oversimplify complex prose.
Pricing
- Free web editor: $0.
- Individual 5K: $10/month or $100/year for 5,000 rewrites a month.
- Individual 10K: $15/month or $150/year; Team $15/user/month.
- Desktop app: $19.99 one-time.
Bottom line
Hemingway is the fastest way to make writing clearer, and the free version covers most needs. See the full Hemingway Editor review.
7. QuillBot
What it does: QuillBot is a writing suite with a paraphraser, grammar checker, summarizer, translator, citation generator, plagiarism checker and AI detector.
Best for: Students, language learners and professionals rewording or polishing short texts.
QuillBot was founded in 2017 by University of Illinois students and acquired by Learneo, formerly Course Hero, in 2021. Learneo describes it as having more than 30 million monthly active users. Its paraphraser offers more than 10 modes, including Academic and Simple, with a synonym slider to control how much the text changes. Around it sit grammar checking, summaries, translation and a citation generator, which makes it a practical toolkit for coursework.
QuillBot runs on the web, in browser extensions, as a desktop app and on mobile. Its AI detector needs at least 80 words and returns a probability estimate, and QuillBot itself says scores should not decide academic or employment outcomes.
Paraphrasing can change meaning, so review every rewrite. Extension text storage is on by default unless you change the setting.
Key features
- Paraphraser: more than 10 modes with synonym control.
- Grammar checker and summarizer: quick polish and condensing.
- Citation generator: formatted references.
- AI detector and plagiarism checker: with Premium reports.
Pros
- Many writing utilities in one place.
- Low annual Premium price.
- Works on web, desktop, mobile and extensions.
Cons
- Free limits vary by tool.
- Rewrites can lose nuance.
- Extension storage is on by default.
Pricing
- Free: limited paraphrasing and grammar.
- Premium: $19.95/month, $39.95/quarter or $99.95/year.
- Team: custom.
Bottom line
QuillBot is the best low-cost toolkit for rewording and student writing tasks. Read the full QuillBot review or compare QuillBot vs Grammarly.
8. Sudowrite
What it does: Sudowrite is a fiction writing app that helps authors brainstorm, draft, rewrite and keep story details consistent across a manuscript or series.
Best for: Novelists and fiction writers working on long projects.
Sudowrite was founded by Amit Gupta and James Yu, who met in a science fiction writing group. Its Story Bible walks from a braindump through synopsis, characters, outline and scenes to a chapter draft, and Series folders share characters and worldbuilding across books. The Magic Wand continues prose, while Rewrite, Describe, Expand and Brainstorm handle narrower tasks, and Chapter Continuity connects earlier chapters to new ones.
It mixes third-party models with its own. Muse is its proprietary fiction model for voice-led prose, and Ballad 1.1, released in June 2026, is described by the company as better at following instructions and keeping point of view and tense consistent. Community plugins add tools for tone, dialogue and analysis, and higher plans include feedback tools.
Plans use credits rather than word counts, and usage varies by model and output length. There is no public API.
Key features
- Story Bible: synopsis, characters, outline and scenes in one place.
- Writing actions: Write, Rewrite, Describe, Expand and Brainstorm.
- Muse and Ballad models: in-house fiction models.
- Series support: shared worldbuilding across books.
Pros
- Built only for fiction.
- Strong continuity tools for long projects.
- Max plan credits roll over for 12 months.
Cons
- No free plan.
- Credit use is hard to predict.
- No API or team admin features.
Pricing
- Hobby & Student: $19/month or $10/month billed annually, 225,000 credits.
- Professional: $29/month or $22/month billed annually, 1,000,000 credits.
- Max: $59/month or $44/month billed annually, 2,000,000 credits.
Bottom line
Sudowrite is the most complete AI tool for drafting and developing fiction. See the full Sudowrite review.
9. Jenni AI
What it does: Jenni AI is an academic writing workspace with autocomplete, AI chat, editing, reviews, citation management, PDF uploads and literature review workflows.
Best for: Students and researchers drafting papers from sources.
Jenni combines a writing editor with a research library. You upload PDFs, chat with them, draft with autocomplete, insert citations in the required style and export the finished document. Literature review and research gap analysis workflows help with the early stages of a paper. The company reported more than 4.5 million academic users in figures discussed by BusinessWorld in July 2025.
Plus raises PDF limits to 100 MB and 500 pages, with 5,000 autocompletes and 500 edits and chat messages a month, while Pro removes those caps and allows 1,000-page PDFs. Free users get unlimited citations. Jenni says user writing is not used to train its models, though it does not disclose which underlying models it uses.
Always check citations and follow your institution's AI rules before submitting work.
Key features
- PDF research: upload and query sources.
- Citations: multiple styles with library export.
- Autocomplete and editing: academic drafting help.
- Workflows: literature review and research gap analysis.
Pros
- Writing and source management together.
- Unlimited citations on the free plan.
- No training on user writing, per the company.
Cons
- Monthly prices are much higher than annual.
- Underlying models are not disclosed.
- Free workflows are limited to three lifetime runs.
Pricing
- Free: $0 with daily autocomplete limits.
- Plus: $30/month or $12/month billed annually.
- Pro: $73/month or $29/month billed annually.
Bottom line
Jenni AI is the best fit for students and academics who want drafting and citations in one place. Read the full Jenni AI review.
10. DeepL
What it does: DeepL provides AI translation, writing improvement through DeepL Write, document translation and APIs for developers.
Best for: Businesses and writers who translate content or write in a second language.
DeepL was founded in 2017 and says it has more than 200,000 business and government customers. Translator handles text and whole documents, glossaries enforce approved terminology, and Clarify asks for context when a phrase is ambiguous. DeepL Write improves wording and tone in supported languages, which helps non-native writers produce natural copy. DeepL Agent became generally available in November 2025 for business task automation.
The free plan allows 50,000 characters a month and one file translation. Paid Translator plans raise character and file allowances and add more glossaries, and DeepL says paid Pro content is not used to train its AI. The API has a free Developer tier with a lifetime million characters.
Language coverage is narrower than Google Translate, and several plan prices are shown only at checkout or in euros.
Key features
- Translator: text and document translation.
- DeepL Write: wording and tone improvements.
- Glossaries and Clarify: terminology control and ambiguity checks.
- API: translation and writing for developers.
Pros
- Strong focus on translation quality and terminology.
- Paid content not used for training.
- Free API tier for developers.
Cons
- Free text may be used to improve models.
- Fewer languages than Google Translate.
- Several prices not published in USD.
Pricing
- Translator Free: $0, 50,000 characters a month.
- Translator Individual: EUR7.49/month billed annually.
- Team, Business and Enterprise: priced on request or at checkout.
- API Developer: free for a lifetime 1,000,000 characters.
Bottom line
DeepL is the best tool when your writing has to cross languages accurately. See the full DeepL review.
How to choose the right AI writing tool
Start with the job:
- You need first drafts and ideas. Choose ChatGPT for breadth, Claude for long documents, or Gemini if you write in Google Docs and Gmail.
- You need your own writing corrected. Grammarly covers everyday writing in every app, ProWritingAid goes deep on long manuscripts, and Hemingway sharpens readability.
- You are a student. QuillBot handles paraphrasing and citations, and Jenni AI supports papers built from sources.
- You write fiction. Sudowrite plans, drafts and keeps your story consistent.
- You work across languages. DeepL translates and polishes text with glossary control.
Many writers pair one generator with one editor, for example Claude for drafting and Grammarly for polish. Whatever you choose, check the training policy for your plan before uploading confidential or unpublished work, and fact-check anything an assistant writes.
FAQs
What is the best AI writing tool overall?
ChatGPT is the best all-round choice because it combines drafting, revision, research, file analysis and images, with a strong free plan. Claude is better for very long documents, and Gemini is better for people who write inside Google Workspace. Most writers will be well served by one of the three.
What is the best free AI writing tool?
ChatGPT's free plan offers unlimited text chats subject to guardrails, Gemini's free tier is generous, and Claude has a free plan with rolling limits. For editing, Grammarly Free checks grammar and spelling, and Hemingway's free web editor scores readability with no account.
What is the best AI tool for writing a novel?
Sudowrite is built specifically for fiction, with a Story Bible, scene drafting and series continuity. ProWritingAid is the best editor for revising a manuscript, with pacing, dialogue and plot reports. Many novelists use Sudowrite for drafting and ProWritingAid for revision.
Is Grammarly better than ProWritingAid?
Grammarly is better for everyday writing across email, documents and the web, with strong team controls. ProWritingAid is better for long-form and creative writing, with deeper reports and story critique tools. Compare them side by side on our Grammarly vs ProWritingAid page.
Do AI writing tools train on my writing?
It depends on the tool and plan. ChatGPT, Claude and Grammarly individual accounts allow training by default unless you opt out, while their business plans exclude it. ProWritingAid, Hemingway, Jenni AI and DeepL's paid plans say they do not train on customer writing. Check the current policy before uploading sensitive work.