For some professions, it is very important to get your work fact-checked before you deliver it.
If you are a lawyer or an academic, then you’ll need to make sure that your word does not copy anyone else’s otherwise, this could lead to serious repercussions like disciplinary or even losing your job.
Luckily, there is a lot of software to choose from that will run your document through the internet, comparing it to other essays to check that it does not overlap in terms of content.
However, one of the downsides is that a lot of these services come with a price tag.
So where can you find a decent free plagiarism checker? How in-depth is it when it comes to comparing your work with others?
What other features does it have? Well, we’re getting into the weeds on this one, providing you with our list of top free plagiarism checkers that you can download straight away.
Best Free Plagiarism Checkers
1. GPTRadar
Our first plagiarism checker is designed to be used to detect AI-generated content, ideal if you want to avoid duplication or plagiarism.
All you need to do is copy and paste your text into the box that is embedded in the page and then have the website run the document against its existing database.
This comes with a percentage of how accurate the document is and where the patterns of common phrases keep cropping up.
This also comes with a feedback function where you can submit your own review and reports to the GPTRadar team to improve their software.
This means that the program can only improve over time. This will be able to analyze your sentences for repeated words and paragraphs for awkward spelling, as well as if certain keywords crop up in your document too many times.
Pros
- Easy to use – all you have to do is copy and paste at least 400 words into the box embedded on the website.
- No fees – this is completely free to use and will let you scan substantial documents for no price at all.
- Feedback for improved service – this will only come with an improved service over time, allowing users to have input on the program.
- Accuracy and scansion – this will give you tips on how to improve your sentence structure.
Cons
- No extra features – this does not come with a spelling or grammar checker.
2. Scribbr
This next plagiarism checker is another popular one that offers a limited version of the full paid version. But even this restricted version comes with plenty of tools, the main one being a very effective plagiarism checker.
If you are worried about security, then don’t, as Scribbr promises not to use your documents without your consent or sell your information to anyone else.
This will even help you to find plagiarism in edited documents, as well as whether any of your content has been generated by AI.
This also comes with live support from humans, which adds that extra level of thoroughness when you are going through a document. However, if you want a full report on your document, you will need to pay for the full version.
You might be rightly wary of using a program that will check plagiarism accusations for free. However, this is a very trustworthy program that will delete any documents that are submitted to its system after 30 days.
Pros
- Reliable – you can trust this one with your documents, as they will be deleted after 30 days and not sold to any third-party company.
- Extra features – this also comes with proofreading and editing features, which is great if you are submitting essays.
- Easy to use – all you have to do is paste the body of your document into Scribbr’s website and it will automatically scan your document for duplicate content.
- A wide database – this has access to billions of pages of information, which is great for determining duplicate paragraphs.
Cons
- Pay for full reports – if you want a full report on your document, you will have to pay for the full version.
3. Quetext
This next plagiarism is another one that involves simply copying and pasting your document into the embedded box. If you want quick and responsive plagiarism checking, then Quetext is a very reliable source of duplicate content checking.
They also will not store any of your information, which is ideal for those who are security-conscious and worried about their details being sold or transferred to other companies.
This uses a deep search algorithm that will evaluate your text for context, fuzzy matching, or conditional scoring.
Quetext puts your document against billions of pages, providing you with a comprehensive and concise list of matching sentences.
This breaks down any plagiarized sections of your document into handy color-coded parts that you can amend and simply reinsert back into your document.
This is a great piece of software that will be invaluable to students, academics, teachers, and copywriters for whom their livelihoods depend on producing original content.
This will also detect moments of self-plagiarism, mosaic plagiarism, and accidental plagiarism.
Pros
- Detects different forms of plagiarism – this can pick up lots of different forms of plagiarism, which is very important for developing original content.
- Easy to use – all you need to do is paste the body of your text into the website. It will then take a few seconds to run your documents against billions of pages on the internet.
- Concise report – this will give you a very clear and detailed report on your document, which is great for helping you to avoid errors in the future.
- Accurate – this will detect over 57% of plagiarism cases, which is a lot more accurate than a lot of other free plagiarism checkers.
Cons
- Limit on words – you will have to pay to analyze any essays or documents over 100,000 words.
4. Grammarly
Next up, we have another very popular plagiarism and grammar-checking tool, both available as a free and paid option. This will help you with plagiarism, spelling, flow, and keyword density, which is particularly useful for anyone writing to hit SEO targets.
With the free version, there will be no ads on your page and your data will remain safe with Grammarly, not being sold to third-party websites. This will present all cases of plagiarism in a handy-to-read bar on the right-hand side of your screen.
Grammarly also works in many languages, which is helpful for companies that might have different departments in any part of the world. This is one of the most accurate checkers on the market, although has a 600-character limit using the free version.
Free Grammarly does have limited options when you compare it to the Premium version, however, it does have a lot of free features that not a lot of free plagiarism checkers have.
If you are a professional writer, then you might want to join the millions of academics, lawyers, and copywriters who are using Grammarly.
Pros
- Popular and trustworthy – a lot of people choose to go with this software as they keep your data safe and provide you with detailed and accurate information on plagiarism.
- Colored coded reports – this provides you with a bar at the side that will highlight the duplicated content, as well as the original source that it came from.
- Great for professional writers – if you want premium accuracy, then you should consider Grammarly as your content-checking software.
- Great free features – this software has more features in the free version that you would get on a lot of paid plagiarism checkers.
Cons
- You are limited to 600 characters with this free version.
5. Unicheck
This next checker is one that is frequently used by university students, thoroughly checking your document for duplicate content.
Unicheck has a vast library of papers that it will compare your document with. You can also integrate it with several apps and other extensions.
There is a free trial that allows you to sample all the basic features of Unicheck. You can select the personal branch payment option, which allows you to pay for your document to be checked via the number of pages that you submit.
You can also opt for the Essentials package, which is just the basics and will probably be the most affordable package for you to use. This comes under the education branch, which is ideal if you are a student wanting their essay or thesis checked.
This comes with an average plagiarism check but also an authorship checker, which highlights changes or inconsistencies in your writing.
The more that you use this feature, the more that the built-in AI will be able to identify your style of writing and adjust things accordingly.
Pros
- Great interface – this is one of the easiest programs that you can use, with a sidebar that will highlight all areas of potential plagiarism.
- Built-in library – if you are a student wanting to check your essay for duplicate content, this software will compare your document with thousands of existing papers.
- Great for professional writers – this has a wide range of resources like spelling and grammar checks, which is great if you are a professional writer.
- Live support – you will be able to run your article via a human editor for an extra degree of accuracy on your document.
Cons
- This only comes with a short-term free trial, after which you’ll have to pay to keep using the plagiarism checker.
6. Plagiarism Detector
This next plagiarism checker has an extensive word limit, is very easy to use and all you have to do is drag and drop your text into the embedded box on the website.
You can also check your grammar and spelling and the best thing about it is that you will not have to pay a cent to use it.
Even the free version will provide you with accurate reports on how much of your essay, thesis, or article is plagiarized or not. This checker is perfect for people who want no frills and want their documents checked with a solid degree of accuracy.
You’ll only be able to paste 1,000 words using the free version, but you can pay a small fee and graduate up to 25,000 words. This is a great tool to use for students, whether you are an undergraduate or postgraduate student.
This also provides you with a comprehensive report regarding the originality of your work, evaluating it as a handy percentage. This will also help you to minimize mistakes in your sentence structuring as well as grammar and spelling.
Pros
- Easy to understand – this is probably one of the most effective plagiarism detectors, allowing you to simply scan the document on the website.
- Grammar and spelling checks – if you want your document or essay scanned quickly, then this is one of the best software programs that you can use.
- Will not sell your data – for those of you that are concerned with security, then you’ll be happy to know that your data will not be sold to a third party.
- Live support – this comes with support from human editors, which is great if you want that extra level of in-depth thoroughness when it comes to the originality of your work.
Cons
- Not that accurate – some of the grammatical slips were not detected and it only has a limited capacity for words with the free version.
7. Pre Post SEO
This is another free plagiarism checker that will allow you to upgrade to a paid version if you like the service. You can either copy and paste your text into the box or you can upload your document using Google Drive.
This is a very no-nonsense plagiarism checker, scanning your documents with a fair degree of accuracy. This program claims to come with zero ads, but this is only available with the upgraded paid version.
This comes with a sidebar that is fully color coded, so you can easily see what your duplicate content is, allowing you to amend it quickly and efficiently. This is also a trustworthy site that will not sell your data to any other company or third party.
Pros
- Solid free plagiarism checker – this is great for helping you to discover examples of plagiarism in your work.
- Copy and paste – this plagiarism checker is embedded in the website, which is ideal if you don’t want to have to download additional programs or apps.
- Quick and efficient – This plagiarism checker only takes a few minutes to run your document against millions of pages on the internet.
- Percentage plagiarism tracker – this will track your plagiarism and represent it with a very easy-to-read percentage.
Cons
- Very basic – this has a limited word count with the free version, and you can only have access to a limited number of features.
Buyer’s Guide
When you are looking for a plagiarism checker that you can rely on, there are some features that you really won’t be able to do without. Here are a few that you should be looking for:
How Easy Is It To Use?
A lot of free plagiarism checkers come with a simple dialogue box that you can copy and paste your text into. You then click a simple button, and the program will run, comparing your essay or article with existing articles on the internet.
Does It Contain Ads?
A lot of free plagiarism checkers pay for themselves by featuring a lot of ads on their pages.
However, this can severely impede the user experience and slow the whole process of plagiarism checking down. However, you can get numerous checkers that do not include ads.
How Clear Is The Interface?
A good plagiarism checker shouldn’t bombard you with information once it has scanned your document. A lot of plagiarism checkers come with a handy sidebar that will color code a lot of the articles that it finds, so you can sift through them a lot easier.
Conclusion
Plagiarism checkers are very useful, especially for professional writers, but you might not always have the money to subscribe to a premium one.
These plagiarism checkers above are very reliable, although we would suggest that you shop around and try a few before committing to one.
Frequently Asked Questions
The fact is that a free plagiarism detector might not be as accurate as a professional piece of software. These plagiarism checkers can check your article with other websites but do not have access to any academic resources.
If you scan your document and it comes out at a very low percentage, then you probably won’t have to worry about it impacting the integrity of your document. However, some academic institutions will have maximum percentages for plagiarism, so it is worth checking the codes and practices for your course.