Grammarly is most commonly known for its grammar-checking tool, a must-have for writers in any context. In fact, this very article was written with the help of Grammarly's free Chrome extension.
What many don't know, though, is that it also has a tool for detecting plagiarism. Like most online plagiarism checkers, it works by scanning one's text and pointing out sentences and phrases that show up in other sources online. It's most often used in higher education and businesses that pay for large groups of users.
Though Grammarly is used widely in various learning environments and even recommended in some online courses, it has many drawbacks.
First, the price is much higher than other online writing assistants at $30 per month. The monthly cost can be less than this, but only if you're willing to pay for a year upfront. And though you can get a lot of bang for your $0 buck with the free grammar checker, the plagiarism checker is not available in the free version. Therefore, your only option for accessing this feature is to pay for the subscription even if you don't need or want the content editor.
Another downside to Grammarly is that there are substantial lag times in the software, making it especially tough to use if you have a tight deadline. The larger the document, the longer it takes to load. Not to mention, if you are using the Microsoft Word plugin, it could freeze while you are running the plagiarism detection report or, worse, not open at all. When this happens, sometimes your only option is to close your document and reopen it or restart your computer (and hope you saved your work).
If you're looking for a reliable, accessible plagiarism checker, read on for a breakdown of what else is out there.

Quetext is a plagiarism detection software that helps ensure that your content is original and gives credit where credit is due. It is becoming the new standard for students, teachers, and content writers to avoid plagiarism. And in cases where unoriginal writing is detected, its built-in citation generator helps to seamlessly credit the original source.
Turnitin is another well-known plagiarism checker that compares your content to other online sources. It checks websites, scholarly journals, and other students' papers for any instances of duplicate writing.
While the technology behind the platform is advanced and reliable, Turnitin is only an option for those whose schools pay for it. In theory, Turnitin could be the best plagiarism checker on the market, but it doesn't matter if you can't use it.
Copyscape is another online plagiarism detection software available for writers of all kinds. It provides a scan of your work to help users ensure originality, plus it offers a unique product called CopySentry, which helps businesses monitor the web for theft of their content.
However, the free version of Copyscape is extremely limited—you can only enter an existing website URL to check for plagiarism, rather than copy and paste unpublished text or upload a file. It also doesn't allow users to save their originality reports once they are run.
DupliChecker is an online tool that lets anyone check their work for plagiarism—either for free or with a paid membership that works on a sliding scale.
However, it falls short on the sophistication of its actual plagiarism detection and often appears "buggy" with the amount of ads on the site. A quick Google search reveals users reporting their results as being incomplete; the plagiarism checker sometimes fails to identify as many instances of plagiarism as a simple Google search for the same block of text.
PlagScan is an online plagiarism checker that's particularly popular in Germany, where it was created. It accepts many file formats, such as PDF and Word documents, in addition to a simple copy and paste.
PlagScan is used by many professionals and educational institutions alike, but it falls short with the number of false positives it provides when detecting plagiarism. It also appears to have an outdated database, sometimes failing to detect plagiarism where it really matters.
Viper is the plagiarism checker on scanmyessay.com that uses "credits" to provide content evaluations for writers. It's a quick and easy tool to use and is a great choice for content written in other languages besides English.
It offers a user-friendly experience but takes some getting used to. Since pricing is based on credits, the cost can quickly get steep depending on how much content needs to be checked. The main drawback to using Viper is that you essentially forfeit your right to privacy, as the site will publish your submitted work to other sites after a certain amount of time.
If all you're looking for is a fast and easy way to keep your grammar in line while you write, you should go install the Grammarly plugin right now! However, if you're looking for a plagiarism checker—whether you're a student, teacher, or professional copywriter, Quetext is really your best bet.
Even if you go the Pro route with Quetext, you're maxing out at less than $10 a month for the most advanced, most efficient plagiarism checker on the internet. If you only need a one-off originality check, you definitely don't want to go blowing $30 for one month of the full Grammarly suite (which is what you're paying and getting, even if the plagiarism checker is all you actually need).
Between the low-cost pricing (or even no cost), accessibility, advanced technology, and seamless, pleasant user experience, you can't beat the value you get with Quetext's plagiarism checker. Give it a try (for free!) and see for yourself.

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