QuillBot

Updated for version: September 2nd 2024

Accessible via: Website, browser extension (Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge), application for macOS, Android and iOS, Word

Requires login via: Google, Facebook, Apple or email.

Ratings

Accuracy / Quality          ★★☆☆☆

Flexibility / Features       ★★☆☆☆

Data security / Privacy    ★☆☆☆☆

We strongly recommend Grammarly over QuillBot, as the data security is less well safeguarded in QuillBot, and the available free features of both tools are near-identical or better in Grammarly.

Pros/cons

Pros 

  • Available in multiple languages and dialects
  • Accessible in web browsers and operating systems
  • QuillBot flow combines all QuillBot technology in one tool

Cons

  • Limited features without premium
  • Unable to use different tones of writing
  • Features inferior to conventional and/or AI programmes
  • Not available as Microsoft extension

Description

Quillbot is an AI-enhanced writing tool that can help users improve their written text and writing skills. In the free plan, Quillbot can paraphrase, translate, check and summarize text, however, all features have improved functionality in the premium plan.

In many ways, QuillBot is inferior to AI tool Grammarly. There is no opting-out of data usage, and features are limited in the free plan. Moreover, features such as the citation generator are no better than conventional tools like Mendeley.

Features and examples

Quillbot flow

QuillBot flow is an online text writing environment, where all QuillBot tools come together. It allows easy co-editing of documents uploaded or created in QuillBot Flow. To start QuillBot Flow, click on “QuillBot Flow” in the sidebar on the left side of the page. Then, start a project in one of three ways. The first way (“Create New Project”) allows you to start with a blank page or to import an existing document. Secondly, you can use one of the many existing templates by clicking “From Templates” button. Thirdly, you can use “Smart Start” by selecting the type of text you wish to write, plus a brief description of your topic. In this case, we use Smart Start to write an essay on carnivorous plants.

After using Smart Start, QuillBot has created a proposed outline for our essay. We can share the document with peers using the “Share” button in the top right corner. Moreover, we can use the earlier discussed QuillBot tools such as Paraphrase, Summarize and Translate in the toolbar on the bottom. Moreover, the toolbar on the right side of the page offers an AI search tool, allowing us to keep track of sources, take notes and do a complete AI review of your document.

Flares can further help you in the writing process in many ways. Flare can be accessed by pressing “/” or pressing the button marked by the thunder strike on the right side of the page. In this case, we use Flare to start write the first few sentences of a paragraph.

Before finishing the essay, we can ask QuillBot to AI Review the text in the toolbar on the right. We can either use one of the preset review manners or ask for custom feedback. The custom feedback can be a particularly useful tool to improve your own (academic) writing skills.

As with all AI programs, QuillBot's AI review should only be utilised as a tool, and should not to replace your own academic and writing skills.

AI Detector

QuillBot has developed a tool for the detection of AI in user submitted text. You can upload text and files (with less than 1200 words) whereafter the tool attempts to analyse the text. However, this tool can only give an indication of AI usage and has an unverified accuracy, and therefore should not be used as a definitive judgement for AI usage.

Paraphraser

QuillBot also can rewrite text in multiple styles using the Paraphraser tool. In the free feature of this tool, you can rephrase sentences in a standard and more fluent writing style. Moreover, you can select words that you wish to maintain in the rephrased text using the freeze button on the bottom left corner. The slider in the upper-right corner allows you to balance accuracy and level of change in the renewed text.

It is allowed to reformulate a handful of sentences, but full paragraphs or texts risk being in violation of the Examining Board rules for students against AI fraud.

Summarizer

QuillBot can also summarize pieces of text in multiple ways. In the summarizer tool, we can provide text by either uploading a document, typing text ourselves or pasting text.

We can easily alter the summary by selecting keywords on the bottom, choosing another summary mode on the top left, or changing summary length with the slider.