OpenAI's chat assistant for writing, studying and getting work done.
ChatGPT is OpenAI's AI chatbot used by millions to answer questions, draft text, write code and handle daily tasks.
Free plan API
4.7Editorial score 4.7 out of 5
Free plan Writing AI Tools
General drafting, marketing copy, editing and rewriting each have a different leader, so the best AI writing tool for you depends on the job.
Updated July 28, 2026 Reviewed by The iKnow AI Editorial Team
With AI writing tools you can draft articles, tidy up emails, rewrite copy and catch grammar mistakes in less time. Here we compare assistants for blogging, marketing copy, academic help and day-to-day writing, along with their free plans, pricing and the jobs each one handles best. If proofreading is your main need, begin with the free Grammarly alternatives.
- Tools compared
- 19
- With a free plan
- 14
- Avg. editorial score
- 4.4 / 5
Best for
Jump to the pick for your kind of writing:
Writing AI Tools at a glance
Our top 8 picks side by side, with the best use, price and rating for each.
| # | Tool | Best for | Pricing | Rating | View |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ChatGPT OpenAI's chat assistant for writing, studying and getting work done. | Writing emails, essays and other drafts | Free plan then $20/month | 4.7Editorial score 4.7 out of 5 | View |
| 2 |  Claude Anthropic's careful AI assistant for writing, analysis and code. | Writing and editing long pieces | Free plan then $20/month | 4.7Editorial score 4.7 out of 5 | View |
| 3 |  Gemini Google's multimodal AI assistant for writing, research and getting work done. | Writing and revising documents and emails | Free plan then $20/month | 4.5Editorial score 4.5 out of 5 | View |
| 4 |  Grammarly AI writing assistant that helps you write clearly, correctly and to the point. | Catching grammar, spelling and punctuation errors | Free plan then $12/month | 4.5Editorial score 4.5 out of 5 | View |
| 5 |  Microsoft Copilot Microsoft's AI companion inside Windows, Edge and Microsoft 365. | Writing and summarizing inside Office apps | Free plan then $20/month | Not yet rated | View |
| 6 |  DeepSeek Cheap, openly released AI chat and reasoning models from DeepSeek. | Working through logic, math and reasoning problems | Free plan free | Not yet rated | View |
| 7 |  Grok xAI's quick-witted AI assistant that draws on live posts from X. | Tracking live news and getting summaries of it | Free plan then $30/month | Not yet rated | View |
| 8 |  Mistral AI Open-weight models from Europe plus the Le Chat assistant. | Writing and translating across languages | Free plan then $14.99/month | Not yet rated | View |
The best writing tools, reviewed
1 ChatGPT is OpenAI's AI chatbot used by millions to answer questions, draft text, write code and handle daily tasks.
Best for: Writing emails, essays and other drafts
Pros
- Handles writing, coding and daily tasks equally well
- Quick, natural replies backed by wide knowledge
- Apps on every major platform
Cons
- Free users get limited access to the newest models
- Sometimes gives wrong answers with full confidence
Pricing: free plan, paid from $20/month.
2 Claude is Anthropic's conversational AI assistant, recognized for reasoning over long context, thoughtful writing and solid coding help.
Best for: Writing and editing long pieces
Pros
- Great at analysis and reasoning over long context
- Thoughtful, polished writing
- Dependable help with code
Cons
- The free tier has usage caps
- Cannot generate images natively
Pricing: free plan, paid from $20/month.
3 Gemini is the AI assistant from Google for writing, reasoning and research, and it plugs into Google's apps and services.
Best for: Writing and revising documents and emails
Pros
- Most people get a generous free allowance
- Tight links with Google Search and Workspace
- Strong at multimodal input and long documents
Cons
- The top models and features sit behind a paid plan
- Output quality shifts from model to model and task to task
Pricing: free plan, paid from $20/month.
4 Grammarly is an AI writing assistant that flags grammar, spelling, clarity and tone issues as you type, and its generative tools help you write and rewrite text.
Best for: Catching grammar, spelling and punctuation errors
Pros
- Accurate feedback that appears as you write
- Available in nearly every place you type
- Free plan handles everyday writing well
Cons
- You need Premium for the advanced suggestions
- Style flags are sometimes wrong
Pricing: free plan, paid from $12/month.
5 Microsoft Copilot is an AI assistant that lives in Windows, Edge, Bing and the Microsoft 365 apps, handling chat, search and office work.
Best for: Writing and summarizing inside Office apps
Pros
- Tightly tied into Windows and Office
- The free tier holds up well
- Data protection built for enterprises
Cons
- You get the most from it only with a Microsoft 365 subscription
- It is spread across many separate apps and surfaces
Pricing: free plan, paid from $20/month.
Browse all 19 writing tools
Narrow the list by pricing, platform and features, or change the sort order to find a match.
19 tools
Anthropic's careful AI assistant for writing, analysis and code.
Claude is Anthropic's conversational AI assistant, recognized for reasoning over long context, thoughtful writing and solid coding help.
Free plan API
4.7Editorial score 4.7 out of 5
Free plan 
Copy.ai
An AI copywriter and go-to-market platform for marketing teams.
Copy.ai is an AI writing platform that produces marketing copy, blog posts and go-to-market workflows for marketers and their teams.
Free plan Free trial API
4.1Editorial score 4.1 out of 5
Free plan DeepSeek
NewCheap, openly released AI chat and reasoning models from DeepSeek.
DeepSeek is a quick, inexpensive AI assistant running on open DeepSeek models, with strong results in reasoning, math and coding.
Free plan API
Editorial review pending
Free plan Gemini
Google's multimodal AI assistant for writing, research and getting work done.
Gemini is the AI assistant from Google for writing, reasoning and research, and it plugs into Google's apps and services.
Free plan API
4.5Editorial score 4.5 out of 5
Free plan Grammarly
AI writing assistant that helps you write clearly, correctly and to the point.
Grammarly is an AI writing assistant that flags grammar, spelling, clarity and tone issues as you type, and its generative tools help you write and rewrite text.
Free plan
4.5Editorial score 4.5 out of 5
Free plan Grok
NewxAI's quick-witted AI assistant that draws on live posts from X.
Grok, the chat assistant from xAI, pairs an irreverent voice with live access to X and built-in image generation.
Free plan API
Editorial review pending
Free plan 
Jasper
AI writing and marketing platform for producing on-brand content at volume.
Jasper is an AI content platform for marketing teams that speeds up on-brand copy, blog posts and campaigns.
Free trial API
4.2Editorial score 4.2 out of 5
From $39/month 
Meta AI
NewMeta's free Llama-based assistant inside its family of apps.
Meta AI is a free assistant that runs on Llama models and lives in WhatsApp, Instagram, Messenger and on the web.
Free plan
Editorial review pending
Free plan Microsoft Copilot
NewMicrosoft's AI companion inside Windows, Edge and Microsoft 365.
Microsoft Copilot is an AI assistant that lives in Windows, Edge, Bing and the Microsoft 365 apps, handling chat, search and office work.
Free plan Free trial
Editorial review pending
Free plan Mistral AI
NewOpen-weight models from Europe plus the Le Chat assistant.
Mistral AI is a European AI lab that releases efficient open-weight LLMs and runs Le Chat, a quick assistant that handles many languages.
Free plan API
Editorial review pending
Free plan 
Notion AI
An AI writing and knowledge assistant that lives inside your Notion workspace.
Notion AI puts writing, summaries and Q&A right inside Notion, so you can draft, edit and find information anywhere in your workspace.
Free trial
4.3Editorial score 4.3 out of 5
From $10/month 
QuillBot
An AI paraphraser and grammar checker that cleans up your writing.
QuillBot is an AI writing assistant best known for paraphrasing, plus grammar checks, summaries and citations, and students and writers use it widely.
Free plan
4.2Editorial score 4.2 out of 5
Free plan 
Rytr
NewAn AI writing assistant that keeps things simple and cheap.
Rytr is a low-cost AI writing tool for ads, emails, blog sections and social posts, with many tones and languages.
Free plan API
Editorial review pending
Free plan 
Sudowrite
NewAn AI writing partner made for fiction authors.
Sudowrite is an AI tool for novelists and storytellers. It helps you brainstorm, write prose and description, and get past writer's block.
Free trial
Editorial review pending
From $10/month 
Surfer SEO
NewOn-page SEO optimization for content, driven by AI.
Surfer SEO studies the pages that rank on top and gives you keyword and structure advice so your content can rank higher.
Free trial API
Editorial review pending
From $99/month 
Wordtune
NewAI rewriting and editing that makes your writing easier to read.
Wordtune reworks your sentences for clarity, tone and length, and it can summarize and edit as well.
Free plan Free trial
Editorial review pending
Free plan 
Writesonic
NewAn AI writer for SEO articles, ad copy and marketing text.
Writesonic is an AI writing platform for SEO blog posts, ads and marketing content, with research tools and brand voice built in.
Free trial API
Editorial review pending
From $79/month 
You.com
NewAn AI assistant and search engine that cites its answers.
You.com is an AI search assistant that answers with sources and lets you move between several models.
Free plan API
Editorial review pending
Free plan How to choose writing ai tools
1
Know what you're writing
For drafts, outlines and brainstorming, general assistants such as ChatGPT and Claude cover the most ground. If you produce marketing copy in volume, a dedicated platform like Jasper or Copy.ai gives you brand voice settings and templates. When you want to polish text you already have, an editor such as Grammarly or QuillBot suits you better.
2
Look at the output controls
Controls for tone, length and brand voice decide whether you get copy you can use or bland filler. Choose a tool that lets you define a voice, paste in reference material and regenerate one section at a time, so you don't start over for every fix.
3
Compare free tiers with how much you write
Most writing tools have a free plan with a cap on words or requests. An occasional writer will find that cap generous. If you draft every day or manage a content team, compare paid plans on word limits, seats and extras such as plagiarism or AI-detection checks before you sign up.
How we choose the tools on this page
Our editorial team adds and checks each tool in this category by hand. We don't scrape listings or rank them by clicks. For every tool we confirm the pricing and free-tier details and write down its limitations. Top picks follow our editorial assessment together with popularity signals, and no one can pay for a higher position.
- We check whether a tool offers a real free plan, a free trial or paid-only access, and point out its biggest drawback.
- We rank tools by how well they handle the main tasks in this category in day-to-day use, and we ignore marketing claims.
- We return to listings when pricing or features change. The date at the top of the page shows our most recent verified update.
- Editors decide placement, and nobody can buy it. Our editorial policy explains how.
Writing AI Tools: FAQ
What is the best AI writing tool?
That depends on what you write. ChatGPT and Claude are flexible general assistants, Grammarly concentrates on editing, and Jasper is aimed at marketing teams. The cards below compare their free plans and where each one does best.
Are there free AI writing tools?
Yes. A number of assistants keep a permanent free plan, most often with a monthly cap on words or requests. Every tool with a free plan carries a tag, so you can filter for them in one click.
Can AI writing be detected?
Detection tools exist, but they make mistakes and flag human text as AI. Your safest route is to use AI for research and first drafts, then rewrite and fact-check in your own voice so the finished piece reflects your own work.
Is AI-written content good for SEO?
It can rank if it is accurate, original and useful to the reader. Search engines reward quality and expertise and don't care which tool produced the text. Thin AI copy published without edits tends to do poorly, so edit it and add something of value before it goes live.
Writing AI Tools: what to know
AI writing tools now fall into two groups. Broad assistants can draft nearly anything, while specialists focus on one task such as SEO copy, paraphrasing or grammar. The strongest model is seldom the right answer. Pick the tool whose controls and templates fit the way you write.
Whichever one you choose, treat what it produces as a first draft. Check the facts, add your own voice and examples, and edit for accuracy. Work that way and these tools shorten the trip from blank page to finished piece while the thinking stays with you. If you write marketing copy on a tight budget, the guide to free Jasper AI alternatives compares tools that have free plans.