PaperRater
Free grammar and plagiarism scorer, shutting down August 31, 2026
- Category
- Writing & Content
- Pricing
- Historically: free for up to 6 pages, $7.95 one-time for up to 15 pages, or Premium at $14.95/month for unlimited submissions. The entire service is being permanently shut down on August 31, 2026, with no migration path to a replacement product.
- Best for
- Historically a good fit for students, freelance writers, and content teams wanting a fast, mostly-free second check on grammar, plagiarism, and style before submitting or publishing.
- Official site
- www.paperrater.com
- Last updated
- August 2026
PaperRater is a free, browser-based writing-evaluation tool that checks submitted essays and papers for grammar and spelling errors, plagiarism, vocabulary usage, passive voice, sentence-length issues, and other style metrics, then returns an automated score and a printable summary report. It has been used for years by students, freelance writers, and content teams as a lightweight second pass before submitting or publishing work, sitting alongside heavier tools like Grammarly. The free tier covers up to 6 pages of text; beyond that, PaperRater historically charged $7.95 for a one-time check up to 15 pages, or $14.95/month for a Premium subscription offering unlimited submissions, deeper plagiarism analysis, and an ad-free experience.
Critically, PaperRater is owned by Learneo (the parent company behind Course Hero, QuillBot, Scribbr, and LitCharts), and Learneo announced on its support site that PaperRater will be officially retired effective August 31, 2026 — just days from the current date. The company says it is consolidating resources into its other Learneo-owned platforms rather than migrating any PaperRater features to a new home; existing accounts remain accessible until the shutdown date, recurring charges will stop before then, and users with active paid subscriptions may be eligible for a prorated refund. Learneo is directing displaced users to its sister products: QuillBot for AI writing/paraphrasing/grammar/citations, Scribbr for professional proofreading and plagiarism checking, Course Hero for study resources, and LitCharts for literature guides.
Historically a good fit for students, freelance writers, and content teams wanting a fast, mostly-free second check on grammar, plagiarism, and style before submitting or publishing. Given the confirmed August 31, 2026 shutdown, it is not a viable choice for anyone starting fresh — Learneo itself is redirecting users to sister products like QuillBot and Scribbr.
Key features
Grammar and spell check
Flags spelling and grammatical errors across submitted text with inline highlighting.
Plagiarism detection
Compares submitted text against web sources, with faster/slower scan-speed options and a deeper originality report on Premium.
Vocabulary and style analysis
Reports on academic vocabulary usage, transitional phrases, sentence-length variety, and sentence beginnings.
Passive voice and readability scoring
Flags passive-voice usage and computes readability indices (Premium-only for full detail).
Automated grading
Produces an automated score calibrated to a selected education level and paper type.
Printable summary report
Generates a report that can be printed or submitted to an instructor (e-submission option).
Format support
Accepts doc, docx, txt, and rtf file uploads in addition to pasted text.
Pricing breakdown
Free
- Up to 6 pages per submission
- Basic grammar, spelling, and plagiarism checks
- Ad-supported
Pay-per-use
- Up to 15 pages per submission
- Same checks as free tier
Premium
- Unlimited submissions
- Deeper plagiarism detail (matched phrases)
- Full readability indices
- No ads
- Faster processing
Pros and cons
Pros
- The free plan gives real, usable feedback (grammar, spelling, vocabulary, passive voice, plagiarism) on up to 6 pages without requiring payment, which reviewers repeatedly highlight as good value.
- Multiple long-tenured reviewers (2+ years of use) on Capterra describe it as a reliable step in their regular writing or editing workflow.
- Reviewers specifically credit it with catching plagiarism and passive-voice issues other quick checks miss, useful for freelance writers submitting to clients.
- The workflow is fast and simple — paste or upload a document and get a report back quickly, with no complex setup.
- It has stayed genuinely free at the entry tier for a long time relative to competitors that have moved to subscription-only models.
Cons
- Most importantly: the service is shutting down permanently on August 31, 2026, per an official Learneo announcement — any new adoption should account for this immediate end-of-life.
- No mobile app exists; several Capterra reviewers explicitly wanted one and found the mobile browsing experience clunky.
- Customer support is weak — reviewers describe automated phone support and no live help, which is frustrating for paid subscribers.
- One long-time reviewer noted the 'Check' button on the site is frequently crowded out by third-party grammar-tool ads, making the tool harder to actually use.
- The 'advanced check' option reportedly redirects to Grammarly without clear labeling, which some reviewers found confusing.
What reviewers say
PaperRater holds a solid 4.4/5 on Capterra from a small pool of 11 reviews, with reviewers praising its plagiarism detection, vocabulary/style feedback, and free tier, while criticizing weak customer support and the lack of a mobile app. The service is scheduled to shut down permanently on August 31, 2026.
Frequently praised
- Effective plagiarism detection and grammar/spelling checks, even on the free tier
- Useful style feedback: passive voice, sentence length, vocabulary usage
- Fast, simple workflow that long-time users have relied on for years
Frequently criticized
- Weak customer service with no live support
- No mobile app for on-the-go checking
- Interface can feel dated and ad-cluttered, and the premium upsell/redirect to Grammarly confused some users
Alternatives to PaperRater
Jasper
AI content platform built for marketing teams
Compare →Copy.ai
AI copywriting and GTM workflow automation
Compare →Grammarly
AI writing assistant for grammar, tone and clarity
Compare →Writesonic
AI Search Visibility (GEO) platform with SEO content tools
Compare →SummarizingTool
AI summaries for text, documents, and video — plus rewriting, paraphrasing, and AI detection
Compare →GoZen Content AI
AI writing and image generation for SEO blogs, social posts, and ads
Compare →Wordtune
AI rewriting and tone assistant for confident writing
Compare →Originality.ai
AI content and plagiarism detector for publishers
Compare →Koala AI
SEO-optimized article generator powered by GPT-5.2 and Claude 4.5
Compare →LanguageTool
Multilingual grammar and style checker for 30+ languages
Compare →Sapling
Real-time AI language suggestions for enterprise support teams
Compare →AIPRM for ChatGPT
Curated prompt library and toolkit for ChatGPT and Claude
Compare →Bramework
AI blog writer built to turn content into customers
Compare →ContentEdge
AI copywriting fused with real-time SEO keyword data
Compare →Contents.com
AI content platform for SEO, social, and multilingual copy
Compare →JotBot
Academic AI writing assistant that keeps you the author
Compare →Keyword Caddy
AI-powered local SEO and content platform built for small businesses
Compare →Lavender
Real-time AI coach that scores and rewrites your sales emails
Compare →MovableType.ai
Turn one big idea into a full book draft in minutes
Compare →NeuralWriter
Free AI paraphrasing tool that rewrites text in your own words
Compare →NovelAI
AI-powered storytelling and image generation for creative writers
Compare →Peppertype.ai
AI short-form copywriting for ads, social, and product copy
Compare →WordHero
One-click AI content generator with 100+ templates
Compare →Frequently asked questions
Is PaperRater shutting down?
Yes. Learneo, PaperRater's parent company, has announced the service will be officially retired on August 31, 2026, with no feature migration to a replacement product.
Will I still be charged after PaperRater shuts down?
No — Learneo says all recurring charges will stop before August 31, 2026, and no billing will occur after that date.
Can I get a refund for an active subscription?
If you have an active paid subscription with time remaining past August 31, 2026, Learneo says you may be eligible for a prorated refund via its support team.
What should I use instead of PaperRater?
Learneo is directing users to its other platforms: QuillBot for AI writing/grammar/paraphrasing, Scribbr for professional proofreading and plagiarism checks, Course Hero for study resources, and LitCharts for literature guides.
Is PaperRater free?
Yes, historically the base plan was free for up to 6 pages, with a $7.95 one-time fee for longer documents or a $14.95/month Premium subscription for unlimited use.
What happens to my PaperRater account data?
Learneo says user accounts and personal data (name, email, billing info) will be deleted after the shutdown, subject to limited retention required by law.
Ready to try PaperRater?
Head to the official site to explore pricing and start a free trial where available.
Visit PaperRater →