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QuillBot Overview: universal assistant for creating documents

Written by is*hosting team | Nov 2, 2023 10:00:00 AM

Today, we're going to take a closer look at QuillBot's comprehensive platform, which will not only improve your writing but also simplify your work in general.

What is QuillBot?

QuillBot is a universal service for working with any text with artificial intelligence. All tools are available on a single platform with an intuitive interface:

  1. Paraphrasing Tool
  2. Summarizer
  3. Co-Writer
  4. Plagiarism Checker
  5. Word Counter
  6. Translator
  7. Grammar Checker
  8. Proofreader
  9. Spell Checker
  10. Punctuation Checker
  11. Essay Checker
  12. Citation Generator

QuillBot was created as a complete thesaurus to help students and professionals write more confidently and quickly. Now, the platform has expanded significantly and offers many features.

QuillBot uses data such as text entered by users to improve the quality of its results. The text data is collected in bulk and presented to the computer, which looks for patterns among thousands of different sentences. The results are used to train artificial intelligence, making the text QuillBot produces more natural and accurate.

QuillBot Features

Paraphrasing Tool

To use the paraphraser, type or paste the text you want to change into the box on the left. Then click on the "Paraphrase" button. The text will take a few moments to process.

When the artificial intelligence finishes changing the text, it will appear in the correct box. The replaced words will be highlighted or underlined. You can control the words or phrases that have been paraphrased to choose the most appropriate synonyms.

When paraphrasing, you can change several parameters that affect the results:

  • Modes are settings that change what the AI focuses on in the text. Some modes make more changes than others or can affect the length of the text.
  • The Synonyms slider directly affects the number of words in the text that are replaced by synonyms. You can adjust the slider to replace more or fewer words.
  • If you click the gear icon on the right side of the screen, you can adjust various settings, such as the language or dialect, the use of abbreviations, and the paraphrasing of quotations.

You can also "freeze" words you do not want replaced by synonyms.

You can also edit the paraphrased text directly: when you click on a specific word, the paraphraser will offer synonym options in a drop-down list. The "Fill" option will change the results obtained in the drop-down thesaurus, and instead of the main synonyms in the list, you will get a list of phrases with additional words added in place of the original words.

Modes of paraphrasing:

  1. Standard. This is the default mode. It balances changing the text and preserving the original meaning to sound as natural as possible.
  2. Fluence. This mode ensures that the text is free of grammatical errors and sounds "authentic". In Fluency mode, Minimal changes are made to the text, so the meaning remains unchanged. The number of synonyms is set to the lowest level.
  3. Formal. This mode gives the text a more professional look. This is a good option for academic and business texts.
  4. Simple. This mode aims to make the text less difficult to read and more understandable for all users.
  5. Creative. This mode makes the most changes to the text, resulting in a completely different look and feel. When using this mode, it is possible to change the meaning of the original text.
  6. Academic. This mode allows you to turn ordinary text into academic writing by filling it with more complex words not typically used in ordinary speech.
  7. Shorten. This mode allows you to shorten your text as much as possible while preserving its original meaning.
  8. Expand. This mode allows you to maximize the length of your text by adding more words and synonyms.

In the free version of QuillBot, you only have access to two modes: Standard and Fluence. To get access to all modes, you need a paid subscription.

It should be noted that the paraphrasing tool is not designed to bypass anti-plagiarism checks.

Summarizer

Summarizer is a tool that can take large articles or texts and summarize them into a single paragraph or several sentences. It can be used either in Co-Writer or standalone.

To use the Summarizer, first type, paste, or upload the text you want to edit. Then click the Summarize button. The text will be processed, and key sentences will appear in the output window.

By default, you can choose the type of summary (summarized paragraph or key sentences) and adjust the summary length with a special slider.

Plagiarism Checker

The plagiarism checker is only available to users with a Premium account.

Plagiarism checking with a Premium account is limited to 20 pages of text per month. QuillBot supports the following file types: html, txt (UTF-8 encoded), csv, rtf, xml and htm. We also support non-text file types such as pdf, docx, doc, pptx, ppt, odt, chm, epub, odp, ppsx, pages, xlsx, xls and LaTeX.

QuillBot saves all uploaded documents so you can access your reports at any time.

If any portion of the standard 20 pages per month is unused, it will not carry over to the next billing period. If you run out of pages, you can purchase additional ones.

Co-Writer

Co-Writer brings all of QuillBot's tools together in one place, allowing you to paraphrase, summarize, create citations, and write essays without switching between products. QuillBot also includes online research, note-taking, and artificial intelligence auto-complete features that allow users to keep their writing and research on the page.

Although Co-Writer has limited features, it is available in a free version.

Complementing the generative AI is the ability to upload a file and create text based on your own work.

Paraphrase, summarize, and suggest text functions are available in a dedicated panel.

To paraphrase in Co-Writer, use the Paraphrase button. You can simply click on the paragraph you want to paraphrase and then click the corresponding button. This will paraphrase the whole paragraph. Or you can paraphrase a specific part of the text.

The same method is available for summarizing large amounts of text using the Summarize button. Grammar and other mistakes are automatically checked: in the bottom menu, you can find information about the number of words and mistakes (they are marked with a red circle). A convenient feature is the ability to correct all mistakes at once without dealing with them individually.

The Suggest Text feature uses artificial intelligence to create the next suggestion based on a previously typed sentence. The Suggest Text button is located on the bottom panel. The Co-Writer will examine the previous text and then give you a drop-down list of suggestions for the next paragraph. You can choose the most appropriate one, which will be automatically added to the text. The quality of these sentences depends mainly on the quality of the previous text.

The Research tool is a unique feature of the Co-Writer program that allows you to conduct research and cite sources. When you click the Research button, the toolbar expands, and a search bar appears. You can use this tool to search the web for topics, articles, keywords, etc., without switching to other tabs or programs.

You can also insert citations (Citations option) and make notes.

Citation generator APA and MLA

The Citations tool in Co-Writer makes it easy to create citations for sources, insert in-text citations, and copy all citations when creating a bibliography.

This feature is located in the sidebar. To create a citation, click the Create Citation button and then enter either the URL of the website, book title, or other resource you want to cite.

You can create a citation or link to a specific source outside of Co-Writer. Just click on the citation generator icon in the sidebar of the QuillBot home page.

The platform supports two types of citations: APA and MLA. The choice of APA (American Psychological Association) or MLA (Modern Language Association) style depends directly on the paper and, for example, the supervisor's or teacher's requirements. These styles differ in layout and are considered to apply to different fields of science.

If you go to the list of all collected citations, you can select the desired format and change it. Note that in the drop-down list, you can choose from many different formats, not just popular ones.

Other QuillBot tools

Word Counter offers to enter text in a special window and automatically get the number of characters with or without spaces. The note about limitations in social networks X (Twitter) and Facebook is beneficial.

QuillBot Translator allows you to translate 5,000 characters at a time. File translation is currently unavailable, but the platform promises to introduce this feature. QuillBot Translator supports 45 languages and is powered by artificial intelligence, so it learns from thousands of expertly written texts worldwide.

Proofreader is the last tool before publishing an article or sending a document. The program checks the written text and corrects all spelling, grammar, and punctuation mistakes. Generally, other similar tools perform the same functions, but separately: Grammar Checker, Spell Checker, and Punctuation Checker.

QuillBot Interface

While the QuillBot platform is English only (British, American, Canadian, and Australian are available), some tools are multilingual:

  • Paraphrasing Tool supports Afrikaans, Chinese, Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Malay, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Tagalog, Turkish, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese.
  • Grammar Checker allows you to check text in English, German, Spanish, and French.
  • Co-Writer, Summarizer, Citation Generator, and Plagiarism Checker are available in English only.
  • The translator currently supports Arabic, Bengali, Cebuano, Chinese, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Malay, Norwegian, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Tagalog, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, Urdu, and Vietnamese.

If you're considering getting an API, QuillBot does not offer a B2B or B2C API.

Overall, the tools are all presented on one platform, making it easy to use. The interface can also be set to "Dark mode".

QuillBot extensions

The platform allows you to simplify word processing by installing an extension. You can do this for Microsoft Word on MacOS, Windows, and Google Chrome.

There are two ways to install the Microsoft Word extension on Windows or macOS: either by downloading it directly from the Microsoft Appsource page or by installing it through the Office Store in Word itself.

To get the QuillBot extension to work directly in your Chrome browser, go to the Google Workspace Marketplace and install it. You will then find the extension under the "Add-ons" tab in Google Docs, for example, or it will appear in the top bar where all previously installed extensions are displayed.

QuillBot Pricing

QuillBot offers Free, Premium, and Team plans. You can use the free version of the platform with some limitations in functionality. For example, Proofreader and other checking tools are entirely free, Plagiarism Checker is only available to users with a Premium account.

Premium QuillBot

Premium for one year is $4.79 per month ($49.95 once for 12 months), six months is $6.66 per month ($39.95 once for six months), or $9.95 with monthly fees. Premium includes advanced features in each tool, including increased processing speed, rewriting, plagiarism checking, and more.

Users can request a refund within three days of purchasing a paid subscription. This guarantee only applies to users who have never used the software before.

QuillBot for teams

Team plans with Premium plan features are available for large teams when multiple people want to use QuillBot tools:

  • From 5 to 10 users, the annual plan costs $44.95 per user, billed every 12 months ($3.75/month/user).
  • From 11 to 50 users, the annual plan costs $39.95 per user, billed every 12 months ($3.33/month/user).
  • From 51 users or more, the annual plan costs $34.95 per user, billed every 12 months ($2.91/month/user).

For example, if your team consists of seven people, an annual subscription will cost you $314.65. Depending on the exact number of users, you can calculate the cost yourself using the calculator on the platform's website. Access is managed in a special dashboard by three roles (owner, administrator, and writer). Subscriptions can be canceled anytime, and access is maintained until the start of the next billing period.

Team plans also come with a 3-day money-back guarantee.

Affiliate Program

The affiliate program allows you to share an invitation link and earn from each invited user.

Payments are verified and made within one month after commissions are earned. For example, commissions earned in February will be paid in March. You can earn 10% from monthly plans, 15% from bi-annual plans, and 20% from annual plans.

QuillBot Support uses cookies to track your referrals. These cookies are valid for 30 days after someone clicks on your link. If someone clicks again, the 30-day period resets and starts over.

PartnerStack allows you to track your referrals and their subscriptions.

QuillBot tutorials, knowledge base, support

With QuillBot, you can use the Knowledge Base, which contains information about QuillBot, its services and best practices, account information, premium plans, and general questions about billing, payment, etc.

In each Knowledge Base article, you'll find a complete answer to any question, either in summary or expanded form.

For the paraphrasing tool and the AI writing assistant, the QuillBot team has created separate pages with detailed descriptions of each service, its importance, and how to work with it.

More content about the tools, updates, AI news and training can be found in the QuillBot blog. Articles are published several times a month, and you may find them useful.

For those who want to follow the latest news about the service on social media, we recommend subscribing to @thequillbot on Instagram. The other social networks (Facebook and X (Twitter)) have been abandoned.

Pros and cons of QuillBot

We can highlight the following advantages of QuillBot:

  • Platform personalization
  • Artificial intelligence-based thesaurus
  • Integration with Chrome, Microsoft Word, and MacOS
  • Multiple language and dialect support
  • Comprehensive tools for working with text
  • Extensive knowledge base and tutorials

QuillBot disadvantages:

  • Possible inaccuracy of synonyms when paraphrasing
  • The interface and some tools are only in English
  • Contextual limitations
  • A paid subscription is required for advanced and full multilingual and multitone services

Is QuillBot worth trying?

We say a resounding "Yes!" Quillbot is a versatile service that includes several valuable tools that will come in handy at any text or other content creation stage.

Chrome, Word, and MacOS extensions are suggested to make your work easier. The extensive knowledge base and countless tutorials will keep you from getting lost on the platform and enhance the tools' experience. The QuillBot platform uses artificial intelligence to provide students with instant feedback and help them see opportunities for improvement, which is also a big plus.

With multiple languages available for word processing and paid subscriptions for advanced features, it's possible to use the QuillBot service to its fullest potential.