Paperpal and Grammarly both check your writing for grammar and clarity, but they're built for different kinds of writing. Paperpal is an AI writing assistant made for academic and research writing, with language editing, plagiarism checks, citations and research tools. Grammarly is a general writing assistant that works almost everywhere you type, with tools for students such as an AI grader and citation help. Here's how they compare for essays, theses and research papers on free plans, academic features, price and student deals.
Choose Paperpal if most of your writing is academic — a thesis, dissertation, lab report or research paper — and you want language editing tuned for research writing, free plagiarism checks and citation tools, especially if you write in Overleaf or English isn't your first language.
Choose Grammarly if you want one tool that works everywhere you write, from essays to emails and job applications, with a strong free plan.
| Feature | Paperpal | Grammarly |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Theses, research papers and academic editing | Everyday writing across every app |
| Free plan | 200 language suggestions/month, AI features up to 5 times a day, plagiarism checks up to 7,000 words/month (standard report) | Spelling and grammar checks, tone detection, 100 AI prompts/month |
| Main paid plan | Prime: $144/year ($12/month billed annually) or $25/month | Pro: $12/month billed annually ($144/year) or $30/month |
| Higher plan | Pro: $348/year ($29/month billed annually) or $59/month | See Grammarly's plans page |
| Plagiarism checks | Free up to 7,000 words/month; Prime 10,000; Pro 30,000 (full report) | Pro only |
| AI detection | Prime: 25,000 words/month; Pro: unlimited | Pro only |
| Citations and research | Citation generator (10,000+ styles), research Q&A, chat with PDFs | Citation generator (APA, MLA, Chicago), Citation Finder on Pro, citation consistency checks |
| Where it works | Web, Word add-in, Chrome and Edge extensions for Google Docs and Overleaf | Google Docs, Word, browser extension, desktop and mobile apps |
| Student deal | Student discount with an institution email | 50% off Pro for students (limited time); some colleges have campus licenses |
Prices and features as of November 2026 — check the official site for current details
Best for: theses, research papers and academic English editing
Paperpal is an AI writing assistant built for academic writing. It suggests language and grammar edits suited to research writing, and includes AI tools for rewriting, translating and reviewing your draft, research Q&A, chat with PDFs, a citation generator with 10,000+ styles, plagiarism checks and AI detection. It works on the web, as a Microsoft Word add-in, and through Chrome and Edge extensions that support Google Docs and Overleaf. The free plan includes 200 language suggestions a month, AI features up to 5 times a day, and plagiarism checks for up to 7,000 words a month with a standard report. Paperpal Prime costs $144/year ($12/month billed annually) or $25/month and includes 20,000 language edits, 500 AI uses and 500 research questions a month, 10,000 words of plagiarism checks with a full report and 25,000 words of AI detection. Paperpal Pro costs $348/year ($29/month billed annually) or $59/month, with unlimited language edits and 30,000 words of plagiarism checks a month. Paperpal says it offers discounts to students who register with their institution email address.
Why students use it:
For academic writing like theses and research papers, Paperpal is usually the better fit because it's built for research writing and includes plagiarism checks and citation tools on its free plan. For everyday writing across many apps — essays, emails and applications — Grammarly is more versatile.
Best for: everyday writing in every app, from essays to emails
Grammarly checks spelling, grammar, clarity and tone in Google Docs, Microsoft Word, your browser and its desktop and mobile apps. The free plan includes core corrections, tone detection and 100 AI prompts a month. Grammarly Pro adds full-sentence rewrites, plagiarism and AI-text detection, citation consistency checks and 2,000 AI prompts a month, for $12/month billed annually ($144/year) or $30/month billed monthly. Grammarly also offers student-focused tools, including an AI Grader that gives feedback based on your assignment, a Citation Finder (in Grammarly docs for Pro subscribers), a citation generator for APA, MLA and Chicago, and Authorship, which records whether text was typed, pasted or AI-assisted. It's currently offering students 50% off Pro for a limited time, and some colleges provide access through a campus license.
Why students use it:
Choose Paperpal if most of your writing is academic — a thesis, dissertation, lab report or research paper — and you want language editing tuned for research writing, free plagiarism checks and citation tools, especially if you write in Overleaf or English isn't your first language. Choose Grammarly if you want one tool that works everywhere you write, from essays to emails and job applications, with a strong free plan. Both have free plans, so try each on a few pages of your own writing first, and check whether your college already provides Grammarly.
Grammar and clarity edits are allowed in most courses, but generating or rewriting large parts of an assignment with AI may break your instructor's policy. Check your syllabus, keep the ideas and wording your own, and disclose AI use when required. AI detectors — including the ones built into these tools — aren't fully reliable, so don't treat their scores as proof either way.