Home Tips & Tricks A plagiarism checker is a tool widely used in education by both students and teachers to verify the originality of submitted work. It is used in all types of work, but especially in those that are carried out to finish the course as occurs in the undergraduate or postgraduate degree with TFG or TFM. Today we are going to show you some of the best, so, let’s dive into the details and see the 10 Best Free Online Plagiarism Checkers 2021 For Students! What's Inside ToggleHow does a plagiarism checker work?How We Ranked Plagiarism Checkers?10 Best Free Online Plagiarism Checkers 2021 For Students – Let The Count Begin!1. Scribbr2. Ephorus3. Grammarly4. Quetext5. Plagscan6. BibMe7. Plagramme8. Smallseotools9. Search Engine Reports10. EdubirdieFAQ How does a plagiarism checker work? Plagiarism checkers have a very simple function: they are automatic programs that are hosted in the cloud that allow any student, professional, or any person to compare the content of any text with previously submitted works, and being able to return to the person the percentage of plagiarism found in them, in case that it existed. Credits: mimiaandeunice Note: This list does contain free online plagiarism checkers. However, we have added the paid ones because of how accurate they check the data and some incredible features worth the price. How We Ranked Plagiarism Checkers? We have ranked these checkers based on these criteria: Sign up required or notFree or PaidWord count limitAllows uploadFiles SupportedAccuracy (most important)Usability App Support Chrome Extension Software Support Other features 10 Best Free Online Plagiarism Checkers 2021 For Students – Let The Count Begin! The table below provides the summary of all the mentioned best and free online plagiarism checkers: Plagiarism CheckerSign up requiredFree or PaidWord count limitAllows uploadFiles SupportedAccuracyUsabilityApp SupportChrome ExtensionSoftware SupportOther features ScribbrYesPaid ($18.95 per month)7,500 wordsYes .pdf, .odt, .doc and .docx10/1010/10NoYes Yes (Windows, Mac and Linux)Data import/export, data visualization, document review, grammar check, multi-language, punctuation check, spell check EphorusYesFree1,000 wordsYes .doc, .docx, .wpd, .pdf, .txt, .rtf, .odt .sxw, .html, .htm and .zip10/1010/10NoYes Yes (Windows) Patchwork plagiarism, data import/export, data visualization, document review, grammar check, punctuation check, spell check GrammarlyYesPaid ($29.99 for one month) Cheaper when choosing a yearly plan100,000 to 150,000 wordsYes .doc, .docx,.odt, .txt and .rtf9/109,5/10Yes Yes Yes (Windows and Mac) Problem area alerts, data import/export, data visualization, grammar check, multi-language, punctuation check, spell check, text similarity detection QuetextYesFree trial for 3 documents Paid ($9.99 per month)Free trial: 500 words Paid: 25,000 wordsYes -9/109,5/10NoYes Yes (Windows and Mac)Provides a comprehensive plagiarism score, detects duplicate text even if some words are twisted, interactive snippet text, grammar and style checking PlagscanYesFree trial Paid ($9.99)Free trial: 2,000 words Paid: 50,000-200,000 wordsYes .pdf, .docx, .doc, .txt, .html, .pages, .ppt, .wps, .wpd, .odt, .ott, .sdw, .xlsx, .xls, .pptx and more7,5/108/10NoNoYes (Windows and Mac)Source data access, side-by-side text comparison, downloadable reports BibMeYesFree trial for 3 days Paid ($10 per month) -Yes .pdf, .ppt, 7/107,5/10NoNoNoGrammar and style suggestions, provides 5 suggestions to improve your writing, checks for unintentional plagiarism. PlagrammeYesPaid ($0,35 per page)No limitYes .docx6,5/107/10NoYes Yes (Windows and Mac)Highlights similarity, plagiarism risk, paraphrase, improper citation, and matches, provides sources of links. SmallseotoolsYesFree1,000 wordsYes .doc, .docx, .rtf, .pdf and .ppts3/103/10Yes Yes Yes (Windows and Mac)Multi-language, checks short snippets of text. Search Engine ReportsNoFree1,000 wordsYes .txt and .docx4/102,5/10NoYes Yes (Windows and Mac)Ability to compare the duplicate with original content, checks plagiarism by URL and rewriting of plagiarised content, shows plagiarized text on the webpage EdubirdieYesFree-Yes .txt, .doc and .docx2/101/10NoNoYes (Windows)You can get help from experts, custom essay writing service features. 1. Scribbr Recommended: Yes Price: $18.95 per month Starting with this top 10 Best Free Online Plagiarism Checkers 2021, we find ourselves in the first place that, thanks to the features it has and its ease of use, Scribbr is one of the best options for online plagiarism checkers to be used by teachers or students. This checker has a word limit of 7,500, so any type of essay can be placed without any problem. It also works with .pdf, .odt, .doc and .docx file types, and also allows upload. Now, concerning its accuracy, it works in a perfect way, which, and together with how easy it is to use, places it as the best plagiarism checker on the current market. Finally, among the features that it offers us, it has data import/export, data visualization, document review, grammar check, multi-language, punctuation check, spell check. Pros: One of the best plagiarism checkers found on the internet.It is very easy to use for any student, professional or any person.It shows the amount of plagiarism and the places where it is found.It is used by institutes, colleges and universities around the world.It has access to scholarly databases. Cons: You have to pay to use it. Database size: So far, this is the checker with more information available to students around the world. 2. Ephorus Recommended: Yes Price: Free In the second place, we come across a plagiarism checker that has a lot to offer the person who uses it. Ephorus has special features, as well as the possibility of using it in a completely freeway, it is capable of working with files .doc, .docx, .wpd, .pdf, .txt, .rtf, .odt .sxw, .html, .htm and .zip, and has amazing features such as patchwork plagiarism, data import / export, data visualization, document review, grammar check, punctuation check, spell check. Having said that, not everything can be perfect, and it is that it has a slightly low word limit, being this one of 1,000 words. Other than that, and alongside Scribbr, it has exceptional accuracy and usability, which makes it very easy to use. Pros: It’s free.It has access to scholarly databases.It’s safe to use.Shows where plagiarism is in a big way. Cons: Not available to students.It has a 1,000-word limit Database size: Being able to obtain information from multiple sources, any type of essay can be checked without a problem. 3. Grammarly Recommended: Yes Price: $29.99 for one month, but it’s cheaper when choosing a yearly plan. Continuing with the plagiarism checkers that surprise all teachers and students, we have one well-known thanks to the characteristics it has, and it is Grammarly. Without a doubt, this one has the best word limit, ranging from 100,000 to 150,000 words, which is perfect for correcting an essay, long papers, and even projects, and also works alongside the file formats .doc, .doc. docx, .odt, .txt and .rtf. This, together with the fact that it is very easy to use and has almost perfect accuracy, puts it in third place without any problem. On the other hand, it has features such as problem area alerts, data import/export, data visualization, grammar check, multi-language, punctuation check, spell check, text similarity detection. Also, a point in its favor is that it also has an application for smartphones in addition to being a page. Pros: Besides plagiarism checker, it is also a world-class spelling and grammar checker.It has access to ProQuest’s database.It’s easy to use. Cons: It only detects exact similarities.Its only available as a monthly subscription if not choosing a yearly plan. Database size: Along with the two previous checkers, Grammarly has a large database, being quite extensive. 4. Quetext Recommended: Yes Price: Free trial for 3 documents, and then $9.99 per month In the fourth place, we find a checker known and used by many students and teachers in all areas, and it is Quetext. Being very easy to use and having a very high level of accuracy, it enters the list of those preferred by users. This checker has a free trial for 3 documents, which is positive, although it should be noted that this can only review documents up to 500 words unless you want to pay a monthly subscription, where that sum increases to 25,000 words. Besides that, it has a list of very useful features, among which are that it provides a comprehensive plagiarism score, detects duplicate text even if some words are twisted, interactive snippet text, grammar, and style checking. Pros: It is very easy to use.Easily highlights where plagiarism is.It has a free trial for three documents.It has a built-in citing option. Cons: It has trouble finding all plagiarized sentences.Some sentences can be marked as plagiarism even if they are not.Does not check for plagiarism against scholarly articles. Database size: Although its database is considerably smaller, it is still able to do its job thanks to the use of internet sources and books. 5. Plagscan Recommended: Yes Price: Free trial, and then $9.99 Being in the middle of this top of the 10 Best Free Online Plagiarism Checkers 2021, we find Plagscan. This plagiarism checker has a great point in its favor, and that is that, among all those found on this list, it is the one that supports the most formats, including .pdf, .docx, .doc, .txt, HTML, .pages, .ppt, .wps, .wpd, .odt, .ott, .sdw, .xlsx, .xls, .pptx and more. It has a free trial, where you can work with a total of 2,000 words, in addition to between 50,000 to 200,000 in its paid version. It also has a variety of features, as well as source data access, side-by-side text comparison, downloadable reports. About its accuracy, it is a little lower compared to the other checkers mentioned above, since there is plagiarism that may not be detected and another flagged without being, although it is still capable of providing good results. Having said that, it is very easy to use and has a straightforward design. Pros: It has a free trial up to 2,000 words.Money-back guarantee. Cons: Some plagiarism may not be detected.Some sentences can be marked as plagiarism even if they are not. Database size: Just as seen in Quetext, the database of this checker is based on internet sources and books. 6. BibMe Recommended: Yes Price: Free trial for 3 days, and then $10 per month Now, and starting the other half of this article, we are going to talk about BibMe. This checker has a free trial for three days, which is always a plus. It also has features such as grammar and style suggestions, provides 5 suggestions to improve your writing, checks for unintentional plagiarism, although it only works with the .pdf, .ppt formats. BibMe has a medium level of accuracy since it is capable of plagiarizing any text, work, or essay, however, it has some problems with changed words. It also does not provide information on the amount of plagiarism found in the text, which can be counterproductive. Pros: It has a free trial for three days.Built-in citing tool.Built-in spelling checker. Cons: Does not show the percentage of plagiarism found.Maximum five checks per month included in the price of $10. Database size: In addition to internet sources and books, BibMe can get information through journal article abstracts, but not from the content of the article. 7. Plagramme Recommended: Yes Price: $0.35 per page Now, and being in seventh place, we find Plagramme. Although this is in seventh place, something to highlight about its operation is that, and unlike the rest of the checkers on this list, it does not have a limit of words to review. This is a huge point in its favor since it will be able to help students and teachers to review any type of work no matter how long it is, making the work of the correction much easier. Having said that, it only works with files belonging to the .docx format, so it has restrictions in that regard. Also, it has functions such as highlights similarity, plagiarism risk, paraphrase, improper citation, and matches provides sources of links. On the other hand, it has some problems when it comes to detecting plagiarism, since the sources with which it works are not that wide and, in addition, it has some problems finding plagiarism when some of the words have been changed. Pros: It has a very low price.Does not have a limit of words. Cons: Documents do not keep their original form after being reviewed.In order to get free credits, you need to post on social media. Database size: Together with BibMe, Plagramme can obtain information through journal article abstracts, internet sources, and books. 8. Smallseotools Recommended: No Price: Free Now, we have Smallseotools, whose main idea is to check for plagiarism in phrases or short sentences rather than in long texts. This is a checker that can be used for free, and because it works to check sentences and short texts, it has a limit of 1,000 words. In addition to that, and as is the case with Grammarly, this checker also has its own application for smartphones. Also, it has features such as multi-language and checks short snippets of text. Having said that, it is not highly recommended for those students looking to review a very long essay, since if they want to do it, it will have to be done in parts and can be a bit annoying. Pros: It’s free. Cons: It has too many buttons and it’s easy to get lost.It has a 1,000-word limit.Does not find plagiarism if some words are changed.The plagiarized text is not highlighted in the document. Database size: Smallseotools has no specific database, so you get information by placing every sentence in Google Search to see if it finds a match. 9. Search Engine Reports Recommended: No Price: Free Reaching almost to the end of this list of the top 10 Best Free Online Plagiarism Checkers 2021, we have Search Engine Reports. It should be noted that, although this checker can be used by students, the reality is that it was initially created to be used by businesses. It has a limit of 1,000 words, in addition to working with the .txt and .docx formats and, also, it has features such as the ability to compare the duplicate with original content, checks plagiarism by URL, and rewriting of plagiarized content, shows plagiarized text on the webpage. Having said that, its level of accuracy is not very high, since it pulls the information from sources available on the Internet, so it could advertise things as plagiarism that are not. Likewise, its usability is very complicated, since it only shows a list of the phrases that could have plagiarism, and does not show them in the text itself. Pros: It’s free.Shows the plagiarism found in the text. Cons: It has many ads.Does not work with texts longer than 1,000 words. Database size: This checker compares the essay written against sources available on the Internet, which can be negative. 10. Edubirdie Recommended: No Price: Free Lastly, and closing this amazing list, we have Edubirdie. Although this is a checker that can be used completely free of charge, it works with the .txt, .doc, and .docx file formats and has features such as getting help from experts, custom essay writing service features, the reality is that this program has some points against it. There are a few limitations to this tool, as well. For example, the space that is dedicated to placing the texts to see if they have plagiarism or not is quite small. In addition, that it does not have a very high level of accuracy, because when obtaining information only from major Internet sources, many details and plagiarism are left aside, with the result that in a work, project, or essay almost plagiarism is not achieved. Even so, with such a free tool searching ‘check my essay for plagiarism‘ in Google is no longer required. Edubirdie can detect major chunks of plagiarism in your paper quite fast and for free. Pros: It’s free. Cons: When using it, you grant Edubirdie a royalty-free licence for your document.It is difficult to see plagiarism as it has little space to do so.Detects very little plagiarism. Database size: In Edubirdie’s case, this checker gets your information only from major Internet sources, so plagiarized text from small websites is not detected. FAQ Are plagiarism checkers safe? Although some plagiarism checkers are not safe in terms of data protection, the most widely used around the world have a lot of security, so they can be used without any problem. Are plagiarism checkers accurate? The world of plagiarism checkers is vast. You can get yourself with very accurate and reliable checkers, as you can also get with some that are not so reliable. Are plagiarism and copyright infringement the same? Plagiarism implies an offense to copyright: sometimes it violates the economic right of the author; always affront to the moral right of the author and, within it, mainly the right to the paternity of the original work. Is plagiarism detection effective? The effectiveness or not of these plagiarism detectors depends on the tool itself and what we want to find. If the plagiarized text is from an easily accessible website or publication, very quickly any of the free or low-cost tools could work. Is plagiarism a crime? Indeed, plagiarism as an affectation of the rights of the author of original work is not a criminal offense in legislation, however, it is possible to punish those who practice it. Plagiarism is unethical? Plagiarism is the action of copying other people’s works assigning them as one’s own. This violates the right of paternity of the work, which is also one of the moral rights, and in the academic environment, it is considered an ethical fault. Can plagiarism be accidental? Yes, it may be possible that a person did not intend to plagiarize in their essay, but shows little regard for citation standards and other people’s work. Can plagiarism get you expelled? Depending on the amount of text in which plagiarism can be found, it can result in the expulsion of the person from their academic institution, and in some cases, permanent expulsion. Can plagiarism get you arrested? In many cases, plagiarism checkers are only based on information found on the internet, so errors can be found in their operation. Can plagiarism be detected on PDF? Plagiarism can be detected in many formats, including files that are in PDF format. Can plagiarism checker be wrong? Although there are few cases where plagiarism has landed people being arrested, it could result in legal action against the person, as well as fines and penalties. What does plagiarism mean? Plagiarism means “substantially copying other people’s works, giving them as one’s own”. This means that, if we copy a text and do not place the reference to its author, it is definitely plagiarism. Do plagiarism checkers detect paraphrasing? Since plagiarism is defined as the unauthorized use of some original content by another author, most plagiarism checkers do not achieve reliable detection of plagiarism with specific paraphrases, due to the great complexity involved in the task. Do plagiarism checkers detect citations? In case they are done correctly, the citations could be placed as similarities, but not as plagiarism. Does plagiarism apply to math formulas? In general, calculations and math formulas are not usually regarded as plagiarism, since they can be written in very different ways. Moreover, the formulas are used universally and can’t be changed. If changed, that formula will be mathematically incorrect and not applicable. Has plagiarism increased in recent years? Unfortunately, plagiarism has become a widespread problem, since, with the advances in the internet and the amount of information that is available, this is taken as an easy way to get out of an essay. Why has plagiarism increased? A recent study by Eret and Ok (2014) observed that the tendency to plagiarize has increased with the advent of the Internet, and points out time limitations, excessive workloads, and high task difficulty as the main reasons for plagiarism. How plagiarism can be avoided? Always taking the data from the source from which the information is obtained, citing the phrase or paragraph directly from the original and accrediting the authority and source using a citation or bibliographic reference, or paraphrasing the original words. What plagiarism checker is best? The best plagiarism checker will be based on each user’s opinion since they all have different needs. Having said that, Scribbr is well known as one of the most widely used worldwide. What plagiarism percentage is acceptable? The general rule establishes that work that exceeds 25% of the copied essay can be considered plagiarism, although everything will depend on the page or person who has the document. Do you think we left any worthy online plagiarism checkers out? Or do you think we skip some special features? If so, let us know in the comments!
