What is the Best Plagiarism Checker for Students?

Since schools take academic dishonesty seriously, finding the best plagiarism checker for students can make an impactful difference in maintaining authenticity in coursework.

The consequences of plagiarism are high, and depending on the school, course, and institution’s guidelines, may result in suspension if a student tries to pass off someone else’s work as their own. 

The worst part, though, is that these kinds of consequences can even apply in cases of unintentional plagiarism. A plagiarism checker can help students lower this risk by scanning the text of their assignment, essay, or paper for plagiarism.

To help you find the best plagiarism checker, here’s a breakdown of what you should and shouldn’t do when looking for the best student plagiarism detector, and a list of some of our top choices.

Key Takeaways: 4 Best Plagiarism Checkers for Students

• Originality.ai: Best all-around plagiarism and AI checker
• Turnitin: A top choice for detecting similarities to student papers and academic articles
• Scribbr: A popular pick for a free plagiarism checker
• Grammarly Pro: A trending plagiarism checker with writing support

Choosing a Plagiarism Detector for Students: Do’s & Don’ts

Knowing what you should do when you’re looking for this kind of tool is just as important as knowing what you shouldn’t do. So, let’s get into both.

When choosing a plagiarism detector for students, do:

• Check accuracy claims. It’s easy for a company to claim its detector is the best, but it should be able to back it up with real data. Look into plagiarism checker accuracy studies to see how they really stack up.
• Consider cost and flexibility. A subscription may be the right fit if students will be using the tool regularly throughout the school year. However, for the occasional scan, a credits-based or pay-per-use model may make more sense.
• Think about extra features. Schools aren’t just concerned about students plagiarizing work from human authors anymore. Many, like Yale University, consider using AI-generated text without attribution (or any other kind of unauthorized AI use) a violation of their academic integrity policies. So, a combination AI/plagiarism checker could be beneficial.

That covers some of the most essential “do’s” — now, let’s look at the “don’ts”.

When selecting a plagiarism detector for students, don’t:

• Assume a free tool catches everything. They can be great for cases of direct plagiarism (like a verbatim copy-and-paste), but other types of plagiarism are less obvious and can be harder to detect (tip: look for a checker that catches complex types of plagiarism).
• Downplay the value of good customer service. Even the best tools go down or seem confusing at times, so prioritizing a company with prompt, helpful customer service can save time and headaches.
• Go off of name recognition alone. The most talked-about option isn’t always the best one. Companies are always tweaking or releasing new tools, so last year’s popular pick isn’t necessarily this year’s.

It may seem like there are a lot of do’s and don’ts to cover in your research here, but the good news is that there are several quality plagiarism checkers for students that check off most of these boxes.

Choosing between them really depends on a student’s specific needs and preferences.

4 Best Plagiarism Checkers for Students

On the surface, many plagiarism checkers appear to do the same thing: check for plagiarism. When you dig a little deeper, though, you’ll find key differences that can make choosing between them much easier.

So, to help you save time on your research, we’ve organized some of the best tools in this list. That way, you can really zero in on exactly what you’re looking for.

Without further ado, here are our top picks for the best plagiarism checkers for students.

1. Best all-around plagiarism & AI checker for students — Originality.ai

Student use of generative AI tools is on the rise; the Higher Education Policy Institute found that 88% of the undergraduate students surveyed used AI.

So, finding a tool that checks for both traditional and AI plagiarism has become a must for those wanting to confirm the originality of their work. And no one does both better than Originality.ai.

Here’s why Originality.ai is our pick for the best all-around AI and plagiarism checker for students:

• Up to 99.5% plagiarism accuracy. Read more in our plagiarism checker accuracy study
• 99% AI detection accuracy on popular AI models, with an Academic model for educators offering 99%+ accuracy, as detailed in this AI content detector accuracy review
• Flexible pricing and packages, offering both subscription-based and pay-as-you-go options
• Free Chrome extension that shows a character-by-character replay of writing in Google Docs, allowing students to prove their work is their own
• Excellent customer service and live support, with agents going above and beyond to explain how AI detection works and just generally ease student stress. Check out Originality.ai on Trustpilot (and note the overall 4.5/5 review rating as of this writing while you’re there)

Originality.ai’s plagiarism checker is a web-search-based plagiarism checker. So, it’s an excellent choice for both students and educators who are looking to verify potential instances of plagiarism from content that appears in Google’s search results.

Plus, Originality.ai now also offers a Moodle integration with AI and plagiarism checking capabilities, with benefits for both educators and students. Learn more in our press release.

With high accuracy, flexible pricing, a free Chrome extension, Moodle plugin, top-notch customer service, and integrations, Originality.ai should be a clear contender for any student who wants to keep their work authentic and original.

2. Well-known for detecting similarities to student papers and academic articles — Turnitin

Whether you’re a teacher, parent, administrator, or student, there’s a good chance you’ve heard of Turnitin. It is a well-known name in the education space, and overall, a quality tool for detecting similarities between student writing and the content in its database.

However, there’s a catch: Turnitin offers institutional access, which means it’s not necessarily the most accessible option for students.

Here’s why Turnitin is a great choice for detecting similarities to student papers and academic articles:

• An extensive content database, comparing text against the 99.3 billion web pages (Turnitin - iThenticate), 89.4 million subscription articles (Turnitin - iThenticate), and 1.9 billion student papers (Turnitin - Similarity).
• Students can access similarity reports in Google Docs using Turnitin Draft Coach.
• Finds and helps students fix citations or references that may have forgotten to include
• Provides a similarity score and highlights flagged text so students know where the issues are
• Offers a help center with a dedicated “student” section to address common issues

Now, we checked Trustpilot for Turnitin reviews as well, (only 38 reviews total with a 1.4/5 star rating as of this writing) but it’s worth noting when making your decision.

Overall, though, Turnitin’s content database is extensive and can provide a comprehensive plagiarism check — if students have access to it, that is.

3. A popular plagiarism checker for students — Scribbr

You’re not going to get all the bells and whistles that come with paid options, but Scribbr’s free plagiarism checker is still a great choice for students on a budget. 

However, sign-up is required in order to access the results, even when using the free plagiarism checker.

Here’s why Scribbr is on our list:

• Checks writing against an extensive database of 99.3 billion web pages and 8 million publications.
• It offers plagiarism risk, AI content, and writing scores.
• Identifies top sources of possible plagiarism in writing, but is limited to the top 5.
• Offers a paid version to unlock more detailed reports.

Scribbr also has a great TrustPilot review rating at 4.5/5 stars.

Another thing that makes Scribbr such a great option for students is that it’s powered by tech similar to what universities use, with one important caveat: students don’t need institutional access to use it. 

So, if they want to use something that’s like what their school or teacher is already using, then Scribbr is a great alternative.

Overall, if students just need a quick check to verify whether assignments contain any possible plagiarized text (without the detailed report breaking it all down), then Scribbr delivers. However, its AI detector may not be quite as effective.

Learn more in our Scribbr plagiarism checker review and Scribbr AI detector review.

4. A trending plagiarism checker with writing support — Grammarly Pro

One of the best things about going with Grammarly Pro for plagiarism detection is that students may already be familiar with it.

Well, its free tool, at least.

Grammarly’s free writing support tool is arguably one of the most famous ones out there, and students can easily add on its plagiarism and AI detection features by upgrading to a paid subscription. This familiarity with its interface can make the learning curve a lot easier, which is always a plus.

Here’s why we picked Grammarly Pro for our list:

• Well-known for its writing support, helping students improve the correctness and clarity of their work.
• Gives recommendations on citations, including what and how to cite text.
• Billions of web pages in its content database to compare text against.
• Highlights text based on its source (human, AI, etc.).
• Offers both a desktop app and a browser extension to meet students where they write.

Grammarly’s Trustpilot reviews are overall pretty great (4/5 as of this writing). Support aside, though, students may consider Grammarly Pro if they like the idea of keeping their writing support and plagiarism detection tool in one place — even if they aren’t always the most accurate. Learn more in our Grammarly plagiarism checker review and Grammarly AI content detector review.

Get Started with the Best Plagiarism Checker for Students Today

Students are lucky in that they have several quality plagiarism checkers to choose from these days. However, if you’re looking for one that can detect both traditional and AI plagiarism with high accuracy, it’s hard to beat Originality.ai.

More accurate than Grammarly, Copyscape, and more, Originality.ai’s Plagiarism Checker, along with our AI Checker, allows students to submit their assignments with confidence.

Further Reading on Plagiarism Detection:

• Originality.ai Plagiarism Checker: Accuracy Study
• How to Support Students to Avoid Plagiarism in Assignments
• What Is the Best Plagiarism Detector for Teachers?
• Grammarly Plagiarism Checker Review
• Copyscape Plagiarism Checker Review
• Are Colleges Using AI Detectors?
• How Do Professors Check for AI?
• 5 AI Detectors Used by Colleges and Universities for Research

Frequently Asked Questions

Still curious? Check out some of the top FAQs about the best plagiarism checker for students below.

Which is the best plagiarism checker for students?

• Originality.ai. It’s the best all-around choice for its highly accurate plagiarism and AI detection capabilities.
• Turnitin. Is a great option if students have institutional access to it, Turnitin’s content database is useful for checking for plagiarism against academic articles and student papers.
• Scribbr. Since it uses technology similar to what schools already use, the free version of Scribbr can give students an idea of what their teachers’ tools may flag.
• Grammarly Pro. If students need the writing support anyway, they can add on its plagiarism tool to check everything in one place.

Is Turnitin free for students?

Turnitin is free for students if they access it through their institution. Students can’t purchase their own individual subscriptions, which is why many look for alternative plagiarism and AI detection tools.