QuillBot
AI paraphrasing and rewriting tool. Free tier with limits. Owned by Learneo (Course Hero, LanguageTool, Scribbr).
What should journalists know about QuillBot?
QuillBot does one thing well: it rewrites text in multiple modes (Standard, Fluency, Formal, Creative, etc.) while preserving meaning. The free tier is genuinely usable for occasional paraphrasing. The concern is what sits behind it. Learneo (formerly Course Hero) acquired QuillBot in 2021 and now runs seven brands — Course Hero, CliffsNotes, LitCharts, LanguageTool, Scribbr, Symbolab, and QuillBot — all targeting the education and writing markets. In November 2025, QuillBot updated its privacy policy to store text inputs from browser extension users by default, with opt-out rather than opt-in consent. That's a meaningful change: everything you type through the extension now gets stored unless you actively disable it. QuillBot says it doesn't sell data and doesn't let third parties train AI on your inputs, but the shift from opt-in to opt-out storage is a trust signal worth noting. For journalists, the tool is useful for rephrasing — not for generating original reporting. Don't paste confidential source material into it.
Rephrasing press releases or wire copy into your own voice. Grammar and fluency polishing, especially for non-native English writers. Restructuring sentences for clarity. Quick synonym suggestions.
Original reporting or investigative writing — paraphrasing tools don't replace reporting. Anything involving confidential sources or sensitive information (text is processed on QuillBot servers). Plagiarism laundering — academic integrity tools can detect QuillBot output.
Security & Privacy
Data is scrambled while being sent to their servers
Data is scrambled when stored on their servers
Where servers are located — affects which governments can request your data
Privacy policy summary
Account required for Premium features. Free tier works without an account but with limited functionality. As of November 2025, QuillBot stores text inputs from extension users by default — previously this was opt-in. QuillBot says it does not sell data and does not allow third-party AI training on user inputs. Sensitive fields (passwords, credit cards) are not accessed. GDPR and CCPA compliant.
How to protect yourself:
Do not paste confidential source material, unpublished story drafts, or sensitive information into QuillBot — text is processed on their servers and may be stored. If using the browser extension, check your privacy settings and opt out of text storage if available. Use the web interface for one-off paraphrasing rather than the always-on extension. For sensitive writing, use a local tool like LanguageTool's offline mode instead.
Text is processed on QuillBot servers and, as of November 2025, stored by default for browser extension users (opt-out available). The shift from opt-in to opt-out storage is a meaningful trust signal change. Owned by Learneo, a portfolio company with seven brands in the education/writing space. QuillBot states it does not sell data or allow third-party AI training, but the data collection posture has expanded over time. Not appropriate for confidential source material or sensitive reporting.
Who Owns This
Pricing
Free plan with limited daily paraphrases and basic features. Premium: $19.95/month, $13.31/month semi-annual ($39.95 billed quarterly), or $8.33/month annual ($99.95/year). Student plan: $6.25/month (requires verification). Teams: from $7.50/user/month for 2-10 seats. 3-day money-back guarantee.
This is an editorial assessment based on publicly available information as of 2026-04-11, using our published methodology. Independent security review is pending. Security posture can change at any time. This is not a guarantee of safety.
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