Independently tested ranking
Best AI Writing Tools in 2026
10 AI writing tools compared on output quality, brand voice, marketing features and price, from general assistants to copywriting platforms.
- Tools compared
- 10
- With a free plan
- 5 of 10
- Median entry price
- $18/mo
- Average rating
- 4.5
On this page
Which AI writing tool is best?
The best AI writing tools in 2026 are ChatGPT for most writing tasks, Claude for long-form and natural-sounding writing, Jasper for marketing teams, Copy.ai for go-to-market workflows and Grammarly for editing. General assistants cost about $8 to $20 a month, while marketing platforms start at $39 to $79.
Our top picks
Best overall
ChatGPT
Handles almost any writing task, with custom GPTs, Canvas editing and web research. The free plan is enough to try it properly.
Paid plans from $8/mo (Go)
See why we picked itBest for long-form writing
Claude
Writes in the most natural style and works through long documents, so articles and reports need the least editing.
Paid plans from $17/mo annual
See why we picked itBest for marketing teams
Jasper
Keeps every writer on-brand with Brand Voice, a shared knowledge base and campaign tools built for marketers.
Paid plans from $59/seat/mo annual
See why we picked itKey takeaways
- ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini now cover most writing tasks, and all three have free plans.
- Specialist tools like Jasper and Copy.ai earn their price through brand voice, team controls and workflows, not better writing.
- Grammarly and Wordtune are the best cheap ways to improve writing you already do.
- Your style guide and examples matter more than the tool. Feed every tool your tone, audience and banned phrases.
- Always fact-check and edit AI drafts before publishing.
Best AI writing tools compared
| # | Tool | Best for | Free plan | Paid plans from | Our rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ChatGPT |
Most writing tasks | Yes | $8/mo (Go) | ★4.6 |
| 2 | Claude |
Long-form writing and editing | Yes | $17/mo annual | ★4.7 |
| 3 | Jasper |
Brand-consistent marketing content | No (7-day trial) | $59/seat/mo annual | ★4.2 |
| 4 |  Copy.ai |
Sales and marketing workflows | Limited | $24/mo annual | ★4.3 |
| 5 |  Writesonic |
SEO articles and AI visibility | No (trial) | $79/mo annual | ★4.4 |
| 6 |  Anyword |
Ad and conversion copy | No (7-day trial) | $39/mo annual | ★4.5 |
| 7 |  Grammarly |
Editing everything you write | Yes | $12/mo annual | ★4.5 |
| 8 |  Wordtune |
Rewriting sentences | Yes (10 rewrites/day) | $4.89/mo annual | ★4.5 |
| 9 |  Gemini |
Writing inside Google Workspace | Yes | $4.99/mo (AI Plus) | ★4.4 |
| 10 |  Notion AI |
Docs and wikis in Notion | Limited trial | $20/user/mo annual (Business) | ★4.4 |
Our rating comes from MakeSuccessOnline's hands-on reviews. Prices are the cheapest paid plan, billed monthly unless marked annual, checked November 2026.
The 10 best AI writing tools in 2026
General AI assistants now write as well as most specialist tools. Specialist tools earn their place with brand voice, workflows and marketing features. Each tool below leads a specific job.
#1Best all-round AI writing assistant
ChatGPT
OpenAI's conversational AI — the default LLM for most workflows.
- Paid plans from
- $8/mo (Go)
- Free plan
- Yes
- Best for
- Anyone who writes for work
- Works on
- Web, iOS, Android, Mac, Windows
ChatGPT is the most versatile AI writing assistant available. It drafts blog posts, emails, ads, scripts and reports, rewrites copy for a different tone or audience, and turns rough notes into a clean first draft. For most marketers it replaces several single-purpose writing tools.
What sets it apart is everything around the chat. Canvas gives you a side-by-side editor, custom GPTs save your instructions for repeat jobs, and web search lets it research a topic and cite sources before it writes. The free plan covers the basics, and Plus adds higher limits and the most capable models.
Key features
- Canvas editorOpens your draft in a separate editing panel where you can highlight a paragraph and ask for changes, adjust length or reading level, and see edits in place instead of re-generating the whole piece.
- Custom GPTsSave a set of instructions, examples and files as a reusable assistant, such as a "blog writer" that already knows your style guide, so the team gets consistent output without repeating prompts.
- ProjectsGroup chats, files and instructions by client or campaign. Everything inside a project shares context, which keeps long-running work organised.
- Web search and deep researchSearches the web and returns answers with linked sources. Deep research runs a longer, multi-step investigation and produces a cited report, which is useful for briefs and outlines.
- MemoryRemembers preferences you tell it, such as your role, audience or banned phrases, and applies them in future chats. You can view and delete what it stores.
Pricing
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Core models with daily limits, web search, file uploads and custom GPTs from the store |
| Go | $8/mo | Higher message, upload and image limits than Free |
| Plus | $20/mo | Access to the most capable models, Canvas, deep research, projects and higher limits |
| Business | Per seat | Shared workspace, admin controls, and your data excluded from training by default |
Prices billed monthly, checked November 2026.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Handles almost every writing task well
- Canvas makes editing drafts fast
- Custom GPTs keep repeated work consistent
- Largest ecosystem of add-ons and integrations
Cons
- Default writing can sound generic without a style guide
- Still invents facts and sources, so fact-checking is essential
- Best models and features have usage caps on cheaper plans
Is it right for you?
Choose ChatGPT ifYou want one tool for most writing jobs, from emails to long articles, and like having research, editing and custom assistants in one place.
Look elsewhere ifYou need strict brand governance across a large marketing team, or you only want a grammar checker.
#2Best for long-form and natural-sounding writing
Claude
Anthropic's AI assistant — strongest at long-form reasoning and writing.
- Paid plans from
- $17/mo annual
- Free plan
- Yes
- Best for
- Writers, editors and content teams
- Works on
- Web, iOS, Android, Mac, Windows
Claude, from Anthropic, is the AI assistant many professional writers prefer for long-form work. Its drafts read more naturally and lean less on filler phrases, so articles, reports and thought-leadership pieces usually need less editing than output from other assistants.
It is also strong at working with source material. You can upload long documents, transcripts or research and ask Claude to summarise, restructure or write from them. Projects keep your brand guidelines and reference files attached to every chat, and Artifacts let you build a draft in a separate panel as you go.
Key features
- Projects with a knowledge baseUpload style guides, product docs and past articles to a project, add custom instructions, and every chat in that project uses them automatically.
- ArtifactsLong drafts, outlines and documents open in a dedicated panel next to the chat, so you can iterate on one piece of writing without it getting lost in the conversation.
- Long context windowHandles very long inputs, roughly hundreds of pages at once, which makes it practical for editing a full ebook, comparing several reports or writing from interview transcripts.
- StylesChoose a preset writing style or create your own from sample text, then switch between them, for example "concise", "formal" or "our blog voice".
- Research with citationsSearches the web and connected sources, then writes answers with citations, so you can check where claims come from.
Pricing
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Claude chat with daily usage limits, file uploads and web search |
| Pro | $17/mo annual ($20 monthly) | Higher usage limits, Projects, more models and research features |
| Max | From $100/mo | Much higher limits for heavy daily use |
| Team | Per seat | Shared projects, admin controls and central billing |
Prices checked on claude.com/pricing, November 2026.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Most natural-sounding writing of the general assistants
- Excellent at long documents and editing
- Projects keep brand context in every chat
- Clear, careful answers with fewer invented details
Cons
- Usage limits can interrupt long sessions on Free and Pro
- Smaller library of third-party add-ons than ChatGPT
- No built-in image generation for social or blog visuals
Is it right for you?
Choose Claude ifYou write or edit long-form content, want drafts that sound human, or regularly work from long source documents.
Look elsewhere ifYou need image generation in the same tool or a large marketplace of pre-built assistants.
#3Best for marketing teams and brand voice
Jasper
The B2B marketing AI content platform — brand voice + templates.
- Paid plans from
- $59/seat/mo annual
- Free plan
- No (7-day trial)
- Best for
- B2B and enterprise marketing teams
- Works on
- Web, Chrome extension, API
Jasper is an AI content platform built specifically for marketing teams. Rather than a blank chat box, it gives marketers brand controls, a shared knowledge base and pre-built apps for common jobs such as blog posts, ads, emails and product descriptions.
Its real value is consistency at scale. When ten people write with AI, Jasper keeps every output in the same voice, uses approved product facts, and lets managers control who can do what. The writing itself uses leading AI models, so the quality is similar to general assistants; you pay for the marketing workflow around it.
Key features
- Brand VoiceLearns your tone from sample content and applies it to everything the team creates, with style rules for terms, formatting and phrases to avoid.
- Knowledge baseStore product details, audiences, messaging and positioning so Jasper uses accurate, approved facts in every piece.
- Marketing appsReady-made apps for blog posts, ad copy, emails, landing pages, social posts and more, each with fields that guide the brief.
- CampaignsTurn a single brief into a set of matching assets across channels, such as an email, social posts and ads for one launch.
- Team controlsShared workspaces, user roles and usage visibility for managers, plus a browser extension so writers can use Jasper in Google Docs, email and CMS tools.
Pricing
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Pro | $59/seat/mo annual ($69 monthly) | Brand Voice, knowledge base, marketing apps and the browser extension for individuals and small teams |
| Business | Custom | Advanced brand controls, more Brand Voices, admin tools, API and dedicated support |
7-day free trial on Pro. Prices checked on jasper.ai/pricing, November 2026.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Keeps large teams on-brand
- Marketing templates speed up common tasks
- Knowledge base reduces factual errors about your product
- Strong team and admin features
Cons
- Much more expensive than general assistants
- No permanent free plan
- Writing quality is not better than ChatGPT or Claude on its own
Is it right for you?
Choose Jasper ifYou run a marketing team that publishes a lot of content and needs brand consistency, approvals and shared knowledge.
Look elsewhere ifYou are a solo writer or small team, where ChatGPT or Claude give similar quality for far less.
#4Best for go-to-market workflows
Copy.ai
AI copywriter with templates for ads, emails, product descriptions.
- Paid plans from
- $24/mo annual
- Free plan
- Limited
- Best for
- Sales and marketing teams
- Works on
- Web, Chrome extension, API
Copy.ai started as a copywriting tool and has become a go-to-market AI platform. Alongside everyday chat-based writing, it lets sales and marketing teams build workflows that automate repeated tasks such as researching an account, writing personalised outreach and repurposing content.
It suits teams that want AI to run a process, not just write a paragraph. A workflow can take a list of companies, research each one and draft a tailored email, or turn a webinar transcript into a blog post, social posts and a newsletter in one run.
Key features
- WorkflowsChain steps together, such as research, summarise, write and format, and run them on one input or a whole spreadsheet of inputs.
- Chat with multiple modelsWrite in a chat interface that can use different leading AI models, with access to web research.
- Brand Voice and InfobaseSave your tone and company information so outputs reflect your products, audiences and messaging.
- Prospecting and outreachPre-built workflows research accounts and contacts and draft personalised sales emails at scale.
- Content repurposingTurn one long piece, such as a transcript or report, into blogs, social posts and emails automatically.
Pricing
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Limited chat use to try the product |
| Chat | $24/mo annual ($29 monthly) | Unlimited chat, brand voice and multiple AI models for individuals |
| Workflow plans | Higher, by usage | Workflow credits, team seats and go-to-market automations |
Prices checked on copy.ai/prices, November 2026.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Workflows automate repeated sales and marketing tasks
- Good for personalised outreach at scale
- Brand voice and company info in every output
- Choice of AI models
Cons
- Workflow plans are expensive for small teams
- Takes time to design good workflows
- Less focused on long-form editorial writing
Is it right for you?
Choose Copy.ai ifYour sales or marketing team repeats the same research and writing steps many times a week and wants to automate them.
Look elsewhere ifYou mainly write individual articles or emails, where a general assistant is cheaper and simpler.
#5Best for SEO content and AI search visibility
Writesonic
AI content generator with SEO article workflows.
- Paid plans from
- $79/mo annual
- Free plan
- No (trial)
- Best for
- SEO and content teams
- Works on
- Web, Chrome extension, WordPress plugin, API
Writesonic combines an AI article writer with SEO and AI-search tools. It can research a keyword, build an outline, write a long-form article with sources, and publish it to WordPress, which makes it popular with content teams producing search-focused articles at volume.
Its newer focus is AI search visibility. Writesonic tracks how often your brand is mentioned or cited in answers from ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini and Google AI Overviews, and suggests content changes to improve that visibility.
Key features
- SEO article writerResearches a keyword and competing pages, builds an outline and writes a long-form draft with headings, FAQs and sources.
- AI search visibility trackingMonitors how your brand appears in AI assistants and AI Overviews, and shows which competitors are cited instead.
- Content optimisationChecks drafts and existing pages against top-ranking results and suggests topics, terms and structure to add.
- Brand voiceApplies your tone and style guidelines to generated content.
- WordPress publishingSends finished articles straight to WordPress as drafts, ready for editing.
Pricing
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | $79/mo annual | Article writing, SEO tools and AI visibility tracking for one site |
| Higher plans | More per month | More articles, tracked prompts, sites and team seats |
Free trial available, no card required. Price checked on writesonic.com/pricing, November 2026.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Article writing and SEO in one tool
- Tracks brand visibility in AI search
- WordPress publishing saves time
- Good for publishing at volume
Cons
- Entry price is high for solo writers
- Articles still need editing and fact-checking
- Many features to learn
Is it right for you?
Choose Writesonic ifYou run a content or SEO program and want article writing, optimisation and AI-search tracking in one subscription.
Look elsewhere ifYou write occasionally or mainly need short-form copy.
#6Best for performance-focused ad copy
Anyword
AI copywriter with predicted-performance scoring per variant.
- Paid plans from
- $39/mo annual
- Free plan
- No (7-day trial)
- Best for
- Performance marketers
- Works on
- Web, Chrome extension, API
Anyword is built for conversion copy: ads, landing pages, emails and social posts where small wording changes affect results. Every variation it writes gets a predictive performance score, so you can choose the version most likely to work for your audience before you spend on testing.
It also learns from your own data. By connecting your website or past campaign results, Anyword can tell which messages have worked for you before and steer new copy in that direction, while brand rules keep everything on message.
Key features
- Predictive performance scoreRates each copy variation on how likely it is to engage your target audience, helping you shortlist versions before an A/B test.
- Copy for every channelTemplates for Google and Meta ads, landing pages, emails, SMS, product descriptions and social posts.
- Brand rulesSet approved terms, banned phrases and tone so outputs stay on brand.
- Website and campaign insightsAnalyses your existing messaging to show which claims and phrases perform best.
- Chrome extensionWrite and score copy inside ad platforms, email tools and your CMS.
Pricing
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Starter | $39/mo annual ($49 monthly) | AI writing with performance scores for one user |
| Business and Enterprise | Higher / custom | Team seats, brand rules, performance data connections and API |
7-day free trial. Prices checked on anyword.com/pricing, November 2026.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Scores help pick stronger ad and email copy
- Built for many short-form channels
- Brand rules keep copy consistent
- Good fit for paid media teams
Cons
- Scores are predictions, not guaranteed results
- Less useful for long-form articles
- Best data features need higher plans
Is it right for you?
Choose Anyword ifYou write a lot of ads, landing pages or emails and want guidance on which variation is likely to convert.
Look elsewhere ifMost of your writing is long-form content, where an assistant like Claude is a better fit.
#7Best for editing and polishing
Grammarly
Grammar, tone and clarity checker. Table stakes for a modern content team.
- Paid plans from
- $12/mo annual
- Free plan
- Yes
- Best for
- Everyone who writes at work
- Works on
- Browser extension, Mac, Windows, iOS, Android
Grammarly checks and improves writing wherever you work: Gmail, Google Docs, Slack, LinkedIn, your CMS and hundreds of other apps. It catches grammar and spelling mistakes, flags unclear or wordy sentences, and suggests a better tone, all as you type.
Its AI features go further. You can ask Grammarly to rewrite a paragraph, shorten an email, change the tone or draft a reply. For teams, style guides and brand tones help everyone write consistently, which makes it one of the easiest AI writing tools to roll out across a company.
Key features
- Grammar and clarity checksCatches spelling, grammar and punctuation errors and suggests clearer, more concise wording in real time.
- Tone suggestionsShows how your writing is likely to sound to the reader and suggests changes to sound more confident, friendly or formal.
- AI rewrites and draftsRewrite, shorten, expand or draft text from a short prompt without leaving the app you are writing in.
- Works everywhereRuns across browsers, desktop apps and mobile keyboards, so help appears in email, docs, chat and social tools.
- Style guides and brand tonesOn team plans, set company terms and tone so Grammarly nudges everyone toward the same style.
Pricing
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Spelling, grammar and punctuation checks, tone detection and limited AI prompts |
| Pro | $12/mo annual ($30 monthly) | Full clarity and style suggestions, more AI prompts, plagiarism checks |
| Enterprise | Custom | Team style guides, brand tones, admin controls and security features |
Prices in USD, checked November 2026.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Improves writing in almost every app
- Very easy to use with no learning curve
- Strong free plan
- Good for consistent team writing
Cons
- Drafting features are weaker than dedicated AI assistants
- Monthly billing is expensive compared with annual
- Suggestions can flatten a distinctive voice
Is it right for you?
Choose Grammarly ifYou want better, error-free writing everywhere you type, for yourself or across a whole team.
Look elsewhere ifYou need an AI to research and draft full articles from scratch.
#8Best cheap rewriting tool
Wordtune
AI-powered rewriting — rephrase a sentence into 10 variants in a click.
- Paid plans from
- $4.89/mo annual
- Free plan
- Yes (10 rewrites/day)
- Best for
- Writers polishing their own drafts
- Works on
- Chrome extension, Word add-in, iOS, Android
Wordtune, from AI21 Labs, focuses on rewriting your own sentences rather than writing for you. Highlight a sentence and it offers several alternatives that are clearer, shorter, more formal or more casual, so your ideas stay yours while the wording improves.
It is especially helpful for non-native English writers and anyone who knows what they want to say but struggles to phrase it. Its summariser also condenses long articles, PDFs and videos into key points.
Key features
- Rewrite suggestionsOffers multiple rewrites of any sentence, with controls to make it casual, formal, shorter or longer.
- SpicesAdds elements to your draft on request, such as an example, a counterargument, a statistic or an explanation.
- SummariesCondenses long articles, PDFs and YouTube videos into key points you can scan quickly.
- Grammar and spellingUnlimited spelling and grammar corrections, including on the free plan.
- Works where you writeRuns in Chrome on Gmail, Google Docs, LinkedIn and other sites, and in Microsoft Word.
Pricing
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 10 rewrites a day, 3 AI summaries a month, unlimited spelling and grammar fixes |
| Advanced | $4.89/mo annual ($6.99 monthly) | More rewrites and summaries each month |
| Unlimited | Higher | Unlimited rewrites and summaries |
Prices checked on wordtune.com/plans, November 2026.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Keeps your voice while improving wording
- Very affordable
- Helpful for non-native English writers
- Quick to use in the browser
Cons
- Not built to draft full articles
- Daily limits on the free plan
- Fewer features than full AI assistants
Is it right for you?
Choose Wordtune ifYou write your own drafts and want help phrasing sentences more clearly, cheaply and quickly.
Look elsewhere ifYou want AI to write first drafts or long articles for you.
- Paid plans from
- $4.99/mo (AI Plus)
- Free plan
- Yes
- Best for
- Google Workspace users
- Works on
- Web, iOS, Android, Gmail and Google Docs
Gemini is Google's AI assistant, and its biggest advantage for writers is where it lives. Inside Gmail, Google Docs and other Workspace apps it can draft emails, rewrite paragraphs and summarise threads without copying text between tools.
In the standalone app, Gemini handles research with Google Search, long documents, images and video. Gems let you save custom assistants for repeated jobs, and Deep Research produces cited reports for briefs and outlines.
Key features
- Help me write in Gmail and DocsDraft, rewrite and refine emails and documents directly inside Google Workspace, using the context of the thread or doc.
- GemsCreate custom assistants with saved instructions, such as a newsletter editor or brief writer, and reuse them anytime.
- Deep ResearchRuns a multi-step web investigation and produces a report with sources, useful for content briefs and background research.
- CanvasWork on a draft in an editing panel and ask for changes to specific sections.
- Google Search groundingAnswers can draw on current Google Search results, with links to check claims.
Pricing
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Gemini app with daily limits, Gems and basic research |
| Google AI Plus | $4.99/mo | More access to advanced models plus extra Google storage |
| Google AI Pro | $19.99/mo | Higher limits, Deep Research, Gemini in Gmail and Docs, 2 TB storage |
| Workspace plans | Per user | Gemini included in Google Workspace business editions |
Prices in USD, checked November 2026.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Works inside Gmail and Google Docs
- Strong research with Google Search
- Very cheap entry paid plan
- Free plan available
Cons
- Writing can feel bland without clear instructions
- Workspace writing features need a paid plan
- Less useful if your team is on Microsoft 365
Is it right for you?
Choose Gemini ifYour team works in Gmail and Google Docs and wants AI writing help without switching tools.
Look elsewhere ifYou work mainly in Microsoft 365 or want the most natural long-form writing.
#10Best for teams writing in Notion
Notion AI
AI inside Notion — drafting, summarizing, and answering across your workspace.
- Paid plans from
- $20/user/mo annual (Business)
- Free plan
- Limited trial
- Best for
- Teams that work in Notion
- Works on
- Notion web, desktop, iOS, Android
Notion AI brings writing and research help into Notion, where many marketing teams keep briefs, content calendars and wikis. You can draft a page, rewrite a section, turn meeting notes into action items or summarise a long doc without leaving your workspace.
It is most valuable when your knowledge already lives in Notion. AI can answer questions using your pages and connected apps, fill in database properties such as summaries or tags, and its agent can carry out multi-step tasks like building a content plan across several pages.
Key features
- Writing inside pagesDraft, continue, rewrite, shorten or translate text anywhere in a Notion page.
- Workspace Q&AAsk questions and get answers drawn from your Notion pages and connected tools such as Slack and Google Drive.
- AI meeting notesRecords and transcribes meetings, then writes a summary with action items into a Notion page.
- Database autofillAutomatically fills database fields, such as a summary, category or keywords, for every row in a content calendar.
- Notion AgentCarries out multi-step tasks, such as creating a set of pages or updating many entries from one instruction.
Pricing
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | Notion with a limited AI trial |
| Plus | About $10/user/mo | Notion for small teams with limited AI access |
| Business | $20/user/mo annual ($24 monthly) | Full Notion AI, AI meeting notes, enterprise search and agent |
| Enterprise | Custom | Advanced security and admin controls |
Prices checked November 2026.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Writing and planning in one workspace
- Answers questions from your own docs
- Useful meeting notes and summaries
- Database autofill saves admin time
Cons
- Full AI needs the Business plan
- Only useful if your team works in Notion
- Writing quality trails dedicated assistants for long-form
Is it right for you?
Choose Notion AI ifYour team already plans and documents content in Notion and wants AI in the same place.
Look elsewhere ifYou do not use Notion, or you need a dedicated long-form writing tool.
Best AI writing tool by need
How much do AI writing tools cost in 2026?
AI writing tools range from free assistants to per-seat marketing platforms.
| Tier | Typical price | Tools at this level | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grammarly, Wordtune | Individuals trying AI writing |
| Personal | $5 to $20/mo | ChatGPT Go and Plus, Claude Pro, Gemini, Grammarly Pro, Wordtune | Freelancers and individual marketers |
| Marketing platform | $24 to $79/mo | Copy.ai, Anyword, Jasper, Writesonic | Marketing teams publishing at volume |
| Business | $20+/user/mo | Notion Business, ChatGPT and Claude team plans, Jasper Business | Teams needing shared workspaces and admin controls |
Entry prices from vendor pricing pages, November 2026.
Team plans add admin controls and usually exclude your data from model training, which matters for client or confidential work.
How we chose the best AI writing tools
We started with the AI writing and assistant tools in the MakeSuccessOnline directory and gave each the same tasks: a blog outline, a 600-word article section, three ad variations and a cold email. We scored the results on the criteria below, alongside vendor documentation and current pricing. Prices were checked on vendor sites in November 2026.
- Writing qualityHow natural, accurate and on-brief the output is with little editing.30%
- Marketing featuresBrand voice, templates, workflows and SEO features.20%
- Ease of useHow quickly a marketer gets usable drafts.15%
- Pricing and valueFree plans and cost per seat for real use.15%
- IntegrationsWhere the tool works: browser, docs, CMS and email.10%
- Privacy and controlsData use policies and team controls.10%
How to choose an AI writing tool
- Start with a general assistantChatGPT, Claude or Gemini cover most writing. Add a specialist tool only for a clear gap.
- Write a style guideGive any tool your tone, audience, banned phrases and examples. It matters more than the tool.
- Test with your real contentUse the same brief across two or three tools and compare the edits each needs.
- Check team and brand featuresTeams need shared prompts, brand voice and permissions.
- Review data policiesCheck whether your inputs are used to train models and what business plans change.
- Keep a human editorFact-check claims and edit for voice before publishing.
Check during the free trial
- How much editing does a draft need?
- Does it follow your style guide?
- Does it invent facts or sources?
- Can your team share prompts and brand settings?
- Is your data excluded from training?
Red flags
- Promises of undetectable AI content
- No clear data or training policy
- Word limits that block real use
- Outputs that copy competitors closely
- Locked-in annual plans before a trial
AI writing tools FAQ
What is the best AI writing tool?
ChatGPT is the best all-round AI writing tool for most people, Claude is best for long-form writing and editing, and Jasper is best for marketing teams that need brand voice controls.
What is the best free AI writing tool?
ChatGPT, Claude and Gemini all have capable free plans. Grammarly's free plan is the best for checking grammar and clarity.
Is ChatGPT or Claude better for writing?
Claude tends to write in a more natural style and handles long documents well, while ChatGPT has more tools such as custom GPTs and image generation. Many writers use both.
Is Jasper worth it?
Jasper is worth it for marketing teams that need brand voice, shared templates and governance across many writers. Individuals usually get similar writing quality from ChatGPT or Claude for less.
Does Google penalise AI content?
Google says it rewards helpful content regardless of how it is produced. AI content that is thin, inaccurate or mass-produced to manipulate rankings can be treated as spam.
How much do AI writing tools cost?
Personal AI assistants cost about $8 to $20 a month, while marketing platforms such as Jasper, Copy.ai and Writesonic cost $24 to $79 a month on entry plans.
About the reviewer
Editor & Reviewer, MakeSuccessOnline
William Harrison is an editor and reviewer at MakeSuccessOnline. He reviews each tools ranking before it goes live, checking plans, prices, free tiers and features against the tool's own documentation, and keeps rankings current as tools change.