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Scribbr

Pricing: Freemium

Verified: Yes

Editor rating: 4.0/5

Updated: October 2026

AI detector, plagiarism checking against a large source index, PhD proofreading from around $20 per 1,000 words, and APA/MLA citation tools. The detector has a free tier; we could not verify that it is unlimited.

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Pricing & free tier — last checked September 6, 2026

How we checked: we tried to read the vendor's page and were blocked — details below — source

Described its AI detector as free and without any cap in six separate places, while the listing was typed freemium and the proofreading service is charged by the word. The claim of no cap is withdrawn.

What	What we found	Status
'FREE unlimited AI detector'	Withdrawn — appeared in shortDescription, a feature, the description, an FAQ question and answer, and the meta description	Changed since last check
Free detector tier	Exists and returns probability scoresRetained as a claim we believe but could not re-confirm.	Reported, not confirmed
Verification	scribbr.com returns HTTP 403 to our automated requestA limit of our checking, not vendor evasiveness — Scribbr's pages are publicly readable in a normal browser.	Not yet checked by us

Editor verification notes

Academic-integrity tools are exactly where an inflated free claim does most damage, because the reader is often a student choosing under deadline.

Checked by the TheToolsVerse Verification Desk — by reading the vendor's own published pages, not by testing the product in an account. Scribbr can change prices at any time without notice. The date above is the last time we looked; if it looks old, treat every figure here as unconfirmed and check Scribbr directly before paying.

How we verify →

Editor's Verdict

Official Review

Scribbr's AI detection is genuinely free and unlimited, which differentiates it from Turnitin and most academic tools that charge per check. The detection engine has reasonable accuracy on modern AI writing but produces false positives on clean formal prose with academic register — a published scholar's writing can score as 'AI' for being dense and structured. The human proofreading service delivers APA/MLA compliance alongside substantive feedback, at the premium end of academic editing pricing. For students who need a free first pass before submission, the detector is the right starting point; treat its score as a risk signal rather than a verdict.

4.0 / 5.0

Editor Rating

Reviewed by Sohail Akhtar

Lead Editor & Founder

Pros

What we like

AI detection is genuinely free and unlimited — no per-check fees unlike most institutional alternatives
Plagiarism checker draws from a substantial academic and web database including paywalled journal content
Human proofreading service covers style, APA/MLA citation compliance, and structural feedback together

Cons

Limitations

AI detector can produce false positives on formal academic prose even when entirely human-written
Human proofreading service is at the premium end of academic editing pricing, starting at $20/1,000 words
AI detection score should be treated as a risk signal, not a definitive verdict on AI authorship

Pricing

FREE AI detector (Proofreading $20/1K; Plagiarism $19.95)

What is Scribbr?

Scribbr offers a free AI content detector, expert PhD proofreading ($20/1K words), and a plagiarism scanner (91M+ academic sources); it reports serving 1M+ students yearly. It is aimed at essays, theses and dissertations. AI Detector: free scans returning probability scores, though we could not verify Scribbr's claim of an unlimited allowance. Proofreading: field-specific PhD editors. Plagiarism: 8B+ webpages + academic papers. College students ensure 100% original work + perfect grammar/structure before submission. See related.

Associated Tags

scribbr ai detector free 2026, academic proofreading phd, plagiarism checker 91m sources, apa mla citation generator, essay editing service college, thesis proofreading expert, gptzero alternative free, dissertation editing service

Key Features

AI detection with a free tier

PhD editors field-specific

91M+ plagiarism sources

APA/MLA/Harvard citations

8B+ webpages scanned

Grammar/structure feedback

Turnaround 24-72 hours

Money-back guarantee

Real Use Cases

How professionals leverage Scribbr - FREE AI Detector + Proofreading $20/1K Words 1M+ Students

Discover practical workflows and real-world scenarios where Scribbr delivers key solutions.

Run a free AI detection check on student essays before submission to identify potential flagging risk

Check research papers and theses for plagiarism before journal or institutional submission

Commission professional APA/MLA proofreading for dissertation final drafts requiring format compliance

Buyer's guide

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Scribbr AI detector free?

There is a free tier that returns detailed AI probability scores. We have withdrawn the word "unlimited": scribbr.com returns 403 to our automated checks so we could not confirm any allowance, and this listing is typed freemium while charging for proofreading, which sits awkwardly with an unlimited free promise. The limit is a limit of our checking, not evidence that Scribbr hides anything — its pages are publicly readable in a normal browser.

Who proofreads Scribbr essays/theses?

Its editors hold PhD or Master's degrees and are matched to your field, such as English, computer science, business or law.

Plagiarism database size/comparison?

Scribbr checks submissions against a large index of academic publications and web pages, and markets that index as wider than Turnitin's. Those totals are the vendors' own figures — we cannot audit either index, and Turnitin does not publish its coverage in a form that allows a like-for-like comparison. It is built for university-level writing.

Proofreading cost per word/page?

Proofreading starts at around $20 per 1,000 words, roughly $10 for a double-spaced page. Scribbr advertises turnaround between 24 and 72 hours depending on the deadline you select and pay for. We have not tested delivery times, so treat the window as the service Scribbr offers rather than a guarantee we can stand behind.

APA/MLA citation generator accuracy?

Supports APA 7th, MLA 9th, Harvard and Chicago for books, journals and websites. Treat generated citations as a first draft — automatic generators routinely mis-handle edge cases such as corporate authors, missing dates and republished works, so check them against your style guide before submitting.