5 online writing tools I actually like and use

Some of these I've used for years...

Image credit: Phil Siarri.

As the year comes to a close, I thought of doing something different. Here’s a list of five online writing tools I believe offer great value to content creators.

Quillbot

Quillbot is a suite of writing tools, it’s been around since 2017.

Powered by potent algorithms, it’s particularly known for its paraphrasing function. In the premium version, you can apply seven different tones and three levels of synonyms to the text you input.

If you cover the news, paraphrasing is a common thing to do, and Quillbot is quite proficient at that. Of course, it’s not hundred percent perfect; so be sure to proofread and adjust the results.

SMMRY

SMMRY is a free summarizer. It’s quite flexible as you can input text in three different ways: uploading a text file, copy and paste, or including a URL. You can also select the precise number of sentences of the summary.

This tool has served me well when reporting on scientific research and needed to present information in a straightforward way.

Grammarly

Grammarly has been around since 2009 and has evolved into a full-fledged “online writing assistant”. But as the name suggests, the core functionality is still the grammar checker.

Over the years, the module has made significant progress and generally offers great recommendations. I used it mostly when I edit longer pieces (or when in doubt). Again, nothing is perfect; hence don’t overly on it.

Grammarly also offers an underrated plagiarism checker that gives a streamlined content duplication report. It’s a legitimate alternative to Copyscape if you ask me.

Google Translate

Google Translate was launched in 2006 and has come a long way. It can now translate over 100 languages.

I use such mostly for French to English/English to French localization projects. The simple interface, accuracy and price (free) are three good reasons not to overlook it.

My only criticism is the customary text input limit (5,000 characters). There are a few ways to bypass this restriction.

Scribbr

Scribbr is a powerful citation generator. Grab a journal DOI number, webpage URL, book reference ID and the software will automatically generate a citation in APA format.

This comes in handy if you create scientific content, ebooks or anything that requires citations really.