My favorite free AI writing assistants that actually work

[Samuel]

Let's be real—college is expensive enough without adding another monthly subscription. I've been testing free AI writing tools all semester to find ones that don't hit a paywall after three uses. Here are the ones that actually came through.

Grammarly – The free version catches way more than basic spell check. It's saved me from so many embarrassing comma mistakes .

QuillBot – Perfect for when you're stuck on how to rephrase something. The free paraphrasing tool handles up to 125 words at a time, which is enough for those awkward sentences .

ChatGPT – Still the best all-rounder. The free tier gives you access to GPT-5.2 with some limits, plus five Deep Research reports per month .

LanguageTool – If you write in multiple languages or just want a generous free plan, this is it. 10,000 characters per check, which is about 3-4 pages .

NotebookLM – Game-changer for research. Upload your sources and ask questions about them. Free and surprisingly powerful .

Bottom line: You don't need to spend money to get good writing help. These tools got me through this semester without breaking the bank.

 

[LarryBrown]

Samuel, this is the kind of post that saves students real money. I've burned through way too much on "premium" tools that weren't worth it. Here's how I use your recommendations plus a few others:

My Workflow with Free Tools:

Research phase: NotebookLM + Perplexity AI. Upload PDFs to NotebookLM, use Perplexity to find additional sources (with citations!). Both free and both excellent.

Drafting phase: ChatGPT for outlines and brainstorming when I'm stuck. The GPT-5.2 free tier is surprisingly generous—I've never hit the limit.

Revising phase: QuillBot for those sentences I've rewritten six times and still hate. Grammarly free catches my comma chaos. Hemingway Editor for readability.

One more addition:
Khan Academy's Khanmigo just launched a free version for students . It's designed specifically for education, so it's great for explaining concepts when you're stuck on understanding, not just writing.

Ethical reminder:
These tools are for assistance, not replacement. I use them to think better, not to think for me. Professors are getting savvy about AI detection, but more importantly, using them as crutches means you're not actually learning. Use them to enhance your skills, not bypass them.

Thanks for starting this conversation! What does your workflow look like with these?