8 of the Best AI Content Detectors in 2024
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Are you keen to discover the best AI content detector? With the increasing sophistication of generative AI, many people are looking for reliable tools to distinguish what is real from artificial.
This article will examine how AI content detectors work and their levels of accuracy. We’ll also explore eight of the top AI content detectors for 2024, providing an overview of their functionality and accuracy. And finally, we’ll show how you can learn how to use AI effectively in your content-creation process.
How Do AI Content Detectors Work?
Generative AI tools use algorithms to create new content, such as images, text, or audio. AI content detectors are designed to detect if a piece of content was partially or entirely generated by an AI program or tool.
Similar to generative tools, AI detectors also use algorithms to analyze copy and identify patterns typical to human- or machine-generated content. Detectors compare their analyses with vast datasets of known AI-generated and human-created content to determine the probability of AI involvement in the creation process.
Are AI Content Detectors Accurate?
Although AI content detectors are becoming more accurate, they are not foolproof. Their reliability can vary depending on the sophistication of the AI tool that generated the content.
Sometimes, an AI content detector can give false positives. This is especially true with text-based content. Many AI-based grammar checkers also suggest changes to vocabulary, sentence structure, and style. Using a grammar tool like this can sometimes flag an entire document as being AI-generated.
Continuous advancements in AI technology mean that detectors have to constantly evolve.
8 of the Best AI Content Detectors
If determining whether AI has been used in the content creation process is important for you, here are eight of the best AI content detectors. These tools can check if what you’re analyzing has been made entirely by a human or if they had some assistance.
1. Sapling
Sapling offers a range of tools to help users improve their spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Their AI Detector function allows users to upload files and quickly check them for AI-generated content. Once the text is analyzed, you will get a percentage score. The software will even highlight specific AI content that may have been written partially by a human.
The tool is pretty reliable – according to Sapling, only 3% of results show false positives.
| Pros | Cons |
| – Easy to use – Free version available, no sign-up required – Can upload PDFs and DOCX files or copy and paste text directly – Extension available, which lets you check content anywhere on the web | – Less effective for shorter texts – Free version only permits 2,000 characters – Doesn’t offer readability or plagiarism checks – May not be immediately evident how to interpret highlighted text |
2. GPTZero
This detector uses a multistep method to try and give accurate responses with minimal false positives. It was designed for academic use to detect AI-generated essays, but it is also used by writers and content creators.
The tool evaluates content based on familiarity and sentence variance and provides users with an overall percentage detection score. It also highlights sentences with suspected AI content.
A free plan offers limited usage, but you’ll need to pay for more frequent use.
| Pros | Cons |
| – User-friendly interface – No sign-up for the free version; simply copy and paste – Useful for educational institutions – Offers a Chrome extension allowing you to check web content as you browse | – Free version limited to 10,000 words per month – Less effective for shorter texts – Some features are only available with paid plans (e.g., plagiarism scanning) |
3. Originality
Originality is a premium tool that checks for AI content, plagiarism, and readability. It is primarily designed for marketers, copy editors, website publishers, and writers.
Once you create your account, you can upload your documents. You will receive a detailed report, which you are permitted to share. Although there isn’t a free plan, you can earn 50 credits by installing the free Chrome extension.
| Pros | Cons |
| – High accuracy: 95.93% true positives – Multifunctional detection tool – Shareable reports – Free Chrome extension allows you to check web pages, documents, and text editors such as WordPress – Supports multiple languages | – Sign-up is required – No free plan – Limited functionality on the pay-per-use plan (e.g., file upload unavailable) |
4. Copyleaks
This is a good tool if you’re looking for an AI detector that integrates with platforms such as Microsoft Word and Google Docs. It uses the latest techniques to evaluate text and even claims to be able to detect when AI-generated content has been paraphrased. When you copy and paste your document into the tool, AI-detected language is highlighted in purple and paraphrased text in orange.
The tool allows users a limited number of free scans each day. If you exceed this, you’ll need to subscribe. The AI Detector tool is $9.99 per month. It can also be bundled with the plagiarism tool for $16.99 per month.
| Pros | Cons |
| – User-friendly interface – High accuracy – over 99% – for a free tool – Chrome extension with no daily usage cap – Covers 30+ languages | – There may be an initial learning curve (e.g., when interpreting detailed reports) – Slower than average load times for results – Plagiarism tool incurs an additional fee |
5. Winston
This detector claims to be the “preferred solution for institutions and publishers.” It was designed to detect AI-generated content in customer service information, marketing materials, and other business-related materials. Not only can it detect AI text, but it can also uncover AI images and deepfakes. It also offers a plagiarism checker.
Winston offers a seven-day free trial. After this, paid plans start at $12 per month.
| Pros | Cons |
| – Boasts a 99.6% accuracy – User-friendly interface, which is also capable of processing handwritten documents – Can copy and paste your text or upload a file (.docx, .png, and .jpg) – Chrome extension – Supports multiple languages | – Requires a sign-up – Some features are only available with the “Advanced” pricing plan – Limited language support (English, French, Spanish, and German) |
6. Scribbr
This detector is particularly helpful for students and researchers and offers detailed plagiarism and AI content checks. It is especially good at detecting mixed content or the use of paraphrasing tools. Like many tools on this list, Scribbr generates a percentage showing the likelihood of AI-generated content.
The tool is free to use, with no sign-up required.
| Pros | Cons |
| – User-friendly interface – Unlimited number of checks, and no sign-up required – Highly accurate with minimal false positives | – Doesn’t highlight text to show where the AI content is – Limited to 500 words at a time |
7. Crossplag
Crossplag’s AI content detector is quick and easy to use: Simply copy and paste your text. The tool will then give you a confidence percentage – the higher it is, the more likely that the content is AI-generated. Crossplag also offers a plagiarism checker, which works for over 100 languages.
Although the tool is free, you do need to create an account.
| Pros | Cons |
| – Easy to use, simply copy and paste – A percentage indicates the likelihood of AI-generated text | – Requires an account – Doesn’t highlight AI-generated content – Only supports written English |
8. QuillBot
QuillBot is a complete writing toolbox. It offers a highly accurate AI and plagiarism detector and several other tools such as paraphrasing, summarizing, and a citations generator.
It’s free, quick, and easy to use. Simply copy and paste your text into the tool, and QuillBot will highlight text that is:
- AI generated
- AI generated and paraphrased
- Human written and paraphrased
- Human written
| Pros | Cons |
| – 100% free – Unlimited – High accuracy for a free tool | – Limited to 1,200 words each time – Limited AI-paraphrasing detection – Only supports English, Spanish, French, and German |
AI Prompting For Writers And Editors
If you’d like to offer your client or employer a new service or you simply want to learn how to use AI tools effectively, check out our course, AI Prompting For Writers And Editors. It will explain how to effectively weave AI into your content-creation process. Want to learn more? Sign up for two free lessons!
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