Scribbr
Scribbr is an Amsterdam-based academic writing company that offers proofreading, a plagiarism checker, an AI detector and free writing tools for students. It is part of Learneo, the company formerly called Course Hero.
- Owner
- Learneo, Inc. (formerly Course Hero)
- Founded
- 2012
- Headquarters
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
| Product | Price |
|---|---|
| Scribbr AI Detector | Free up to 1,200 words per check; premium version included with a plagiarism check |
| Scribbr Plagiarism Checker | $19.95 to $39.95 per document, by length |
| Scribbr Proofreading & Editing | Paid, priced per order |
| Scribbr Citation Generator | Free |
| Scribbr Paraphrasing Tool | Free up to 125 words per submission |
| Scribbr Grammar Checker | Free |
Quick answer: Scribbr is an Amsterdam-based academic writing company for students. It offers human proofreading and editing, a pay-per-document plagiarism checker built on Turnitin’s technology and an AI Detector, alongside free tools such as a citation generator, paraphraser, grammar checker and summariser. It is part of Learneo, the company formerly called Course Hero, which also owns QuillBot. The AI Detector is free for up to 1,200 words per check with no account, and a premium version comes with a plagiarism check costing $19.95 to $39.95.
What Scribbr does
Scribbr helps students write and submit academic work. It started as a proofreading and editing service for theses, dissertations and essays, and now also offers plagiarism and AI checks, citation formatting and free rewriting and grammar tools. It also publishes a free knowledge base of guides on academic writing and referencing.
Who owns and runs it
Scribbr was founded in 2012 by two Dutch students, Bas Swaen and Koen Driessen, and is based in Amsterdam. Course Hero bought it in March 2022, its first acquisition after a $395 million funding round (Silicon Canals). Course Hero’s parent company has since become Learneo (Learneo).
Learneo’s list of businesses puts Scribbr alongside QuillBot, LanguageTool, Course Hero, CliffsNotes, LitCharts and Symbolab. Scribbr’s grammar checker page says it “is powered by the QuillBot service”, and its paraphrasing tool also names QuillBot as its engine.
What it offers
| Product | What it does | Free version |
|---|---|---|
| Proofreading & Editing | Human editors correct language and leave comments and feedback | No, paid per order |
| Plagiarism Checker | Compares a document against web pages and publications, using Turnitin’s technology | Free basic report; full report $19.95 to $39.95 per document |
| AI Detector | Estimates how much of a text is AI-written | Up to 1,200 words per check, no account |
| Citation Generator | Builds APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard and other references | Free |
| Paraphrasing Tool | Rewrites text, powered by QuillBot | Up to 125 words per submission, no account |
| Grammar Checker | Fixes spelling, grammar and punctuation, powered by QuillBot | Free, no sign-up |
| Summarizer | Condenses long text | Free, no sign-up |
Scribbr also offers paid extras on proofreading orders, such as layout formatting and citation editing.
Scribbr AI Detector
The AI Detector estimates how much of a pasted text was written by AI. The free version needs no account and checks up to 1,200 words per submission, with no limit on the number of checks (Scribbr). The premium version comes with a Scribbr plagiarism check and scans up to 25,000 words (Scribbr help centre).
What it reports. A percentage from 0% to 100%, split into four categories: AI-generated, AI-generated and AI-refined, human-written and AI-refined, and human-written. “AI-refined” means text that an AI tool such as a paraphraser has reworked.
Languages. Scribbr’s help centre says the detector handles English, Spanish, German and French, and that Dutch checks “will still use GoWinston”, the domain of the detector Winston AI.
How Scribbr describes it. Scribbr says the detector is “powered by Scribbr’s proprietary software”, and that the premium version covers “all known language models, including: OpenAI’s ChatGPT (all versions), Google Gemini, Claude”. In its own comparison of 12 detectors, Scribbr put its premium detector first at 84% accuracy and its free detector at 78%. Scribbr also says “no AI model on the market can guarantee 100% accuracy, including ours”, and its guide for teachers says detectors work best “as part of a broader review process rather than as definitive proof of misconduct”.
For how detectors work in general, see how AI detectors work. For independent testing across detectors, see best AI detector and best free AI detector.
Scribbr Plagiarism Checker
The plagiarism checker compares a document against web pages and published sources and returns a similarity percentage with the matching sources. It is sold per document rather than by subscription: $19.95 for up to 7,500 words, $29.95 for 7,500 to 50,000 words and $39.95 for 50,000 words and above (Scribbr). The premium report includes the AI Detector.
Scribbr says it is an authorised Turnitin partner, and that its checker uses Turnitin’s detection software and its web and publications databases. Universities can also check against their own private databases of student papers, which Scribbr does not have access to, so results can differ slightly. Scribbr says documents uploaded to the checker are not stored in a shared database and are not visible to other checkers, including the one your university runs. For how it compares with other checkers, see best plagiarism checkers.
Scribbr Proofreading & Editing
Scribbr’s original service sends a document to a human editor, who corrects spelling, grammar, punctuation and consistency in Word’s Track Changes, comments on clarity and structure, and leaves feedback (Scribbr). Scribbr says its editors focus on language rather than on the accuracy or originality of the content. Extras such as layout formatting and citation editing are available on top.
Scribbr Citation Generator
The free citation generator builds references and in-text citations in APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard and other styles, finding a source from its title, URL, DOI or ISBN (Scribbr). For other options, see best AI citation generators.
What it costs
| Product | Price |
|---|---|
| AI Detector (free) | $0, up to 1,200 words per check |
| Plagiarism check, up to 7,500 words | $19.95, premium AI Detector included |
| Plagiarism check, 7,500 to 50,000 words | $29.95, premium AI Detector included |
| Plagiarism check, 50,000+ words | $39.95, premium AI Detector included (AI scan covers up to 25,000 words) |
| Proofreading & Editing | Priced per order |
| Citation Generator, Paraphrasing Tool, Grammar Checker, Summarizer | Free |
All prices in USD.
How it’s used
Scribbr is used mainly by university students preparing work for submission: getting a thesis or dissertation proofread, running a plagiarism check before handing it in, formatting references and checking a draft for AI writing. The plagiarism checker is paid per document, with no subscription. Scribbr also publishes guidance on its AI Detector for educators.
Frequently asked questions
How accurate is Scribbr’s AI detector?
In Scribbr’s own comparison of 12 detectors, its premium detector scored 84% accuracy and its free detector 78%. Scribbr says no AI detector can guarantee 100% accuracy, and that results should be part of a broader review rather than proof on their own. For independent testing across detectors, see best AI detector.
Is Scribbr’s AI detector free?
Yes. The free version needs no account and checks up to 1,200 words at a time, with unlimited checks. The premium version, which scans up to 25,000 words, comes with a Scribbr plagiarism check costing $19.95 to $39.95 per document.
Who owns Scribbr?
Learneo, the company formerly called Course Hero. Learneo also owns QuillBot, LanguageTool, CliffsNotes, LitCharts and Symbolab. Scribbr was founded in Amsterdam in 2012 by Bas Swaen and Koen Driessen.
Is Scribbr the same as QuillBot?
No. They are separate businesses with the same owner, Learneo. Scribbr’s free grammar checker and paraphrasing tool are powered by QuillBot, and Scribbr describes its AI Detector as its own proprietary software.
Does Scribbr use Turnitin?
For plagiarism checks, yes. Scribbr says it is an authorised Turnitin partner and its checker uses Turnitin’s detection software and web and publications databases. Its AI Detector is Scribbr’s own software. See Turnitin AI detection.
Does Scribbr store what I upload?
Scribbr says text checked with its free AI detector is not stored or shared, and that documents uploaded to its plagiarism checker are not added to a shared database or visible to other checkers, including your university’s. AI Detector reports stay viewable for 30 days.
Is Scribbr’s plagiarism checker a subscription?
No. It is paid per document, from $19.95 to $39.95 depending on length, and the premium AI Detector is included. For other checkers, see best plagiarism checkers.
Can teachers use Scribbr to check students’ work?
Yes. Scribbr publishes a guide for teachers on its AI Detector, which says detectors work best “as part of a broader review process rather than as definitive proof of misconduct”. For classroom tools, see best AI for teachers.