PaperRater Plagiarism Checker Review 2026

PaperRater’s customer support is bare-bones, offering only email support as a means to contact a representative. Their resources comprise a few FAQs and blogs that discuss writing tips for students. The FAQs/Help page contains only 21 answers. There is no search function available so you have to diligently scroll down and find the question you’re looking for. If you can’t find a solution within the help center, you can try contacting someone from their team via email.

Email support is available on weekdays only from 9AM to 5:30PM EST. I tried this channel and asked if they offered a free trial for their Premium plan. It’s been three days since, and I have yet to receive a reply.

PaperRater is tough to use if you don’t have the patience. Compared to the rest of the plagiarism checkers available, PaperRater’s user interface looks outdated and busy. The ads bombarding your screen do not make it easier to navigate the tool.

On the plus side, most of PaperRater’s major features are available in the free version. You don’t need to sign up for an account to use them. The homepage of the tool already has a space available for you to submit your texts for checking. Once uploaded, the website takes you to the dashboard, where you’ll find the different reports available. The features are all laid out on one side for easy checking, but the ads make the process distracting. The interface colors used aren’t aesthetically pleasing either.

Lastly, PaperRater is purely web-based and doesn’t have any integrations, which may be inconvenient for many users who prefer having plugins for services like Microsoft Word or Google Docs.

Originality Detection

PaperRater's originality detection feature runs your file through billions of online pages and resources to check for plagiarism. If there are any similarities, the tool will highlight these texts and provide a list of sources.

Grammar and Spelling Checker

The software uses machine learning and statistical models to identify grammar and spelling errors within a text. With each error, the tool also provides suggestions on how to correct them.

Multiple File Format Support

PaperRater’s free version requires you to copy and paste your texts, but the premium plan allows users to upload documents in .doc, .docx, .txt, and .rtf formats.

Vocabulary Words

This feature gives your document a score based on the quality and quantity of vocabulary usage. The vocabulary in question refers to words used in an academic or scholarly manner.

Word Choice

Word choice functions similarly to Vocabulary Words. It gives a score based on how many times similar words are used and pulls up the top 10 most common words in the text.

Style

This feature focuses on transitional phrases used and gives a score based on the variety found in the text. The report also offers suggestions to improve overused words.

Improve writing quality with advanced grammar correction features.

Choose from standalone tools or integrated software options.

Supports various database formats for enhanced functionality.

PaperRater’s plagiarism and other writing features can all be enjoyed for free, but using the tool has more disadvantages than advantages. The detection capabilities are not entirely accurate, and the software itself is not user-friendly. However, it does have helpful functions that can encourage you to improve your writing.

While PaperRater is geared towards students, other free plagiarism checkers perform better and offer more robust services. The software just doesn’t seem to be up to date. Therefore, it’s recommended that you look for an alternative plagiarism checker. PaperRater is unfortunately leagues behind its competitors.