Is AI Writing Free? Exploring Cost-Effective Tools

The percentage of marketers who are using AI for writing content jumped from 28% in 2022 to a whopping 85% by April 2023.

The speed of this industry is just bonkers. 😵‍💫 In March alone, more than 1,000 new AI tools came out.

The obvious advantage of AI is speed — while a human takes 4 hours to write a blog post, it only takes a robot minutes, sometimes seconds.

And sometimes, AI writes even better than humans.

But is AI writing free?

In this blog post, we will look at free AI writing tools and their limitations, and why it’s still best to get a paid subscription to maximize the full potential of this technology.

Table of Contents:

• What Are AI Writing Tools?
• Is AI Writing Free?
• Which AI App is Best for Content Writing?
• What is the Best Free AI Copywriter?
• Is Grammarly an AI?
  • How Does Grammarly’s AI Work?
  • Main Features of Grammarly
  • Do Real Writers Use Grammarly?
  • Is Grammarly Allowed in College?
• Will AI Replace Copywriters?
• AI Should Be a Writing Assistant, Not an Author

What Are AI Writing Tools?

AI writing tools are advanced software applications that can write high-quality content. More and more business owners, marketers, and bloggers are switching to AI to save time and resources while maintaining a consistent standard of quality in all their marketing content and branding materials.

Machine learning enables these tools to analyze vast amounts of data and identify language patterns to generate human-like text based on inputs or prompts provided by users.

Is AI Writing Free?

Highly skilled human writers can cost a few hundred dollars per content project, depending on the number of articles, word count, and technical knowledge required.

Human writing is never free, since writing is a sought-after skill across many industries.

So what about AI writing?

Since most AI writing tools fall under the umbrella of SaaS (software as a service), they’re usually not free (or only free for limited use). The companies who produce, create, and run these tools make money by offering subscriptions to their technology. In turn, humans run these tools to help them brainstorm, create content, and produce written works.

So, the short answer is: AI writing usually isn’t free.

Meanwhile, ChatGPT shook up AI writing — and the content writing industry in general — by offering a free version of its app. This powerful language model and its astonishing capabilities, developed by OpenAI, reached 1 million users in just 5 days — and 100 million users in 2 months — thanks to its ability to generate human-like text for various content creation tasks. As the chart below shows, this kind of growth was unprecedented.

Image source: Statista

Today people are using ChatGPT to draft emails, create blog posts, generate social media captions, and brainstorm topic ideas. With its simple user interface, anyone can easily type a question or prompt and get content, ideas, or information with minimal effort.

Which AI App is Best for Content Writing?

When it comes to content writing, BrandWell is the gold standard. Unlike general-purpose AI writers that are just that — writing assistants — BrandWell offers a complete end-to-end solution from research to publishing that makes it the perfect choice for creating top-notch, SEO-driven content.

Although BrandWell is not free, the level of quality, speed, and ease of use that the app delivers is worth every penny. 

When you sign up for BrandWell, you’ll immediately get access to its dashboard where you can add hundreds of keywords and get hundreds of well-written blog posts in minutes.

You can proofread and edit these articles right within the app, and even add images or embed videos and tweets, to make your final output more attractive to readers.

Plus you get free SEO tools to guide you while you’re polishing your posts.

Worried about plagiarism? BrandWell has a plagiarism checker built into its app so you will never have to worry about duplicate material. You also get access to our best-in-class AI detector tool.

After you’ve done your final edits, your newly written blog post will automatically be published to your WordPress website.

What is the Best Free AI Copywriter?

ChatGPT is the best free AI tool out there.

ChatGPT runs on OpenAI’s GPT-3 technology, a powerful natural language processing model capable of understanding context and generating human-like responses. All you have to do is type in prompts or questions and the AI generates well-written paragraphs, sentences, or even entire articles in response.

Here’s an example of how I used ChatGPT to write a script for a TV commercial.

Main Features of ChatGPT

• Versatility: The tool can be used for various purposes like writing headlines, product descriptions, tweets, poems, and even music.
• User-friendly interface: Its simple design allows users to interact easily with the AI by providing prompts or instructions within a chat-based format.
• Prompt customization: Users have control over how specific their instructions are when interacting with ChatGPT. This flexibility enables them to receive tailored output according to their needs.

ChatGPT is currently free but there’s also a $20/month paid plan called ChatGPT Plus which offers:

• Unlimited access to ChatGPT even during peak times.
• Faster response times.
• Priority access to new features and improvements.

While chatbots offer impressive results at no cost, their features can be limited. General-purpose AI writers are best for producing short-form content and editing/revising purposes.

Here’s a more detailed comparison of BrandWell vs ChatGPT:

Is Grammarly an AI?

Yes, Grammarly runs on AI, and it’s another free tool we need to talk about.

Grammarly is a widely-used writing assistant powered by AI and NLP to help users craft better writing. The platform offers various features, such as grammar checking, spell checking, punctuation correction, and suggestions for enhancing style and tone.

How Does Grammarly’s AI Work?

The AI technology behind Grammarly works by analyzing text input from the user and comparing it with a vast database of grammatical rules, common mistakes, context-specific patterns, and other linguistic factors. It then provides real-time feedback on potential errors or areas for improvement in the written content.

Main Features of Grammarly

• Grammar: Identifies grammatical errors like subject-verb agreement issues or incorrect use of articles.
• Punctuation: Detects missing or misplaced commas, periods, semicolons, etc. to maintain proper sentence structure.
• Vocabulary: Suggests synonyms to replace overused words or phrases to diversify your vocabulary usage.
• Tone: Analyzes your word choice and phrasing to provide insights into the overall tone of your writing – whether it’s formal/informal or friendly/serious, etc.

In addition to these features offered by the free version, Grammarly Premium provides more advanced suggestions related to clarity improvements, content engagement enhancement, and plagiarism detection, making it an invaluable tool for writers across various fields.

Grammarly also offers a plugin for seamless integration with your browser. Once installed, it will run grammar and spelling checks on any app you run through your browser.

A screenshot of the Grammarly plugin running in BrandWell

Do Real Writers Use Grammarly?

Yes, real writers do use Grammarly to improve the quality of their work.

Many professionals appreciate how Grammarly integrates with Google Docs and Microsoft Word so they can edit their work as they go without disrupting their workflow. It also has a browser extension that checks online text inputs like emails or social media posts for any grammatical issues before submission.

Content marketing teams, journalists, newsrooms, and academic researchers use Grammarly to refine their written work, but it should not replace proofreading with your own eyes. 

Is Grammarly Allowed in College?

This is often a topic of debate in academia. There is no official ban on the use of Grammarly in universities, and many institutions encourage students to take advantage of such resources to improve their writing skills and ensure error-free submissions. 

To maintain academic integrity:

• Use Grammarly as a learning tool: Students should treat Grammarly as an educational resource rather than solely relying on it for corrections. It can help identify common mistakes and provide suggestions on improving sentence structure or word choice.
• Avoid plagiarism: Although Grammarly offers a plagiarism checker feature with its premium version, users must still exercise caution while incorporating suggested changes into their work so as not to inadvertently plagiarize content from other sources.
• Maintain originality: Relying too heavily on AI-generated suggestions might lead to a loss of personal voice or style in one’s writing; therefore, it’s important to find the right balance between using tech and maintaining original thought.

Grammarly can be an incredibly useful asset for college students, enabling them to compose written text more quickly and accurately. Some institutions may have specific policies on the usage of technology so be sure to check pertinent guidelines before using Grammarly.

Will AI Replace Copywriters?

As AI technology progresses, the potential to displace human workers has become a prominent concern in many industries – including marketing.

In the field of copywriting, this concern is particularly relevant as ChatGPT has gained popularity for its ability to generate high-quality content.

There are two ways to look at the potential impact of AI on copywriting:

1. Boost productivity: AI writing tools like ChatGPT and BrandWell can help copywriters produce more content in less time.
2. Automate repetitive tasks: Mundane tasks can be automated through the use of AI technology. For example, generating product descriptions or social media posts could be handled by an algorithm instead of a human writer.

In both cases, it’s essential to recognize that while AI may change how some tasks are performed within the industry, it is unlikely to completely replace skilled human copywriters anytime soon. The creative process involved in crafting compelling messages requires empathy and understanding – qualities that remain uniquely human traits.

To stay competitive in the era of AI, professional writers should embrace these new technologies as complementary tools rather than threats. By using AI-powered software like BrandWell, they can enhance their skills and adapt effectively to the evolving job market.

AI Should Be a Writing Assistant, Not an Author

Free AI writing tools can help generate ideas, improve writing efficiency, and provide valuable feedback on grammar and style. However, human writers need to approach these tools with a critical eye and use them as a supplement to their skill rather than a replacement.

While there are free AI tools available, their features can be severely limited. Thus, such tools should be used for editing or revising purposes, or for writing short-form content like emails, snippets, and section paragraphs.

If you’re looking for an AI content writer that is capable of creating complete blog posts from start to finish, then consider investing in premium software such as BrandWell.