We’re most of the way through 2024, and it’s fair to say that AI is just about everywhere—and the ridiculous thing is that this modern wave of AI has only taken two or three years to go from a novelty to an integral part of our lives.
In many ways, this monumental growth can be thanks, in part, to ChatGPT. This large language model almost single-handedly put AI on the map. Previous chatbots—like the assistants found on many websites—paled in comparison.
Even OpenAI’s first release of GPT-1 way back in 2018 was capable of impressive levels of lifelike text, even if ChatGPT itself didn’t come out until four years later with GPT-3.5.
Today, ChatGPT is running on GPT-4o, with version 5 on the horizon, and the results it generates are almost indistinguishable from real people. Not only that, but you can also use any recent version of ChatGPT for a host of tasks, from feedback over something you’ve written to outlining a new project—and everything in between.
With the prevalence of ChatGPT and other AI chatbots like Claude and Grok, the need for reliable ways to detect when something has been written by AI has increased exponentially. Fortunately, that need has been met with a host of AI detectors, so much so that it can be difficult to tell which are worth their weight and which should be avoided outright.
That’s why we’ve collected the ten best AI detectors in 2024. We’ll point you in the direction of the best ones so you can avoid having to test them out yourself. So, let’s dive in.
1. AI Detector — Best Overall
Image credit: AI Detector
We’re starting off strong with the aptly named AI Detector. With over 95% accuracy in its ability to tell AI-generated from human-written content, this detector will rarely lead you astray. It’s also built with all major models, from ChatGPT, GPT-4.0, Gemini Pro, Claude 3.5, Llama 3.1, and other leading AI writing or paraphrasing tools.
Feature-wise, AI Detector keeps the process quick and efficient; just paste your text or upload a file, and then let the tool do its thing, scanning the text for any signs of AI writing. It takes only seconds and before you know it, you’ll know the likelihood of the writing being AI generation.
Pricing is also reasonably affordable. You can pay monthly, either for individuals or businesses—$15 or $100, respectively. Or, you can pay as you go for $60, which will grant you 6,000 credits to use whenever you’d like until you run out.
AI Detector is also a more recently released tool, so there’s more to come in the not-too-distant future, including an AI content generator and AI plagiarism checker.
Overall, as competitive as this list is—you’ll see shortly how great all our options are—we ultimately chose AI Detect as our number one platform because of its high levels of accuracy, ease of use, affordable pricing, and that it’s perfect for a wide range of general uses.
AI Detector is a great option if you just need to quickly scan a document, such as a school essay or work project, to ensure that it shows no similarities to AI content.
2. GPTZero
Image credit: GPTZero
Narrowingly missing out on the first-place spot on this list is GPTZero, which, as you might have guessed from its name, originally started out as an AI detector built to detect GPT-written content, such as what ChatGPT produces.
Thanks to its popularity, though, GPTZero now also supports Google’s Gemini, Claude, Llama, and plenty of other new AI models. With an interface similar to AI Detector, you can just drop your text into the box or upload a file, and the tool will scan it for AI, providing you with the percentage chance that something has been AI-generated and highlighting any suspicious sentences.
One great benefit of GPTZero is that you can access the service for free to test out how effective the detector is—although that is limited to 10,000 words each month, with you only being able to upload 5,000 characters at a time.
Still, though, for anyone who needs quick AI detection in a pinch, GPTZero can be great for that. But for any heavier work, you’ll want to subscribe, which will cost you $15, $24, or $35 monthly (and less if you subscribe annually), with each tier giving you more words per month to scan.
3. Originality.ai
Image credits: Originality AI
While many of the AI detectors on this list are built with academic dishonesty in mind, Originality.ai is focused more on the publishing side, from writers who want to avoid false positives on their submissions to publishers who want to ensure the content they publish is free of any AI.
Much like the other detectors on this list, Originality.ai is also built to detect Claude, ChatGPT, and many other models. There’s even a fact-checking aid so you can double-check that any content you may publish is free from any factual inaccuracies.
Originality.ai is also built with teams in mind, so you can manage teams from within the website for anyone who needs access to the tool. On top of that, there’s an API, so you can integrate it into your own tools and workflows—emphasizing how great Originality.ai is for any publishers or content managers.
Pricing remains similar to its competitors, too, with options split into a pay-as-you-go model (same as AI Detector at $60) and monthly subscriptions for both individuals at $20 and enterprises at $179—less if you pay annually.
4. ZeroGPT
Image credit: ZeroGPT
Next on our list is ZeroGPT—not to be confused with GPTZero. Despite the similarity in names, ZeroGPT is among the best AI detectors out there, with a highly accurate model, easy-to-use interface, and affordable pricing.
One great benefit of ZeroGPT is that with the free plan, without even logging in, you can upload up to 15,000 characters, which usually comes out to be about 2,500 words. This will let you scan most medium-length articles.
If you have needs greater than that, then you’ll have to pay up; however, ZeroGPT is one of the more affordable options on this list. In addition to the free plan that lets you scan up to 15,000 characters at once, there’s also a paid plan at $10 a month and a pro plan at $27—of course, you can save by subscribing annually over monthly. There are also separate plans if you want to use their API as a business solution.
Next to this enticing package of features, ZeroGPT has also leveraged its AI model for a few other benefits, including AI translating, paraphrasing, and grammar-checking. You can even hit up the bot on WhatsApp and Telegram.
Overall, ZeroGPT is a great package that’s accurate, affordable, and feature-rich.
5. Hive Moderation
Image credit: Hive Moderation
Our next AI detector, Hive Moderation, sets itself apart by having a Chrome extension you can install into your browser to help facilitate all your AI-checking needs—assuming, of course, that you use tools like Google Docs or your site’s own CMS. Even people who swear by Microsoft Word for all their writing needs can still use the text input on the site to check for AI content.
However, with the character limit of 8,192, you’ll be restricted as to the length of documents that you can upload. But you can always scan them section by section. This should tell you enough, even if it is better to scan documents as a whole so the detector can properly analyze them.
While we’ve tailored this list specifically for detectors that are great at determining whether written content has been AI-detectors, a few of them—including this one—can scan other types of media, from audio to video. Hive Moderation can be your one-stop shop for all your AI detection needs. It will even tell you which model a piece of AI content is probably from.
Hive also utilizes a pay-as-you-go model, so you don’t have to worry much about subscriptions and can just pay for what you need. You can also contact the team for any work you have that’s outside AI detection since Hive is a full suite of AI tools, not just AI detection and moderation.
If you find yourself taking advantage of all that Hive has to offer, you might end up using the tool for a lot of your AI needs.
6. Smodin
Image credit: Smodin
Smodin, coming in at sixth place on our list, is another fully featured tool that can both detect AI in text and rewrite the parts that chatbots have written. This time around, we’ve selected a tool with a more educational bias, although anyone can take advantage of what Smodin has to offer.
As a school-focused tool, not only can you use Smodin to double-check that you haven’t accidentally included any AI text in your work, but you can also use the AI Grader and citation manager to put the finishing touches on any essays or schoolwork.
The AI Grader will allow you to get a grade on your work using a rubric of your own or a pre-made one provided by Smodin. This will provide you with a great opportunity to see how well you’d do before you actually turn in your assignment, allowing you to adjust anything to ensure you get the highest grade possible.
Next to that, the Citation Machine will take the hassle out of citing your sources. If you’ve ever had to create footnotes or a bibliography, you can attest to how tiresome the process is. Smodin will create notes for all your references.
All in all, Smodin is a great resource for any student who’s looking to excel in every assignment while ensuring that everything they turn in is free of AI writing.
7. TraceGPT
Image credit: PlagiarismCheck.org
TraceGPT, a component of the wider offerings provided by PlagiarismCheck.org, will scan anything you upload for signs of AI-generated writing. The great thing about TraceGPT, much like Smodin, is that there’s an entire host of tools available to users.
However, if you’re in the market specifically for AI detection, and aren’t interested in other proverbial bells and whistles, then AI Detector or GPTZero are probably better options. That said, much like every other option on this list, TraceGPT showed some really high levels of accuracy.
Though it’s advertised and focused primarily on ChatGPT, the tool is also capable of recognizing text written by virtually every AI model, from Claude to Gemini. There’s even an extension you can install to help make checking your text more efficient.
The extension also allows you to scan a few pages for free (although it’s very limited). To scan any additional documents (page by page), you can simply buy additional credits directly without having to worry about subscription renewals.
These credits are also great because they can be used for the site’s plagiarism check as well, which is a great side benefit. Ultimately, while not as flashy as some of the other options on this list, TraceGPT—and PlagiarismCheck.org, too—more than earned a spot on this list.
8. Undetectable AI
Image credit: Undetectable AI
In addition to having a high-quality AI detector like the other entries on this list, Undetectable also features an AI humanizer for those times when, no matter how hard you try to revise it yourself, your writing still shows signs of robotic language.
The process is also simple: just paste your text, wait a second for the AI model to work its magic, and you’ll have a result immediately. Undetectable will even let you know which model any robotic-sounding text likely originated from.
Perhaps the only downside is that to use the AI humanizer, you’ll need to sign up first. But you have the freedom to scan a lot of text with the AI detector even if you don’t sign up for anything.
Undetectable actually does a clever thing with pricing, where you can use a slider to determine how much you want to spend per month. It can be as low as $15 for 15,000 words per month or as high as $209 for 380,000. Comparatively, the lowest tier is a little expensive for only getting 15,000 words per month and there are other options with more competitive pricing.
Even so, Undetectable AI is easily one of the best AI detectors out there in 2024.
9. Winston AI
Image credit: Winston AI
As we near the end of the list, we have a few AI detectors that are still great—but ones that don’t necessarily stand out from the pack in any noticeable way. Such is the case with Winston AI. Make no mistake, however, you still won’t go wrong with using Winston to check your writing for signs of AI-generated text.
While we had great results with Winston AI, you are required to sign up before you can scan any text. Although signing up is free, so many other AI detectors on this list allow you to scan at least something—even if it’s limited—immediately. We naturally didn’t mind signing up, but if you’re dead set on using one of these detectors without having to sign up or log in, then we have other great options on this list.
Outside of that, you can sample the tool with some predetermined text written by either one of the major AI models or a human (or a mix of the two) to get a taste of what to expect. There’s also a plagiarism checker and an image checker. In addition, Winston AI boasts 99.98% accuracy and ensures that the tool will be updated with every major model version.
Pricing-wise, signing up will give you a lot of credits for scanning and a two-week trial. Once those two weeks are up, you’ll need to either sign up with a different email or select one of the subscription options, either at $18, $29, or $49 a month. Each one will give you progressively more credits to use and more features to take advantage of.
Ultimately, despite being second to last, Winston AI still stands among the best of the best in AI detectors.
10. BrandWell
Image credit: BrandWell
Rounding out our list in the last—but not least—spot is BrandWell. This company is focused on ensuring that your brand is alive and well—excuse the pun. And BrandWell features an AI content detector to ensure that any content marketing efforts for you or your brand are squeaky clean.
In addition to checking your writing to ensure that every word sounds like a human wrote it rather than a robot, BrandWell also has many other tools to help elevate your online presence, including a plagiarism detector that perfectly complements the AI detector as well as plenty of writing tools so that your writing is as effective as can be. There’s also an image checker, and you can even perform full site audits for those SEO-minded agencies out there.
The great thing about BrandWell is that the AI detection and plagiarism tools are both free to use. The character limit is pretty low, though, so you’ll need to upgrade in order to scan full documents all at once. That aside, you can quickly check smaller text, like for social media posts, or you can check larger documents piecemeal.
The downside is that BrandWell is built for companies and not individuals, so the subscriptions are pricey. But they come with a wide range of benefits to make up for the cost. That said, if all you need is an AI checker, the free option should suit you well. Despite the quality of the AI detector and BrandWell’s other features, the prohibitive price kept it from placing any higher on our list.
The Final Word
With as quickly as the AI industry has grown, it’s no surprise that so many detectors have appeared throughout 2024 and even earlier. Luckily for you, we’ve taken the time to analyze them all, taking a look at how they work and judging them based on their accuracy, ease of use, and overall pricing.
While you definitely won’t go wrong with any of the ten we’ve listed, it’s hard not to recommend AI Detector as the best of the bunch.
