Best Plagiarism Checkers for Google Docs (Tried and Tested for 2024)
by Ankit Singla
Plagiarism – it stinks.
If you fancy yourself a professional blogger, you need to avoid plagiarism like the plague.
Plagiarism is not only bad for SEO. If you get exposed, it will also ruin your reputation and authority in your niche.
Remember, nobody likes a copycat.
In this post, we’ll talk about how to check for plagiarism on Google Docs. More specifically, I’ll show you some of the best tools for the job.
Let’s get started.
Best Plagiarism Checkers for Google Docs
- ProWritingAid
- Semrush SEO Writing Assistant
- Plagium
- Grammarly
- Special mentions (kind of)
I write blog content myself; do I still need a plagiarism checker?
Absolutely.
It’s true that most website owners who worry about plagiarism are those who hire blog content writers. After all, how else can you be sure you’re not getting copy-pasted stuff on your blog?
Unfortunately, not a lot of bloggers realize is, there’s such a thing as “accidental plagiarism.”
This is a type of plagiarism that occurs under certain circumstances, like misquoting or failing to cite a source.
Accidental plagiarism also occurs if someone paraphrases an existing source. It doesn’t matter if it’s intentional or not as long as any of the following is deemed too similar:
- Word usage
- Word groups
- Sentence structure
If you use reference materials, be it an eBook or another blog post, you could be accidentally plagiarizing it.
The good news is, there are loads of plagiarism checker tools out there. You just have to plug in your draft and run the tool – all it takes is a few minutes.
But for this particular list, I chose plagiarism checkers that work best for Google Docs.
Of course, you can still benefit from the tools here even if you use another app like Microsoft Word.
After all, Google Docs is free. You just need to log in using your Google account, import your document, and fire up a plagiarism check.
With that out of the way, let’s take a look at the first plagiarism checker Google Docs users will love.
1. ProWritingAid
ProWritingAid is one of my top recommended proofreading tools for bloggers.
I praised ProWritingAid for its variety of in-depth reports that can help writers improve every aspect of their craft. This includes their writing style, vocabulary, structure, and practices that affect readability.
ProWritingAid also features integrations with a handful of platforms, including mainstream browsers, Microsoft Office, and – of course – Google Docs.
You can install it directly from the Google Workspace Marketplace.
How to use ProWritingAid’s plagiarism checker?
After installing the ProWritingAid on Google Docs, you can fire it up from the ‘Add-ons’ menu.
To access the plagiarism checker, click ‘Improve Document’ from the sub-menu to launch the ProWritingAid overlay interface. From there, click ‘More Reports’ and select ‘Plagiarism.’
How much does ProWritingAid cost?
ProWritingAid costs $20 per month, but you can get this down to $6.58 per month with the annual plan. You can also get a 25% discount by using this link
2. Semrush SEO Writing Assistant
This next plagiarism checker for Google Docs is from the guys behind Semrush, my go-to SEO and marketing analytics platform.
SEO Writing Assistant is a Google Docs add-on designed to help you create better, SEO-friendly content. It analyzes your document’s readability, tone, keywords, links, and other on-page factors that could potentially affect rankings.
Just like ProWritingAid, you can install SEO Writing Assistant directly from the Google Workspace Marketplace.
How to use SEO Writing Assistant’s plagiarism checker?
To use SEO Writing Assistant, you also have to launch it from the ‘Add-ons’ menu.
But, unlike ProWritingAid that uses up most of the screen, SEO Writing Assistant works via a compact sidebar. That means you can use the add-on while working on your document at the same time.
To check for plagiarism using SEO Writing Assistant, you must first enter your target keywords in the current article.
Up to 30 target keywords can be specified for a single document.
Once your keywords are set, SEO Writing Assistant will provide you with a list of actionable suggestions. You can also use the “Originality” tool to check your draft for plagiarism.
How much does SEO Writing Assistant cost?
To use SEO Writing Assistant, you need to have a “Guru” plan on Semrush, which costs $229.95 per month.
That may seem like a lot. But remember that you’re also unlocking Semrush’s “Pro” features, including the SEO, PPC, and SMM analytics tools.
To see Semrush’s entire lineup of features, read the full review here or jump straight to this page to get a free Semrush Guru trial.
3. Plagium
Plagium is perhaps the only Google Docs tool in this list that’s 100% built for plagiarism checks.
Using the interface, you can paste text directly, enter a page URL, or upload an attachment to check for plagiarism. That’s it – plain and simple.
How to use Plagium’s plagiarism checker?
Plagium has a Google Docs add-on version you can install from the Google Workspace Marketplace.
Upon installation and activation, you can use Plagium as a sidebar to detect plagiarized text. Simply select the sentences or paragraphs you’d like to analyze and click ‘Check selection.’
Plagium will then proceed to locate web pages that have similarities with the selected text.
Each reported page includes a link, short excerpt, and similarity level measured on a scale of 1 to 100.
For most content writers, a similarity level of 39 percent and below is still acceptable. Anything above that would warrant a revision, so be sure to check those numbers carefully.
How much does Plagium cost?
Plagium offers prepaid plans that start at $1 for up to 12,500 characters. For a monthly plan, the minimum you can spend is $9.99 for up to 143,625 characters checked.
4. Grammarly
If you’re a long-time Master Blogging reader, you should already be familiar with Grammarly.
Put simply, it’s my favorite grammar checker tool on the planet.
In addition to checking for spelling and grammatical mistakes, it also suggests improvements based on your unique writing goals.
Of course, it also has a plagiarism checker baked into the software. Plus, it works well with Google Docs through the free Chrome extension.
How to use Grammarly’s plagiarism checker?
To use Grammarly with Google Docs, you must first download and install the Grammarly extension from Chrome Web Store.
Make sure to enable Grammarly on Google Docs by clicking on the extension icon and then hitting ‘Turn It On.’
Once enabled, you can access Grammarly’s features straight from the sidebar.
Just remember that you need the Grammarly Premium app to use the plagiarism checker.
How much does Grammarly cost?
Grammarly’s basic spelling, grammar, and punctuation checkers can be used for free. To get advanced suggestions and the plagiarism checker, you need to spend at least $29.95 per month for Grammarly Premium.
Looks a little expensive?
Don’t forget that Master Blogging readers can get a 25 percent discount on their Grammarly Premium purchase. Just follow the steps found here to claim your coupon.
Special mentions (kind of)
I know – this listicle is pretty short.
Believe me, I tried to make a list with at least seven featured tools.
Unfortunately, the other plagiarism checkers that are specifically designed for Google Docs have a lot of mixed reviews.
Have a look at some of the other plagiarism checkers I found from Chrome Web Store:
Naturally, I looked for other plagiarism checker add-ons from Google Workspace Marketplace.
Apart from the add-ons listed above, there were only two other plagiarism checkers with decent ratings, namely Outwrite and PlagiarismSearch.
Feel free to give those plagiarism checkers a whirl – there’s no harm in trying.
As for me, I’ll only recommend highly rated tools that are proven to work well.
Conclusion
Always remember that a blog needs high-quality and 100 percent original content to succeed.
With the featured plagiarism checkers above, avoiding plagiarism hits should be easy as 123.
As a final piece of advice, try building unique content outlines after doing solid research on your topic. That’s how I’ve been creating blog content for years – and I never had problems with plagiarism.
And, as always, leave your questions, suggestions, and feedback in the comments below. I look forward to hearing from you!
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