AI writing tools are getting all the buzz in marketing circles as the cool new tool for content creation. But what are AI writing tools and are they any good? We took a look at this new content writing option and put five popular providers in this emerging space of AI-assisted writing tools to the test to find out how they work and what they have to offer.
AI writing tools are automated systems that help write content using a combination of natural language processing and automation. These tools assist in content creation with limited input. Blog posts, ads, social media posts—any sort of content—can be generated using these computer programs with inputs as simple as a title or keywords.
AI writing tools are not replacements for copywriters, and content specialists are still an essential part of any writing process. These modern tools, however, can be used to simplify and streamline the research, planning and initial writing steps associated with content development. The demand for well-written, optimized content is not going away. These AI writing tools benefit content marketers and writers by decreasing the time-consuming parts of the writing process and allow writers to focus on editing, optimization, and readability.
It should be noted that even when a machine is used, a human still needs to provide input, direction and editing. Most tools provide a good draft or starting place and provide options to enhance copy, speed up your writing process, and create better content faster.
More and more providers are popping up on the scene weekly. Each has multiple features with some specialization or targeted use. Some work better for SEO or SERP results and are keyword focused, others are geared toward ad copy and short form content. Most have some learning curve and have limited tutorial options. The pricing structure is similarly across the board. Options include free to $100+ per month based on number of users and amount of content output. The type of content did not seem to have an influence on price, and most tools had some form of a trial option.
For our test and comparison, we chose five popular, accessible, and mostly entry-level options. We did not include the often cited market leaders Jarvis (Jasper) or Surfer SEO.
Frase.io
PepperType.ai
AISEO.ai
Rytr.me
AI-Writer.com
Copy.ai
Of these six, five were able to provide an output that could be quickly usable as a long-form blog post after some further editing and refining. A longer list of AI tools available appears at the end of this post.
The comparison conducted was non-scientific and unmonitored. The topic and parameters were kept simple with a rough outline identified before launching each tool. The generic topic of Digital Marketing or Digital Marketing 101 was input into each of the engines. If prompted, the keywords input included: digital marketing, SEO, online advertising, content marketing, email marketing, PPC, and social media marketing. Some tools also allow a summary or meta description for which we used: Explore the basics of what makes up digital marketing and the five most common types to use to get started.
Frase boasts itself as a search engine optimization content platform designed to speed up the content writing process. Its tools allow writers to research keywords by pulling up high-ranking pages, common search terms, and queries related to the keyword.
Frase can provide outlines, introductions, FAQs, titles, and more, giving writers a starting point. After some user input, the AI tool takes over and Frase is able to complete sentences and paragraphs. Competitive comparison and analytics tools are also included.
Solo, Basic and Team pricing with AIWriter add on.
Solo $19.99/mo 7 document credits
Basic $44.99/mo 30 document credits
Team $114.99/mo Unlimited docs
$35/mo add-on for AIWriter
Frase worked well for aided SEO-focused blog post writing.
The left side of the tool is the editor and the right panel provides top SERP data as well as ranking and source data.
The Write for Me button provides options to complete sentences or keep writing the document based on your location in the and the topic context provided.
If using the AI templates tool - found in the top navigation on the AI Writer tab or as the popup menu if text is highlighted, additional copy options are available including lists, summaries, paragraph finishers, document introductions and much more.
It appears this tool is getting better with each update for assisted writing. It is not a source of keyword generation, but it will optimize the document being written for higher ranking words. It also provides a solid source for outline generation based on a simplified topic and the ranking SERP for that topic.
Marketed as a virtual content assistant, Peppertype.ai is an AI-powered content generation tool for social media, writing, and SEO. The platform can perform tasks from content ideation to delivery with user-driven input.
You use the tool by choosing the module of the type of content with a short description. Peppertype then generates a list of results for you to choose from and you can edit or export them accordingly. There are over 30 content types to choose from including Amazon product descriptions, content rewriting and expanding, customer review response, and Quora answers.
Basic - $25 per month 1 seat 50,000 words per seat
Growth - $165 per month 5 seats 50,000 words per seat
Enterprise – contact company
Peppertype was useful for topic creation and short content output.
The tool provided multiple brief paragraph answers for each content type input. Peppertype did not output long form content, but provided options to piece together a listicle or simple blog post by building out multiple mini sections. The content provided was not referenced nor did there appear to be a way to determine SEO rankings of the results provided.
Peppertype is easy to use and is expanding its output options. This was a good platform option for idea generation, ad writing, social posts creation, and writer-assisted section-by-section content development.
AISEO.ai is pitched as a writing assistant that converts your thoughts to blogs with just a few clicks. The assistant can generate a paragraph for you with simple input and just a single click and will build long form content with templates and a workflow process. it can generate SEO-optimized content using Google SERP data. AISEO.ai also features a tool to improve content readability rewrite content and posts.
Free - 3 days 120 credits, 5 credits per day
$15/mo - 400 credits (~ 50,000 words)
$34/mo - unlimited
The AISEO interface/workflow is not always intuitive, but the results can be strong if using the tools correctly. Some section-by-section assisted writing is required, but AISEO is designed to create an outline and build a document section by section. The platform also provides the ability to look for currently ranking words/phrases and rewriting them for your piece.
The writing assistant appears to be strong tool, however a good tutorial is needed for a novice user. Additional features were helpful to improve existing content, including readability improver and content paraphraser.
Additionally, the Starter and Grow plan credit system is a bit complex. Extended use might be needed to determine the best pricing plan.
Rytr is an all-in-one writing platform for articles, blog content, ad copy, landing pages, etc. It is promoted as a content writer that will save time and money. Just choose a use case, provide short input and click to write. Sentences can be expanded, rephrased and checked for plagiarism, making the AI rewrite certain portions in more detail or differently.
Free – 5,000 characters per month
Saver - $9/month (two months free) - 50k characters per month
Unlimited - $29/month (two months free) – unlimited characters
The simplicity and ease of use of Rytr was great. Once the learning curve was met, the usability appeared as though it would continue to improve and produce higher quality content.
Rytr has an extensive list of content types to choose from. Because of this, it did appear each user may need to find a workflow that worked best for a given project. With limited input, a headline and rough outline were easily created. Each outline section was then expanded using the tool to form a list-type blog of about 5000 characters.
Because of the character limit for the free version, a conclusion section was not completed before the plan hit its character limit. The content generated was simple, but usable. Process took about 15-20 minutes with another 15-30 mins of editing needed to produce a publishable piece.
AI Writer is one of the original AI writing tools. It generates articles from only a headline or keyword. The output is created with an eye toward search rankings. AI Writer also boasts a tool to reword existing writing to improve readability and SEO performance. The platform also supplies a list of sources and citations for each section, to ensure accurate content.
One-week free trial
Basic - $29/mo - 40 articles
Standard - $59/mo - 150 articles
Power - $375/mo 1,000 articles
For this tool there is only one input and one output. It is a fairly stripped-down, unstructured writer. There are not multiple options or a workflow to write from idea to outline to section by section. With limited chances to modify, expand or adjust what is provided, the platform does not seem as useful as a standalone writing tool. The output received was a block of content. It was solid, information-rich content, however, and would just need more heavy editing to prepare for publishing.
The interface is one of the cleanest and simplest of the tools tested. And only minimum input was needed to produce content.
Another feature to note is that sources are provided which helps to provide the credibility of the output. This platform might work best in tandem with another AI tool that can enhance and modify original content.
CopyAI is a content generation tool that boasts being able create marketing copy in a matter of seconds. CopyAI provides you with 60+ templates to guide the tool to create social media copy, blog content, websites, sales content, ad copy, etc. It has a simple interface with short tutorials for assistance.
Free - 10 credits per month
Pro - $35 per month with unlimited credits
Team – includes collaboration and is custom pricing
CopyAI proved to be a fast, simple solution to content writing. You are able to adjust and build a content piece based on your preferences. The interface was easy to use with handy tutorials upfront reducing the startup learning curve.
Tool is not a one click and done, but rather has modules or a workflow to guide through the outline, introduction, conclusion, section/point expander, etc. similar to other new AI writers, but with a good user interface.
The platform was fast, however source and authority were not provided and may need to be checked. Overall, CopyAI was simple to use and provided rich content that was worthy of publishing with some additional editing.
Each tool we tested had its pros and cons and the more each was used, the easier they were to navigate and produce usable content. Pricing is not standard from tool to tool, so some trial and error may be needed to identify the best value.
Additionally, some tools are better suited for short form content like social media posts or ad copy and others are definitely geared toward blog posts and articles.
Of the accessible, entry-level options we tested, we recommend:
Best overall AI writing tool tested - AISEO
Best tool based on price (value) - Rytr or AISEO
Easiest tool to use off the shelf - CopyAI
Tool output with fewest edits needed – Frase
AI writing tools are a huge asset to content marketers and should be considered to reduce content writing costs and save time. The list of AI writing platforms is growing rapidly. Here is a list of many more we discovered that are available to explore and test.
Bonus: How about using AI to generate a 100% unique (and 100% fake) image to pair well with the article you're leveraging AI to help you write?
Check out UnrealPerson.com a self-described "a Free and customizable AI Faces generator of fake persons that look 100% real."
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