Grammarly vs Turnitin – Do they have the Same Purpose?

Do you think they are the same? That’s what I thought first, but later I figured out the difference. 

I once used Grammarly to polish up an assignment. It caught a bunch of grammar slips and made my writing sound smoother. I figured I was good to go. But later, when my professor ran the same file through Turnitin, the feedback was different by 180 degrees. After that, I got a clear understanding of both what each tool does and how they are different. 

If you’ve been confusing both Grammarly and Turnitin are just two versions of the same thing, they’re not. Grammarly’s focus is on writing, ensuring accuracy of sentences, grammar, and flow. On the other hand, Turnitin is more about originality and academic checks. It’s built to catch plagiarism, not polish sentences.

In this blog, we’ll have a detailed look at both their features, pricing, and who these tools are for, and which one should you use in a particular scenario or what you’re doing. 

Let’s Quickly Compare the Two Before Getting Into Details

From my own experience, the best way to understand two similar tools is to see their main features side by side. It makes things clearer before getting into the deeper differences.

So, here is the brief comparison between the two. Each has its own set of functionalities and degree of difference.

Note:  Grammarly and Turnitin aren’t meant to do the same thing. 

Here is the simple way to make a clear image in your mind. 

• Grammarly works like an editor, or a tool that helps in enhancing your writing skills
•  On the other hand, Turnitin is more like tracking suspicious activities in your academic work. 

So, Turnitin or Grammarly, which one to use when? 

Since we have described both of them in the table above. We’ve just listed their features and pricing and who should use which tool and when. But now let’s have a detailed look at each, so you have a clear idea, when it’s better to use which tool over the other. 

Starting with Grammarly, Where It Helps, Where It Doesn’t

If you’ve ever typed something out and just wanted to make sure it reads okay, Grammarly is probably something you can use, or might have used before. 

It checks:

• Your grammar (obviously)
• How clear your writing is
• Tone (like, does this sound too harsh or too casual?)
• Word choice — offers better ways to say things

The above is all that Grammarly can do. This further means you can use it in your day-to-day tasks, to ensure grammar clarity and context, etc. 

Along with tools, there are also content writing services that define a clear path for you, while writing any piece of content. 

But here is what Grammarly may lack or cannot do: deep plagiarism check 

Grammarly does have a plagiarism tool, but it’s pretty basic. Not as advanced as that of Turnitin. Grammarly can check the material available on online resources like websites, blogs, and others. But, it does yet have the feature to compare your work with things like academic papers, research journals, or past years’ papers students have submitted recently.

In short, if you’re submitting something to school or uni, it means any academic material, then Grammalry may not be enough. As your professor would use Turnitin to check upon, and your work may result in plagiarised. 

Now Turnitin – Built for a Different Job

If Grammarly is like a writing assistant, Turnitin is more like a plagiarism detective. It doesn’t care how smooth your sentences are – it is out there to check whether the work you deliver is yours or not. 

I remember such situations from my student life. One of my classmates during my undergrad submitted a paper that sounded and looked very polished, both grammar and flow-wise. But after all, when the report came back from the professor who used Turnitin, a bunch of red flags were there. 

It was not because she purely copied anything, but only because some parts were similar in context to the one which was previously submitted by another student. That’s when I realized: Turnitin checks things you can’t even find online. It digs deeper.

Here’s what Turnitin does best:

• Matches your work against a huge database — not just websites, but academic journals, research papers, and even old assignments from other students.
  
  
• Gives an “originality report” — this highlights anything that matches other sources.
  
  
• It also has tools for teachers — like adding comments, grading features, and checking for paraphrasing tricks.
  
  

But one thing to remember — Turnitin doesn’t help you write better. It won’t fix grammar, tone, or sentence structure. If your writing is clunky, it won’t step in to polish it up. That’s not what it’s built for.

Also, it’s not something you can just buy and use like Grammarly. Most of the time, you’ll only get access through a school or university. So if you’re not part of an academic system, you likely won’t be using Turnitin at all.

Does Turnitin Detect Grammarly or AI-Written Content?

To answer this, there are two angles to talk about: First, Turnitin does not detect Grammarly directly. If you’re just using Grammarly to fix grammar or improve tone, you’re good to go with. You can rest assured that it won’t raise a red flag for you. 

But if your content is written by AI and you’re hoping Grammarly can cover it up — it won’t work. Turnitin has its own AI detection system now. Even after Grammarly edits, Turnitin can still flag patterns that look machine-written.

So here’s the deal:

• Grammarly won’t get you flagged
  
  
• But AI-written content, even if polished, can still get caught
  
  
• Best approach? Write it yourself. Use Grammarly only to clean it up

If you’re curious like me and want to have a check on how that Turnitin detection works. For a clear look at how its AI writing detection works, see Turnitin’s guide on their detection model in the classic report view 

What Turnitin and Grammarly Get Right, and Where They Fall Short

So far, you might have a clear view about both of them. You may now have a strong foundation to compare them, and use any of them as per the dynamic and what you actually need at the specific time.

One thing to keep in mind is that they aren’t alternatives to each other. You cannot replace one with the other, because each of them has its domain area, its strength, and weakness. So, let’s talk about the pros and cons of each:

Let’s talk about Grammarly first. 

Grammarly

Pros: You can use Grammarly as a writing assistant

Grammarly helps, especially when you’re in a hurry and want to keep things clear and meet the deadline. This tool helps you have a second deep look at what you’ve done, and figure out what’s going good and and what’s not. I’ve used it for quick edits — it picks up on missing words or small grammar stuff I’d usually miss. It doesn’t catch everything, but it does enough to clean things up without having to ask someone else.

Cons: But the plagiarism check is surface-level

It looks for matches across websites and online articles — not academic papers or past student work. So if you’re in school and your professor runs your paper through Turnitin, Grammarly won’t protect you.

Turnitin 

Pros: Turnitin is built for serious checks

It doesn’t care about your grammar. It cares about originality. It compares your work with databases that go way beyond what Grammarly has. If something’s been submitted before, even years ago — Turnitin can flag it.

Academic writing often involves strict originality standards. If you want to meet these standards with professional assistance, you can reach out for academic writing services. 

Cons: But it’s not built for everyday use

Unlike Grammarly, you can’t use Turnitin unless your school gives you access. It ensures academic integrity, and unlike Grammarly does not help with improving your writing. 

Below is the table to compare both 

Let’s Wrap it Up

So, which one to choose, Grammarly or Turnitin? Well, one cannot replace the other. Grammarly vs Turnitin isn’t about which one’s better — it’s more about what you’re working on. Grammarly helps clean up your writing, especially if you’re writing online or just want things to read better.

Turnitin’s different. It’s made for checking originality, and it works best in academic settings. It won’t help with sentence flow, but it will catch stuff you might not even know is a match.

So in the end, these tools don’t replace each other. You might need both, just in different situations.