ScanForAI vs Originality.ai: evidence, without the meter.
Originality.ai charges per credit and targets high-volume publishers. ScanForAI is free while in beta and returns something different: the AI-leaning lines marked in the text itself — feedback an editor can send straight back to the writer.
The short version.
| ScanForAI | Originality.ai | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Free while in beta — no credits, no card | Pay-per-credit (per ~100 words scanned) or subscription |
| Built for | Anyone acting on a result: editors, teachers, writers checking their own work | Publishers, SEO agencies, content-mill QA at volume |
| Evidence per result | AI-leaning lines marked in the text + plain-English reasons — feedback a writer can act on | Percentage score with sentence highlighting |
| Beyond AI detection | Cleanup (formatting tells) free · batch · URL scan · PDF reports | Plagiarism check, fact-check aid, readability (credit-priced) |
| Writer disputes | Shareable marked-up result — turns a standoff into an edit list | Score-centric; writers often contest the number |
| API | Free while in beta, documented + OpenAPI | Credit-priced API |
Competitor details paraphrased from public pages, last reviewed July 2026, and may change — check originality.ai for current pricing. Originality.ai is a trademark of its owner; ScanForAI is not affiliated with or endorsed by it. We publish no accuracy percentages for either tool.
Credits make sense at volume. Do you need them?
Originality.ai is genuinely built for high-volume publisher pipelines — plagiarism plus AI checks, team seats, per-credit billing. If you're scanning thousands of articles a month with a paid QA budget, it's a fair fit. If you're an editor checking a handful of freelance deliveries, a teacher checking essays, or a writer checking your own drafts, you're paying credit prices for something ScanForAI does free — with feedback the writer can actually use.
Editors: send reasons, not scores
A writer can argue with "62% AI". It's harder to argue with six marked lines and the patterns named. See the editor workflow.
Batch without a meter running
Drop up to 20 files or URLs, get a scored table + CSV — no mental math about credits per word.
Check the live page
Paste a URL and scan what's actually published — a writer's portfolio, a suspect article, your own site.
What we don't do (yet)
Plagiarism detection — that's a different problem than AI detection. If you need both in one bill today, Originality covers it; our citation checker is on the roadmap.
Common questions.
Is ScanForAI a free Originality.ai alternative?
For AI detection, yes — scanner, batch, URL scan, PDF reports and API are free while in beta, with no credit system. Originality.ai still fits high-volume pipelines that also need plagiarism checking in the same bill.
Does ScanForAI check plagiarism too?
Not yet — plagiarism (copied text) and AI detection (machine-written text) are different problems. We focus on the second; a citation-existence checker is on our roadmap.
How do I check a freelance writer's article?
Paste the text or the live URL. You get a score band, the AI-leaning lines marked in place, and a PDF report you can attach when you send feedback — which turns a dispute into an edit list.
Which is more accurate?
No honest answer exists — independent testing shows every detector misses edited AI and sometimes flags human writing. We publish our failure modes and show per-line evidence instead of quoting a marketing accuracy number.
How much does Originality.ai cost?
It sells credits (roughly per 100 words scanned) and subscription plans — check originality.ai for current numbers, they change. The comparison point that doesn't change: ScanForAI's detection, batch and API are free while in beta, with no per-word meter.
Do editors actually need an AI detector?
If you pay for words, yes — but as a triage tool, not a judge. Scan deliveries, look at what got marked, and send the marked lines back as edit feedback. The goal isn't catching writers; it's making sure you're not paying human rates for unedited machine output.