PlagScan Ending Private Plans

The popular plagiarism detection tool PlagScan recently announced the end of private plans. Users of such plans will have until September 30th to buy credits and until the end of the year to use them.

PlagScan launched in 2009 in Germany. However, the company quickly became known as one of the best plagiarism detection services, especially compared to its competitors. It was one of the first services I reviewed for this site. It consistently scored well in tests of plagiarism detectors, including in 2011 and 2020.

In 2020, PlagScan merged with Swedish company Urkund to form Ouriginal. According to their press release, the goal was to become a Europe-focused anti-plagiarism firm. However, that didn’t last long as, in March 2021, Turnitin began the process of acquiring the company.

Turnitin completed the purchase in November 2021.

Up until this recent announcement, not much has changed since the acquisition. The site continued to function with no significant service or pricing changes. However, that appears to have changed, as private users will no longer be able to use the site beginning in 2025.

It is unclear if enterprises and schools can continue using the service or if PlagScan will be closing fully.

Why This is a Major Blow

Note: I have contacted Turnitin for comment, but they did not immediately respond. I will update this article with their answers should I receive one.

The ending of PlagScan’s private plans is important for two separate reasons.

First, the site has provided high-quality plagiarism checks at a price that is affordable to students, individuals and small businesses. This became critical in June 2020, when Turnitin shuttered its WriteCheck service, which was targeted at students wanting to examine their papers.

PlagScan currently offers plans starting at just $6 for 6,000 words. With those plans ending, Turnitin’s only offering for individuals or small businesses (outside of third-party partners) is iThenticate, which costs a minimum of $125 for 25,000 words.

While that money can certainly be justified in many cases, and I have used it in plagiarism analyses before, it’s a high barrier to entry for someone who just wants to do a quick check.

Second, it further consolidates and entrenches Turnitin as the dominant force in this space. After the buyout, the company seemed to operate largely independently, providing a different service with different results.

Now, that option is gone, at least for those relying on private plans. In fact, that’s true across the board when it comes to the best-scoring plagiarism detection services.

Old Names Meet New Competitors

If you look at the chart of top-performing plagiarism checkers from 2020, four sit at the top. PlagScan, Turnitin, Urkund and Unicheck.

Now, Turnitin owns all four, and none of the four directly offer ways for individuals or small businesses to do one-off checks at a reasonable price.

However, the situation is not entirely hopeless. Over the past few years, a new crop of plagiarism detection services has emerged, many with plans that target those needing to do one-off checks or who aren’t a major company or school.

That includes:

Note: Inclusion on this list does NOT indicate an endorsement. I have not vetted or tested these services. I will post tests and results of these and other services over the next few weeks. This is intended as a list of potential competitors.

1. Grammarly: Grammarly offers plagiarism detection as part of its premium package, which is $12 per month. However, if you already have Grammarly, this service may be a free way to do a check.
2. Originality.AI: Originality.AI offers a “Pay As You Go” plan for $30 for 300,000 words. It also has a $15 monthly subscription for up to 200,000 words per month.
3. Copyleaks: Though it’s been around since 2015, Copyleaks become much better known over the past few years. Its cheapest plan offers plagiarism detection for 25,000 words for $11. However, all plans are a monthly subscription.
4. Scribbr: Scribbr has a partnership with Turnitin and lets you do one-off document checks with Turnitin. The cheapest plan is $20 for 7,499 words.
5. Quetext: Quetext’s monthly plan starts at $20 per month (currently on sale) and covers 100,000 words.

In short, there are several alternatives in this space. I plan to test these and other services over the next few weeks. In the meantime, if you’re looking for a PlagScan alternative, these are the services you’ll want to check out first.

To be clear, I still strongly discourage using free plagiarism checkers. They tend to be low-quality and, in some cases, will abuse your content. Please stick to trusted, paid services. If it is worth checking, it’s worth ensuring that it’s done right.

Bottom Line

Turnitin has minted itself as something of a gold standard in the plagiarism space. Whether or not you feel this is earned, schools, editors, and business owners put a lot of faith in Turnitin. However, accessing such reports is difficult without going through one of their commercial partners. For many, it’s just not practical at all.

That is unfortunate. Not everyone who needs a plagiarism check is a university or large business. Individuals, small businesses, students and others have legitimate needs as well.

While it is good that there is a healthy crop of potential replacements, PlagScan’s record and reputation are tough to beat. Its test performance was always top-tier, and when Turnitin acquired it, PlagScan’s reputation likely grew even more.

PlagScan’s ending of private plans will leave a void in the industry. However, it may also be an opportunity for one of its competitors to step up and fill the void.