News Every Day | 08 May 2024, 23:17

The four best AI writing apps worth a try

The best four free AI writing apps you should try. This image depicts a futuristic scene where a humanoid robot with a sleek, metallic design is programming on two laptops simultaneously. The robot is equipped with visual sensors on its head, resembling high-tech goggles, and is using its articulated robotic hands to type and interact with the screens. The backdrop features a digital, circuit-like pattern, enhancing the technological theme of the image. This setting conveys the integration of advanced robotics and artificial intelligence in performing complex tasks.

Whatever the industry, more and more people are using artificial intelligence to assist with their work, especially since the launch of ChatGPT. Many workers and students now use the tool to write documents, essays, and more. It often speeds up the process of creating content and managing the mundane aspects of work. While they aren’t taking over the world yet, they are quickly evolving and have reached a stage where they can be useful, at least in the right circumstances.

Of course, all AI writing software requires some level of human oversight to achieve the best results. Without it, the software can generate content that is rather generic or even hallucinate facts, even though it may appear to be written by a human. As AI tools gain popularity, people are becoming more adept at recognizing the often bland nature of AI-generated content and are likely to either identify it or at least be suspicious of content that seems to lack a human touch.

How do AI writing tools work?

Predictive text on a smartphone or keyboard works in a similar way to AI. It essentially provides an “educated” guess as to what a user might say next based on their history of typing in a specific app. The difference is that it will rely on what other people have said as well, and find some level of commonality.

For example, if typing the sentence “The cat sat on the,” the model predicts the word “mat” based on the input sequence. It’s a simplistic illustration, but in reality, the model considers a vast number of possible continuations based on its training data and selects the most likely one.

Some large language models (LLMs) now use internet searches to gather information relevant to their writing prompts, which they then integrate into their responses. While earlier versions tended to produce stiff and robotic output, developments in algorithms and programming have allowed AI writers to produce more human-like responses. These days, most are using OpenAI’s ChatGPT models to power their tools.

Which is the best free AI app for writing?

ReadWrite decided to ask AI itself for a text prompt to assess how well it would fare:

Write a 250-word short story about a character who discovers a hidden world within their favorite childhood book. The story should include:

A vivid description of the hidden world, including its unique features and inhabitants.
The character’s emotional journey as they explore this new world and confront their own nostalgia.
A surprising twist or revelation that changes their perspective on the book and their childhood.

Copy.ai

Copy.ai’s free trial uses ChatGPT-3.5, hence it is limited in terms of vocabulary and sophistication. Using the given prompt, it managed to create a story about a woman named Evelyn who discovered a magical library hidden in a garden.

Copy.ai went with the classic “The Secret Garden” as its nostalgic read

While the story was quite pleasant to read, several noticeable AI traits appeared. For one, it used the main character’s name in every paragraph. Several words seem to be commonly used by ChatGPT, such as “nostalgia,” “abundance,” and “vibrant.” Combined with the repetitiveness, it seemed rather obvious that AI was used.

The pro version of Copy.ai uses ChatGPT-4, so it may produce better results. It’s unclear whether the app will incorporate new versions of the LLM, as OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman revealed that ChatGPT-5 is on its way.

Copy.ai is also compatible with a variety of other AI models including Azure and Anthropic, which makes it more flexible for delivering results. Another piece of good news is that the company has a zero-retention data policy.

Like OpenAI, Copy.ai has a free version with limited words, while the Pro version starts from $36 per month for five users, and has unlimited capacity.

Anyword

Anyword is a little bit more complicated to use as it doesn’t bring the user directly to the writing app. It offers a variety of writing options, including 1,000-word SEO-friendly blog articles, social media posts, and ad campaigns. If you just need a simple text prompt box, you can find it under “general prompt” on the dashboard.

However, it allows you to change the tone of voice from neutral to rebellious, or even to a multi-tonal style incorporating three dimensions. There is also the capability to target specific audiences, whether they are nostalgic readers or creative writers. When kept neutral with a broad audience, it produced a similar copy, characterized by the repetition of names and overly flowery language. Nevertheless, the story was creative but seemed to heavily favor the fantasy genre.

Using other filters, it generated a tale almost identical to the first, including the same phrases such as “The Enchanted Forest,” “newfound,” “intertwining,” and “grandmother.” It’s quite apparent that it has a defined notion of what constitutes a childhood book.

Amelia had always found solace in the faded pages of The Enchanted Forest, a book her grandmother gifted her on her seventh birthday. As years passed, the spine cracked, and pages yellowed, but the stories held within remained vibrant in Amelia's heart. Now, at twenty-five, she stumbled upon the book in her attic, a wave of nostalgia washing over her.Opening the book to her favorite tale, Amelia was stunned as a soft, radiant glow enveloped her, pulling her into the world she had only ever visited in her dreams. She found herself in the very forest she had imagined countless times, only it was more vivid than she could have fathomed. The trees whispered secrets of ancient magic in the breeze, and mythical creatures roamed freely. Unicorns grazed near crystal-clear and fairies danced under the moonlight, their laughter as musical as the wind through the leaves. As Amelia wandered, awe-struck, she experienced an overwhelming sense of belonging. This hidden world, nestled within the confines of her cherished book, was as familiar to her as it was fantastical. However, her wonder was laced with a tinge of sorrow, realizing that her younger self had clung to these tales as an escape from loneliness. Exploring further, Amelia stumbled upon a cottage that bore an uncanny resemblance to her grandmother's house. Inside, she discovered a note addressed to her in her grandmother's handwriting, revealing that she had once ventured into this magical world herself. The realization hit Amelia; the stories weren't just tales, they were memories, passed down through generations. This hidden world didn't change Amelia's perspective on the book; it deepened it, intertwining her own experiences with those of her grandmother's. The book was no longer an escape but a bridge connecting her to her past, reminding her that magic existed in her reality, not just in the pages of The Enchanted Forest. She emerged from the adventure with a newfound appreciation for her childhood, understanding that the magic she longed for had been within her all along, inherited and shared in stories told from one generation to the next. — ChatGPT-3 is known to repeat certain words such as ‘intertwine’ and ‘realm’

The Starter plan with one seat costs $39 per month paid annually. The Data-Driven plan costs $79/month, and the Business plan is $349 per month.

Writesonic

Writesonic is another free AI writing tool, with an interface comparable to ChatGPT as it has a dark left-hand side panel. Like Copy.ai, the unpaid version is powered by ChatGPT-3.5 among others, but has better billing options than OpenAI. The company states that it is “agnostic” about using a variety of LLMs.

“Our proprietary AI Model Gateway, called GPT Router dynamically routes between multiple AI models, thus speeding up responses and ensuring the best quality output as well as non-stop reliability,” it says on its website. These include Meta’s LLama and Google’s Gemini models.

Free AI writing app Writesonic: A Nostalgic Journey to WhimsydaleIn the quiet corner of an old, musty attic, nestled among a sea of forgotten treasures, Sam stumbled upon the tattered remains of his favorite childhood book, "The Adventures of Whimsydale." Its pages, once vibrant with life, were now frayed at the edges, but to Sam, they still whispered promises of the magical world within. As he opened the book, a kaleidoscope of colors burst forth, enveloping him in a whirlwind that danced to the rhythm of his childhood laughter. When the colors settled, Sam found himself standing in the heart of Whimsydale, a realm more vivid than any dream. Glistening meadows stretched towards the horizon, where trees bore fruits of every imaginable flavor. The sky was painted with the soft light of twin suns, casting a perpetual golden hour over the land. The inhabitants, a collection of whimsical creatures – talking animals in waistcoats, fairies with iridescent wings, and sentient clouds – welcomed him with open arms as if he had never left. Sam's heart swelled with a cocktail of nostalgia and wonder as he frolicked with his once-imaginary friends. But as he ventured deeper, he discovered a hidden chapter, pages he never remembered. It revealed that Whimsydale was not just a figment of fiction, but a reflection of his inner child's creativity and hope. Sam realized his childhood innocence had crafted this world, and with age, he had unknowingly sealed it away within the book. The revelation shattered the walls between his past and present, merging them in a beautiful symphony. With a renewed sense of purpose, Sam vowed to keep the whimsy of Whimsydale alive, not just within the worn pages but in every step he took in the 'real' world, embracing the childlike wonder he had thought lost forever. — Writesonic has an almost identical interface to ChatGPT bar the brand colors

The AI article writer can create long-form content pieces and includes a chatbot assistant named Chatsonic. When tested with a text prompt, it produced a slightly more imaginative story, making it more reliable than other tools.

Although there is a free version, Chatsonic costs $12 per month when paid annually and claims to offer output quality comparable to GPT-4 and Claude 3 Opus. The individual plan costs $16 and includes additional features such as an SEO optimizer, plagiarism checker, and a tool for facts and citations.

Rytr

Rytr, with a name that phonetically resembles “writer,” adopts a no-nonsense approach by featuring a straightforward interface like that of a writing pad. That being said, it still allows users to select the tone and use case of the output. Using the “story plot” function, it produced a tale almost identical to one by Anyword.

Not only did “Amelia” have a copy of “The Enchanted Forest,” but she also showed a penchant for streams and creeks. Hence, it is obvious that Rytr also uses ChatGPT-3 for its content writing.

Rytr is free to use, with unlimited queries available for $7.50 per month. In comparison, ChatGPT-4 costs $20 per month currently. The difference is that Rytr offers other features such as a plagiarism checker and SEO toolkit.

Featured image: Canva

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