Turnitin Review:
based on real mystery shopping

A*Help Score: 72/100
🔥 published August 4, 2023 - updated September 23, 2024

Quick Overview

Turnitin is believed to be one of the most essential tools in the academic sphere. A*Help decided to check this statement in practice. While Turnitin can be considered a helpful tool in education, still certain improvements in AI-detection must be made for it to be regarded as the best plagiarism checker with more accurate results. See How We Test Plagiarism Checkers for more details about our testing approach.

The Good
  • No word limitations
  • Wide range of databases
  • Good plagiarism detection quality
The Bad
  • Access only to institutions
  • Poor AI-detection quality
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An infographic with a short Turnitin review describing the ways it was tested and how it received an A*Help Score: 72/100
Searching for plagiarism checker at Turnitin.com
Searching for plagiarism checker at Turnitin.com (click to see a bigger image)

Turnitin’s Plagiarism Detection quality — 46/50⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Turnitin shines in its ability to detect plagiarism in human-written and internet-sourced texts, scoring near-perfect marks in these areas. We still noted that it struggled with AI-paraphrased content, detecting only 20% of plagiarism. This is a significant drawback, especially in today’s landscape where AI-generated content is becoming more prevalent. Despite this, we would call its overall performance in plagiarism detection commendable.

However, if you think you are dealing with an AI-written text, you might want to look for a Turnitin alternative, since it is weak in determining that type of paragraph. This raises the question, “is Copyleaks better than Turnitin?” especially for identifying AI-generated content, suggesting that exploring options like Copyleaks could offer a better solution in such scenarios.

Plagiarism detection in Internet text by Turnitin
Plagiarism detection in Internet text by Turnitin (click to see a bigger picture)
> Text> Best result> Acceptable result> Turnitin result
Human-written text100% free of plagiarism10% margin of error100% free
Internet sample100% plagiarism detected10% margin of error99% detected
AI paraphrase (2 texts)100% free of plagiarism10% margin of error20% plagiarism detected
Replaced characters100% plagiarism detectedFlagged character replacements99% detected
Flagged

Turnitin’s Value for Money — 12/25⭐️⭐️

We are not going to hide it – Turnitin’s value proposition was challenging to assess for individual users since it was primarily available for academic institutions (and still is). For those institutions, Turnitin offers a broad plagiarism detection service with some advanced features. However, the lack of a paid plan for individual users and no discounts or free trial options make it less appealing for personal use.

6/15
Basic features
6/6
Sources
0/4
Price & special offers

Turnitin’s Overall Experience — 14/25⭐️⭐️⭐️

Our experience of working with Turnitin was mixed. While we can call the website easy to use, the lack of a desktop version and the inability to try the service before registration may deter other customers. Additionally, the absence of browser extensions and third-party registration methods could be seen as limitations. Support is available through a support chat, but the lack of onboarding and limited payment options further restrict the user experience.

Turnitin’s Overall Experience — 14/25
Main page at Tutnitin.com (click to see a bigger image)
11/20
User experience & registration
3/5
Support

Conclusion

Turnitin is a reliable plagiarism checker for academic institutions, offering high accuracy in detecting human-written and internet-sourced plagiarism. However, its limitations in detecting AI-paraphrased content and lack of accessibility for individual users may make it less attractive compared to other plagiarism checkers on the market.

FAQ

Turnitin Reviews

We tested Turnitin on all possible aspects. First and foremost, we paid attention to the most vital factor which is plagiarism detection quality. However, the A*Help experts did not turn a blind eye to other small details, such as value for money and overall experience. While Turnitin is a plagiarism detector with a name, we still went online to get acquainted with reviews and feedback from users. Found information is gathered in our Negativity rank.

Is Turnitin a Scam?

No, Turnitin is not a scam. AcademicHelp has used this service to check 5 different essays and we received detailed results as well as pdf reports on each written piece. Hence, we can assure that this tool does not do anything deceptive towards its users.

Is Turnitin Legit?

Having tried and tested the tool, we claim that Turnitin is a legitimate service. It can assist students and educators during studying and guard the authenticity of their work. Overall, this anti-plagiarism tool can be beneficial in the academic field.

Is Turnitin Safe?

When working with Turnitin, AcademicHelp did not notice any fishy or fraudulent activities. All students are given access to the tool by their college or university and all the individual information is secure.

Is Turnitin Trustworthy?

Turnitin can wear the badge of a pioneer in the plagiarism detection industry. Launched back in 1997, it has been a trusted Internet-based similarity detection service in many universities and colleges.

Is Turnitin a Good Service?

Yes, AcademicHelp is positive to say that Turnitin is a good service that provides satisfactory plagiarism-detection quality and is easy to use and navigate by learners. All in all, the A*Help experts naked Turnitin at 71/100 points.

Turnitin’s Specs

> Features
Check files
Insert text
URL
Receive report
Word limit
Academic proofreading module (check citations and etc)
Check for free/trial
Number of free checks available
Spelling check
Grammar check
> Advanced features
Detect AI content
Cross language search
Text compare
OCR scan
> Sources
Internet
Current Batch Files (your own docs)
Plagchecker’s database
> Price & special offers
Paid plans
Discounts
> Accessibility
Easy to use website
Desktop version
Trying before registration
Browser extensions
Account (do users have an account?)
Time to check workup to 1 minute
Need email to register
Need phone to register
Third-party registration methods
> Support
Onboarding (how to use plagcheck)
Guides
Support chat
> Payment
Wallets (ApplePay, GooglePay, Paypal)
Visa
MasterCard
Amex
Discover

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Comments (1)

Welcome to A*Help comments!

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CuriousCat October 2, 2023

Turnitin has beenaround for a while! But with emerging tech and new plagiarism tricks, can it keep up with the times and stay relevant? I’d stick to it if I could use it on my own.

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