Read this article if...
you’re curious if Paperguide actually works or if it’s just another tool on the block. I went down the rabbit hole for you, trying every feature, and I’ve got some real thoughts to share.
 
I'll tell you the top 3 things Paperguide does amazingly well – and I’m not holding back on the 5 big mistakes it’s making.
 
I’ll also break down Paperguide pricing, so you know exactly what you’d be paying for — no confusion here.
 
Oh, and in case you’re looking for options, I’ll cover a few Paperguide alternatives you should definitely have on your radar.
 
I've dived deep into reviews, played with the platform, and by the end, I’ll answer the big question: Is Paperguide legit?
 
If you skip this Paperguide review, you might end up wasting your time or worse — your money.
 
So stick around, get your favorite drink, and let's jump into all the details together!
 
Before you scroll away, here are some quick links to everything covered in this blog:
 
Boyle welcoming everyone

Paperguide Review Summary

 
Infographic showing the pros and cons of paperguide at a glance.
 
If you're in a rush, here's a quick 2-minute summary of this blog:
 

3 Things Paperguide Does Well

 
  • Quick Customer Support: You’ll notice their team replies fast when you run into a problem or have a question, which can be helpful if you ever get stuck or need a refund.
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  • Academic Writing Helpers: You get features to help you write stuff for school, like making research questions, structuring your paper, and picking the right citation style, which makes starting and finishing your project feel less overwhelming.
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  • Easy-to-Use Design: The tool’s layout is pretty clear and simple, so you won’t really get lost looking for things, and it kind of guides you as you go.
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  • More on the standout features of Paperguide below.
 

5 Big Mistakes Paperguide Makes

 
  • Terrible Customer Service & Refunds: If you ever want a refund or to cancel, good luck! You send an email or use the chat, but nobody replies. It just feels like you’re talking to a wall and your money is gone.
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  • Tricky Subscription & Lost Credits: They get you stuck on these expensive plans, but any credits you don’t use vanish every month. So you keep tossing cash at them, even for stuff you never used. Not cool.
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  • Doesn’t Deliver on Promises: The features look awesome in theory, but when you try them, the results are way smaller and weaker than you expect. You’d think you’re getting something amazing, but it feels unfinished and bland.
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  • Barely Finds Research Papers: You might search for something important and get zero results, while other free tools give you tons of info. Honestly, if you want real research, Paperguide’s just not up for the job.
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  • Confusing to Use: The website is tricky to figure out, with menus and buttons that just don’t make sense. Even simple stuff is hard to find, and you'll spend more time feeling confused than actually writing or researching.
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What Does Paperguide Cost?

 
3 different Paperguide plans - Free, Plus, Pro.
 
  • Free Plan – So, this one costs nothing, but you only get 5 AI generations per day and just 2 deep research reports each month. There’s 500MB storage, 2000 words per month for the AI writer, and only 2 full document generations. If you like trying things out before paying, this is chill, but the limits get annoying fast.
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  • Plus Plan – This one’s $12 a month (if you pay for a whole year at once) and bumps you up to unlimited AI generations. You also get 10 deep research reports, unlimited storage, unlimited AI writing words, and 5 full document generations each month. It’s got way more room to play, but honestly, I wish you got more full document generations because 5 can go quick if you have lots to write.
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  • Pro Plan – If you go for the Pro at $24 a month (billed annually), you land unlimited AI generations and storage, 50 deep research reports, and up to 20 full document generations monthly. You can load up to 100 papers per workbook, which is helpful if you’re really deep in research. But yeah, $24 a month is kinda steep unless you use it a ton.
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  • Should you buy Paperguide? Honestly, no – because no matter the plan, there are still limits, like document generations and reports, that reset every month and disappear if you don’t use them.
That’s the quick breakdown. If you’ve got more time, I can tell you the ups and downs of Paperguide in detail.
 

Paperguide Review - What Does it Get Right?

 
Infographic showing the best 3 Paperguide pros.
 
Let’s look at the 3 features most people talk about (maybe these matter for you, too):
 
  1. Quick customer support:
    • You reach out with a problem, and Paperguide’s team usually replies fast—sometimes you won’t even need to make a ticket.
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    • People say they got refunds or help with double charges without even asking first, which probably saves you stress.
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    • The staff seem pretty helpful and honest, but if you run into a bigger issue, you might still need to wait a little.
  2.  
  3. Academic writing helpers:
    • The tool walks you through tough stuff, like making research questions or structuring your paper for APA or MLA, so you don’t get lost.
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    • You get step-by-step tracking and suggestions that make your writing clearer and your arguments better—folks find this helpful for school projects.
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    • There’s even help with citation styles and bibliography, but you still have to double-check for rare or complicated sources.
  4.  
  5. Easy-to-use design:
    • People mention the interface is clean and simple, so you don’t waste time figuring out where things are.
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    • Guides and tutorials are there if you need them, which makes starting out less confusing, even if you’re new.
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    • Most users finish their projects faster, but if you want the tool in other languages, you might have to wait awhile.
 
 
“For anyone who works at UNI or does some research, it's a good buy. I have tested other tools and honestly speaking it was either so expensive or I had problems with the team who developed it like Afforai (the founder is not trusted). These guys from Paperguide are spot on. They are always helpful, the tool works perfectly well etc. I have nothing to say than very happy with it.” ― David Kocsis AU

Paperguide Review - What Does it Get Seriously Wrong?

 
Infographic showing the worst 5 Paperguide cons.
 
Let’s talk about the 5 absolute worst things about Paperguide:
 
  • Terrible Customer Service & Refunds:
    • If you reach out for help, good luck even getting a reply. I’ve sent emails and tried their chatbot, but it just sits there. So if there's a problem, don't count on them having your back.
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    • No matter if you're paying customer or just giving feedback, support might ignore you. Tons of reviews mention waiting days or just never hearing back at all. That’s not what you want if you’re stuck.
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    • And if you want a refund or need to cancel, it feels like your money is just gone forever. You can email, but mostly you won’t get an answer. They're not making it easy, and that's just unfair.
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  • Tricky Subscription & Lost Credits:
    • Every month, your unused credits just disappear. Even if you paid for them, they're wiped out if not used in time. I've lost credits myself because there’s no way to carry leftovers over to the next month.
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    • They keep you locked onto expensive plans, which means you can't just buy what you need and use it whenever. You end up paying for stuff you never got the value from.
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    • You can’t even get all your credits upfront, even if you pay for a whole year. They drip it monthly, so you always feel boxed in or like you’re wasting money. Super annoying.
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    Here's a review by matt_appsumo talking about document writer issues:
     
    “Was loving the document writer feature on the product. All of a sudden recently it generates an outline for the document but when you prompt it to write the document itself all you get is a blank page. Left a message on their chat bot with no response. Emailed support again with no response. Output when it was generating was fantastic but it stopped and there seems to be no support.” ― matt_appsumo (Verified Purchaser, Member since: Jun 2013, Deals bought: 229)
     
  • Doesn’t Deliver on Promises:
    • On the website, Paperguide shows off a bunch of cool-sounding features, but when you actually use them, it feels like a letdown. Results are super barebones compared to what you expect.
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    • It only really works for simple stuff – anything that's a bit complex just gives you tiny, boring answers that don't help. I often feel like I spend forever just trying to get something useful out of it.
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    • Even for things like writing or research, the outputs are often way shorter than promised. It leaves you wishing you just stuck to Google or ChatGPT. Totally not worth the hype.
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  • Barely Finds Research Papers:
    • If you search for research, most of the time Paperguide comes up empty or gives you just a handful of results. I’ve seen it give me zero articles on topics when free tools show dozens or hundreds.
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    • It can’t keep up with bigger, free apps like Google Scholar. You pay, but you’re getting way less info than everyone else gets for free. I always feel like I picked the wrong tool.
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    • Lots of users have the same complaint: the pool of articles is tiny, and sometimes the tool pulls nothing up at all, while free apps flood you with real sources.
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  • Confusing to Use:
    • Paperguide’s menus feel all over the place and even basic stuff like writing a paper or picking articles is confusing. I waste a lot of time trying to click the right thing instead of actually working.
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    • Compared to other tools, everything just feels clunky and slow. Sometimes I can’t even tell what a button does or where to find the feature I want. That gets old, fast.
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    • Other apps make it simple. Paperguide just makes things harder, and it’s easy to give up and switch to something else. Using this shouldn’t need a guide for the guide.
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    Here's a review by ac16dd353dd8481e8c0dd2b853527830, a Verified Purchaser since Oct 2014, talking about their experience:
     
    “Not quite what I need... For context, I only wanted this product for medical-related research and writing. I found the UI to be very unintuitive compared to comparable products like Consensus and SciSpace. I also found the results to be pretty sparse. As for the AI writer, I guess I misunderstood how it worked. I thought I could choose several research papers and then prompt the app to write a paper for me...not the case (or at least I couldn't figure out how to do it). Nice idea but other apps do it better. Gonna have to get a refund. 2 Tacos for effort....” ― ac16dd353dd8481e8c0dd2b853527830, Verified Purchaser, Deals bought: 90, Posted: Dec 27, 2024
By the way, if you’re searching for a tool that doesn’t force you into a subscription and lets your credits stay valid forever, check out AIDetectPlus. You can test it out for free for up to 1,000 words right here.
 
That wraps up our comprehensive review. Curious about alternative tools to Paperguide? But first, let’s explore its pricing details!

What Does Paperguide Cost?

 
Comparison of Paperguide pricing plans.
 
Alright, let’s talk about what you’ll actually pay for Paperguide and what you truly get. On paper, it looks flexible, but honestly, you re-pay for the same credits every single month—even if you didn’t use them—and it stacks up fast. Let me break down each plan for you in simple terms:
 
Free Plan ($0/month)
  • You only get 5 AI generations per day and just 2 deep research reports a month. Trust me, that runs out in no time if you’re even a little serious about research.
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  • The storage is capped at 500MB, which is next to nothing once you start compiling papers and resources. I hit the limit way faster than I expected.
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  • It tries to tempt you with access to fancy models like GPT-4, but with these limits, you’re not really getting the benefit. It's like giving you a race car but only letting you drive it for a block.
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  • This free plan is really just a teaser—if you want to actually get work done, you’ll hit the paywall almost instantly.
 
Plus Plan ($19/month)
  • This is where your wallet starts feeling the pinch. You get unlimited AI generations (kind of—their “unlimited” has fine print, because of fair usage limits), but still only 10 deep research reports per month. That’s not nearly enough if you have multiple assignments or projects.
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  • You can only generate 5 full documents per month. That’s super restrictive for this price, especially if you need to do a lot of writing.
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  • They do throw in unlimited storage and a plagiarism checker, but there’s nothing here you can’t get cheaper—plus you’re paying every month (and if you skip a month, you’ve basically flushed $19 that can’t be used later). And you have to pay upfront for a year!
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  • If you only use part of your allowance, you can’t roll over to the next month. Trust me, I hated paying again and again for stuff I didn’t finish using.
 
Pro Plan ($39/month, billed annually)
  • So now you’re paying $39 every single month (and yeah, it’s billed yearly too), and what do you get? You get 50 deep research reports per month and up to 20 full document generations a month.
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  • You can manage up to 100 papers per workbook, but I figured out pretty fast that unless you’re running a full-scale research team, you won’t hit these numbers—and if you are, this plan still doesn’t offer true flexibility or cost savings because of the way renewal and usage works.
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  • The same issue: you can’t carry over unused quotas, so it’s “use it or lose it.” Even when I tried batching work, I ended up losing unused credits most months.
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  • I honestly feel $39/month is way too much, especially since you’re locked in and have to keep paying for the same features on repeat, with no credit accumulation.
 
Student-Exclusive Discount (40% off with college email)
  • Sure, you can get 40% off these plans if you have a college email. But even then, you’re still stuck in the same cycle: recurring monthly payments for non-rolling credits and honestly, it’s just less expensive, not actually affordable. I tried it with my student mail—still pricey over the year.
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  • Cuts the sting a little, but doesn’t actually fix any of the core issues with how Paperguide charges and limits your usage.
 
Team & Institutional Plans
  • If you want to use Paperguide with a team or institution, you have to contact them for a custom quote. That means it’s probably even pricier, and you won’t get transparent pricing up front. In my experience, “contact us” always means it’s not affordable for individuals or small projects.
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  • Again, you’ll be paying monthly for bundled features, and any unused quotas just vanish.
 
Here’s what it boils down to:
 
  • Paperguide charges you the same expensive monthly fee for a fixed amount of credits and features—whether you use them or not, they don’t roll over, and every month you start from zero again.
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  • I wasted so much money on months when I was busy or didn’t need the features—and when I did need more, I still hit the artificial limits.
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  • You basically end up stuck in an endless loop of paying for the same stuff every single month.
 
Why pick AIDetectPlus instead?
  • AIDetectPlus lets you buy credits just once (starting at $9 one time for 5,000 words), and your credits never expire. Use them when you want, at your own pace.
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  • I find that their Essay Writer is super easy to use—it’s undetectable, gives plagiarism-free work, and even does citations automatically.
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  • You get way more for your money. No monthly charges. No “use it or lose it.” If you want more, you buy more. Simple as that.
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  • Plus, AIDetectPlus gives you a full toolbox: essay writer, AI humanizer, PDF chat, AI detector, and a free chatbot, all in a single place. You can check more about it on their official website or see comparisons on Reddit and Trustpilot.
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  • If you want to see how it stands up against Paperguide, check out the comparison section below.

What are some Paperguide alternatives?

 
Top 3 Paperguide alternatives.
 
Alright, so you’ve seen what Paperguide can (and can’t) do. But before you decide, let’s check out some other options. Here are my top picks if you want something better:
 

#1 - Paperguide vs AIDetectPlus

  • Both Paperguide and AIDetectPlus are made to help you with essays and research, but honestly, they’re super different:
    • Paperguide is all about helping you organize your school papers, pick citation styles, and get started with writing. It’s got some tools for research and writing, but there are a lot of limits and it can get confusing fast.
    • AIDetectPlus is like your all-in-one writing buddy. It writes essays that pass AI and plagiarism checks, helps you paraphrase, checks your work, chats with PDFs, and even gives you a free chatbot to ask anything. It’s way more than just a writing helper.
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  • Where is AIDetectPlus Better?
    • One-click, undetectable essays: You just tell AIDetectPlus what you need, and boom—it writes a full essay that sounds human and passes all those AI and plagiarism tests. No stress, no guessing.
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    • Chat with your PDFs: Got a bunch of research papers? You can upload up to 100 PDFs and chat with them all at once. It’s like having a super smart friend who reads everything for you.
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    • Everything in one place: There’s an AI detector, humanizer, plagiarism remover, essay writer, paraphraser, PDF chat, and even a free chatbot—all in one spot.
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    • No subscriptions, no wasted money: You get a free trial, and after that, you just buy credits when you need them. They never expire. No monthly fees, no losing credits if you forget to use them.
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    • Super helpful support: If you get stuck, the support team actually answers fast and helps you out. No more sending emails into the void.
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  • Where is Paperguide Better?
    • If you just want a simple tool to help you start your school paper and pick a citation style, Paperguide can do that. But honestly, if you want more features and less hassle, AIDetectPlus is the way to go.
 

#2 - Paperguide vs Writeless AI

  • Both Paperguide and Writeless AI were made to help you write essays and research papers, but honestly, they’re pretty different in what they’re good at:
    • Paperguide is more for students who want some help getting started with academic writing like making research questions, organizing your paper, and picking citations. It also tries to guide you step-by-step so you don’t feel lost.
    • Writeless AI is built if you just wanna whip up a whole essay—like, a big one—super fast, with real citations and a full bibliography, and barely have to do any of the hard work yourself.
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  • Where is Writeless AI Better?
    • Essay-making with real citations: It cranks out full essays (even really long ones) that actually have in-text citations and a bibliography, and you don’t have to go hunt for sources yourself.
    • Speed: You can get a polished, ready-to-go essay in under a minute, which is awesome if you totally forgot about a deadline or just don’t have time to write.
    • Original, undetectable writing: The stuff it writes passes AI and plagiarism detectors, so it looks like you wrote it all yourself—even though you didn’t. Super helpful if you’re worried about getting flagged for using AI.
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  • Where is Paperguide Better?
    • Step-by-step help with academic papers: If you get stuck starting an assignment or figuring out your citations, Paperguide’s “guided” tools are nice and simple to follow.
 

#3 - Paperguide vs Duck AI

  • Both tools use AI to help you get stuff done, but they’re totally different vibes:
    • Paperguide is built for students and anyone who needs help with writing papers or research. It has tools to make research easier, structure your writing, and even help with citations, all in one place.
    • Duck AI (from DuckDuckGo) is more like a privacy-friendly chat buddy. It lets you talk to a bunch of smart AI brains (like GPT‑4o mini, Claude 3 Haiku, Llama 3.3, Mistral Small) all at once—no account, no tracking, all anonymous.
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  • Where is Duck AI Better?
    • Big on privacy: No signup, no saved chats, no tracking. It’s just you and the AI—nobody’s watching, and nothing sticks around after you’re done.
    • Loads of AIs in one place: You can talk to different smart models in the same chat, swap between them, and see who’s better at your question—easy peasy.
    • Totally free: No paywalls, no upsells, and way more chats every day than most tools out there.
    • Super simple: Change the vibe, the length of answers, or even the "personality" of the AI—all without signing up or setting anything up.
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  • Where is Paperguide Better?
    • Handy for schoolwork: It’s got neat helpers for things like making research questions, breaking down papers, and making citations way easier. If you’ve got a project or essay and don’t know where to begin, Paperguide kind of points the way.
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Is Paperguide Legit?

Jim Carry saying No
 
Short answer – Honestly, nope.
 
Here’s why I say that:
  • Reason #1: Customer service is just awful: If you need help or want your money back, be ready to get ignored. It’s like nobody’s home, and your emails just vanish. From what I’ve seen, getting a refund is almost impossible.
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  • Reason #2: The subscription eats your money: Those plans cost a lot and whatever credits you don’t use just disappear each month. So you pay for things you never actually get to use. That never felt right to me.
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  • Reason #3: Searches are weak and the site is confusing: I tried looking up real research, but Paperguide just gave me nothing. The site’s menus are all over the place, and it honestly just left me feeling lost and frustrated.
Here's a review by info9937k talking about their experience with the tool:
 
“The support team at Paperguide is kind and quick to respond—definitely a plus. But the platform itself just doesn’t deliver yet. It only works for very simple, narrowly defined queries. Anything more layered or analytical ends up with unsatisfying or irrelevant results. Natural language queries fall flat, and file uploads are heavily restricted, which really limits the usefulness for in-depth academic work. Even the filters for things like citation count or journal rankings don’t seem to improve the quality of the output in any transparent way. The team says they’re working on a “deep research reports” feature, which sounds promising. Hopefully that update makes this more than just a fancy keyword search. For now, it’s not ready for serious research in humanities.” ― info9937k (Verified Purchaser)
 
So what's out there that actually helps?
 
If you ask me, AIDetectPlus fixes all the letdowns I had with Paperguide. Let me tell you how:
 
AIDetectPlus dashboard.
 
First off, you get a real free trial for 1000 words. But there’s more than that:
 
  • #1 Undetectable, Plagiarism-Free Essays with Citations: The Essay Writer makes solid content that actually passes AI detectors and plagiarism checks—no weird edits or rewrites needed. Plus, it’ll give you proper citations in APA or MLA, so your essay’s ready to go, straight away.
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  • #2 Credits NEVER EXPIRE: Buy credits once and they’re yours until you use them—no disappearing each month. You only pay again if you need more, simple as that.
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  • #3 Customer support that actually answers: The AIDetectPlus team is small, but they’re real people and super helpful. I always got replies within 12 hours or less—which honestly feels rare these days!
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  • #4 Everything you need in one spot: AIDetectPlus isn’t just an essay writer. You get undetectable writing, plagiarism fixing, citation tools, paraphrasing, and even a free LLM chat—all rolled into one. Whether you’re a student, researcher, or content creator, all the tools are right there. Just click the menu above and see for yourself.
 
That’s pretty much it! If you wanted the truth about Paperguide, now you’ve got it—and you know the better option too. Want to see AIDetectPlus for yourself? Head over to the website or start your 1000-word free trial. No credit card, no phone number—just pop in your email and get started!