QuillBot alternatives: 7 open-source picks
QuillBot costs $19.95/mo — $239.40 a year. These 7 alternatives replace it for $0, led by Page Assist, Writing Tools and Witsy. All 7 are open source. License, stars and last commit checked by hand on 2026-08-29. No trials, no crippled tiers.
A browser sidebar that reads the page, rewrites the selection, and saves custom actions; your local model does the thinking.
licenseMIT
runson your machine
installInstall the extension from the Chrome, Edge or Firefox add-on store
enginesOllama, Chrome AI (Gemini Nano) and OpenAI-compatible local endpoints such as LM Studio or llamafile
dataChats, settings and other extension data are stored in the browser's local storage; only the optional share feature contacts the project's server
the catch vs QuillBotIt can paraphrase with a local model, but it lacks QuillBot's predictable modes, sentence-level controls, grammar suite, and citation workflow.
setupThe extension installs cleanly, but it still needs a running local model endpoint and browser-to-localhost connectivity
facts verified 2026-08-14
Select text anywhere, hit a hotkey, and fix, rewrite, summarize, or obey a custom instruction without opening another tab.
licenseGPL-3.0
runson your machine
installUse the portable Windows ZIP or macOS DMG; Linux currently runs from source
enginesGemini, native Ollama and any OpenAI-compatible cloud or local endpoint on Windows/Linux; the macOS port also supports OpenAI, Anthropic, Mistral, OpenRouter, Gemini, MLX and Ollama
dataAPI keys and configuration stay on the device; the app does not retain writing or logs, and selected text goes only to the chosen cloud provider unless a local model is used
the catch vs QuillBotIt handles selected-text rewrites well, but lacks QuillBot's structured paraphrasing modes, synonym controls, citation generator, and integrated editor.
setupYou must supply an API key or install a local model; macOS needs Accessibility permissions, while Linux installation and Wayland support remain rough
facts verified 2026-08-14
System-wide selected-text commands, reusable experts, a scratchpad, and document context; bring the model and skip the subscription.
licenseAGPL-3.0
runson your machine
installDownload a desktop binary from GitHub Releases; macOS also supports `brew install --cask witsy`
enginesOpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, xAI, Meta, Ollama, LM Studio, Mistral, DeepSeek, OpenRouter, Groq, Cerebras, Azure and OpenAI-compatible endpoints, plus optional image, video, speech, search and MCP providers
dataConversation history, experts, settings and document repositories live in the local application profile; local files are indexed locally, while prompts and retrieved context sent to a cloud model leave the machine
the catch vs QuillBotIt can run rewrite commands anywhere, but results depend on prompts and models rather than QuillBot's purpose-built paraphrase controls and writing-tool suite.
setupIt is BYOK unless you install Ollama and a local model; system-wide commands also need OS accessibility permissions
facts verified 2026-08-14
One-command local runner for Llama, Qwen, DeepSeek, Gemma and other open models with an API
licenseMIT
runsyour server
setupnot verified by us yet — check the repo README
facts verified 2026-08-29
Polished multi-model AI chat UI with plugins, knowledge base, and one-click deploy.
licenseApache-2.0
runsyour server
setupnot verified by us yet — check the repo README
facts verified 2026-08-29
One chat UI for every provider — OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, local models — with agents, search, and per-user keys.
licenseMIT
runsyour server
setupnot verified by us yet — check the repo README
facts verified 2026-08-29
Grammar, style and spell checker for 30+ languages; run the server locally and keep your prose private.
licenseLGPL-2.1
runsyour server
setupnot verified by us yet — check the repo README
facts verified 2026-08-29
What each one is, in full: Ollama · Lobe Chat · LibreChat
last updated 2026-08-29 · no votes, no pay-to-list · just what's real
how to choose a QuillBot alternative
Easiest to get running
Page Assist — a one-click install, no server to maintain.
Most proven
Ollama, with 178,000 GitHub stars — the largest community of the 7, which usually means more answers when something breaks.
Runs on your own machine, no server
Page Assist — nothing to host, your data stays on your disk.
Works on your phone
Page Assist has a mobile app.
what you give up by leaving QuillBot
- browser/Word extensions
- plagiarism/AI detector workflows
- rewrite modes
- history
- polish
- account sync
None of the picks above covers all of it. The full verdict says which gaps matter.
QuillBot alternatives at a glance
| tool | license | running it | platforms | stars | active |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Page Assist | MIT | one-click install | android, browser-extension | 8,100 | 2026-08 |
| Writing Tools | GPL-3.0 | one-click install | macos, windows | 2,400 | 2026-05 |
| Witsy | AGPL-3.0 | one-click install | macos, windows, linux | 2,000 | 2026-04 |
| Ollama | MIT | one-click install | self-hosted, web | 178,000 | 2026-08 |
| Lobe Chat | Apache-2.0 | one-click install | self-hosted, web | 65,000 | 2026-08 |
| LibreChat | MIT | one-click install | self-hosted, web | 28,000 | 2026-08 |
| LanguageTool | LGPL-2.1 | docker to self-host | self-hosted, web | 13,000 | 2026-08 |
why people still pay for QuillBot
They pay because it is available where they write and has purpose-built controls. If none of that applies to you, any pick above saves $239.40 a year.
questions about switching from QuillBot
Is there an open-source alternative to QuillBot?
Yes: Page Assist, Writing Tools, Witsy and 4 more. Every tool on this page is open source: no trials, no crippled tiers.
Can open source really replace QuillBot?
Our verdict is YES. Ollama (178k stars), Lobe Chat (65k stars), LibreChat (28k stars) are mature open-source replacements for QuillBot — self-host in one command and stop paying $19.95/mo. The full verdict, and what you give up by switching, is at caniopensourceit.online/quillbot.
What is the easiest open-source QuillBot alternative to set up?
Page Assist — a one-click install, no server to maintain.
What is the most popular open-source QuillBot alternative?
By GitHub stars, Ollama (178,000). Lobe Chat is next with 65,000.
