Jasper AI vs Copy.AI: Which is best for you in 2023

The best AI apps can help speed up your productivity and assist in everyday tasks. With big tech brands such as Google now incorporating generative AI assistants into everyday writing software including Docs and Gmail, you might be interested in how the technology could potentially help with your copywriting conundrums.

From generating new content ideas to suggesting ways to improve copy, AI writing assistants now have a wealth of features designed to help users create better content. While some tools use integrations to achieve this, most assistants at the very least have a range of templates and tools, and can even change the tone of your writing, to help banish writer's block once and for all.

With ten years of SEO writing experience under my belt and a keen interest in productivity apps, I tested two of the most popular AI writing assistants on the market to see how each one stacks up.

Formerly known as Jarvis, Jasper AI uses generative AI to help write and repackage content into different formats. While it features plenty of tools designed to break through writer’s block, what’s interesting about Jasper AI is it can also be used to create imagery too.

Jasper can also be trained on your brand using the Memory function and used across a multitude of platforms, from email to social media, with its wide range of templates.

Key features: Tone and style analysis, content optimization, writing suggestions, SEO mode, AI art tool

Best for: SEO bloggers, writers who need extra support with grammar, spelling and rewriting

Cost: Plans start from $39/mo billed yearly, free trial

Jasper AI’s integration with Surfer SEO gives an ample advantage over its competitor. It enables copy to be checked for search engine optimization as you write but it should be noted that it does come with a separate price tag to the overall cost of the platform.

Similar to WordPress’ popular Yoast SEO plugin, Surfer SEO is at least able to give guidance around the optimization of the content in real-time, but for any comprehensive keyword research, I’d always rely on a platform such as Ahrefs and SEMrush to provide better data and more advanced all-round SEO features.

A further integration Jasper uses to great effect is Grammarly, the ideal partner to check for grammar, formatting, spelling and sentence structure, and perfect for writers who need that extra support.

Jasper AI has a wide library of pre-set templates to choose from that covers a wide range of areas including social media, blogs, and general marketing assistance such as writing emails. Once you’ve selected which one to use, it’s simply a case of filling in fields and selecting tone of voice to generate some initial copy. You can even choose to write in the voice of your favorite celebrity which is a fun addition.

Jasper AI features the ability to create long form content but its approach is less about generating whole articles quickly and more about checking and rewriting the paragraphs created, thanks to the Rephrase and Rewrite option. It’s a welcome addition when AI is not always the most accurate and can almost sound a bit cookie cutter. While I still believe a pair of human eyes checking and rewriting is always the most effective way to edit content, it’s a level of control that does at least discourage overreliance on the system.

Although Jasper AI offers some nifty features such as SEO integration and plagiarism detection, make sure you check whether your preferred extra is included in the overall cost.

If you’re new to the concept of AI writing assistants and curious to give them a try then you’ll likely look to initially download the trial. Jasper AI is available to try out for free, but you’ll need to sign up with your card details as opposed to jumping right into the platform.

Copy.AI is an AI writing assistant that looks to help its users write better marketing copy by helping to create various types of written content, such as blog posts, social media captions, marketing copy, product descriptions, and more.

The tool looks to save its users time and effort by automating the content creation process, generating multiple alternative versions of text, and even by providing suggestions on where to improve.

Key features: Writing suggestions, tone and style analysis, content generation, templates, chat functionality, 29+ languages

Best for: Generating longer copy quickly (providing you have human editing and rewriting on hand), ideal for all-round marketers who jump between different types of short copy

Cost: $36 per month for Pro ($432 per year) for 5 user seats and unlimited words, free trial available.

Even though both tools have free plans available, Copy.AI is really easy to jump in and use so if you’re not sure if the concept is right for you and/or your business, Copy.AI could be the better trial to start with.

Similar to a favorite SEO content analysis tool of mine - Yoast SEO - Copy.AI gives you a readability level that tells you which school grade level is required to read the text. There’s also the ability to change the tone of your text to pre-sets such as ‘friendly’ or ‘luxury’ which is potentially a nice time-saver for when you want to sound a bit more conversational or professional. You can even ask it to write in the style of Elon Musk if you so fancy.

Using the tool’s pre-built templates you’re able to quickly choose the right format for your job, from social media bios to case study creations. Similar to Jasper AI, the platform features an impressive amount of templates and tools that makes it ideal for using within a multi-skilled marketing team, so whether you’re looking to drum up an Instagram caption, create an email or digital ads, it’s all there.

There’s plenty of brainstorming opportunities too, including a ChatGPT-like chat box to generate new ideas and a number of brainstorming tools that provides everything from devising your business’ next product name to business ideas.

Copy.AI’s ability to generate large amounts of text certainly felt like an immediate time-saver but once I looked closer, there were a number of inaccuracies that would require the copy being rewritten or at the very least checked over by human writers.

However, the base text it generated was useful for sparking off the writing process in the first instance, which in itself is a time-saver when it comes to creating longer form articles and tackling the (very human) problem of writer’s block.

Copy.AI features two keyword features: a generator which provides a list of long-tail keywords in a comma-separated list and the ability to rewrite your copy with specified keywords. The keyword generator tool is fairly limited in that it doesn’t provide keyword difficulty or search volume in the way major SEO platforms such as Ahrefs and SEMrush does, and there’s no feedback on the keyword chosen during the writing process either.

Copy.AI feels like a useful writing tool that is ideal for content ideas and improving writing, but its limited SEO functionality would definitely warrant having an SEO optimization tool on hand to provide that much needed analysis

AI vs human may be the more apt title here when it comes to using AI writing assistants. In both cases, the copy generated by the tools required editing and I didn’t feel entirely trustful of the process. However, one of the great advantages I found of using an assistant tool is its ability to put your writing back on track and to spark inspiration if you’re struggling to find your words.

Both Jasper AI and Copy.AI do this really well with a range of templates to use that at least generate some base copy to work from. It’s time-saving and fun to use the tone of voice modes on both platforms. Both tools are easy to use too and feature attractive, modern interfaces that make them approachable no matter what your writing skill is.

But while there are certainly similar features between the two, there’s also some key differences which might work better for your needs. One major difference for those who write long-form blog articles is that Jasper AI offers SEO integration if you don’t have one already in your CMS and the integration with Grammarly is inspired.

OpenAI is easy to use and jump right into, with a great range of tools available. It could be a particularly handy addition for an all-round marketing team who are required to create a range of short copy across different platforms.

Pricing models for the two tools are different so be sure to consider which one is best for your budget. Both feature free trials, but be prepared to enter card details if you’re looking to try out Jasper AI for the first time.

If you need to generate a lot of content quickly, Copy.AI may be the better choice but it’s best not to wholly rely on the feature and have human resources on standby for editing. If you already have content that you want to improve, Jasper AI’s rewrite functionality feels like a balanced approach when it comes to using AI writing assistants. Ultimately, it's worth trying both tools to see which one works best for you.