Which tool to choose
Two profiles, two different tools.
You want total control and complex rewrites — changing tone, length, and register together, working on long texts: use ChatGPT. You give it an instruction in words and it does what you ask. For occasional use the free version is enough. The limit: the free plan caps the number of messages within a few hours and, once exceeded, silently downgrades to a lighter model until the count resets. The exact numbers change often, but for rewriting a few paragraphs you almost never hit them.
You want a quick touch-up with ready-set modes — nothing to write, just click: use QuillBot. The paraphraser offers preset modes: Standard, Fluency, Formal, Academic, Simple, Creative, Expand, Shorten. The heavy limit of the free version: free users are left with only Standard and Fluency, the rest is Premium. And the free plan rephrases up to 125 words at a time, while Premium removes the count.
In practice, the modes you really need (Formal, Shorten, Expand) on QuillBot are paid. That's why this guide relies on ChatGPT as the main tool: the same results, for free, by writing the right instruction.
How to do it
From a browser or from the app, the path doesn't change.
- Open ChatGPT (chatgpt.com or the app). No subscription is needed for this job.
- Paste the text to rewrite.
- Write the precise instruction before or after the text. The difference between a mediocre result and a good one is right here: don't ask "rewrite this," but say what you want to change and what must stay the same.
- Read the result. If it doesn't convince you, don't start over: write what to fix ("drier," "remove the advertising tone," "keep the informal 'you'").
The three operational instructions, ready to copy.
To make it more formal:
Rewrite the text below in a formal and professional tone, suitable for a work communication. Keep the meaning and all the data unchanged. Do not add information that isn't there. Use the formal register and no abbreviations.
[paste the text here]
To shorten:
Reduce the text below to a maximum of 80 words. Keep the three main concepts and remove repetitions, unnecessary examples, and filler phrases. Do not invent anything new.
[paste the text here]
To expand and add detail:
Expand the text below to about double the length. Add explanations, concrete examples, and practical details on the points already present, without introducing facts or numbers I can't verify. Keep the same tone.
[paste the text here]
Check: after the first result, verify two things. That the meaning hasn't changed and that, in the case of expansion, no numbers or statements you didn't provide have appeared. If that happened, go to the section below.
A concrete example
Starting point, an email dashed off in a hurry:
"Hi, I wanted to tell you that the project is delayed because we haven't received the materials from the supplier yet. As soon as they arrive we'll get right to work. Sorry for the mix-up."
Goal: send it to the client, so it needs to be more formal. I paste the email after the first prompt above. ChatGPT returns:
"Dear Client, I am writing to inform you that delivery of the project will be delayed due to the non-arrival of materials from the supplier. As soon as they are available, we will immediately resume activities. We apologize for the inconvenience and remain at your disposal for any clarification."
The meaning is identical, the register has changed, nothing was invented. If I find it too stiff, I add: "Make it a bit warmer, less bureaucratic." In ten seconds I have the final version.
When it does NOT work (and how to fix it)
If the AI invents data while expanding
This is the number-one risk when you ask to lengthen a text: the model fills the space with plausible but false figures and details. Recent models invent less, but cross-checking remains necessary. Way out: in the prompt always write "do not add facts or numbers I can't verify" (it's already in the prompts above) and then reread, looking for any figure that appeared out of nowhere. If there is one, delete it or ask to remove it.
If it changes the meaning while rephrasing
This happens when you push the aggressiveness of the rewrite too far. On QuillBot it depends on the synonyms slider: at the minimum it makes light changes and keeps the original sentence, at high levels it swaps vocabulary and restructures. Keep it low or medium. On ChatGPT add "keep the exact meaning, it's more important than smoothness."
If you run out of free ChatGPT messages mid-job
When you use up your quota, chats switch on their own to a lighter model until the limit resets. Immediate way out: that model still rewrites simple texts decently, so keep going. For short rewrites with button-based modes, alternatively open QuillBot: it's free and rephrases up to 125 words at a time, as many times as you want.
If the text is too long for free QuillBot
The 125-word wall comes quickly. Way out: split the text into 125-word blocks and process them one at a time, or switch to ChatGPT, which doesn't impose this limit on a single rewrite.
A tip from someone who really uses it
Never ask "rewrite it better." "Better" means nothing to the model and gives you back a generic version. State the numerical constraint or the recipient: "maximum 80 words," "for a client," "for an Instagram post," "for a boss in a hurry." The more concrete the constraint, the more usable the result on the first try. And keep a fixed rule in every expansion prompt: forbid the invention of data. It saves you the embarrassment of sending a text with a number the model pulled out of thin air.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to pay to rewrite a text with AI?
No. ChatGPT in the free version rewrites, shortens, lengthens, and changes tone without spending a cent, as long as you stay within the message limits. The real constraint is the message quota, not the features. You pay only if you rewrite texts nonstop all day.
Is ChatGPT or QuillBot better for rewriting?
It depends on how much control you want. ChatGPT is more flexible because you talk to it in words and it does everything for free; QuillBot is more immediate thanks to the buttons, but the modes you need most (Formal, Shorten, Expand) are reserved for Premium, while the free plan gives only Standard and Fluency. For free use, ChatGPT wins.
Can I rewrite in Italian, or does it only work in English?
Both work in Italian. QuillBot supports rephrasing in over twenty languages; ChatGPT handles Italian natively: write the prompt in Italian and the text stays in Italian.
Is text rewritten by AI recognized as "written by AI"?
Here lies the serious misunderstanding. Many rewrite on purpose to "fool" the detectors, but standard paraphrasing tools (QuillBot, Grammarly, Wordtune) do not reliably bypass AI detection: they change the words without touching the rhythm and predictability patterns the detectors analyze, and Turnitin still recognizes QuillBot's paraphrasing. Use rewriting to improve a text of your own, not to pass off an AI text as human. Detectors err in both directions, and the only sure result is harming yourself.