Last Updated on September 4, 2023 by Alex Birkett
Let’s compare two of my favorite generative AI tools: Jasper and Writer.
Both are incredibly popular AI text generators with varying sets of features.
However, the promise of both of these tools is amazing, but each of them falls short in the present on several dimensions.
Each has their audience and intended use case. Which is right for you? That’s why you’re reading this post 🙂
Editor’s note: I’m going to use some affiliate links when possible to try to earn some revenue from my content. These don’t change the opinions espoused in the content nor the style in which they are written. If I think a product sucks, I’m not going to say otherwise. This is just a bonus and a way to fund the whole operation. Anyway, enjoy the article!
What is Jasper?
Jasper AI is a generative AI platform with several tools for creators, including an AI image generator, 40+ ready-made templates, Boss Mode AI writing assistant, custom recipes, commands, Jasper Chat, and an API.
It’s stacked.
I personally use Jasper for quite a bit of my AI content production. For example, I usually start a blog post with their “One Shot Blog Post” template.
The output is usually not great, but it gives me a starting point from which to angle my own writing.
Then, I use commands and their Surfer SEO integration to create guardrails and have Jasper co-write with me.
I’d wager that it speeds up my time to write an average blog post by about 2-5X. Usually, a blog post will take me 10-20 hours. Writing with Jasper, I get it done in 1-5 hours, depending on the complexity of the topic.
Of course, Jasper has use cases beyond blogging. Its AI art generator is used to create custom images based on your prompts (much like Midjourney or Dall-E).
Their chat feature (much like ChatGPT) spits out pretty much anything, depending on the creativity of your inputs.
I sometimes use it for research. For example, I can ask it to summarize its own features for me (because it includes real time Google search results):
Quickly note: these outputs are actually not completely accurate. Don’t trust AI content tools with your life just yet.
Jasper was principally built on top of OpenAI’s technology, but they’ve since expanded to building out their own models as well as testing several different NLP (natural language processing) models.
Anyway, the tool is solid. One of my favorite AI copywriting products.
What is Writer?
Writer (writer.com) is a complete platform for brand, content, and writing teams. It is built on top of proprietary artificial intelligence models, but it’s so much more than a generative AI tool.
In fact, Writer has been working on their platform since 2020. I look at them as sort of a Grammarly on steroids, complete with style guide, terms, and snippets to keep everyone on expansive teams speaking in the same brand-approved voice.
Here’s something unique: they’ve built their own foundational and application layer large language models (LLMs). A couple facts about their LLM, Palmyra:
- These are the only models trained with business writing and marketing data as their focus.
- With Writer’s API, companies can build generative AI into their own products. They can fine tune the model with their own data, brand, and style guidelines.
- Privacy and security features are baked in.
The AI world is moving so fast, it’s hard to keep up, but these models should help solve some of the core problems generative AI has faced in actually being useful:
- Generic content
- Error filled, inaccurate outputs.
- Lack of multi-modal inputs (ingesting text, audio, video, URLs)
- Brand integrity across users and teams
- Compliance with security and privacy standards.
So the promise of Writer is huge. As I’ll explain later, a lot of this is just that…promise.
Still, I use Writer for tons of stuff, mostly in operationalizing AI for larger clients and organizations.
I also love their Ask Writer AI chatbot. I often use it to repurpose long form content I’ve already written into LinkedIn posts:
Writer is a solid tool.
Jasper AI vs Writer Overview
Before diving into the specifics, here’s a TLDR summary table you can use to compare Jasper AI vs Writer:
| Jasper AI | Writer | |
|---|---|---|
| AI model | Multiple models including proprietary as well as GPT-3.5 | Proprietary large language models (Palmyra) |
| Templates | Yes | Yes |
| Writes code | No | Yes |
| Image generation | Yes | No |
| Multi-modal inputs | No | Yes |
| Includes search engine results | Yes | Yes |
| Saved searches and memory | Yes | Yes |
| Train on own data | No | Yes |
| Team accounts | Yes | Yes |
| Chrome extension | Yes | Yes |
| Brand voice | Business Plan | Yes |
| API | Business Plan | Yes |
| Fun to use | Yes | Yes |
| Cost | Starts at $24/mo | Starts at $18/mo |
Jasper vs Writer Similarities and Differences
Despite both being AI content tools, Jasper and Writer are actually quite different. They target different audiences, have different underlying models, and the user interface of many of their tools differ.
However, they do have a few similarities worth noting
How are Jasper and Writer Similar?
Here are the key similarities:
- Jasper and Writer both offer conversational AI chatbots. They differ in the inputs allowed as well as the models they’re built on. But both offer conversational interfaces to interact with the AI models.
- Jasper and Writer both offer blog builders, though quite different in how they’re constructed. Writer’s is much more structured, with tons of tools for editors to work alongside the AI text generator. Jasper’s is more open-ended.
Finally, they both offer APIs and a Google Chrome Extension, effectively allowing you to leverage their technology anywhere on the web or within your own products.
Both are powerful examples of an AI writing tool that can help create high quality content for product descriptions, digital ad copy, website copy, short form content, long form copy for blog content, social media, and much more. They both have an easy to use interface as well.
How are Jasper and Writer Different?
There are SO many things that differentiate Jasper from Writer.
The core difference is the underlying LLMs by which they operate, but they also differ structurally in how you can use the tools.
Writer is much more focused on large teams, editorial and brand efforts, and writers. Jasper is a broader utility AI platform with templates for sales outreach, story creation, advertising, and many more. It’s much more open-ended, allowing the user to dictate how it is being used. Writer has more built-in guardrails. Each of these has pros and cons.
Jasper AI pros and cons
Jasper AI is powerful beast, customizable and versatile, allowing you to write just about any type of content you can imagine using its templates, recipes, and open-form Boss Mode assistant.
And let’s not forget about the chatbot — a futuristic addition to the writer’s arsenal to compete with OpenAI’s ChatGPT. The difference with Jasper? It pulls in data from Google searches (a game changer for research).
Jasper can be a bit finicky and a bit confusing, with outputs that can be inaccurate and generic, lacking the human touch that separates the great content from the mundane. And while the tool is relatively affordable, it’s still a far cry from free options like ChatGPT.
Businesses hoping to maintain a consistent brand voice may find Jasper lacking in editorial features like approved terms and snippets or brand style guides. And if you’re hoping to train the model on your own data, well, you’re out of luck unless you’re on the business package plan and use their API.
Still, there are so many features that make Jasper a top AI writing tool. It integrates with Surfer SEO, helping you optimize your content for search engines (including SEO features like suggestions for word count and relevant keywords), and even has an AI art tool for adding some visual flair to your writing.
It’s user-friendly and customizable, making it a great choice for those looking to scale their content production.
All in, I’d say Jasper also has more useful templates as well. For example, they’ve got landing page generator options, an instant article writer (one-shot blog post), social media copy, google ads, and tons of copywriting templates for all purposes.
Lots of the best features are unavailable on the starter plan, though, so I’d recommend bumping up to Boss Mode.
In summary, here’s what you need to know about Jasper AI:
Pros:
- Powerful and customizable
- Supports multiple languages
- Integrates with Surfer SEO
- AI images tool for visual flair
- User-friendly interface
- Affordable plans
- API access and brand voice tool for businesses
Cons:
- Outputs can be finicky, inaccurate, and generic
- More expensive compared to free options like ChatGPT
- Lacks editorial features for maintaining a consistent brand voice
- No option to train the model on your own data except in the API / business package
- No plagiarism
- Most strong features only available in Boss Mode plan
Writer pros and cons
Writer is one of the best AI writing tools, thanks in large part to its own LLMs (that’s “large language models” for the uninitiated). It’s a standout feature that sets Writer apart from the rest of the pack.
But that’s not all.
Unlike Jasper, Writer.com is also armed with a whole host of editorial tools, like Grammarly on steroids. And if you’re worried about maintaining your brand’s voice and style guidelines, Writer’s snippets and terms tool has got you covered. Note: Jasper does have a sick integration with Grammarly to help you accomplish this stuff.
What’s more, you can train Writer using your own data and voice, making it less generic than some of its competitors. Sure, the outputs can still be lacking at times, but the editor is equipped with suggestions to help clean up your copywriting and make it more clear and readable.
And let’s not forget about the multi-modal inputs — video, text, audio — that Writer allows. It’s a versatile tool that can help you repurpose content across a variety of mediums.
But perhaps the most impressive thing about Writer.com is its affordability.
At just $18 per user per month, it’s a steal compared to some of the other writing tools out there. And if you’re looking to build on top of the platform or train the model using your own content and data, Writer gives you API access to do just that.
Writer also has some great templates, mostly to serve content marketing use cases (blog post workflow, long form writing assistant, etc.). It’s a great tool to create engaging content and write full length articles.
And last but certainly not least, privacy and security features are baked right into the tool, so you can rest easy knowing your content is safe and sound.
So if you’re in the market for a writing tool that’s powerful, affordable, and customizable, look no further than Writer.com. Here’s a quick rundown of the pros and cons:
Pros:
- Proprietary LLMs for better writing output
- Multi language content
- Strong editorial tools
- Snippets and terms tool for maintaining brand voice and style guidelines
- Ability to train Writer using your own data and voice
- Affordable pricing
- Multi-modal inputs like video, text, and audio
- Ask Writer chatbot for content repurposing
- API access for building on top of the platform
- Privacy and security features
Cons:
- Outputs can still be lacking at times, despite the promises of the tool
- No plagiarism checker
- Pricing structure is complex for enterprise use cases
Jasper vs Writer Use Cases & Who It’s Best For
Jasper is one of the most popular AI copywriting tools out there, and it’s great for general purpose usage.
I’ve found it to be particularly strong for content creation at scale.
It helps me ideate blog topics, start my first draft and beat writers block, and optimize the post with Surfer as I go.
I also sometimes use it to write social media posts for me, but I’m just as often going to ChatGPT for that nowadays.
So I’d say Jasper is best for the scrappy content writer wanting to get a leg up, copywriters, bloggers, and small teams creating content at high velocity. Sales teams can also get use out of it, especially with the Chrome extension.
As for Writer, it’s sweet spot is in larger brand teams, including editorial, content marketing, SEO, and product marketing.
Because of its proprietary algorithms and brand style guide artifacts, it’s a bit more structured in its outputs. This comes with the downside of it being a bit harder to use, but if your team needs to create cohesive content, this is a huge advantage. This also lets you craft your copy and create content with a keen focus on your target audience.
Again, the Chrome extension broadens its team use cases.
Really, either way, you’re going to save time and beat writers block with either of these tool. Both offer excellent communities (Jasper’s is insane) and chat support if you run into problems. They both have a free plan you can try out, so just go write articles and see which you like best.
Conclusion
Personally, I love and use both Jasper and Writer.
I use Jasper for most of my blog post workflows, from ideation to optimization. I use Writer to research and repurpose long form content and podcasts into social media posts.
Both are popular AI writing tools with strong promises, and both still fall short in several key areas.
But just jump in and kick the tires. The only way to learn is to play around with them, and again, both have a free plan you can use.