Trying to figure out which tool from the seemingly endless list of tech-powered editing assistants is right for you? We believe we can help you choose the one that best suits your needs and preferences.
To this end, let’s take a look at the most important factors that can point you in the right direction when choosing an editing assistant.
Key factors to consider
1- Editing purpose
2- Editing context
3- Editing output
4- Editing experience
1- Editing purpose
Why do you need an editing assistant? That’s the first question you need to ask yourself. Do you want a thorough editing of your work or just a light editing, more like proofreading? To answer this question, it’s helpful to consider the following: Although editing and proofreading are sometimes used interchangeably, they are technically different stages of the writing process that serve different purposes.
| Editing |
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| Proofreading |
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If you need help with editing, you should look for tools that call themselves “editors,” “editing assistants,” or something similar. These tools help you edit your text in detail, as they focus on this step.
However, if you need help in the proofreading phase, mainly to check grammar, spelling and punctuation, “proofreaders,” “spell checkers,” and “grammar checkers” may be the right choice for you.
See also: InstaText: Most helpful for drafting, editing, or proofreading?
Can editors act as proofreaders?
Most editors are focused on improving texts in terms of clarity, readability, flow, structure, style, tone, conciseness, and word choice. However, some of them also check the text for grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
But you should not rely on them completely if you want to create a fully polished copy. You can either do a manual check or use a proofreader to make sure everything looks good after you have edited your text with them. If you use an advanced editor, proofreading should not take very long.
So it can be said that proofreaders are not necessarily editors, but editors can also be proofreaders.
See also: Why we call instaText an ‘editing assistant’
2- Editing context
The context of editing is another important factor to consider when choosing an editing assistant. Do you need to edit your text for publication, e.g. blog articles, online posts, research papers or opinion pieces? Do you want to communicate more professionally with your colleagues in writing? Or are you editing a text that is not serious, e.g. a personal email?
If you need an editor for personal use rather than for professional use, a simple, free editor may be enough for you. Most editors with simple functions do not deliver completely accurate results, but they can fulfill your basic needs for occasional editing. However, if you need an editor for professional use that allows for higher quality, more precise editing, you should invest in an advanced editor designed for this purpose.
3- Editing output
How strict are the criteria for originality and authorship in the context in question? This is another important factor to consider. Because different editing tools use different technologies, resulting in different types of output.
ChatGPT, for example, uses generative AI, which means that it creates new content when it is used for editing, and the edits are AI-generated. While the output may be suitable for certain purposes, it’s not ideal for contexts where AI-generated content is not allowed or restricted, such as academic texts.
Generative AI tools are also not the best choice for editing if you want to preserve your original, unique intent, tone, and style. This is because they tend to change these aspects of your text, even if you customise the settings. In addition, the output usually does not sound natural and looks machine-generated.
For contexts with strict originality and authorship criteria—such as writing a dissertation or thought leadership article—or if you want content that reads like human writing while enhancing—rather than changing—your tone, style, and original intent, you should consider editors that use advanced language technologies, but not generative AI.
Unlike generative AI tools, these editors do not create content from scratch, but analyse, process, and improve the text you provide them with. Therefore, the edits are not AI-generated, which makes them suitable for professional and academic contexts.
See also: Why InstaText edits are not AI-generated
TIP
If you are not sure what technology is behind a tool, you can usually find out on the tool’s FAQ page. Look out for keywords such as “AI,” “generative AI,” and “AI-generated” that help you understand how they work and what you can expect from them.
| Technology | Generative AI | Non-generative advanced language technologies |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Creates new content based on input data. | Analyzes, processes, or improves existing content. |
| Primary use | Content generation and creative tasks | Text analysis, editing, and comprehension tasks |
| Interaction method | Prompt-based: Yes ✅ (Users provide specific prompts to create new content.) |
Prompt-based: No ❌ (Users input existing text for editing or analysis.) |
| Examples |
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4- Editing experience
How would you like your editing experience to be? How much control would you like to have over the editing process? How important is the accuracy of the details to you, factually and meaning-wise? Would you like to edit a text as quickly as possible or would you like to improve your writing skills in the process? Do you want to use and improve your creativity when editing or would you like to automate the whole process? Do you use writing as a medium to express yourself and your ideas in an authentic way? Just as different editing assistants use different technologies, their editing style is also different. One of the most important differences is the interactivity of the feedback they give.
Editors with an interactive editing style give you control over the text and allow you to accept or reject suggestions. This helps you ensure that the details are correct in terms of facts and content. Another advantage of this type of editing is that you can improve your language skills, especially your writing skills, over time if you pay attention to the suggested changes.
See also: The paradox of choice: How InstaText simplifies your editing process
InstaText: A cost-effective, advanced editing assistant
If you’ve thought about the questions above, you probably know by now which type of editing assistant suits your needs and preferences.
If you have come to the conclusion that you need an advanced editor that also proofreads your texts, is suitable for professional and academic contexts, does not use generative AI, gives you control over the text, and allows you to express yourself creatively while improving your writing skills, InstaText is the right tool for you.
If you are already a user, take a look at our latest blog posts and the features page to get the most out of InstaText. If you’re not a user yet, try it for free and see for yourself how it can be a cost-effective and time-saving alternative to human editors that you may not have the time or budget for.
“InstaText is a great tool! I use it to improve English texts such as articles, projects and abstracts for conferences. The tool provides very useful suggestions that help me to translate the text to a professional level so that no additional review by “native speakers” is required. The time and money savings are obvious. I highly recommend it!”
— Dr. Janez Konc, Senior Researcher
“I first subscribed to InstaText in 2022 to write more like a native speaker. I’ve been using it daily ever since. InstaText has few but very efficient features, is very easy to use, can be used in various apps and platforms thanks to its browser extension and integration options, and offers excellent customer support.”
— Elham P. Mohammadi, Freelance Journalist, Writer and Editor
“I liked it so much, I subscribed to it mid-trial—and have been using it to proofread and edit all my content since. In case you’re wondering, that’s not something I say lightly: I run a few blogs and publish about a dozen or so articles in them every day, without exception.”
— Jim Stonos, Writer and Editor
