CopyAI Review: How It Works, Features, Pricing, and More
In November 2022, ChatGPT launched, changing how millions perceive the current capabilities of artificial intelligence (AI). Since then, AI-powered tools have created a major splash in marketing. Several tools are now all over the headlines, from Jasper to Copy.ai, making teams wonder, what's next? Do you need to adapt today, and what are the best tools to help with that transition?
These AI writing tools are creating some major trends. Businesses of all sizes now use natural language processing and machine learning, leveraging AI tools to assist in everything from advertising to journalism. And while it seems as though these AI-based tools and platforms have popped up overnight, many have been in the making for some time. Copy.ai is a relatively new company. However, you'd never know it from its quick success.
After raising $2.9 million, the company was launched in October 2020. A year later, over 380,000 used Copy.ai to create marketing copy. By 2023, the company hit $3.1 million in revenue, thanks to its growing list of customers.
So, is it all it's cracked up to be? When does this tool make the most sense, and what are its limitations? This comprehensive guide uncovers everything you need to know.
What is Copy.ai? Highlighting key features
Copy.ai is contributing to an expanding list of AI-powered writing tools. As Copy.ai says, "Write better marketing copy and content with AI." This platform is capturing the attention of millions, but is it worth adding to your marketing arsenal? And if so, where does it shine?
Copy.ai features
Copy.ai says you can create content in seconds; here are the features that make that possible.
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A simple and user-friendly interface that helps guide you when starting a new project. Once you log in, the "get started" bar allows you to choose a template. Alternatively, you can select the freestyle approach, leveraging the options on the left navigation bar.
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A decent text editor that reminds users of blog-style management systems. Users love that you can work in the Copy.ai ecosystem throughout the content creation process.
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Choose from templates, including emails, digital ad copy, sales copy, social media content, etc.
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Select the tone that fits your brand or writing style. Choose from professional, adventurous, witty, relaxed, etc.
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Dozens of tutorials to help you better understand the platform. These guides are comprehensive yet easy to read.
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Create content in 29+ languages.
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Team collaboration means inviting your team members to collaborate and improve workflows.
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You can easily integrate with other tools, like WordPress, Shopify, and HubSpot.
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Copy.ai has a Chrome Browser Extension that allows users who use Google Docs to save even more time.
The pros and cons of Copy.ai
Depending on your proposed use cases, some pros and cons will weigh more heavily than others. Copy.ai is an excellent way for marketers and their teams to get more out of their most precious resources, especially time. When implementing Copy.ai and similar tools into your content creation process, you can automate time-consuming processes, allowing you to focus on more complex tasks.
Pros
There are many pros when adopting a tool like Copy.ai, especially when you use it for the right processes. For example, many marketers leverage Copy.ai and other AI-powered tools to create punchy headlines, generate content ideas, or write outlines. You can also get Copy.ai to write entire articles. However, there are some limitations to be aware of, especially when writing business copy. On that note, here are some of the top pros of Copy.ai:
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The number of tools (90+) and templates available. You can create your own if you don't find a template you like.
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Significantly improves efficiency via Supercharge Mode. With this feature, you can provide an URL to showcase a product, service, or business. The AI will pull relevant from that page, so you don't need to type that info.
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You don't need to worry about fluctuating pricing within unlimited characters as part of the Pro plan. The rate will remain the same no matter how much you write.
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Time-saving is one of the greatest advantages, as, with Copy.ai, you can generate content in seconds. This saves time and effort — especially during the brainstorming process.
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While some users experience a learning curve, Copy.ai is relatively easy to use overall. The platform and interface are user-friendly and require no AI experience.
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Whether you want blog posts, product descriptions, headlines, or social media posts, Copy.ai is versatile. It is also customizable, allowing you to input your desired style and tone. However, there are mixed feelings about this capability.
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Many resources are being poured into Copy.ai, so the platform constantly improves.
Cons
Remaining mindful of cons will help you stay realistic about what Copy.ai can and cannot do — at least not yet. Everyone has different experiences and goals, so some cons may not apply to you as much as others. Despite that, when quality is paramount, you must take the proper measures to protect your reputation. Consider the following:
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While generating content, there is a noticeable lag. This concern is particularly evident when Copy.ai is generating content it struggles with. So, if you have a large project and need to create many results, this may not be the best tool for the job.
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Content can be somewhat random concerning awkward content. For those not closely reviewing the generated content, it's possible to miss these instances, which would affect your reputation. This could be an issue if you create a lot of content and straight copying and pasting to your site.
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Be prepared to do a lot of fact-checking. Even when guidelines are clear and detailed, Copy.ai often produces incorrect information. For example, it struggles with event details, producing incorrect dates, names, etc.
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While Copy.ai claims to be able to create an entire article, it's not quite there yet.
Long-form content can be frustrating and more time-consuming than many users initially realize.
What's the cost?
Understanding any tool's pricing structure is vital in ensuring a healthy ROI. The tools you invest in need to bring your business value, and Copy.ai is no different. In this case, pricing is flexible, allowing you to choose a plan that best suits your needs.
Here are your options:
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Free: You can start generating content for $0 a month. With this plan, you'll have access to 90+ copywriting tools. However, you're limited to 2,000 words monthly, and certain features are excluded.
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Pro: The next option is $36/month, offering unlimited words and additional features.
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Enterprise:
This option is ideal for those looking to automate their workflow. You will gain access to prebuilt workflows, a chat interface, and more. Pricing is based on your needs.
What other people are saying
As you can imagine, the web is full of reviews for tools like Copy.ai. Millions of people have tried it, including teams from companies like Microsoft and Nestlé. There are also a lot of articles out there comparing Copy.ai with tools like Writesonic and Jasper.
For the most part, people are raving. At the time of this writing, on G2, Copy.ai has a rating of 4.8/5 stars based on 169 reviews. Of those, 150 are 5-star reviews, 16 are 4-star reviews, and just three are 3-star reviews.
Here are some examples:
On March 10, 2023, Jorge E said, "One of the most useful features of Copy.ai is its ability to generate text variations for different marketing purposes and for a wide range of target audiences. The app is also capable of generating a large amount of content in a short time, making it ideal for those who need to produce large amounts of content quickly." Despite his positive experience, he also said, "One possible downside to Copy.ai is that while it is capable of generating high-quality content, it can lack the creativity and human perspective that a human writer would bring."On May 31, 2023, Shahbaz Hassan S said, "Copy.ai creates variants of marketing texts for specific goals and target demographics. The app is also useful for quickly cranking out a lot of content." However, he also said, "It's possible that Copy.ai doesn't have the same level of originality and insight that a human writer would, despite the fact that it can produce high-quality prose. Copy.ai does have some downsides, and this is one of them."On June 6, 2023, Divyanshi T. said, "It is the best tool for writing copies. It can produce engaging text across various formats and styles, including blog posts, social media captions, product descriptions, or creative storytelling." Her concerns were similar to others, "Sometimes it's pretty clear that AI-generated content lacks the human touch or nuance that some users desire. Plus, the customization options within each template might be limited for users seeking more specific or niche writing needs."
What people love + their concerns
The vast majority of reviews are positive. Users love that Copy.ai:
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Offers an intuitive interface
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Can generate a lot of content quickly and efficiently
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Provides 90+ tools and 100+ tutorials
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Generates ideas to help improve creative workflows
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Is capable of producing content across varying formats and styles
These positive reviews also highlighted some concerns, including:
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A lack of human touch and overall human perspective
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Users often need to fact-check to ensure accuracy
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There have been some cases of plagiarized content, which is unsettling moving forward
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Wasted time trying to verify results
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Some are experiencing a steep learning curve
How does Copy.ai use machine learning?
AI copywriters like Copy.ai run on deep learning and machine learning algorithms to craft human-like content by understanding user behavior. How does this tool achieve that? Just as humans would learn by studying, AI tools like Copy.ai learn when fed data. The difference between AI and humans is that tools like Copy.ai can quickly review an extensive amount of data — much quicker than humans. After being fed new information and data, the platform learns from inputs, creating outputs. The technology will pick up on patterns, leading to unique opportunities.
For example, Copy.ai can craft fairly impressive sales content without much effort. When using the platform's Sales Cold Email generator, all that's required is your company's LinkedIn URL and a couple of sentences about your product or service.
Fact-checking is an issue, but how bad is it?
If you have already used tools like Copy.ai, you know that they can generate clear, readable content with few grammar issues. Ask Copy.ai to explain a topic like NFTs, and Copy.ai will quickly write you a summary complete with sources.
Is it the best writing? Not exactly, but it provided a clear answer. It laid out information clearly and provided a decent overview. In seconds, you can receive an answer that will help steer you in the right direction. However, that's not the issue. When topics become more complicated, personalized, or research-intensive, you see some cracks in Copy.ai's technology and capabilities. Accuracy begins to break down, and there are also often plagiarism issues. While Copy.ai does not have a built-in plagiarism checker, the team guarantees originality.
Since you do not always receive truthful and accurate content, you must check every sentence, especially when writing about topics like health and wellness. This is such a prominent issue that there is a name for it — AI hallucinations. This term comes from instances when an AI confidently gives a response, but it is fabricated.
For many, this phenomenon brings them back to reality. AI is not human — it relies on complex algorithms, analyzing how people string words together on the Internet. It does not "know" what is true and what isn't. So, the more these hallucinations come up, the greater peoples' concerns surrounding reliability. It is a concern that people will rely too heavily on AI-generated content regarding medical or legal advice. You could face significant consequences as a business on the other end of that inaccurate information.
What about brand voice? How effective is it at nailing a specified tone?
Many AI writing tools, like Copy.ai, offer options that allow you to input specifications about your brand's voice. While that may simple enough, the results aren't always what you imagined. Again, this is where human intervention comes into play. When you lean on AI to get you started, humans can take it the rest of the way. When asking Copy.ai, the AI found relevant sources and crafted a reasonably decent answer:
- The first is input. Human input will determine the AI output. So, how effective a tool like Copy.ai is primarily based on the information you feed it.
- The second is that AI does not often match brand voice and tone, especially when a brand is full of personality. If your brand is known for its distinct, creative voice and style, you must intervene more heavily than writing dry, functional marketing copy.
Can it replace human content writers?
The answer to this question is rather complex. However, the short answer is no; Copy.ai cannot yet replace human content writers. When considering the points made above, AI writing tools can't yet compare to expert human writers — not when it comes to highly factual, humanized content.
A quick Google search will return dozens of headlines saying AI can't replace human writers. Well, at least not anytime soon.
This Forbes article makes an interesting and relevant point — AI content generation won't replace humans but will make them more powerful. Those who adopt that mindset will likely benefit from a competitive edge. It's clear that AI is here to stay, and most marketers are excited to leverage the available technology, so you need to consider the possible applications.
A 2022 study by Capterra found that 33% of surveyed marketers who use AI and machine learning are doing so to generate content. This figure will likely only increase in 2023 and beyond. AI won't replace human writers, but it will make human writers and their marketing teams more efficient when aiming to deliver high-quality content. For example, if you want to increase capacity, generate endless ideas, scale your business without more hiring, save money, and get online faster, then yes, AI ticks all those boxes.
The fact that AI can create content in seconds is nothing to sneeze at. The technology behind tools like Copy.ai is remarkable and, when used correctly, can be game-changing for some teams — but it can't compete with an experienced, professional, creative human writer. You can't put all your eggs in one basket when you aim to convert prospective site visitors into paying customers or clients. The content representing your brand is too important to leave in the hands of AI tools.
Whether it be plagiarism, clunky writing, or inaccurate facts, there are issues with AI writing you can't leave to chance. Instead, you need humans overseeing the content creation process. Get AI to complete tedious, time-consuming tasks, then partner with expert writers to generate top-notch content that converts.
What about Copy.ai support?
If you have questions, you can email Copy.ai's support team 24/7. You can also DM the team on Twitter.
In addition, Copy.ai has created many resources to assist its users, including the following:
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An informative blog
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In-depth webinars
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A Copy.ai group on Facebook with nearly 20,000 members and counting
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The Help Center offers comprehensive tips, tutorials, and more
Scripted: The Only Platform Providing Both AI and Human Expertise for Content Creation
There is no denying the benefits of Copy.ai. This AI-powered tool can make individuals and teams more efficient in saving time, energy, and money. However, the limitations of this tool and technology are clear — it still requires a human touch.
Enter Scripted - your all-in-one content solution. Scripted is more than just an AI tool; it's a perfect blend of advanced technology and human creativity. It's where AI-generated content meets human expertise. With Scripted, the choice is yours, whether you need AI content for quick outputs or professional writers for a more personalized touch.
AI-powered tools will guide you through the initial strategy phase, helping you generate keywords, headlines, and even an automated content brief. You can then hire a professional freelance writer based on your industry or niche. Scripted's SmartMatch technology will instantly match you to the best writers for your business. Hire the right fit in minutes and complete the rest of the process on the platform — no need to go anywhere else. Whether it be Grammarly, plagiarism checker, or AI detector, Scripted has it all. Ready to get started? Schedule a demo today!