The short answer
Turnitin is not free in general, and it is not sold to you. Your school pays for it. If your school has a licence, you use it at no direct cost through your course. If it does not, there is no official way to buy a Turnitin report for yourself.
| Your situation | What you can use |
|---|---|
| Your school has Turnitin | Use it through your course. Ask if you can submit a draft, or if the school has Draft Coach. |
| You are a researcher with a manuscript | iThenticate credits, from $125. |
| You have no school access | An independent checker. It is a different tool and does not predict a Turnitin score. |
What Turnitin costs
We found no public price for Turnitin’s school products on the pages we read. Its help centre says similarity detection and grading services are sold only at the institutional level, to schools, universities and organizations. It also says Turnitin does not sell individual licenses or single-use subscriptions. A price quoted elsewhere for a school licence is not something we can confirm, so we do not repeat one here.
How students get access
Turnitin’s help centre gives one route for students: ask your school.
- Ask your instructor, library or IT help desk. They can tell you if the school has a licence and how you reach it.
- Ask about Draft Coach. Turnitin’s Draft Coach FAQ says it is an add-on for Google Docs or Microsoft Word online. It depends on the school’s licence. Turnitin says it does not store your draft in the Turnitin repository.
- Ask if you may submit a draft. That is your instructor’s choice, so ask. Do not assume it.
iThenticate: the route for individuals
Turnitin points individuals to iThenticate, its own product. On the iThenticate site on 1 November 2026:
| Package | Price, excluding taxes | Word limit | AI writing detection |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single | $125 | One manuscript, up to 25,000 words | Not available |
| Multiple | $300 | Up to 3 manuscripts, or one up to 75,000 words | Not available |
The site says these packages are for researchers, scholars and graduate students preparing manuscripts, theses or dissertations for publication. Credits last 12 months and include 5 free revisions. For a class essay, this is probably more than you need.
Be careful with sites that offer free Turnitin
Turnitin says it does not sell individual access. So a website that offers you a Turnitin report is not an official route. You also cannot see what happens to the paper you upload. Some sites use the word Turnitin in their name or address. That does not mean Turnitin runs them. Look for who owns the site before you paste your work.
What to do without a school account
An independent checker can do one useful job: show sentences that match web pages or publications, so you can quote or cite them. It cannot do these things:
- Search the student papers Turnitin holds.
- Tell you what Turnitin will show.
- Replace a report your instructor asked for.
Our plagiarism checker gives a first check free with no account, up to 1,000 words, and a free account includes 3,000 words a month. Student plans start at $4.99 a month. See pricing. For other tools, see Turnitin alternatives.
What we do not know
- What a school pays. We found no public price on the pages we read.
- What your school offers. Licences differ. Only your school can say.
- How any result compares with Turnitin. We have no access to Turnitin and did not compare results.
Sources
- Turnitin (read 10 October 2026): Can I purchase an individual Turnitin license?, Turnitin Similarity and Draft Coach FAQ.
- iThenticate (read 1 November 2026): home page.
- Plagiarism Checker Plus: our own plagiarism checker, AI detector and pricing pages.