I ran a 20-person content agency.
Then AI tools showed up and changed everything.
In 2023 I shut down half my team. Not because the work dried up — because the tools got good enough that I could do it with three people. That decision cost me friendships and sleep. It also made me obsessive about which tools were actually worth it, and which ones were just well-funded hype.
I've been in content for 14 years — SEO writing, ghostwriting C-suite thought leadership, then building an agency that served SaaS companies and e-commerce brands. When GPT-3 came out I was skeptical. When GPT-4 came out I was genuinely scared for my business. By the time Claude 3 launched I'd already spent $4,000 of my own money systematically testing tools.
Most AI writing tool reviews are written by people who tried the free tier for 20 minutes and recycled the marketing copy. I test each tool on real client briefs — 40 hours minimum — and score them across 5 dimensions that actually matter for professional writers. I pay full price. I never take sponsored placements. I update scores every 90 days because these products ship fast.
The name WriteTested means exactly what it says. Every score on this site came from real writing, real use, real money spent. Some links are affiliate links — I disclose every one. My reputation for independence matters more than any commission.
14 Years in Content
Built first content business — 200+ clients across SaaS and e-commerce.
Ran content strategy for a Series B SaaS company. Scaled blog from 0 to 400K monthly visitors.
Built a 20-person remote content agency. Clients included funded startups and Fortune 500 brands.
Shut the agency down to 3 people after GPT-4 changed everything. Started testing AI tools obsessively. Still haven't stopped.
"The most rigorous AI tool review site I've found."
"Required reading before buying any AI writing tool."
"Marcus Webb's scores are the ones agencies trust."
How We Score
We test on real briefs across multiple content types — blog posts, product descriptions, email sequences, fiction. Never toy prompts.
No vendor accounts, no early access. We sign up like you do and pay the same price. No exceptions, ever.
Content Quality, Output Speed, Ease of Use, Value for Money, SEO Capability. Each 0–100. Final score is a weighted average.
AI tools update constantly. If a product ships a major update, we re-test and revise our scores. Last tested date shown on every review.
Some links earn us a commission. We've given some of our lowest scores to tools with the best commission rates. Scores come first.
Every word on this site is written by a human who used the tool. We test AI — we don't outsource our opinions to it.
Questions, corrections, or tips?
If we got something wrong — a price change, a new feature, a commission rate — email me directly. I read everything and update fast. If you work at one of the tools we review and want to share accurate information, that's welcome too. Flattery and sponsorship offers are not.
Typical response time: 24–48 hours
marcus@writetested.com →