Turnitin vs Drillbit – Which Plagiarism Checker is Better?

Plagiarism detection tools have become essential for researchers, students, and educators to ensure academic integrity. Among the most popular plagiarism checkers are Turnitin and Drillbit, both widely used by universities and institutions worldwide. However, scholars do not have the freedom to choose the plagiarism detection software themselves. The decision is made by universities, colleges, and research journals, which specify the required tool in their guidelines. This article compares Turnitin and Drillbit based on their features, accuracy, and institutional preferences to help you understand their differences.

Overview of Turnitin and Drillbit

Turnitin
Turnitin is one of the oldest and most widely recognized plagiarism detection software. It is primarily used by universities, colleges, and research institutions to check for plagiarism in academic work. Turnitin’s vast database of academic papers, journals, and web sources makes it a powerful tool for plagiarism detection.

Drillbit
Drillbit is a newer plagiarism detection software gaining popularity, especially in India and other developing nations. It provides cost-effective solutions for academic institutions while maintaining high accuracy. Drillbit is designed to be affordable, user-friendly, and efficient, making it a strong competitor to Turnitin.

Accuracy and Database Comparison

Feature
Turnitin
Drillbit
Database Size
Extensive (billions of academic papers, journals, and web sources)

Growing but limited compared to Turnitin

Accuracy
Very high due to a vast database
Good but dependent on the available database
Real-time Web Search
Yes
Yes

Institutional Repository Access and presence in World

Yes, integrates with major universities worldwide

Limited, but growing briskly. It has shown good growth in the past 2 years in India and many parts of the world. To date, it is available in the following countries:

  • Southeast Asia: Philippines, Indonesia
  • South Asia: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka
  • Middle East: UAE
  • Africa: Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Ghana
  • South America: Colombia 

Language Support

Supports many international Languages (175+) besides English, like Korean, Arabic, French, German, Swedish, Portuguese, Italian, Spanish, etc.

DrillBit supports 100+ languages for plagiarism check, covering both national and international languages.

Support for Indian Regional Languages

Limited Support and Limited Effectiveness.

DrillBit specifically supports 15 regional languages: Hindi, Kannada, Urdu, Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, Marathi, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Santhali, Gujarati, Bengali, Assamese, Oriya, and Punjabi.

Available Features in Dashboard and Report

Functions

Turnitin
Drillbit

AI Detection

Yes, the AI report is available.

AI genetated content is highlighted in a similar manner as in the plagiarism report.

If AI genetared content is less than 20%, then it doesnot show anything in report.

Report just says:
AI detection includes the possibility of false positives. Although some text in this submission is likely AI-generated, scores below the 20% threshold are not surfaced because they have a higher likelihood of false positives.

Yes, the AI report is easily accessible in the dashboard.

AI-generated content is highlighted in a similar manner as in the plagiarism report.

No limitation is applicable as in Turnitin. Gives report even for 1% AI-generated content.

Grammar & Spell Check

Not available

A detailed grammar report is available.

Customization in Reports

Yes, reports are customizable to match recommendations of universities or journals.

Yes, reports are customizable to match recommendations of universities or journals. Even more customization options are available to match or exclude specific types of databases which are not available in Turnitin.

Details of excluded sources

Not available in report.

Yes, available in report.

Bulk Load

Yes, available.

Yes, available.

Digital Reciept

Yes, available.

Yes, available. But needs extra inputs to generate digital reciept.

Saftey Feature

Not available

QR code is given to download original report.

File types supported and limitations

Pages

maximum 800 pages

maximum 800 pages

File size

less than 100 MB

less than 100 MB

Words

minimum 20 Words

not mentioned

Major File formats supported (Extensions)

  • .doc, .docx
  • .pptx, .ppsx, .pps
  • .xls and .xlsx
  • .pdf
  • .txt
  • .rtf
  • .html
  • .odt
  • .hwp
  • .hdpx
  • .doc, .docx
  • .xlsx
  • .pptx
  • .pdf
  • .txt
  • .rtf
  • .html, .htm
  • .odt
  • .dotx
  • .tiff

Institutional Preferences and Global Adoption

Scholars cannot choose plagiarism detection software on their own. It is universities, colleges, and research journals that decide whether Turnitin or Drillbit should be used. Some institutions strictly require Turnitin reports for thesis and research paper submissions, making it the more globally recognized choice. Drillbit, while gaining popularity, is mostly preferred by institutions in India and South Asia due to its affordability and ease of use.

Conclusion: Which One Should You Use?

If your university or research journal mandates a specific plagiarism checker, you must follow their guidelines. Before using any software, confirm with your institution or supervisor whether Turnitin or Drillbit is required.

 

Ultimately, the decision is not in the hands of the scholar, as universities and journals set their own plagiarism policies. Always verify with your institution before selecting a plagiarism checker to ensure compliance with academic requirements.

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