the best essay writing companies

Best Essay Writing Service Reviews

Find the best essay writing service according to your writing needs by reading our deep-dive, unbiased reviews. We’ve tested dozens of essay writing companies and collected 500+ students’ reviews to keep you away from scams.

The ever-growing number of untrustworthy writing services makes it harder to find a legitimate writing company. If you want to be on the safe side while purchasing essays online, you have to be able to make informed decisions. BetterWritingServices.com is your reliable source of best essay writing service reviews, rankings and insights.

We’ve put together a number of informative guides, essay writing tips and advice to keep you informed and up-to-date on any changes in the industry. Read our reviews, write your own, help other students make better choices!

The Top 8 Popular Essay Writing Companies

1. paperhelp review — most versatile.

PaperHelp is one of the pioneers among essay writing services. It has been incorporated in early 2008 and has a proven track record of writing academic papers of any difficulty for students from all around the world.

• Price from: $10 per page
• Deadline: 3 hours
• Money Back Guarantee
• Free Revisions

Paper Help is your best bet if you are looking for a proficient and reliable online paper writing company. It guarantees 100% anonymity, plagiarism-free papers, and a timely delivery period of just 3 hours. Seasoned writers ensure an individualized writing approach to all your papers and essays.

Also, they have a money-back guarantee in case you are not satisfied with the quality of delivery. However, this is rarely the case as over 105,000 students use the writing service and report to be happy. This is a legit company that is well worth to reside at first position of our rating.

Read our full PaperHelp review to learn more.

2. EssayPro Review — Best Choice of Writers

EssayPro is a unique writing platform that allows you to browse hundreds of writers’ profiles, view their track record, academic qualifications, and reviews. Choosing a suitable freelance writer for your task is fast and convenient.

• Price from: $11 per page
• Deadline: 6 hours

EssayPro lets you communicate with an essay writer of your choice and negotiate a price for your order. The customer support is always ready to come in handy anytime you need their help. With free previews and revisions that allow you to select a writer with a writing style that suits you, this affordable writing service will enable you to pay when you have approved received parts of your paper.

It offers a free plagiarism report to ensure that your document is completely original. You’ll surely want to try out this essay & research paper writing service if you desire to make college life more comfortable.

Read our full EssayPro review to learn more.

3. SpeedyPaper Review — Best Reputation

SpeedyPaper is known for its spotless reputation and strong online presence. Thousands of students report that the service delivers high-quality papers on time at a reasonable price.

• Price from: $9 per page

SpeedyPaper is one of the best paper writing services available online, with writers sourced from experts who offer a wide range of writing services from well thought out essays to academic research papers and exceptional dissertations. Everything you write is also wholly confidential as originality and uniqueness are ensured for all its projects.

Not to mention that they offer their writing services at affordable prices depending on the nature of work demanded, and also provide a free 10-day period to request edits after the contract date. 89% of clients have claimed significantly improved grades after using this writing service.

Read our full SpeedyPaper review to learn more.

4. ExpertWriting Review — Good Value

ExpertWriting is among best college essay writing services in terms of the value you get for money. By hiring a writer on ExpertWriting to write your essay, you get a person who is directly qualified in a subject of your paper.

With excellent writing, fast turnaround, and top-notch customer service, ExpertWriting ranks above most essay writing websites as the students’ favorite. With highly skilled and trained experts, this affordable writing service ensures high-quality custom essays even with minimal time requirements.

Not only do seasoned experts look at your essays and research papers, but they also have trained editors who review every project to ensure that all experts deliver consistent results. They give room for you to share your feedback and always keep you in charge.

Read our full ExpertWriting review to learn more.

5. GradeMiners Review — Best For Urgent Essays

GradeMiners is one of the fastest essay writing services on the market. Here you can have your essay written in as short as one or three hours at any time of day or night. Tight deadlines are not a challenge for this company.

• Price from: $14 per page
• Deadline: 1 hour

With over 3,500 seasoned experts and 10-year experience in the writing business, GradeMiners.com is among the top writing services if you need any writing help with your essays or research papers. From math and chemistry to English literature and almost any academic discipline, you can be sure that there is an expert that can take care of your needs.

Also, 97% of assignments are delivered on schedule, and there is also a money-back guarantee if you are sure that an essay writer did not follow your order details. About 9 out of 10 clients who use this service report higher grades.

Read our full GradeMiners review to learn more.

6. EssayBox Review — Best Customer Service

EssayBox is a reputable writing service that writes papers across more than 50 academic disciplines at any academic level, be it a a high school essay or a master’s thesis.

• Price from: $12 per page

Students who use this college paper writing service attest to it being among the best writing services available with zero cases of complaints or dissatisfaction. They deliver expert level custom essays of the highest quality, and you can always expect to have your essays delivered on time.

High-quality papers are available at affordable prices. There is also a strict confidentiality policy, meaning that all private information and payment details are kept secure. With this research paper writing service, you effectively save time, which you could use for other productive activities.

Read our full EssayBox review to learn more.

7. JustDoMyEssay Review — Best For Complex Assignments

JustDoMyEssay is a great option if you have a very important paper due. The company is known for their writers’ exemplary diligence and excellence in completing all types of academic papers.

• Price from: $17,5 per page

With a thorough and extensive selection process for its experts and group of writers, JustDoMyEssay.com guarantees high-quality custom orders sure to meet your needs and improve your grades.

Among the top-ranked writing services, JustDoMyEssay.com provides the following guarantees to its clients: safety and confidentiality of orders and payment details, quality of orders, timeliness of deliveries, and reliability. This research paper service also provides you with a sample of past works for free to measure their top authors’ expertise before deciding.

Read our full JustDoMyEssay review to learn more.

8. WiseEssays Review — Most Customer-Centric

WiseEssays is generous when it comes to discounts. The company provides wide range of writing services and deals with most writing tasks a student can have. This is a good option if you’re on a tight budget and not looking for an urgent service.

For fair prices and significant discounts, WiseEssays.com recruits highly trained and seasoned professionals and experts to guarantee high-quality essays delivered on time. They also boast secure payment methods, money-back guarantees, and a qualified support crew that will leave you utterly satisfied. Authorship is guaranteed as the work becomes your exclusive property as the owner, and you reserve the discretion to use it however you wish.

According to stats from 2017, about 91% of clients who have used this college essay writing service have come back to place orders, so you can be sure that you will be getting papers of the highest possible standards.

Read our full WiseEssays review to learn more.

So Which Essay Writing Service Is the Best?

There are many reliable writing services out there, and it’s really difficult to select the single best company. All custom writing services have their pros and cons, so naming the best writing service will inevitably reflect somebody’s subjective opinion.

You have to read reviews, compare, and choose what is best for you. It doesn’t mean, however, that certain companies don’t deserve a highlight when talking about the most professional writing services. We have analyzed and reviewed dozens of writing companies to create a list of top 8 ones that deserve your attention.

Some services are great in terms of quality but quite expensive, so it’s difficult to recommend them to everybody. There are also services that offer affordable prices but hire low-skilled writers and provide subpar essays. You can find reviews of different academic writing services on our website.

But if we had to single out the single best writing service, it would be PaperHelp . This company manages to provide well-written essays at average prices, and the papers are always delivered on time. It has a great reputation online and is backed by years of experience.

Are Essay Writing Services Safe?

Yes, using an essay writing website is completely safe, as long as you are using a legit company to do your work. However, you should be aware of some risks associated with hiring a writing service. There are many scammers and services that provide low-quality papers, so you shouldn’t use any writing services without doing some research first. Students always share their reviews online, and we recommend that you read them before making a choice.

If you don’t read essay writing service reviews first, you may:

• buy a resold paper that someone has already handed in;
• end up wasting your money on a useless paper written by an unprofessional writer;
• get a well-written, yet plagiarized essay and face disciplinary action;
• be denied a refund and even blackmailed if you demand your money back and decide to complain .

You should only use reliable websites that work with writers who are actually familiar with their subject. In this case, you won’t risk anything when ordering your papers online. There are a lot of companies that write high-quality essays and do their best to exceed their customers’ expectations.

What Criteria Do the Best Writing Services Meet?

The writing services of exceptional quality can be recognized by particular features of excellence and credibility. Below you can find some key characteristics of a reliable service.

✅ Strong Online Presence

The credibility of a company is largely defined by reviews. Needless to say, top essay writing services have lots of reviews and constructive feedback for their services from independent reviewers. A well-deserved reputation on the web adds value to the trustworthiness of a service. If you can’t find any reviews about the website online, it’s better to avoid it.

✅ Transparent Terms & Conditions

Legitimate essay writing services have transparent terms and conditions. This is one of the first things we look at when writing an essay writing service review. Reliable companies provide easy access to the policies on their website. Terms and conditions must be detailed, clear, and easy to read. If you can’t find policies on the web, it’s not recommended to use the service.

Note that the company cannot be responsible for something that was not officially guaranteed. Hence, it’s important to find some time and go through the policy if it’s available on the website. You should invest a little time to check the regulations in order to learn about your rights as a user. 

✅ Ease of Use

The website of a decent writing service must be user-friendly. Proper platforms run fast and look reliable. The ordering process can’t be interrupted by a website’s crash, so all its features work smoothly. One of the main indicators of a good writing service is a secure connection.

✅ Reliable Customer Support

Responsive customer support is a key characteristic of an outstanding writing service. In case something goes wrong, there must be someone who can help out a client. In the best-case scenario, customer support is available 24/7 via instant live chat and phone. What’s more, the assistance is delivered by a real customer support agent, not a bot. A trustworthy company can provide continuous help to users.

✅ Fair Price

Credible agencies offer services for affordable but not too cheap prices. Reasonable prices for a high-quality paper written by professionals start from around $10 (ESL writers) and $20 for ENL writers. Regular customers can get discounts for multiple orders, so it motivates them to come back. 

✅ Sample Papers

While this is not mandatory, it is nice to have an option to check some writing samples before placing an order. Top writing services typically offer paper samples. Essay examples allow website visitors to see the level of writing completed by a company. Once a potential customer knows what work quality to expect from a writer, they can decide whether it suits them or not. 

✅ Error-Free Website Copy

While this may seem obvious, some students usually overlook this thing or put a blind eye on it. Any type of writing mistakes is unacceptable for essay services. If there is something like grammar errors or typos inside of the text published on the website, it means that the agency lacks a good editing team. Reliable companies always offer excellent web content on their website.

These are the most important features that must be considered before choosing an essay writing company. It’s essential to check the points described above before making an order at a writing agency.

How Do We Choose the Best Essay Writing Services for our Users?

As we’ve mentioned above, not all writing services are reliable. Therefore, we do the necessary research before writing an essay writing service review and recommending a writing company to our readers.

Not only do we make sure that the services presented on our website are legit, but we also evaluate all the companies based on several important factors. When we select writing services, we make sure that they meet the following criteria:

• Good writing services ensure effective communication between writers and customers;
• Reliable writing services write papers based on in-depth research;
• When dealing with reliable websites, you can edit and proofread your drafts;
• Credible paper writing companies provide papers formatted according to the necessary citation styles;
• These companies also provide structurally and grammatically correct papers;
• The papers are 100% original, with no plagiarism or unattributed content;
• Reliable services also provide 24/7 customer support and do their best to resolve any issues.

What Factors do We Take Into Account When Reviewing Essay Writing Companies?

We pay attention to existing essay writing service reviews, fact-check their policies, evaluate the ease of ordering process, check for discounts, examine paper quality and customer service. Let’s consider each of these factors in detail.

🔍 Online Reputation

This is one of the most important factors that we consider when evaluating essay writing companies. The first thing we do is check a company’s online reputation to determine whether or not students consider it reliable. If a company has been around for a while, the chances are that there’s a lot of customer feedback available online. At the same time, it’s important to keep in mind that some writing services publish fake positive reviews in an attempt to save their reputation.

Best essay writing service reviews are unbiased, that’s why we only consider reviews from well-known and reliable review platforms like TrustPilot, SiteJabber and BBB (Better Business Bureau). Why? Because we want to be a reliable review source for you.

We analyze different independent review platforms because we know that the reviews companies publish on their websites cannot be trusted. Most often, such reviews are fake. For instance, many websites have reviews with photos and names of customers, while students always want to remain anonymous when buying their papers, for obvious reasons.

It’s also easy to spot fake writing service reviews because they all are positive. Companies that don’t receive positive feedback on third-party review platforms often decide to display positive feedback on their websites. However, even the best companies have some unsatisfied customers. Therefore, if all the feedback that you see is positive, it’s probably fake.

🔍 Revision and Money Back Policy

Another important factor that we consider when evaluating writing services is the guarantees they offer. Most companies offer free revisions and a money-back guarantee. However, both revision and money-back policies can be quite sketchy and complicated. When you make an order on some website for the first time, you should know the details of their revision policy and money-back guarantee because getting your money back might be not as easy as it seems.

For instance, you may not be able to get a 100% refund so you will only receive partial compensation. Some companies don’t even have a clear set of rules that would determine in what cases customers are eligible for a refund.

For example, each particular case can be considered by the quality assurance team so they will decide whether or not you can get your money back. Sometimes, customers may also be unable to get a refund if they’ve already requested a revision. Therefore, we analyze all the rules and make sure to inform our readers about the possible pitfalls.

🔍 Ordering Process

When evaluating writing services, it’s also important to take into account the ordering process: how simple it is, how quickly customers can place an order, and what the whole process looks like. Best paper writing services have all the necessary information and provide quick customer support so that the ordering process is intuitive and fast. Customers may also be able to get notifications while their papers are being written. We also make sure to check the payment options available on the website.

🔍 Pricing and Discounts

We provide information about writing services’ pricing policies with screenshots from websites. However, we recommend that you also check the websites because the prices might change. We also find information about available discounts and coupons. Quite often, writing services offer discounts for new customers. Some companies may also bombard you with discounts and promo codes if you try to close the website.

🔍 Paper Quality

Paper quality is something that most essay writing service reviews never mention. But obviously, this is one of the most important factors when it comes to choosing writing services. Therefore, we test the quality of writing by placing a simple order and analyzing the result. First of all, we check the overall structure of the paper and make sure that the writer created a proper introduction, body, and conclusion. We also assess the research basis of the paper and check whether all the arguments are supported by evidence or not.

Some services hire native English speakers, while others work with ESL writers. Sometimes, you can also request an ENL writer for an additional fee. At the same time, if papers are written by an ENL writer, it’s also important to make sure that they actually know their subjects.

🔍 Customer Support

Sometimes, good customer support service can make a big difference even when dealing with unreliable services. If you’re unsatisfied with the quality of papers, timely help from support representatives might enable you to get a revision, choose another writer, or even get your money back. Good writing services usually have a live chat on the website so that customers can contact the support service 24/7 and get the necessary assistance.

How to Find Genuine Essay Writing Service Reviews?

There are quite a few red flags that may indicate that the reviews you read are either fake or paid. These tips will help you filter out some genuine reviews from the fake ones.

❗ Check the Date

A surge in the total number of reviews during a very short time frame may be a sign of fraud. If a lot of reviews appear in a few weeks or days and then there’s nothing else for months, the chances are that they are all fake. However, there might be some exceptions. For example, during finals, or on Black Friday when people make more purchases.

❗ Don’t Rely on One-Sided Opinions

If a review offers only positive or negative judgments, be careful with it. Take a closer look at what it says because it might not be true. Make your own research on ‘balanced’ reviews. Consumers must always find both pros and cons in any product, so one-sided reviews filled with nothing but extreme admiration or total hatred look quite suspicious.

It might be better to sort out the reviews with an average rate as they are typically more objective than others. Usually, such reviews are more honest and insightful because they show both positive and negative aspects of the services provided. It is easier to notice real trends by comparing positive and negative feedback.

❗ Stay Away From Brandjacking

Probably you’ve seen the comments like ‘I’ve tried this thing, absolutely hated it, and decided to buy the [linking to the competitor’s product] and I just loved it! Purchase it here now with a 30% discount!”. Hopefully, nobody falls for this kind of reviews. Such reviews are a part of a link-building strategy because people usually leave them with a URL to their own website. Unfortunately, reviewers don’t realize that this horrible tactic leads to instant credibility loss and doesn’t drive sales. 

❗ Take Glowing Reviews With a Grain of Salt

If a review looks too good to be true, you should turn to a healthy skepticism. This is the best weapon against fake comments that might help you avoid poor-quality services. Note, that if a particular company has an extraordinarily high number of reviews compared to others in that category, it might mean that those essay writing service reviews are fake. Especially, if they are overwhelmingly positive. 

❗ Seek For Real Experience

The most helpful writing service reviews are those that are based on real experience. Try to find those comments that are likely to be written by people who regularly resort to essay writing help. Although it might be difficult because students are not always eager to share their opinions, it would be better to do this work and be sure that the service you are going to use is highly reliable. 

If you want to know the real truth about an essay writing company, you shouldn’t count only on comments. Instead, search for professional reviews written by people who order papers from different agencies and compare their quality. However, you shouldn’t blindly trust such review websites either. Please be aware that some essay writing companies create fake review platforms to trash their competitors and improve reputation of their own brands.

How To Spot a Fake Review Platform?

Writing services are aware of the fact that students check out essay writing service reviews when they want to buy papers online. Therefore, there’s no surprise that unreliable services try to mislead students by publishing fake positive reviews.

Sometimes, such companies create fake review platforms where affiliated writing services have the best ratings. Such review platforms may also spread misinformation about trusted writing services in an attempt to damage their reputation. Therefore, you should keep in mind that not all review platforms can be trusted.

Fake review platforms usually share some common features that might help you spot scammers. First of all, they usually don’t provide enough information about themselves. Their reviews are generic, with no specific details about particular orders. Besides, all the services except the affiliated ones have a very low rating. Quite often, all the reviews are posted from fake accounts that only have one review each.

How to Avoid Scammers?

It’s difficult to withstand the temptation to use a cheap writing service that promises to deliver the best papers on time. However, not everyone who makes sweet promises actually keeps them. If you want to find a nice writing service that will be safe to use, we recommend that you carefully consider the following details. This way, you’ll be able to avoid scammers. Here are the things you should look for when choosing a custom writing service.

• Look for affordable prices within a reasonable range. If prices are too low, the chances are that you won’t be able to purchase nice papers on such a website.
• Choose companies that have at least two years of experience in helping students with academic papers.
• Use companies that offer 24/7 support so that you can get all the necessary assistance.
• Choose services with a 3.5-star or higher rating. You should only consider reliable review platforms.
• Choose companies with clear revision and money-back policies.

Fortunately, if you’re reading this, it means that you’ve already found a reliable review source. We are always ready to help you choose a good service and avoid scammers.

20 Most Legitimate Essay Writing Services

Sometimes essay writing is like visiting a dentist – painful, but inevitable. Nobody is interested in student’s personal circumstances. Who cares if you have time and energy for doing that essay juggling work, study and private life? Is your heart broken? Or, maybe, have you spent several sleepless nights? In the eyes of your professors, these are weak excuses for not doing homework. Do it or die.

‘No extensions, no excuses’ – most professors are pitiless. This indifference has given rise to the development of essay writing services. Finally, in the desert of teachers’ insensitivity, students can rest in the oasis of expert writing help. Online writers are skillful and understanding at the same time. If you are lucky enough to find a good essay writing service, not a mirage, your life will become easier.

This list of top 20 best essay writing services is here to help you choose the best writing companies without trial and error method. Welcome to the oasis of writing help – understanding and helpful certified writers are waiting for your order right now.

1. 3HoursEssay.com

This writing service is the first one in our list of the best writing companies. The company offers not only academic writing help, but also editing and proofreading services. Professional writers promise on-time delivery and premium quality of research materials. Students can use money back guarantee if they are occasionally unsatisfied with the quality of their projects. Clients can urgently request a draft of their paper in any moment to track the writing process.

Pricing : Pricing depends upon deadline and study level and ranges from $10 per page (undergraduate level, 14 days) to $197 per page ( admission help , 3 hours).

Customer Reviews :

“Whenever I want to submit a paper, I use this company as they never disappoint me. They have writers who have knowledge for every field and they always deliver the best in the stipulated time. Scoring on papers was never so easy.” – Amelie

“I needed someone to write my essay for me and I was skeptical about who I should go with. A friend of mine recommended 3HoursEssay, so I thought why not. The website is easy to use and they have very affordable prices. My essay was ready in three hours! I would recommend this site to anyone who needs help with their writing.” – Calum

2. EssayOneDay.com

As it is clear from its name, this website specializes in urgent projects. Importantly, doing their best to provide papers ASAP, they never sacrifice quality of materials. One of the most important advantages of this service is its affordability. While the prices start at $7.50 per page (it is pretty close to the industry minimum), most writers employed by this company are native English speakers. The service offers unlimited free revisions and 24/7 instant support. The company can help with a wide range of academic tasks, including book reviews, proposals, dissertations etc. Numerous special offers and discounts make this company even more attractive.

Pricing : Pricing is a huge advantage of this website. Students can get a high school essay at only $7.5 per page, while a PhD level of writing with a 24 hour deadline costs $83 per page.

“I love most of my college writing assignments, except for book reviews. It takes so much time – first you read, then you summarize and write the reviews. I can’t find any creativity in these, so I use EssayOneDay to do my boring assignments like book reviews. They always do it perfectly!” – Alex S.

“There is no magic bullet for finishing a coursework, especially when it comes about History… Thinking back to my own experience as a burned-out wanting to be a graduate student, I might have balked at the idea of spending additional time on a course to help me get “unstuck”. However, Essayoneday’s systematic approach has made my dream come true. I was sent the work in parts and was able to communicate with my writer which was great. Whilst my work was in progress I was able to maintain the physical and mental health (was struggling before to be honest), I also began my job search, and much more. I have no idea what I would have done without the help of Essayoneday. Thank god they exist.” – Vanessa Racksoufberg

3. EssayMarket.net

This service fulfills a dream of all students – to pay for a writing service only when you are satisfied. Unlike most other websites offering repaid writing services, this company allows paying after a paper is completed. In this way, you can be certain that the quality of your paper is perfect. Along with superior quality and students’ absolute comfort, this company guarantees confidentiality and expert writers. Importantly, there would be no hidden charges on any stage of the writing process.

Pricing : The starting price for writing one page is $11.00. However, the cost can change based on the writer’s rates, which depend on their experience and the details of your project.

“I researched a lot before finally chosing EssayMarket. They were very helpful. My essay was written in a few hours and the content was really good. I might say it was the love from the first sight.” – Phil N.

“I’m studying at college and one day got an assignment paper. I didn’t have much time to write it by myself. Been busy at work, so I had to order an essay to save some time. Yep, it’s not fair, but I didn’t have choice. Anyway, I got my essay really quickly.” – Kate Holt

4. EssayPro.com

Delegating your MBA essay to amateurs can be dangerous. In that regard, students may feel safe with this online writing service, which employs only professionals with certificates and years of experience. The company can deliver various kinds of essays, and other assignment types, including reports, case studies etc. Students are free to choose their writers, looking through their profiles and ratings.

Pricing : The minimum price is $10.8 per page and it will rise, depending upon task complexity and order urgency.

“Very helpful service. I received an excellent essay! The writer was great and kept in touch so I was informed about the progress all the time.” – Samantha H.

“I have to admit I was hesitant at first, never ever have I ordered a paper before, always written everything myself. But now the circumstances have forced me to use online assistance, and I am just thanking God that I have settled for EssayPro.com. I love the product I got, and I received an A grade for it too, which cannot be a better proof of the hard work that this writer has done for me. My friend, however, used some other company, and the experience was horrible. He got his paper late, there were so many grammar mistakes as if it was written by some illiterate immigrant who barely speaks English. So yes, I paid a little more than he did, but I got so much for it that it’s totally worth the money! Thank you guys!” – Terrence W.

5. OvernightEssay.com

This service guarantees on-time delivery even if you want it to be done overnight. The company promises confidentiality, on-time delivery and original academic content. The tight deadlines are possible and even welcome with this service. Whenever a student feels that 3 a.m. is either too early or too late to start an essay, they can delegate their task to this service and go to bed. Their essays can be handled by expert writers overnight.

Pricing : Like with most other services, pricing depends upon deadline and academic level, starting from $11 per page.

“Great work with my college essay. Thank you so much. As I am unskilful in writing I will definitely use your custom writing services again.” – Maris

“I don’t know why you would want to spend your time and money anywhere else. OvernightEssay is perfect for high school and college students who need help doing research, editing, and proofreading assignments.” – Salma M.

6. The-Essays.com

This company emphasizes their affordable prices along with professional writing service. Experienced writers can meet any reasonable deadlines. Of course, completing a thesis within a couple of hours is impossible. However, doing a 2 page essay within a couple of hours is possible though it would be more expensive than a project ordered beforehand. Student-friendly customer service is another important advantage of this website.

Pricing : The prices start at $9.36 and depend upon academic level and urgency. At the same time, a PhD thesis, delivered within 6 hours, may cost $46.95 per page.

“I have given them my accounting, statistics and many research homework. They completed all in time with A+ quality. Their customer service is very active and always ready to help.” – Sandra Warner

“The-Essays is one of the best places to get essays. They are prompt, affordable, and you always get your work back with no errors. I will continue using their service!” – Jayden H.

7. CollegeEssay.org

This is an essay writing service that helps students write essays for their college applications. They have a team of professional writers who are highly qualified and efficient. Experienced writers know what they are doing, but avoid cliches or prewritten templates. All materials provided by this website are original and meeting students’ individual requirements. Focusing on clients’ needs, this company provides high quality service and plagiarism free papers.

Pricing : The prices are based upon assignment type (writing from scratch or editing), deadline and study level. Thus, a high school essay with a deadline of 8 days costs $15 per page, while urgent mba essay help costs $42.75 per page.

“I have used different online essay writing services a several time in year and often found many mistakes in texts. But when I found CollegeEssay.org, quality of my essays significantly increased. Great writers, support and property. I was really excited, when I get my paper!” – Rena M.

8. EssayShark.com

Despite the ‘shark’ part in the website name, the company has one of the friendliest support teams in the industry. One of the biggest advantages offered by Essay Shark is the opportunity to pay only after the paper is approved. Thus, students may feel safe, as they are eligible for free unlimited revisions. Security and confidentiality are guaranteed by this service. There are no hidden charges or any other unpleasant surprises. An urgent paper can be completed in one hour.

Pricing : The service has a bidding system. Prices depend upon deadline, assignment type and writer’s hour rate.

“I have always been a responsible student and all of the academic works were done by myself. But afterwards I decided to find a job at the same time with my studying. And as you can imagine, I hadn’t enough time for doing homework. I am a bit embarrassed, but I used the service called EssayShark from time to time. Usually I dont write such reviews, especially about this kind of services, but honestly, I would like to let you know about this company that helps you in critical moments of your life. I confirm that EssayShark provides high-quality and unique texts. They did it the way that Id have written. Their academic writers are true professionals and always online when I needed some revision of my paper.” – Elsa B.

9. UKEssays.com

The service has been in the niche since 2003, and it is one of the oldest companies in the industry. As it is obvious from the website name, it employs writers from the UK who can help English-speaking students from all over the world. It means that you will never have any language or grammar issues with their papers. On the other hand, it is possible to request a writer residing in Canada or Australia, for instance. Be sure to provide detailed instructions when placing your order.

Pricing : Students are welcome to place a $25 deposit to clarify the price of their particular orders later.

“Just had my Master’s thesis proofread – the researcher took time to ensure that my work was perfect. It has saved me a fortune in time. Thank you for your hardwork; without you I would not be passing with a distinction.” – Chris C.

10. BestEssays.com

This reputed service has been providing essay help since 1997, which makes it one of the industry dinosaurs. Currently, the company employs over 900 professional writers who can boast of numerous certificates and gratitude of thousands of students. Clients’ satisfaction and superior quality of writing are a good tradition with this service. Unlike other companies, this service employs researchers who collect resources, writers who write papers and editors who eliminate typos and occasional errors. In this way, you receive a paper of impeccable quality.

Pricing : The prices start at $21.99, but taking into account the quality of the received materials and number of professionals involved, it is totally worth it.

“They showed a great eye for every detail on my argumentative essay. The whole process went easy and the paper itself was of good quality in some 24hrs – looks professional. I`m going to use them again whenever I need that.” – Char C.

“This essay writing service is the best one I’ve used so far. The custom essays are not cheap to buy all the time but if you are short on time it is definitely worth it. The quality of the essay writing is top notch so I would imagine that a term paper, research paper or any other course work would be equally as good.” – James P.

11. EssayTigers.com

Cooperation with this service looks like an easy way to optimize your homework routine. The joke on the main page says that the service employs predators (‘Tigers’) who feed on academic assignments. Anyway, this energy is promising and it gives hope for proper quality of writing. The individual approach and customer satisfaction are prioritized by the service.

Pricing : The prices range between $10 per page and $197 per page, depending upon urgency and assignment type.

“EssayTigers do good essays as for the formatting style and information included. I paid $25 only for my bachelor’s work with 2 day deadline, saved a lot of time and remained satisfied with the result I saw. No revisions were needed.” – Emily B.

12. EssayLab.org

This company has everything students can dream of – professional writers, support team working around the clock and financial guarantees. The company can handle any assignment types in numerous, even rarest disciplines. If you cannot find your subject in the list, place a request and the company will try to find a writer for you. Full confidentiality and quick delivery are the top reasons why students choose this service.

Pricing : The prices on essay writing services start at $16.50, while editing prices start at $10.55.

“Essay writing is just marvelous and without doubts the best of all. The writer completely understood what I wanted to see in the essay. Thank you so much for the help. Please continue the same efforts in the future as well.” – Harry Louis

13. Samedayessay.org

In the previous 10 years that the company has been in the industry, the service has helped thousands of students. Confidentiality of users and originality of content are the two main principles of the website. Rush essays are among their best services. Along with custom writing, the company offers editing and proofreading services. Every paper passes several stages of professional quality control before a student receives it.

Pricing : The prices depend upon urgency, number of pages, academic level and assignment type and start at $17.10.

“Followed instructions carefully, to the point and displayed indepth analysis and critical reasoning with the necessary effort and skills to deserve the 5/5stars grade! Well done!” – Tonya E.

14. KingEssays.com

As it is clear from the website name, the service promises superior quality of academic content. The two main advantages offered by the company include urgent deadlines and low prices. The combination is every student’s dream that can come true with KingEssays. The site has sample papers, which allow you to evaluate the quality of the provided services.

Pricing : The prices range from $10 per page to $29 per page, depending upon academic level and assignment type.

“My English knowledge is not good, since I am an international student and I placed my order on KingEssays. The easy interface helped me to register and place the order without any problems. My writer made my assignment with simple words, because I asked him to. In the end, my order was made according to my directions.”- Mr. Gonzalez

15. EssayRoo.com

The company provides a wide range of writing services, including essays, reports, research papers, presentations and even math problems. Professional researchers and writers can cover any topic in-depth. High quality writing is a good tradition with this online service. Whenever a student places an order on this website, a client can expect prompt answer and expert writing help. Students are eligible for free unlimited amendments until they are fully satisfied with their papers.

Pricing : The prices are interrelated with a deadline and academic level and start at $17.09 per page.

“My friend suggested me to use this service, he told he bought a couple of essays and research papers there. In the beginning I was a little nervous using the essay writing service, but after completing the order I was surprised with the paper I got. The quality of writing is amazing! And just to say I received an A+ for this one. Thanks Essay Roo!” – Jenna Z.

16. BuyEssayClub.com

Affordable prices and qualified writing help are the core reasons explaining popularity of this service. Professionalism and individual approach to every order allow satisfying needs of the most demanding students. Instant Support is available 24/7. Money back guarantee demonstrates the company confidence in their product. Affordable prices and friendly team make cooperation with this online service unforgettable.

Pricing : Prices range from $10 per page to $29 per page, depending upon the requested academic level and order urgency.

“I had some very nice experience with Buyessayclub.com, to be honest. They managed to write exactly what I was looking for (My professor actually:)). I would recommend you to contact the support team as soon as you come to the website. I only used the chat option in the right bottom corner for my communication and never spoke to them, but it was enough for me. I couldn’t find any review of Buyessayclub online so just gambled and decided to try them out. Now I want to share my experience and say that it is a nice and legitimate service! Don’t be afraid to order your essays from them. (I also think they write almost everything, not only essays).” – Ross S.

17. CoolEssay.net

CoolEssay makes college students feel cooler, boosting their academic performance and saving their valuable time. This experienced company with professional writers can help students solve various homework problems. This essay writing service guarantees students’ satisfaction. Even if a client has some doubts, free revisions are unlimited and can help resolve all kinds of questions.

Pricing : A high school essay with a two-week deadline can cost $10 per page, while an urgent doctoral project can cost up to $49 per page.

“I have used many companies during the past 2 years, but I found the website called CoolEssay.net, and first of all I was impressed with prices! This company is pretty cheap comparing to other companies, so i decided to give a try. I absolutely loved the service, since they could even complete my IT project which quite complicated. I bet they can complete any paper or project of any complexity..definitely worth to try! I will recommend them to my friends.” – Sarah P.

18. CheapestEssay.com

The website name is self-explanatory, as the main emphasis is put on cheap price of the provided services. Fortunately, students do not need to compromise quality of writing services. The company offers 100% refund to students who are to certain extent unhappy with their papers. Original papers written from scratch follow every client’s individual instructions. The website revision policy allows polishing papers to make sure they are error free and close to perfection.

Pricing : The prices are unprecedentedly low (the cheapest ones in the industry) – $4 per page for a high school essay with a reasonable deadline.

“I hope you will have more free features with your orders because it is not enough, some services offer more. But, your quality is the highest and you several times saved my life, and I will soon graduate from college. Thank you for my future!” – Marilyn W.

19. NinjaEssays.com

Just like true ninjas, essay writers from this service remain invisible but do their best to help you. Security and confidentiality are guaranteed. Therefore, nobody will ever know that your essay is based on research materials from an expert ninja writer. This service is professional and affordable at the same time. Furthermore, a flexible discount system can make your cooperation with this company even more pleasant.

Pricing : Prices are calculated, taking into account assignment type and deadline. The minimum price is $19.99 per page.

“Being a good student myself I just couldn’t crack the essay one professor assigned me, so I decided to buy essay from NinjaEssays. They delivered great essay fast and cheap. Good job.” – Bobby V.

“Usually all school paperworks I do myself. But once it happened that I had to use the services of this company. I was really impressed with quality and style. They do their job professionally.” – Carmen Allison

20. EssayBox.org

This reliable and legitimate essay writing service employs only native English speaking writers from the different corners of the world. The company offers a money back guarantee and 24/7 online support. With this company, students can be certain that third parties are never involved. Their personal info will never be shared with anyone, and their essays will never be resold in the future.

Pricing : Pricing ranges from $16 per page to $65 per page, depending upon academic level and deadline.

“I have been using EssayBox off and on for a couple years now, and I have yet to be disappointed. All of their writers are very professional and produce outstanding work. What ever you are wanting or needing, EssayBox will be able to get it done.” – Sloan B.

“60 pages of Masters in Thesis was excellent. Writer followed directives carefully and was very courteous, knowledgeable and reliable!” – Kyle Walden

Professional writing services do not work miracles, but they can make a whole world of difference for your academic career and even private life. To maximize effects of expert writing help, try to choose an effective and reputable writing company. In that regard, this list of top 20 legit essay writing services is enough for you to make an informed choice.

Related articles

• The 20 Best Assignment Writing Services
• The 20 Best Research Paper Writing Services
• The 20 Best Custom Writing Services
• The 20 Best Proofreading and Editing Services
• The 20 Best Dissertation Writing Services

A professional freelance web copywriter with several years’ experience in web marketing and SEO copywriting.

Other posts by Christina Walker

Comments (4)

Okay, that was a good review of those services. However, you forgot something very important, I’m afraid. This site https://essayoneday.com/ possesses a lot of value to many students seeking professional academic writing help. Make sure to include it to your list as well.

Thanks for your offer, we have researched this site and added it to list of top 20 essay writing services. It is a really good service.

If you are searching for best essay writing services so do not forget to check Essay Pro services which is the best leading academic assistance in USA.

If you’re searching for the best college essay writing service, you might want to consider the options provided by 12HoursEssay. Their reputation for delivering quality essays is well-established, making them a solid choice for students looking for reliable help. The best college essay writing service by 12HoursEssay.com consistently meets high standards, ensuring your essay stands out.

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• 14 Best College Essay Services for 2024 (40 Services Reviewed)

Research conducted by Emily Kierkegaard , PhD, and expert-reviewed by Kevin Wong, PrepMaven Co-founder

Not sure which college application essay coaching and editing service is the best? We compared the top 40 services, created in-depth reviews for 14 of them, and narrowed it down to the 4 best that will help guide you through the process of writing amazing college application essays.

What is the Best College Essay Service?

• PrepMaven  – best college application essay service overall
• College Essay Mentor  – best for individual consultants
• The College Essay Guy  – best for unlimited essay assistance
• College Vine  – best of the big platforms

The best of the rest:

Individual essay consultants:

• College Essay Editor  – small editing team
• Allison Karpf  – former English teacher helping students
• Your College Vision  – former journalist with more affordable rates
• The College Guru  – good on paper but unresponsive
• Sofia Zapiola – budget-friendly application assistance

Mid-size teams:

• Lotus Learning  – focus on health sciences

Large platforms:

• Study Point  – larger platform with mystery editors
• Ivy Select  – larger platform with mystery editors
• Empowerly  – larger platform with mystery editors
• BeMo  – expensive and aggressive with wrong expertise

Schedule a college essay consultation

Best College Application Essay Services in 2024

#1 – prepmaven.

Our Verdict — Best College Essay Assistance Overall Price: $79–349/hour (minimum $510 package) PrepMaven’s one-on-one college essay assistance is the best option overall. Founded by brothers and Princeton grads Greg and Kevin, almost all of PrepMaven’s essay coaches have Ivy-League experience, primarily from Princeton and Harvard. All essay coaches also undergo a thorough training program in PrepMaven’s methods, developed by professional writers with deep understanding of the college admissions process, for helping students to discover the most compelling stories for their essays. Unlike other services, PrepMaven offers college essay assistance at several different price points. At the most accessible rate, students can work with current Ivy-League undergraduates who specialize in writing and have recently aced the college application process. At higher rates, students can work with coaches who are both Ivy-League grads and professional writers (screenwriters, journalists, editors) with many years of experience helping students to craft compelling essays. Interested students can even work directly with founders Greg and Kevin, who have over 15 years of experience helping students through the entire essay-writing process. PrepMaven’s services combine many of the best features of other good options into one, and it’s hard to beat their experience.

Sign up for PrepMaven’s college essay help now

Any student wanting college essay help, at any point in the process, with a range of budgets.

At a glance:

• Cost: $79–349/hour (minimum $510 package)
• Writing coach qualifications: Princeton graduates and professional writers (or current Princeton students); all trained

What we like:

• Ivy League experience —most of their writing coaches are Princeton grads or current students, with some from Harvard and other Ivies
• Different pricing options to meet different families’ circumstances
• More flexible and greater capacity to take on new students compared to individual consultants

Sign up for PrepMaven’s college essay help

#2 – College Essay Mentor

Our Verdict — Best of the Individual Consultants Price: unknown but high Some college essay consulting services consist of just one expert. Of these individual essay consultants, Chris Hunt at College Essay Mentor is our favorite. He combines writing experience as a journalist for the Economist and the Wall Street Journal with personal experience as a graduate of Dartmouth. However, he only works with a small number of students each year, and students need to apply to work with him — he only accepts students with top grades and test scores who are already strong applicants for top schools. Chris offers the option for one-time written feedback, but this only gives big-picture generalizations. (And written-only feedback is always limited.) In order for help with the essay process, students need to purchase a complete essay package.

Students with top grades and test scores who want to work with a one-person business, who have a sizable budget, and who are ready to get started early.

• Cost: $210 for a one-time written essay feedback (big picture only), then $110 per draft feedback; pricing for essay process packages unknown
• Essay coach qualifications: professional journalist, Dartmouth grad
• Professional writing experience as a journalist
• Extensive experience working with college applicants
• Partners with Debra Felix, former Director of Admissions at Columbia, for full application review

What we don’t like:

• One-on-one work is limited to very high-achieving students, who need to apply with a resume : “I limit my one-on-one work to students who I believe will be strong applicants to elite universities. As a rule, this means having high grades in challenging classes, a test score of ACT 34+ or SAT 1500+, and substantial activities outside of the classroom.”
• Works with a limited number of students (60 per year), so often no availability
• All-or-nothing packages don’t allow students to work with Chris for just a few hours or for part of the essay-writing process
• Secretive about pricing (he’ll only give pricing details once he’s reviewed the student’s resume and agreed to work with them), but we expect the minimum cost of working one-on-one to be several thousand dollars

#3 – The College Essay Guy

Our Verdict — Best for Unlimited Essay Assistance Price: $4900 for application to 3 schools, $8050 for application for 10 schools We’re fans of Ethan Sawyer, the original “college essay guy”— his book, College Essay Essentials , is a great guide to the essay-writing process. Ethan doesn’t work directly with many students these days, but he now has a team of consultants who help students follow his principles. Their assistance is really all-or-nothing — they prefer to work with students from the very beginning of the process, and their minimum package is $4900, which includes assistance with essays for three schools. If students are applying to ten schools (a more realistic number for students aiming at competitive colleges), the fee is a hefty $7400.

Students who want unlimited help through the entire process, who have a sizable budget.

• Cost: $4900 (supplemental essays for 3 schools) – $7400 (supplemental essays for 10 schools)
• Essay coach qualifications: mix of Ivy grads and former teachers, some writers/screenwriters; all trained
• Great free resources about the essay-writing process
• Their Matchlighters Scholars Program gives back to the community by providing admissions consulting for select qualifying students
• All-or-nothing packages have a high minimum fee and don’t work for students who want just a few hours of feedback or help with just part of the process

#4 – College Vine

Our Verdict — Best of the Big Platforms Price: $140–180/hour There are plenty of large platforms with large stables of part-time tutors and coaches available to work with students. Of these big platforms, we think CollegeVine has the best offerings. Compared to other large companies, CollegeVine provides more information about their tutors, and students can pick individual tutors to work with from their roster. However, this model is really just a way of finding individual tutors to hire. Tutors don’t receive any training and don’t share a common approach, so it’s a mixed bag. Their rates are fairly high for part-time tutors who don’t have specific expertise and training in college essay consulting. Because CollegeVine is really just a marketplace where individual tutors can find students, the quality and price will vary widely.

Students who want to work with a big company, or those who want a quick session or two to go over their essays.

• Cost: Typically $140–180/hour
• Essay coach qualifications: no specific qualifications, but a few are Ivy League graduates
• Possible to select individual editors to work with from their roster.
• Easy to schedule ad-hoc sessions with a tutor through the website.
• No training or common approach for tutors
• Editors are part-time , with no option to work with full-time college admissions experts
• Relatively expensive for this level of expertise

College Essay Editing Alternatives (that Didn’t Make the Cut)

Individual essay consultants, #5 – college essay editor.

Our Verdict — Small Editing Team Price: Roughly $5,950 for applications to 10 schools College Essay Editor comprises two graduates of Stanford. This means that they have personal experience applying to highly competitive schools. One member of the team also has a college counseling certification, which is a good background for college essays. Based on their website, they appear to focus on the editing and proofreading phase of the essay-writing process. This can be helpful to students, but we recommend working with a service who can help students to uncover their values and brainstorm really great material that allows them to really shine—and if this doesn’t happen at the beginning of the process, it’s much harder to add in later on.

• Cost: $195/1000 words for proofreading, $495/1000 words for 3 rounds of editing and proofreading, or $595/1000 words for unlimited rounds of editing and proofreading; for the purposes of comparison, complete applications to 10 competitive colleges would be around 9,650 words, or $5950.
• Writing coach qualifications: Stanford graduates, one of whom has college counseling certification
• Editors are graduates of Stanford University , and one is a member of NACAC, the national association of college counselors
• They focus on editing and proofreading only , not on the crucial earlier steps of brainstorming and strategy
• Small team with very limited availability
• All asynchronous editing so you won’t be able to cultivate a real relationship with your essay coach.

#6 – Allison Karpf

Our Verdict — Former English Teacher Helping Students Price: $385/hour or $3850 package for application to one school Another option for students looking to hire an individual consultant is Allison Karpf. Allison is a former high school English teacher and a graduate of UC Berkeley who also holds a Masters of Education from Stanford. Her rates are definitely on the higher side, especially for someone who doesn’t have a professional writing background, but she does have extensive experience working with students to craft their essays.

• Cost:  $385/hour or $3850 unlimited counseling (includes supplemental essays for one college)
• Essay coach qualifications: former high school English teacher; Berkeley grad, Stanford MEd
• Lots of experience helping students improve their college essays
• Very quick to respond to client requests
• No professional writing experience or Ivy-Plus undergraduate experience
• High rates relative to other options
• Limited availability , since she works alone

#7 – Your College Vision

Our Verdict: Former Journalist with More Affordable Rates Price: $180/hour, or packages starting from $3500 Laurie Lande is another individual consultant who helps students through the essay-writing process. She comes recommended by other consultants like Chris from College Essay Mentor . Laurie did not herself attend a highly competitive school, so she doesn’t have that personal experience of going through the selective admissions process, but she does have a professional writing background as a journalist for the Wall Street Journal in Hong Kong.

• Cost: $180/hour or packages starting at $3500
• Essay coach qualifications: journalism background
• Affordable pricing , relative to other options
• Not a graduate of a highly selective school

#8 – The College Guru

Our Verdict — Good on Paper but Unresponsive Price: unknown Yet another individual essay consultant is Geanine Thompson from The College Guru. Geanine attended Dartmouth as an undergraduate and also holds an MBA from Duke. She also has a professional writing background as an assistant book editor at Berkley Publishing Group. Like Greg and Kevin at PrepMaven , she combines experience in the business world and at Wall Street firms with experience in education.

• Cost: unknown
• Essay coach qualifications: former assistant book editor; Dartmouth grad, Duke MBA
• Dartmouth graduate and former book editor
• Not responsive to emails and client requests

#9 – Sofia Zapiola

Our Verdict — A budget-friendly, personal essay editor. Price: $80/hour Yet another individual essay consultant is Sofia Zapiola, who offers a mix of essay editing and college application counseling services.

• Cost: $80/hour
• Essay coach qualifications: M.A. from Harvard; certificate in College Counseling from UC San Diego.
• Individual approach, budget-friendly rates, commitment to working within families’ budgets.
• Very few testimonials, so it’s difficult to evaluate how effective she is.

Mid-size Teams

#10 – lotus learning.

Our Verdict — Expensive for Tutor Background Price: $165/hour Founded by a Harvard grad who is a former teacher and veteran of the publishing industry, Lotus learning offers college essay help in the Boston area. They have a small team of tutors, mostly recent grads from good but not Ivy-Plus colleges, and mostly with focus in health sciences.

• Cost: $165/hour (minimum 8 hours)
• Essay coach qualifications: tutors are recent grads, but not Ivy-Plus schools
• Reasonable pricing with flexible packages
• Essay editors aren’t graduates of Ivy-Plus schools and don’t have professional writing experience

Large platforms

#11 – study point.

Our Verdict — Larger Platform with Mystery Editors Price: Rates Between $60 and $120/hr Study Point is a larger essay editing service. They claim to have several decades of experience helping students to craft their college essays, but they do not give information about who their essay coaches are and what qualifications they might have.

• Cost: $60-120/hr, depending on tutor experience
• Essay coach qualifications: unknown
• Larger company with several decades of experience
• Unclear who the essay coaches are
• Lack of statistics about their results

#12 – Ivy Select

Our Verdict — Larger Platform with Mystery Editors Price: unknown Ivy Select makes a lot of big promises on their website about having the best college essay consultants in the business, but they offer no information on who these consultants are, or on their backgrounds. They also brag that each consultant “only” works 20 students in one application cycle, but in our experience, that’s quite high.

• Long list of impressive (but anonymous) testimonials
• Only work with “top students”
• No information on their website about who the editors are
• Each essay coach works with up to 20 students at one time

#13 – Empowerly

Our Verdict — Larger Platform with Mystery Editors Price: High, from $6000/year Empowerly has over 60 college counselors who each work with an average of 5 students per year, in order to have more time to devote to each student. Their counselors come from “different educational backgrounds,” and while they do not provide specific biographical details we can assume that most of their essay coaches did not attend highly selective schools.

• Cost: typically from $6000/year
• Essay coach qualifications: college counselors
• Counselors work with just a few students per year
• You have to upgrade to “Empowerly Elite” to guarantee a counselor with a more selective educational background
• No professional writing experience

#14 – Prepory

Our Verdict — Expensive but with Good Expertise Price: $325/hr Prepory is a college application and career counseling service that offers a comprehensive program for college applications at any stage of the process (including as early as 9th grade). They make a lot of impressive claims about the expertise of their coaches, but it’s quite difficult to actual find much information about their essay coach qualifications.

• Cost: $325/hr
• They have a comprehensive college application program that begins as early as 9th grade.
• Limited information about essay coaches
• High prices

Top 40 College Essay Services Considered

• College Essay Editor
• The College Essay Guy
• College Vine
• College Essay Mentor
• Study Point
• Allison Karpf
• The College Guru
• Lotus Learning
• Summit Prep
• Sofia Zapiola
• Ivy Global / New Summits
• College Essay Solutions
• Your College Vision
• Essay Edge*
• ServicEscape*
• PapersForge*
• QuickWriter*
• JustEditMyEssay*
• JustDoMyEsssay*
• ExpertWriting*
• SpeedyPaper*
• GradeMiners*

* A number of services will edit essays directly for students, or even write portions of the essay for students. We do not condone this. Admissions officers can tell when essays have been written or edited by adults and this can have severe consequences. We have excluded these services from our reviews.

Why are college application essays important?

Can a great college essay alone get you into Harvard?

No. You’ll need your grades, test scores, and extracurricular activities (as well as letters of recommendation and interview) to be outstanding.

But can a mediocre essay be the reason you didn’t get into Harvard?

Yes. There are thousands of amazingly-qualified students who graduate from high school each year. Great grades and test scores might be a prerequisite for admission to a competitive college, but they alone aren’t enough.

College essays are a key component of a student’s application . When done well, they transform a collection of numbers—GPA, class rank, SAT or ACT scores , number of AP classes taken, AP scores—into a glimpse of a real, individual person.

Essays do many things. Good college essays can highlight extracurricular achievements which otherwise would be overlooked in a sterile list. Strong essays often indicate the student’s future plans —how they plan to leave a mark on their college campus and on the world. They can shine a light on unique challenges that a student may have had to face on their journey.

College admissions officers only have a few minutes to spend on each application. College essays need to be original, interesting, and memorable . They need to grab the attention of the admissions officer and persuade them that this is the student out of hundreds or thousands of other similarly-qualified applicants who should be admitted.

College admissions essays are usually unlike any other kind of writing that students have done before. They’re a combination of memoir and marketing pitch, and they need to be creative but also highly strategic. That’s a tough assignment!

What’s more, students are left to figure this assignment out on their own. A thoughtful and generous high school English teacher may provide guidance or offer to read essays and give feedback, but these teachers are responsible for many students, and they’re (usually) not experts in admissions strategies.

There’s another reason college essays are especially important from 2024 on. After the recent Supreme Court decision, the application essay has become one of the main ways that you can communicate how your racial identity has affected your life.

In fact, the New York Times published an article about how important it can be for students to discuss race in their college application essays!

Why work with a college essay service?

You may want to consider a college essay service if:

• You have no idea where to start in order to write your college application essays
• You feel overwhelmed by all of the different ideas you have and don’t know what would be the most strategic for college admissions—and what topics to definitely avoid for college essays
• You don’t know how to craft a compelling stor y
• You’re not sure how to edit and refine what you’ve written
• You have a hard time keeping yourself on track and want an external structure to hold you accountable
• You’re tired of conflict between students and parents about college essays
• You’re aiming at a competitive college (not just the Ivy League!) and know that you need your essays to be outstanding
• Your grades, test scores, and extracurriculars aren’t exceptional, so you need your essay to make your essay stand out from the pack
• You’re unfamiliar with the US college admissions process (a common situation for international students and first-generation families in the US)

Any of these are strong reasons to consider working with a college essay service!

It’s also worth remembering that a lot of the free advice on college’s website isn’t always very clear. For example, NYU’s admissions Senior Assistant Director of Admissions says that “There is no right or wrong way to answer as long as your answer is genuine to you.”

While that’s true, that doesn’t offer much guidance on how to actually write the essay!

Though many college applicants might not mention it, more and more students are using professional college application consultants. Research at the University of Chicago has shown that over a quarter of high-achieving seniors employed private specialists to help with the college application process.

In fact, according to NPR , some companies are even offering college admissions counseling to their top employees as an incentive–that’s just how important professional help can be in the current landscape of college admissions.

It’s important to note that a good college essay service will not write your college application essays for you . This is unethical and illegal. That’s not just coming from us: take it from a school like Princeton, whose website insists on the importance of writing your own application essays.

A good college essay service will guide you through each step of the process , teaching you how to self-reflect and write well while sharing insider insight about admissions strategy .

What makes a good college essay service?

We strongly believe that students need to write their own college essays , and we do not condone plagiarism or “buying” a college essay.

However, writing college application essays requires a completely new set of skills that is rarely taught in high school!

Writing a personal essay is much more creative than simply writing a good paper for English class. It requires a compelling narrative and a great deal of writing craft . A good essay service will teach how to do this kind of writing.

There are many college essay services that will provide only written feedback to students, usually in the form of comments added to an essay draft. (Remember, it’s important that students write their own essays, so avoid any college essay service that will make edits directly to an essay document .)

Written comments can be an effective component of good essay coaching. However, writing college essays is a deeply personal process , and it’s incredibly difficult to guide a student through the process of self-reflection, brainstorming, and planning purely through written comments.

In addition, a great college essay coach will teach students how to do this entire process of brainstorming, planning, outlining, writing, and revising . It’s difficult to learn why an essay coach is advising certain changes through written comments alone.

For these reasons, look for a college essay service with live, one-on-one services , not just written feedback. These days, it’s easy to work with the best college essay consultants in the country over Zoom!

Students need to reflect on their goals, their passions, and what drives them to be the person they are. This requires a great deal of self-awareness and self-analysis . An experienced college essay coach can help draw these ideas out of students through tested introspection techniques and brainstorming exercises .

On top of all of that, students need to be cognizant of which traits and accomplishments will be most appealing to colleges , and which stories will be cliche and boring. Personal statements and supplementary essays need to fit together to tell a cohesive story, and they need to work together with the rest of the student’s application (extracurriculars, grades, and other accomplishments).

In other words, there’s a great deal of strategy here! An experienced college essay service can help students decide how to present themselves in the best possible light .

Furthermore, most students don’t know how to edit effectively . A really top-notch college essay service will also teach students how to edit their own writing —how to reorder sections for better flow, cut unnecessary words to meet a word count, eliminate passive verbs, and make their writing vivid and exciting. Our students are routinely amazed by how transformative this step can be, and how much they learn by doing it together with the essay coach.

Finally, the best college essay services can also help students to make a writing plan and keep them on track , so that parents don’t have to be involved directly.

Ready to work on your college essays? Schedule a free 15- to 30-minute consultation with Jessica or one of our founders.

Best overall: PrepMaven’s tutors offer the highest quality at the best price. With three tiers of tutors, they make it easy to work with an Ivy League undergraduate for as little as $79/hr. Or, families can work with education professionals or Ivy League graduates from $150/hr. PrepMaven’s track record means that you can be sure every hour is being spent productively, so that you can expect real results from the work.

Best for individual consultants: College Essay Mentor. In theory, College Essay Mentor would offer an unparalleled level of individual attention and guidance: his website boasts of some very impressive results. You might find it hard to actually schedule with him, however, since he’s very selective about his clients.

Best for unlimited essay assistance: The College Essay Guy might not offer that personalized attention you get from live, face to face essay coaching, but they do offer unlimited essay editing for up to 10 schools (if you’re comfortable paying a hefty package price).

Best of the big platforms: College Vine will always be a bit of a gamble. Because it’s a tutor marketplace, your results (and costs) will really depend on how lucky you get with your consultant. From our research, however, many of their essay coaches look to have solid track records.

Ready to work on college essays with one of our experienced writing coaches? Schedule a free test prep consultation with Jessica (Director of Tutoring) or one of our founders to see what would be the best fit for your family.

It’s always best to start early and not wait until the last minute to write your college essays! Remember that essays can be used to earn scholarships as well as college admission, so a few months of writing now can pay off with up to $300,000 in tuition saved later. 

We work with students at all stages of the writing process, from I-have-no-idea-what-to-write to final edits. To start working with an Ivy-League writing coach today, set up a quick free consultation with our team.

Schedule a free college essay consultation

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Emily graduated  summa cum laude  from Princeton University and holds an MA from the University of Notre Dame. She was a National Merit Scholar and has won numerous academic prizes and fellowships. A veteran of the publishing industry, she has helped professors at Harvard, Yale, and Princeton revise their books and articles. Over the last decade, Emily has successfully mentored hundreds of students in all aspects of the college admissions process, including the SAT, ACT, and college application essay. 

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