11 Best Copy Editing Services In 2025: Rating & Pricing
- Melchior Antoine
- May 10
- 9 min read
Updated: Sep 15
Copy editing services have the power to decide whether or not your copy can achieve its intended goal. Now, this goal varies depending on who you are and what you do. If you are a student or academic, you want to submit work that you can take pride in. If you are a website owner, you want to create copy that sells.
The right copy editing (or copyediting) services can make things easier and smoother for you in so many ways. This is true for students and academics as much as it is true for content marketers. A professional content editor can help shore up your content by making sure that grammar, punctuation, spelling, and most importantly tone of voice or ToV, are correct and appropriate.Â
However, a quick glance online will reveal that there are dozens of professional sites to choose from when it comes to copy editing services. So, how do you go about choosing the best copy editing service in terms of quality and rates? In this article, I look at the benefits of using various professional proofreading websites, their disadvantages, and an alternative.Â
More importantly, I examine over twenty different copy editing companies and choose the best top eleven to work with in terms of quality of services and copy editing rates. In addition, I closely examine the six best editing companies in depth for your benefit.Â
Our copy editing services begin as low as $0.03 per word. Get in touch for help with editing your content |
What is copy editing?
Copy editing is a form of review and correction that focuses on reviewing and correcting already written content. This is different from developmental editing, which works with content that is not completed.Â
In the case of developmental editing, this would mean working on content briefs and very rough first drafts. Copy editing services focus on reviewing, finding, and correcting errors in documents and content that have already been written.Â
These companies provide editing and proofreading for a range of content or documents. They include both academic documents and business-related documents. Business-related documents could include white papers, technical manuals, and other such documents.Â
This is closer to academic documents in terms of similarity. However, a second category includes copy for business blogging. This means long-form articles for blogs and short-form copy.Â
The list below includes the type of documents and content that would benefit from the copyediting services included in this review:
White papers
Scientific articles or journal manuscripts
Blog articles
Copy for landing and service pages
Many of these companies focus on both academic and content editing, that is, editing blogs that can rank on Google and other business-related or professional writing. To learn more about content editing, check out this article: SEO Editing: A Comprehensive Guide.
It must be said that although many of these companies are widely different from each other. However, they do share some common characteristics. Let's look at a few of them:
1. Affordable pricing. Because of the high competition among the different proofreading companies, copy editing rates are relatively affordable. With standard turnaround times of three to seven days, you may end up paying only 30 USD per 1000 words.
Well, this may not be exactly dirt cheap, especially for some. However, based on the value being provided, it is a reasonable price. Moreover, for content marketers, most of the companies providing these editing services offer prices that are much less expensive than copyediting companies specialized for SEO.Â
2. Expert proofreaders and editors. Editing companies employ editors that are either in-house or freelance. These freelancers are located across the world. To qualify to work for these companies, these editors have to go through qualifying tests that are tougher than nails. I should know. I have been through a couple of them. After this, they undergo rigorous training. This process ensures that they are up to the task.Â
3. Speedy and convenient services. Copyediting firms offer turnaround times that range between four hours and one week. They are all based online, and they offer opportunities for you to upload your documents or content and pay for their professional assistance around the clock.
4. Educational support. The ideal editing company does not just edit or proofread your document. They also offer a richness of resources, such as blogs and YouTube videos to help explain the questions you have relating to academic tasks and writing if you are an academic or student. If you are a content marketer or manager, these blogs can give useful advice on how to produce content that ranks and achieves your business goals.
Top 11 sites
Table 2 provides a list of the top 10 editing companies. Here is the list in descending order:
Cambridge Proofreading
Paper True
Proofreading Pal
Editor World
Proofed
Editage
Enago
Cambridge copyediting was No. 2 in our last assessment. Now, it’s No. 1.Â
That was because even minor differences in customer satisfaction resulted in big differences in customer satisfaction scores.Â
The ideal pricing was the median rate of $30/1000 words. However, pricing below this benchmark was not necessarily given a higher score. I saw prices being too low as underappreciating the value offered by a professional editor.Â
Rank | Copy editing Service | Standard Price in USD Per 1000 Words | Customer Rating | Country |
1 | EminentEdit | $30 | 4.9 | Taiwan |
2 | Cambridge Proofreading | $30 | 4.9 | USA |
3 | Paper True | $32 | 4.8 | India |
4 | Proofreading Pal | $28 | 4.5 | USA |
5 | Scribendi | $37 | 4.6 | Canada |
6 | Scribbr | $42 | 4.4 | Netherlands |
7 | Editor World | $28 | 4.5 | USAÂ |
8 | Proofed | $45 | 4.7 | South Africa |
9 | Wordvice | $48 | 4.6 | UK |
10 | Editage | $58 | 4.8 | USA |
11 | Enago | $58 | 4.2 | USA |
Comparing the best 6 companies in terms of copy editing rates
It must be said that selecting the top copy editing service is a rather subjective process. In short, it relies heavily on personal opinions and impressions. However, to make the process as fair as possible, I used the following four criteria: 1. Copy editing rates, 2. Customer satisfaction, 3. Speed of service, and 4. Process.
Now, we’ll examine the top six editing sites and compare their performance with each other. They are as follows:Â
EminentEdit
Cambridge Proofreading
Paper True
ProofreadingPal
ScribendiÂ
Scribbr  Â
No. 1. EminentEdit
EminentEdit is a new editing website that provides a variety of human-based editing. We cover academics and businesses. The customer satisfaction rating for the company is from Google. And it is high at a whopping 4.9 out of 5 stars.
I am Melchior Antoine (but you can call me Mel ). I am the lead editor at EminentEdit. Our team includes me and a small coalition of highly qualified and professional editors. I have extensive experience as a proofreader and editor. By this, I mean I have edited about seven million words in all (and counting).Â
The average price for proofreading at EminentEdit is about $30 per 1000 words. The competition when it comes to editing is tough and numerous. However, here at EminentEdit, we have one big advantage. We provide a touch of intimacy. Most other editing companies are scaled to such an extent that there is no personal communication with the student and editor. At EminetEdit, we ensure that you are in direct communication with the person handling your document or order.
No. 2. Cambridge Proofreading
Cambridge Proofreading earned the second top spot because of its high score for customer satisfaction. It’s a proofreading company that was founded in the UK, but it is now based in the US. Its score on Trustpilot is as high as 4.9 out of 5 stars. So, you have a company that provides quality service. It should also be pointed out that at a price of only $30/1000 words, these clients may be getting a good deal for their money.
No. 3. Paper True
Paper True placed second for best professional editing assistance because of its price and customer satisfaction performance. The headquarters of the company seems to be based in India, with branches in the US. Their average price is $27/1000 words. This is lower than the $30 median. In short, they're just more affordable compared to the competition.
Their customer rating on Trust Pilot is also notable at 4.8 out of 5 stars. This suggests that their clients are getting value for their money at a relatively cheaper price.
No. 4. ProofreadingPalÂ
ProofreadinPal is a service based in the USA. The company charges lower than the median price of $28 per 1000 words for their service. Their fastest turnaround time is two hours, and their customer satisfaction is 4.5. The company like most other online proofreading companies, rely on a combination of freelance and in-house editors to cater to the editing needs of their clients. These editors have to go through rigorous editing tests and training befre qualifying to work for the company.
No. 5. Scribendi
Scribendi — a company based in Canada — saw major improvement from my last assessment. Before they placed No. 7. Now, they're No. 4. Scribendi is unique in its process of relying on only one editor as opposed to a peer editing system. Their editors are well-trained to handle and take complete responsibility for editing the client’s content.
No. 6. Scribbr
Scribbr is located in the Netherlands, and the last time around they earned first place. This was due to the different criteria used. The previous article emphasized resource support for students. In this latest assessment, they are now in fourth place. Its standard pricing is around 42 USD per 1000 words for standard turnaround time. They provide a comprehensive copyediting and editing service.
This includes a peer editing system. In this system, your work is first reviewed by a freelance editor or proofreader, which is then followed by an in-house editor. More than that, their website remains very student-friendly and includes tons of information and resources that students will find quite useful.
1. Pricing and Speed. The different copyediting companies had different fastest turnaround times. These turnaround times ranged between twelve and three hours. Scribendi had the largest differences between standard pricing and the lowest turnaround time. For example, its pricing for 1000 words at a four-hour turnaround was more than 200% higher than the standard pricing for a one-week turnaround.Â
2. Customer satisfaction. Customer satisfaction was generally high for all five editing companies. None of the top five copyediting sites scored below 4.3. However, Cambridge copyediting scored the highest at 4.9, with a total of 3111 reviews on Trust Pilot — an impressive feat.Â
3. Process. All five of the best copyediting service providers include a process that allows you to check out pricing before providing information, such as signing up with your email and payment information.Â
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Company | 1 Week | 72 Hours | 48 Hours | 24 Hours | 10 Hours | 12 Hours | 3–4 Hours |
EminentEdit | $30 | $40 | NA | NA | NA | NA | NA |
Cambridge Proofreading | $22.90 | $23.90 | $25.90 | $28.90 | NA | $37.90 | NA |
Proofreading Pal | $20 | $23.00 | $24.70 | $32.30 | $36.10 | NA | $65.55 |
Paper True | $29 | $32.00 | $34.00 | $44.00 | NA | $58.00 | NA |
Scribendi | $37.21 | $116.53 | $69.71 | $46.92 | NA | $55.64 | $82.71 |
Scribbr | $42 | $51.00 | NA | $59 | NA | NA | NA |
EminentEdit | $30 | Negotiable | Negotiable | NA | NA | NA | NA |
The table above shows the price of copyediting in US dollars per/1000 words based on different turnaround times for 1. EminentEdit; 2. Cambridge Proofreading; 3. ProofreadingPal; 4. Paper True; 5. Scribendi; and 6. Scribbr. You can also compare our pricing with that of our competitors.
For quality control purposes, we typically offer standard turnaround times of one week or seven days at $30 per 1000 words. For 48 hours and lower turnaround times, we can negotiatiate suitable prices. However, at EminentEdit, our prices for a 72 hour turnaround time is 40 per 1000 words. Companies like ProofreadingPal and Scribendi offer the shortest turnaround times at three to four hours at $65.55 and $82.71, repsectively.
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How EminentEdit can help with editing your content
EminentEdit provides high-quality copy editing services at reasonable rates to ensure that your content or document achieves the intended effect. This means if you’re a student or academic, you can submit work that you can take pride in.
If you’re a content manager, your blog articles can be published in the right tone and style and are optimized for search engines. We're a small group of professional editors with extensive experience.Â
EminentEdit is unique in that we are equally proficient in editing academic documents as we are in reviewing and correcting content for your blog. This includes editing for tone and style to maximize the chances that readers who visit your site will convert.
We also edit for SEO to maximize the likelihood of these visitors landing on your site to even begin with. In short, we aim to make sure you end up with content that both Google and readers love. And it's all done at a reasonable price.
Take a look at our price chart to see how we match low cost with value. Our regular editing prices begin as low as $0.03/word:
Type of Editing | Description | Price Per Word ($) |
Regular Copyediting | Line-by-line editing to improve tone and sentence structure. | $0.03 |
AI Editing | Editing to improve tone and fact-checking. | $0.05 |
AI Editing Without Fact-Checking | Editing to improve tone and to humanify. | $0.02 |
Regular Proofreading | Editing to uncover and fix minor grammar, punctuation, and style errors. | $0.02 |
SEO Editing | Editing to improve search engine performance and keyword usage. | $0.1 |
Our copy editing services don't just start with copyediting the final product. It also includes help from the very beginning of your project. This includes editing and double-checking your project proposal, including thesis and essay proposals. Our editing services include:
Proofreading and editing for theses and dissertationsÂ
Reviewing and correcting long-form blog copy
Reviewing and correcting short-form copy
Correcting AI-generated content
Get in touch with one of our representatives:Â CONTACT US AT EMINENT EDIT.Â
Cite this EminentEdit article |
Antoine, M. (2025, February 06). 11 Best Copy Editing Services in 2025: Rating & Pricing. EminentEdit. https://www.eminentediting.com/post/best-copyediting-services |