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Are you looking for fast proofreading and editing services that can expertly edit your documents? I’ve got you covered.
I’m a professional proofreader who has researched over 70 leading online proofreading and editing companies to determine which ones offer the fastest turnaround times and have a proven record of quality service.
Fast Proofreading and Editing Services
Here are the fastest proofreading and editing companies. They’re organized from quickest to slowest turnaround time (TAT).
Proofreading and Editing Services from Fastest to Slowest TAT
| Company | Fastest TAT | Trustpilot Rating |
|---|---|---|
| ProofreadingPal* | 30–60 minutes (up to 800 words) | 4.5 (2,168)** |
| Edit My Paper | 90 minutes (up to 1,300 words) | 4.6 (20) |
| Editor World | 2 hours (up to 1,500 words) | 4.5 (14) |
| Proofed | 3 hours (up to 3,000 words) | 4.8 (2,091) |
| Scribendi | 4 hours (up to 1,500 words) | 4.5 (418) |
| Proofreading Services.com | 6 hours | — |
| Editage | 8 hours | 4.8 (193) |
| Wordvice | 9 hours | 4.8 (283) |
| Cambridge Proofreading | 12 hours | 4.9 (3,159) |
** 2,168 = total number of reviews
I’ve looked up price quotes so you can see what each company charges for a 1,000-word document depending on the TAT and level of service you need.
If you don’t know whether you need proofreading, editing, or both, please see the last question in this article’s FAQ: “What’s the difference between proofreading and editing?”
To be included in this article, a company had to meet the following criteria:
- offer a turnaround time (TAT) of 12 hours or less
- provide an instant price quote (no waiting for a quote via email)
- have at least a 4.3 rating from a minimum of 10 reviews on Trustpilot—a customer review website
A BRIEF INTRODUCTORY FAQ
I’ve anticipated a few questions you may have along the way. I want to give you the answers to potentially save you time.
Q: I can’t afford to send my document to any of these places! Is there another option?
A: You can use the discount code OMSAVEPROOF to get up to $15 off services provided by Edit My Paper (#2 in this article). They’re one of the fastest and most affordable services on this list. They specialize in academic editing and proofreading but also handle business documents.
If you need an even cheaper option, check out my post “Where to Find Affordable Proofreading Services.”
Q: I like company X, but their fastest TAT isn’t quick enough for me. Am I forever doomed?
A: Lol, no! 😊 Many companies can meet a custom deadline; simply contact them (by phone if possible). It’ll cost you big bucks, but it’s doable in many cases.
Q: I need proofreading/editing for an academic document. Are there proofreading and editing companies that specialize in academic texts?
A: Yes! Om Proofreading discusses the best academic proofreading services if that’s what you need.
WHAT KINDS OF CLIENTS DO THESE COMPANIES PROVIDE FOR?
Here are the types of customers these businesses serve:
- Academics
- Researchers
- Students
- ESL speakers
- Authors
- Businesses
- Job seekers
All of them (except two) work with almost any kind of document you can think of.
The exceptions are Edit My Paper and Cambridge Proofreading, which do not provide services for authors.
Proofreading Services That Return Texts in 1 Hour or Less
1) ProofreadingPal
ProofreadingPal provides a combined proofreading and copyediting service to a broad clientele.
Based Where: United States
Fastest TAT Available: 30–60 minutes (800 words or fewer)
Trustpilot Rating: 4.5 (excellent) out of 2,168 reviews
Free Sample Proofread: Yes. They’ll proofread up to 400 words.
Clients They Provide For:
- Academics
- Researchers
- Students
- ESL speakers
- Authors
- Businesses
- Job seekers
About the Editors: They are highly skilled proofreaders and copy editors, many of whom have a master’s degree or are pursuing a PhD.
Number of Editors Assigned to Document: 1 or 2 (you choose)
Services Offered: Combined Proofreading and Copyediting
Combined Proofreading and Copyediting: Checks for grammar, capitalization, punctuation, spelling, sentence structure, style, clarity, and consistency.
You’ll also receive helpful comments and recommendations.
Factors that Influence Price:
- Word count
- Turnaround time
- Number of proofreaders
Let’s see the prices for a 1,000-word document.
Price for Proofreading and Copyediting a 1,000-Word Document
| TAT | 1 Proofreader | 2 Proofreaders |
|---|---|---|
| 30–60 minutes | — | — |
| 90 minutes | $115.00 | $149.00 |
| 3 hours | $69.00 | $89.00 |
| 6 hours | $45.00 | $59.00 |
| 10 hours | $38.00 | $49.00 |
| 24 hours | $34.00 | $44.00 |
| 36 hours | $28.00 | $37.00 |
| 2 days | $26.00 | $34.00 |
| 3 days | $23.00 | $30.00 |
| 4–7 days | Flat rate (fluctuates) | Flat rate (fluctuates) |
| 5 days | $22.00 | $28.00 |
| 7 days | $21.00 | $27.00 |
Get an instant price quote from ProofreadingPal.
Proofreading Services That Return Texts in 2 Hours or Less
2) Edit My Paper
Edit My Paper offers a combined editing and proofreading service for academic documents (their specialty). They also work on business texts.
Based Where: Canada
Fastest TAT Available: 90 minutes (1,300 words or fewer)
Trustpilot Rating: 4.6 (excellent) out of 20 reviews
Free Sample Edit: No
Clients They Provide For:
- Academics
- Researchers
- Students
- ESL speakers
- Businesses
- Job seekers
About the Editors: They are native English speakers with considerable experience editing academic documents and have studied at top universities in North America or Europe.
Number of Editors Assigned to Document: 1
Services Offered: Combined Editing and Proofreading
Combined Editing and Proofreading: Checks for grammar, capitalization, punctuation, spelling, word choice, style, consistency, concision, clarity, and flow.
Editors also provide comments about your text’s structure and give you recommendations for improvement.
They provide the following services for an additional fee:
- Citation correction
- Formatting
- Extra editing/ESL service
- Extra comments
Factors that Influence Price:
- Word count
- Turnaround time
- Service level (editing tier)
Available Editing Tiers:
Edit My Paper offers four service levels (Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Pro), which they refer to as editing tiers.
The tier you choose determines the depth of editing and the amount of experience your editor has with projects like yours.
These tiers also determine your editor’s level of education. Education levels range from college students from a top 10 university with high GPAs to editors with a PhD.
Education Level according to Editing Tier
| Editing Tier | Level of Education |
|---|---|
| Bronze | Teachers or university students with a high GPA |
| Silver | Experienced teachers, university graduates, or master’s degree students |
| Gold | Experienced professional editors, doctors, and researchers (only university graduates) |
| Pro | One of their top 10 editors in each subject |
Here’s what it would cost for a 1,000-word document depending on the editing tier and TAT.
Price for Editing and Proofreading a 1,000-Word Document
| Bronze | Silver | Gold | Pro | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 90 minutes | $96.00 | $104.00 | $120.00 | – |
| 3 hours | $56.00 | $60.00 | $68.00 | $100.00 |
| 7 hours | $44.00 | $48.00 | $61.00 | $84.00 |
| 12 hours | $40.00 | $44.00 | $60.00 | $80.00 |
| 24 hours | $36.00 | $42.00 | $56.00 | $76.00 |
| 3 days | $34.00 | $38.00 | $44.00 | $72.00 |
Get an instant price quote from Edit My Paper. To get a discount, use the code OMSAVEPROOF in step 4 when checking out.
The discount you receive depends on your document’s word count. Here’s a breakdown of the savings:
| Word Count | Discount |
|---|---|
| 976 to 2,275 words | $7.50 off |
| 2,276 to 5,200 words | $10.00 off |
| 5,200+ words | $15.00 off |
3) Editor World
Editor World provides a combined editing and proofreading service to a wide range of clients.
Based Where: United States
Fastest TAT Available: 2 hours (1,500 words or fewer)
Trustpilot Rating: 4.5 (excellent) out of 14 reviews
Free Sample Edit: Some editors provide a free sample edit. You can check the individual editor profiles for this information.
Clients They Provide For:
- Academics
- Researchers
- Students
- ESL speakers
- Authors
- Businesses
- Job seekers
About the Editors: They are native English speakers who hold a bachelor’s degree or higher and have experience editing and proofreading.
Number of Editors Assigned to Document: 1
Services Offered: Combined Editing and Proofreading
Combined Editing and Proofreading: They check for grammar, capitalization, punctuation, spelling, and formatting (including references and citations when needed).
Editors also recommend ways to improve your document’s clarity, flow, and readability.
Factors that Influence Price:
- Word count
- Turnaround time
Price for Editing and Proofreading a 1,000-Word Document
| TAT | Price |
|---|---|
| 2 hours | $58.00 |
| 4 hours | $55.00 |
| 8 hours | $53.00 |
| 24 hours | $34.00 |
| 2 days | $32.00 |
| 3 days | $28.00 |
| 5 days | $26.00 |
| 7 days | — |
Get an instant price quote from Editor World.
Proofreading Services That Return Texts in 4 Hours or Less
4) Proofed
Proofed offers editing and proofreading services to a broad clientele.
Based Where: United States (with branches in the UK, US, and Australia)
Fastest TAT Available: 3 hours (3,000 words or fewer)
Trustpilot Rating: 4.8 (excellent) out of 2,091 reviews (This rating is for Proofed’s UK branch, which is the one linked above.)
Free Sample Edit: Yes, for their proofreading service (up to 500 words)
Clients They Provide For:
- Academics
- Researchers
- Students
- ESL speakers
- Authors
- Businesses
- Job seekers
About the Editors: They have received comprehensive training via Knowadays, Proofed’s sister company, to ensure they can edit and proofread to a high standard.
Number of Editors Assigned to Document: 1
Services Offered: Proofreading and Editing
Proofreading: They check for grammar, capitalization, punctuation, spelling, sentence structure, word choice, concision, consistency, clarity, and (where applicable) citations and references.
Editing: Everything included in their proofreading service, plus checking for overall structure, flow, tone, and style.
Editors also give feedback and advice on writing style or content.
Factors that Influence Price:
- Word count
- Turnaround time
- Level of service (proofreading or editing)
Price for Proofreading vs. Editing a 1,000-Word Document
| TAT | Proofreading Price | Editing Price |
|---|---|---|
| 3 hours (Rapid) | $90.00 | $135.00 |
| 12 hours (Express)* | $60.00 | $90.00 |
| 24 hours (Regular) | $30.00 | $45.00 |
* For a 12-hour delivery, the word limit is 8,000.
Get an instant price quote from Proofed.
5) Scribendi
Scribendi offers editing and proofreading services to a wide variety of clients.
Based Where: Founded in Canada and acquired by Edanz Inc. (a company headquartered in Japan) in 2023
Fastest TAT Available: 4 hours (1,500 words or fewer)
Trustpilot Rating: 4.5 (excellent) out of 418 reviews
Free Sample Edit: Yes (up to 1,000 words)
Clients They Provide For:
- Academics
- Researchers
- Students
- ESL speakers
- Authors
- Businesses
- Job seekers
About the Editors: Scribendi’s editors are highly educated; many have master’s degrees and PhDs and are published academics and authors.
Number of Editors Assigned to Document: 1
Services Offered: Proofreading and Editing
Proofreading: They check for grammar, capitalization, punctuation, spelling, formatting (including references and citations where needed), word choice, clarity, and consistency.
Editing: Everything included in their proofreading service, plus improvements to the document’s content, structure, language, and tone.
Editors also provide suggestions for improving your text’s flow and readability.
Factors that Influence Price:
- Word count
- Turnaround time
- Level of service (only for texts that fall under student services)
I was surprised that the price doesn’t change based on whether you specify proofreading or editing.
I asked someone on live chat about this, and they told me they offer a combined editing and proofreading service for all documents except those that fall under student services.
Price for Editing and Proofreading a 1,000-Word Document
| TAT | Price |
|---|---|
| 4 hours | $78.25 |
| 8 hours | $66.39 |
| 12 hours | $52.99 |
| 24 hours | $44.69 |
| 2 days | $41.02 |
| 3 days | $38.84 |
| 7 days | $37.21 |
Get an instant price quote from Scribendi. You may need to scroll down a bit to see the “Get an Instant Quote” widget pop up in the upper right-hand corner of your screen.
Proofreading Services That Return Texts in 9 Hours or Less
6) ProofreadingServices.com
ProofreadingServices.com provides a combined editing and proofreading service to a broad spectrum of clients.
Based Where: United States
Fastest TAT Available: 6 hours
Trustpilot Rating: N/A
Free Sample Edit: Yes (up to 300 words)
Clients They Provide For:
- Academics
- Researchers
- Students
- ESL speakers
- Authors
- Businesses
- Job seekers
About the Editors: Their editors have years of experience in a relevant field (e.g., as an English professor or copy editor) and are rigorously vetted.
Number of Editors Assigned to Document: 1
Services Offered: Combined Editing and Proofreading
Combined Editing and Proofreading: They check for grammar, capitalization, punctuation, spelling, formatting, sentence structure, word choice, style, consistency, and more.
Note: ProofreadingServices.com provides a proofreading-only service for clean texts that have already been professionally edited. The proofreader should expect to find no more than two errors per page. They say that if your document has fewer than 10,000 words, their combined proofreading and editing service is the best option.
If you have a clean text that just needs proofreading, you can click here to get a quote. After reviewing the document, they’ll email you a quote.
Factors that Influence Price:
- Word count
- Turnaround time
Price for Editing and Proofreading a 1,000-Word Document
| TAT | Price |
|---|---|
| 6 hours | $59.96 |
| 12 hours | $46.96 |
| 24 hours | $37.96 |
| 36 hours | $37.96 (same price as 24 hours) |
| 2 days | $33.96 |
| 3 days | $29.96 |
| 7 days | $23.96 |
Reading through the site, I found a coupon code (JUSTBECAUSE5) that will give you 5% off your order. 😊
Get an instant price quote from ProofreadingServices.com.
7) Editage
Editage (a division of Cactus Communications) provides a combined editing and proofreading service to a wide range of clients.
Based Where: They have offices in the United States, United Kingdom, India, Japan, China, Singapore, and South Korea; they also have representatives in Turkey and Brazil.
Fastest TAT Available: 8 hours (must call for a quote)
Trustpilot Rating: 4.8 (excellent) out of 193 reviews
Free Sample Edit: Yes (500–600 words)
Clients They Provide For:
- Academics
- Researchers
- Students
- ESL speakers
- Authors
- Businesses
- Job seekers
About the Editors: Their editors are subject-matter experts with advanced degrees and extensive experience in research and scientific editing. They go through a rigorous language training program.
Number of Editors Assigned to Document: 2 (+ a peer reviewer if you choose scientific editing)
Services Offered: Combined Editing and Proofreading
Combined Editing and Proofreading: The elements they check depend on the level of service chosen.
Please visit their web page for details of everything provided with each service level.
They offer three service levels:
1) Advanced Editing: Two editors check for grammar, capitalization, punctuation, spelling, formatting (including citations and references), word choice, syntax, tone, and consistency in style and terminology.
2) Premium Editing: Two editors check for everything offered in the advanced editing service and improve presentation style, structure, flow, logic, and clarity. They leave feedback on how to improve your paper.
3) Scientific Editing: A peer reviewer from an esteemed journal, a science editor with over 20 years of experience, and a managing editor do everything offered in the first two service levels and perform a comprehensive edit and review of your manuscript. You’ll receive a paper that has a good chance of being accepted by a journal.
Factors that Influence Price:
- Word count
- Turnaround time
- Service level
Price for Editing and Proofreading a 1,000-Word Document
| TAT* | Advanced | Premium |
|---|---|---|
| 8 hours | call for quote** | call for quote |
| 15 hours | $170.00 | $180 |
| 29 hours | $140.00 | $152 |
| 41 hours | $90.00 | $132 |
| 65 hours | $68.00 | not available |
**To get a quote for the 8-hour express delivery, please call Editage. They take calls 24-7.
To get a price quote for Scientific Editing, you need to upload your document to their website.
Get an instant price quote from Editage.
8) Wordvice
Wordvice provides a combined editing and proofreading service to a diverse spectrum of clients.
Based Where: They have operations in the United States, Turkey, China, Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea.
Fastest TAT Available: 9 hours
Trustpilot Rating: 4.8 (excellent) out of 283 reviews
Free Sample Edit: Yes, (up to 500 words) for potential institutional and VIP clients, or individuals submitting lengthy documents
Clients They Provide For:
- Academics
- Researchers
- Students
- ESL speakers
- Authors
- Businesses
- Job seekers
About the Editors: They’re native English speakers with many years of editing experience and advanced degrees (PhDs and master’s).
Number of Editors Assigned to Document: 1 (but if you have an academic text, an admissions document, or a university assignment, you can opt for 2 editors)
Services Offered: Combined Editing and Proofreading
Combined Editing and Proofreading: They check for grammar, capitalization, punctuation, spelling, formatting, word choice, clarity, concision, logic, tone, and flow. They also give substantive feedback on topic development.
Factors that Influence Price:
- Word count
- Turnaround time
- Level of service (editing service type)
Here are the editing service types and their prices.
The price per word is based on the slowest turnaround time for that particular service.
| Editing Service Type | Price per Word |
|---|---|
| Academic | $0.048 |
| Admissions | $0.023 |
| Premium Admissions | $0.22* |
| Assignment | $0.048 |
| Business | $0.048 |
| Writer/Author | $0.040 |
The turnaround times they offer depend on the editing service type.
Of course, as the turnaround time gets shorter, the price goes up.
Let’s look at the price for a document submitted for business editing.
Price for Editing and Proofreading a 1,000-Word Business Document
| TAT | Price |
|---|---|
| 9 hours | $132.00 |
| 13 hours | $110.00 |
| 24 hours | $88.00 |
| 2 days | $77.00 |
| 3 days | $66.00 |
| 4 days | $55.00 |
| 5 days | $51.00 |
| 7 days | $48.00 |
Get an instant price quote from Wordvice.
Proofreading Services That Return Texts in 12 Hours or Less
9) Cambridge Proofreading
Cambridge Proofreading provides a combined editing and proofreading service for academic and business documents.
Based Where: United States (founded in England)
Fastest TAT Available: 12 hours
Trustpilot Rating: 4.9 (excellent) out of 3,159 reviews
Free Sample Edit: No
Clients They Provide For:
- Academics
- Researchers
- Students
- ESL speakers
- Businesses
- Job seekers
About the Editors: Their experienced editors have advanced degrees from top universities worldwide. Cambridge accepts less than 1% of the editors who apply to work for them.
Number of Editors Assigned to Document: 1 or 2 (you choose)
Services Offered: Combined Editing and Proofreading
Combined Editing and Proofreading: They check for grammar, capitalization, punctuation, spelling, sentence structure, word choice, style, tone, concision, clarity, and logic.
Editors also provide feedback and advice on the composition of the writing. For documents over 3,000 words, an Editor’s Summary Report is provided.
They offer two service levels:
- One-Editor Premium Service
- Two-Editor Advanced Service*
* The two-editor advanced service, done by two senior editors, provides an even more comprehensive and accurate edit.
Factors that Influence Price:
- Word count
- Turnaround time
- Service level
Price for Editing and Proofreading a 1,000-Word Document
| TAT | One Editor | Two Editors |
|---|---|---|
| 12 hours | $37.90 | — |
| 24 hours | $28.90 | — |
| 2 days | $25.90 | $49.80 |
| 3 days | $23.90 | — |
| 7 days | $22.90 | $45.80 |
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I choose a proofreading service?
You want to choose a proofreading service based on several factors, including quality, cost, turnaround times, and types of proofreading performed. Trustpilot is a good way to find out if a company provides high-quality work and is reputable.
Blog posts like this can give info about prices, turnaround times, and the kinds of documents a company works on.
Since the definition of proofreading seems to vary from one company to the next, you want to ensure the business you pick provides precisely what you need.
Make sure to read the service description carefully.
What is the best proofreading and editing service?
Cambridge Proofreading is one of the most highly rated (per Trustpilot) proofreading and editing services. Their fastest turnaround time is 12 hours, which is pretty quick.
Cambridge offers affordable prices and handles documents from three of the four main kinds of proofreading: academic, business, and translation (but not print media).
If you have a print media document (e.g., book, e-book, magazine, screenplay), ProofreadNOW is among the highest-rated companies that handle this type of text. However, you can’t place an order immediately; you need to wait for a price quote via email.
If you need a print media document back ASAP, ProofreadingPal is one of the best options.
How much does it cost to have 1,000 words proofread?
Generally, it costs roughly $30–$60 to have 1,000 words proofread if you pay for a proofreading service. If you opt to hire a freelance proofreader, it usually costs about $10–$30.
However, the price depends on the turnaround time, the text’s technicality, and the writing quality.
What’s the difference between proofreading and editing?
Some people use the terms proofreading and editing interchangeably, but they aren’t synonymous.
In the table below, I’ll highlight what’s involved in each editing stage.
The stages are in order, beginning with developmental editing and concluding with proofreading.
The most comprehensive and costly phase is developmental editing. Each subsequent stage becomes less expensive. Proofreading is the cheapest and fastest step.
The stages overlap to a degree. For example, copyediting includes proofreading, but copyediting has a broader scope. Proofreading is the last editing step; it’s designed to catch mistakes that were overlooked or accidentally introduced in previous editing stages.
The Four-Stage Editorial Process
| Editing Stage | What’s Involved |
|---|---|
| 1) Developmental Editing | Adds/subtracts/reorganizes entire sections of text to improve the overall content and structure |
| 2) Line Editing | Refines the language to improve flow, clarity, and consistency in style and tone |
| 3) Copyediting | Makes writing correct, comprehensive, consistent, clear, and concise; fixes mistakes with sentence structure |
| 4) Proofreading | Corrects errors with grammar, capitalization, punctuation, spelling, and basic formatting issues; checks for repeated and omitted words |
That concludes this article about fast proofreading and editing businesses.
I hope this information helps you save tons of time searching for high-quality and speedy services to improve your writing!
Best wishes to you!
“If you want to fly, give up everything that weighs you down.”
– Buddha
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