How does MarkMyWords compare to PerfectIt?
If you're using PerfectIt from Intelligent Editing (which you should be), you might wonder whether MarkMyWords is competing with it or complementing it.
Short answer: They're complementary. Use both.
PerfectIt and MarkMyWords solve different problems. Using them together creates a more thorough, efficient workflow than either tool alone.
What PerfectIt does brilliantly
PerfectIt is a consistency-checking powerhouse. It catches:
Inconsistent hyphenation (e-mail vs. email)
Inconsistent capitalization (President vs. president)
Abbreviation inconsistencies (US vs. U.S.)
Style guide compliance issues
List formatting irregularities
Inconsistent punctuation patterns
PerfectIt uses rules-based logic. It scans your document for patterns, flags inconsistencies, and asks you to decide. It doesn't make changes automatically—it identifies potential issues for human review. It's made for final-stage quality control and consistency in editorial style.
PerfectIt doesn't use AI, and that's actually its strength. Rules-based consistency checking is fast, predictable, and doesn't require cloud processing or API costs.
What MarkMyWords does differently
MarkMyWords uses Anthropic's Claude AI to perform actual copyediting—the kind that requires understanding context, grammar rules, sentence structure, and meaning. It does things like this:
Corrects grammar and punctuation errors
Fixes subject-verb agreement, comma splices, run-on sentences
Improves clarity and readability
Adjusts awkward phrasing
Handles complex grammatical structures that need contextual understanding
Makes editorial suggestions based on meaning, not just patterns. For example, here are some comments from Claude AI:
Unlike PerfectIt, MarkMyWords doesn't just flag possible issues—it makes actual editorial changes (as tracked revisions) that you review and accept or reject. And unlike PerfectIt, it uses AI to understand context, which means it handles nuanced editorial decisions that rules-based software can't address.
Side-by-side comparison
| Feature | PerfectIt | MarkMyWords |
|---|---|---|
| Primary function | Consistency checking | AI-powered copyediting |
| Technology | Rules-based logic | Claude AI (contextual understanding) |
| How it works | Flags issues for review | Generates tracked changes for review |
| Best for | Style consistency, final QC pass | Grammar, clarity, editorial improvements |
| Hyphenation consistency | ✓ Excellent | — Not its focus |
| Capitalization consistency | ✓ Excellent | — Not its focus |
| Grammar correction | — Limited | ✓ Excellent |
| Contextual editing | — Not applicable | ✓ Excellent |
| Style guide enforcement | ✓ Excellent | ✓ Excellent. Selectable or customizable via instructions |
| Handles footnotes/endnotes | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Processing location | On your computer | Cloud (Anthropic API) |
| Cost model | Subscription | Pay-per-use API |
| Learning curve | Minimal | Minimal |
| Speed | Very fast | Fast (seconds to minutes) |
The ideal workflow: Using both tools together
Here's are some ways you might combine using PerfectIt and MarkMyWords:
Option 1: AI first, then consistency check
Run MarkMyWords for first-pass copyediting (grammar, clarity, style)
Review and accept/reject AI suggestions
Run PerfectIt to catch consistency issues
Final review
Option 2: Consistency first, then AI refinement
Run PerfectIt to identify and fix consistency issues
Perform your copyedit
Run MarkMyWords as a quality assurance pass
Final review
Option 3: Second-pass quality control
Complete your copyedit
Run MarkMyWords to catch overlooked errors
Run PerfectIt to catch consistency issues
Quick final review
Which tool should you buy first?
If you can only invest in one right now:
Choose PerfectIt if consistency errors are your biggest time-sink and you're confident in your grammar/style editing
Choose MarkMyWords if you want to speed up mechanical copyediting or add a comprehensive quality-check layer
But if you're serious about efficiency and quality, you'll want both. They address different aspects of the editorial process, and together they create a more thorough workflow than either tool alone.
Think of PerfectIt as your consistency guardian and MarkMyWords as your editorial assistant. They're not competitors—they're colleagues.