If you are hunting for a cheap essay writing service in 2025, the trick is not just to pay less, but to pay smart. After a new round of testing, five names consistently stood out: EssayShark, CustomWritings, AdvancedWriters, CheapWritingService, and WritingCheap. Across these brands, starting prices range from $9 to $15 per page, with different strengths: EssayShark is all about its bidding system, CustomWritings wins on long‑term quality and history, AdvancedWriters handles the toughest STEM and complex assignments, CheapWritingService focuses on rock‑bottom prices, and WritingCheap is your ultra‑budget, no‑frills option.
Below, I’ll walk you through each service like a mentor would: what they’re really good at, where they’re weaker, and how to match each site to your actual needs and budget.
EssayShark.com
Verdict: Best for students who want control via a bidding system and direct writer choice.
Prices start at $12.70 per page.
EssayShark is built around a bidding model. Instead of the platform assigning a random writer, you post your assignment and get bids from multiple writers. You can check their ratings, reviews, and completed orders before choosing who to work with.
From a practical, mentor point of view, this is ideal if you:
- Have a mid‑range budget (not ultra cheap, not premium).
- Want to actively manage quality by handpicking your expert.
- Are willing to spend 10–15 minutes comparing writers instead of just clicking “Order now”.
Pricing & value
At $12.70 per page as a starting rate, EssayShark sits in the middle of the pack. You’re paying not just for the essay, but for the flexibility of negotiating with writers and the chance to choose a person whose profile genuinely fits your topic.
Trust signals
When we evaluated EssayShark, we looked for concrete protections, not marketing slogans. Key guarantees include:
- Plagiarism‑free guarantee with built‑in checks.
- Money‑back guarantee if the paper doesn’t follow your instructions.
- 24/7 support via chat so you can fix issues even during late‑night deadlines.
Pros:
- You can choose your writer based on reviews and specialization.
- Bidding system helps you balance price vs. quality.
- Direct chat with the writer gives more control over the draft.
Cons:
- Requires more time and involvement than simple “one‑click” services.
- Prices can exceed the base rate with top‑rated writers.
If you’re the type of student who likes to compare options and negotiate, EssayShark rewards that effort. If you just want something fast and automatic, one of the fixed‑price services below might suit you better.
CustomWritings.com
Verdict: Best for consistent quality and long‑term reliability.
Prices start at $10 per page.
CustomWritings is one of the oldest and most stable names in the essay writing market, with a long track record and a wide range of subjects. This is the service I usually recommend to students who want something predictable: you place an order, they assign a writer with the right background, and you get a decent paper without micromanaging every step.
Pricing & value
At $10 per page to start, CustomWritings offers a fair balance between affordability and quality. It’s not the cheapest option in this list, but you’re paying for history, structure, and process. That matters when you’re dealing with important coursework or multi‑stage projects like term papers.
Trust signals
During our testing, we paid close attention to how CustomWritings handles quality and support:
- Plagiarism‑free guarantee backed by internal checks.
- Money‑back guarantee for orders that clearly miss the mark.
- 24/7 support that actually responds within a few minutes in most cases.
Pros:
- Strong track record and reputation over many years.
- Good for repeat orders and long‑term collaboration.
- Wide coverage of subjects, including college and university levels.
Cons:
- Not the absolute cheapest option on this list.
- Interface and design feel more functional than modern.
If you care more about reliability than experimental features, CustomWritings is a safe, balanced choice. It’s the service you can use repeatedly across semesters without reinventing your workflow each time.
AdvancedWriters.com
Verdict: Best for complex, technical, and STEM assignments.
Prices start at $15 per page.
AdvancedWriters is the specialist of this group. While it can handle regular essays just fine, it really shines when you push into difficult topics: engineering, advanced math, data analysis, nursing, research‑heavy projects, and other assignments that make generic writers struggle.
Pricing & value
At $15 per page as a starting price, AdvancedWriters is the most expensive option on this list. But that premium makes sense in one specific scenario: when your grade depends on technical accuracy and you need someone who genuinely understands the content, not just English.
Trust signals
Our evaluation of AdvancedWriters focused heavily on writer quality and process:
- Plagiarism‑free guarantee with strict internal vetting.
- Money‑back guarantee if the paper fails basic requirements.
- 24/7 support that knows how to handle complex briefings and attachments.
Pros:
- Strong pool of writers in STEM and complex subjects.
- Good match for research‑based and technical work.
- Clear instructions handling and communication throughout the order.
Cons:
- Highest starting price among these five services.
- Overkill for simple one‑page reflections or low‑stakes homework.
Think of AdvancedWriters as the special forces unit of essay services: you don’t call them for every small task, but when the assignment is genuinely difficult, they are worth the higher price.
CheapWritingService.com
Verdict: Best for keeping costs as low as possible while staying legitimate.
Prices start at $9 per page.
CheapWritingService focuses on what its name promises: low prices. It’s designed for students who have to stretch every dollar but still want something better than random, unverified freelancers.
Pricing & value
With $9 per page as the starting rate, it’s one of the lowest priced options on this list. That makes it suitable for routine homework, simple essays, and assignments where you mostly need structure and grammar help rather than deep research or advanced theory.
Trust signals
Even at lower prices, we still looked for the fundamentals:
- Plagiarism‑free guarantee to protect you from copy‑paste content.
- Money‑back guarantee for badly mishandled orders.
- 24/7 support for urgent questions and revisions.
Pros:
- One of the cheapest starting prices among verified services.
- Works well for short, straightforward assignments.
- Simple ordering process, quick turnaround.
Cons:
- Not ideal for very complex or specialized topics.
- You may need to proofread and tweak the final draft yourself.
If your budget is tight and the assignment is not make‑or‑break, CheapWritingService is a rational, low‑risk way to get structured help without jumping into unknown or unverified platforms.
WritingCheap.com
Verdict: Best ultra‑budget option for basic drafts and simple tasks.
Prices start at $9 per page.
WritingCheap is the definition of a budget service: minimal design, straightforward order form, and clear focus on keeping prices low. It’s not trying to be everything to everyone; it’s trying to be good enough for students who simply need a starting draft or support with lighter tasks.
Pricing & value
With $9 per page as the base price, WritingCheap matches the lowest tier in this comparison. The real value lies in setting the right expectations: use this service for simpler essays, responses, and summaries, not for your most critical term paper or capstone project.
Trust signals
During testing, we focused on whether the platform stays within safe boundaries:
- Plagiarism‑free guarantee for all delivered work.
- Money‑back guarantee in clear, written terms.
- 24/7 support to handle clarifications and updates.
Pros:
- Very budget‑friendly starting price.
- Good option for drafts and basic writing help.
- Straightforward site without unnecessary extras.
Cons:
- Less suitable for complex, research‑intensive projects.
- You’ll likely need to edit and personalize the essay yourself.
Use WritingCheap when you primarily need time savings and structure and are ready to polish the content with your own knowledge and course materials.
Quick Comparison Table
To help you choose at a glance, here’s how the top 5 cheap essay services stack up side by side:
| Service Name | Starting Price | Best Feature | Rating (out of 5) |
|---|---|---|---|
| EssayShark | $12.70/page | Bidding system & writer choice | 4.7 |
| CustomWritings | $10/page | Long‑term quality & history | 4.6 |
| AdvancedWriters | $15/page | Complex & STEM assignments | 4.8 |
| CheapWritingService | $9/page | Rock‑bottom pricing | 4.4 |
| WritingCheap | $9/page | Ultra‑budget simple drafts | 4.3 |
When you read this table, don’t just look at the number. Think like a strategist:
- If your assignment is technical or high‑stakes, lean toward AdvancedWriters (even with the higher price).
- If you value control and direct communication, EssayShark gives you the most freedom.
- For steady, repeat use over a semester, CustomWritings usually gives the best balance.
- If your budget is the main constraint and tasks are simple, CheapWritingService or WritingCheap will get the job done.
How We Tested These Essay Services
A big mistake students make is trusting random lists compiled with no evidence. To avoid that, we used a structured process that mirrors what experienced product testers do in other industries. Here’s how we evaluated the top 5 services.
1. Mystery Shopping
We used Mystery Shopping tactics: placing real orders like regular students, without revealing that we were testing the platforms. This allowed us to observe:
- How clearly the websites explain pricing and deadlines.
- Whether upsells (like extra services) are pushed aggressively or reasonably.
- How smoothly you can upload instructions, files, rubrics, and examples.
This is crucial because a service can look great on the homepage and still fail once you actually place an order.
2. Turnitin Report & Plagiarism Checks
We ran every delivered paper through Turnitin and additional plagiarism detectors. We wanted to see if “plagiarism‑free” is just a slogan or a real practice.
Key things we checked:
- Overall similarity score on Turnitin Report.
- Whether matched text was properly cited or just copy‑pasted.
- If there were suspicious chunks clearly lifted from online sources.
All five services passed basic originality thresholds, but the technical and research‑heavy papers from AdvancedWriters and the long‑form essays from CustomWritings showed particularly good originality and citation habits.
3. Writer Verification & Expertise
Cheap services are risky when they use random, unverified writers. That’s why we paid a lot of attention to Writer Verification:
- Are writers tested before they join?
- Can you see ratings, completed orders, and subject focus (especially on EssayShark)?
- Do profiles match the final writing quality we received?
Our results showed:
- EssayShark: strong transparency via public writer profiles and histories.
- AdvancedWriters: clear focus on verified experts for complex disciplines.
- CustomWritings: stable overall quality with fewer extreme highs or lows.
4. Support Speed & Problem Handling
Things go wrong sometimes: unclear professor instructions, last‑minute changes, updated rubrics. Here, Support Speed becomes a real differentiator. We intentionally created support situations—clarifications, revision requests, deadline questions—and measured:
- First response time via chat or ticket.
- How quickly issues were resolved, not just acknowledged.
- Whether support agents understood academic requirements.
All five offered 24/7 support, but there were differences:
- CustomWritings and EssayShark responded the fastest and handled more complex questions with fewer transfers.
- CheapWritingService and WritingCheap were slightly slower but still within a reasonable timeframe for non‑urgent tasks.
- AdvancedWriters stood out when the questions were technical or file‑heavy.
How to Choose the Right Service for You
Here’s the mentor mindset I recommend: instead of asking “Which service is the best?”, ask “Which service fits this specific assignment, budget, and risk level?”
Use this quick guide:
- On a tight budget & simple task?
Choose CheapWritingService or WritingCheap at $9 per page. Be ready to edit the final text yourself. - Need flexibility and control?
Choose EssayShark at $12.70 per page, compare bids, and pick your writer based on reviews. - Want a stable long‑term partner for multiple orders?
Choose CustomWritings, starting at $10 per page, and build a history with one service. - Working on complex or STEM work?
Invest in AdvancedWriters at $15 per page where subject expertise really matters.
If you treat essay services as tools—each with a specific use case—you’ll save money, reduce stress, and avoid disappointment. The five platforms above have been tested, price‑checked, and verified for 2025, so the main decision left is simply: Which one matches your next assignment best?