These three tools are often compared because they appear in the same search results, but they're built for different primary purposes: Illuminarty for image detection with visual explainability, Winston AI for AI-written text, and AI or Not as a simple web-based image check. This comparison covers what each one is actually good at, where each one falls short, and which use cases each one wins.
| Feature | AI or Not | Illuminarty | Winston AI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Primary strength | Simple image check | Image heatmap explainability | AI-written text detection |
| Image detection | ✓ Binary verdict | ✓ + heatmap overlay | Secondary feature |
| Text detection | No | No | ✓ Core feature — 99.98% claimed |
| Browser extension | No | Not confirmed | ✓ Chrome extension |
| Works on any website | No — upload required | No — upload required | Extension for text; upload for images |
| Free tier | ✓ Free tier | ✓ ~5/day free | Free trial; paid from ~$12/mo |
| Account required? | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Yes |
| Image accuracy | Not publicly benchmarked | ~91% claimed | Not separately benchmarked |
| Processing speed | Fast | 3-5 seconds | Fast for text |
| Generator identification | No | ✓ Identifies probable generator | No |
| API access | ✓ Available | ✓ Available | ✓ Available |
What it does well: AI or Not is a clean, simple web tool. Upload an image or short audio clip, get a verdict. No setup, fast results, no friction. It also covers short audio clips — music and voice snippets — which is a feature most image-focused detectors don't include. Its API is used by developers building moderation systems.
Where it falls short: There's no browser extension, which means you have to download an image before you can check it — you can't check a profile photo directly on the dating site or social network where you see it. The verdict is binary (AI or Not AI) with a confidence percentage but no explanation of which features triggered the verdict. Publicly available accuracy benchmarks are limited.
Best for: Quick single-image spot checks where you already have the file. API integration for content moderation pipelines. Audio deepfake detection as a secondary capability.
What it does well: Illuminarty's heatmap overlay is its defining feature. After analysis, it renders a colored overlay on the image showing exactly which regions have AI detection signals — warm colors for high-probability AI, cool for low. It also attempts to identify which AI generator (Midjourney, Stable Diffusion, DALL-E, etc.) likely produced the image. Self-reported accuracy is approximately 91%, the highest publicly claimed of the three in this comparison for image detection.
Where it falls short: Processing takes 3-5 seconds per image — substantially slower than competitors. The free tier is approximately 5 checks per day. The primary interface is web-based with upload required, same limitation as AI or Not. Heatmap analysis makes each check a slower, more deliberate process — useful for investigation, less useful for fast browsing verification.
Best for: Journalism, research, or legal contexts where you need to show your work — the heatmap gives you a visual explanation of the verdict that you can share or screenshot. Cases where you want to identify the probable generator. Situations where accuracy matters more than speed.
What it does well: Winston AI is the strongest AI-written text detector in this group by a significant margin. It's built for detecting ChatGPT, Claude, and other LLM-generated text in academic writing, journalism, and business content. Its claimed 99.98% accuracy for text detection is substantially higher than any text detection competitor. It integrates with Google Docs and Microsoft Word via browser extension, making it useful for document-level text review.
Where it falls short: Image detection is secondary. Winston AI's primary market is plagiarism detection and academic integrity — it exists in the same category as Turnitin and Originality.ai, not the same category as Illuminarty or FauxSpy. If your goal is detecting AI-generated profile photos or product images, Winston AI is the wrong tool. It requires a paid subscription for most meaningful use ($12+/month).
Best for: Teachers and educators reviewing student writing for AI generation. Publishers and editors verifying article authenticity. Businesses auditing internal content for AI disclosure compliance. Anyone who primarily needs to detect AI-written text rather than AI-generated images.
FauxSpy isn't in the same comparison cluster as these three for most use cases, but it's worth naming the distinction directly: FauxSpy is a browser extension that works directly on any website without uploading anything — the right-click detection model. None of AI or Not, Illuminarty, or Winston AI offer this for image detection.
If your use case is checking profile photos on dating sites, social media, or job platforms while you're browsing — without downloading images and uploading them separately — FauxSpy (3/day free, no account) or Is It AI? (account required) are better fits than any of the three tools in this comparison. If you need text detection or upload-based image analysis with explainability, the tools above are more relevant.
| If your use case is… | Use this |
|---|---|
| Detecting AI-generated text (essays, articles, student work) | Winston AI |
| Image detection with visual explanation (journalism, research) | Illuminarty |
| Quick one-off image check, already have the file | AI or Not or Illuminarty |
| Checking profile photos while browsing any website | FauxSpy (no account) or Is It AI? (account) |
| API integration for content moderation at scale | Hive Moderation or Sightengine |
| Both text and image detection in one subscription | Winston AI (though image is secondary) |
AI or Not is a simple web-based tool that returns a binary AI-or-real verdict for images and audio. Illuminarty is an AI image detector that overlays a heatmap showing exactly which regions triggered the verdict — the strongest explainability of any consumer tool. Winston AI's primary strength is detecting AI-generated text (articles, essays, student work) with 99.98% claimed accuracy; its image detection is secondary. All three require uploading files rather than working in-browser on websites you visit.
Illuminarty reports approximately 91% accuracy on its own benchmarks — the highest publicly claimed accuracy for image detection among the three tools. Processing takes 3-5 seconds per image. The heatmap overlay distinguishes it from competitors: it shows which regions are AI-generated, not just whether the image overall is. For cases where you need to explain or document a verdict, Illuminarty is uniquely useful.
Winston AI's core product is text detection. Its image detection exists but is secondary. If your primary need is AI image detection, tools built specifically for that (Illuminarty, FauxSpy, AI or Not) are better suited. If you need both text and image detection in one tool, Winston AI covers both — but with substantially more depth on the text side.
No. AI or Not is a web-based tool as of mid-2026 — you upload images to aiornot.com rather than checking them in-browser. This means you need to save an image before you can check it, which adds friction for use cases like verifying dating profile photos in real time. Extension-based tools (FauxSpy, Is It AI?, WasItAI, UncovAI) eliminate this step by working directly on any website.
Right-click any image on any website. Under a second. Free.
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