Phrasit vs Citation Machine (Chegg)
Citation Machine is one of the oldest citation generators on the web, now part of Chegg. It supports APA, MLA, Chicago, and a long list of other styles, and is the default URL most US students learn in middle school.
What Citation Machine (Chegg) is known for
- Style coverage across APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, IEEE, ASA, AMA, and more
- Brand recognition with US students (around 5.1M monthly visits)
- Multi-step source-builder flow with guided fields
Free tier supported by display ads and upsell modals between steps
EasyBib Plus at $9.95/month unlocks unlimited citations, plagiarism review, and grammar check across the Chegg citation properties
Side-by-side comparison
| Feature | Phrasit | Citation Machine (Chegg) |
|---|---|---|
| Account required | No signup | Account required to save bibliographies |
| Display ads above the fold | Two ad slots, none over the editor | Multiple display slots plus own-product modals between citation steps |
| Modern source types | ChatGPT conversation, TikTok video, podcast episode, Substack post, dataset, court case | Standard web 1.0 source set; modern types are inconsistent across the Chegg properties |
| Per-style landing pages | APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, IEEE each have their own page with worked examples | Style options live inside the generator UI |
| Library embed | Free iframe embed for LibGuides and writing centres | No public embed widget |
| Pricing for full feature set | Free | $9.95 per month for EasyBib Plus features |
Where Citation Machine (Chegg) is stronger
Citation Machine has fifteen-plus years of brand recognition and broader style coverage at the long tail. If your tutor asked for ASA, AMA, or another niche style, Citation Machine will probably have it before we do.
Where Phrasit fits
Phrasit gives you the same APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, and IEEE coverage with no signup, no upsell modals, and modern source types (ChatGPT, TikTok, podcast, Substack) that legacy generators still handle clumsily.
Try the Phrasit citation generator
APA 7, MLA 9, Chicago, Harvard, and IEEE. ChatGPT, TikTok, podcast, Substack, and the standard academic source types. No signup.
Open the citation generator