Skip to main content

Caktus AI: How to use the ChatGPT alternative that can write essays for you

Caktus AI is a ChatGPT alternative that has piqued the interest of many people across the web, with approximately 1.1 million users having accessed the service since the beginning of 2023. It’s not quite as popular as ChatGPT, but it has a unique take on AI-generated content.

The student-focused tool has taken AI content creation up a notch with features that haven’t been seen on other services. The brand also offers a number of additional writing generators and several other tools in a myriad of unique categories. Here’s what you need to know about Caktus AI.

What is Caktus AI?

Caktus - First Educational A.I. For Students

Caktus AI is a content-generation tool with several different options beyond writing. Its creators call it an “academic curated search engine,” as it provides content for several different topics including STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and studying, as well as coding and professional services. It is being compared to ChatGPT due to how its essay writer, paragraph writer, and other writing tools work. It might also be able to better evade AI plagiarism detection than its competitor, and has the ability to add citation sources to essays.

The additional tools included in Caktus AI make the service much more comprehensive than ChatGPT or many other AI generators.

How to use Caktus AI

Caktus AI works similarly to AI generators like Jasper AI in that you can input a text prompt into your desired service and the chatbot will generate content for you. You will need to register an account to access its features. Unlike many other services that often allow you to use your Google, Apple, or Microsoft accounts as a login, you will have to manually create a username and password.

You should take a look at the company’s terms of service before signing up because the free trial for Caktus AI appears to be over, and there is no easy way to access your account unless you decide to pay for the Premium service.

What can you do with Caktus AI?

Caktus AI has several functions. You can use it for a number of writing tasks, in addition to coding and professional development, among others. Many people have noted that Ted Talk to essay and YouTube to essay are some of the more interesting functions of Caktus AI. The latter, for example, can help you use a YouTube video to develop a script of your own.

Because the product is separated into different sections, it helps you navigate the prompts you would have to input into the AI generator to get the content you need.

The Caktus AI dashboard includes many different topics, from writing to coding to career.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Caktus AI provides several different topics within each section so you can zero in on your desired function, including writing, coding, career, studying, STEM, fun, arts, and science. You can preview many of the different special interest generators available on the dashboard before you log in and register.

Some of the top coding scripts available on Caktus AI include Python writer, Java writer, C# writer, Javascript writer, Go writer, and Typescript writer. For example, you can input Create code for a racing game into the Javascript writer, and it will generate a unique code that you can use to build an app. There is also an option that will explain how the code works.

Caktus AI also offers language tutors for Spanish, Italian, Russian, Japanese, French, and Arabic, as well as a Mandarin answerer.

The STEM section of Caktus AI features several science, math, and business-based generators, including a general problem solver, a present value calculator, a derivative calculator, an integral calculator, a chemical analyzer, and a geology tutor.

Some of the more lighthearted uses for Caktus AI include generating class absence excuses, love letters, songs, captions, and text responses. You can also create flashcards for studying and use the citation generator separately from the essay writer.

Can Caktus AI write essays?

Yes, Caktus AI can generate essays. The Caktus AI essay generator works a little differently than what many people might be accustomed to with ChatGPT. This product has its various services separated by topic, which can simplify inputting prompts because the service already knows you want an essay.

An essay being generated on Caktus ai.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Unlike ChatGPT, for which you must indicate that you need a 50-word, 200-word, or 500-word essay on a certain topic for optimal results, Caktus AI can begin generating content with more of a keyword-style prompt or a more general statement query.

Since the essay generator is directed toward students, it produces only a set amount of content before allowing you to proceed by pressing the Write more button. This then brings up a Citation selector, which allows you to choose a source that it will use to create additional content and then cite that source in your AI-generated essay.

Do you have to pay for Caktus AI?

Yes, you have to pay to use Caktus AI. There is currently no free or trial tier of the product. Clicking on any of the services on the dashboard will take you to a signup page. If you register for an account, you’ll be directed to subscribe to the service. A Caktus AI subscription goes for $10 per month, and according to its terms and services, canceling the service might be a bit of a challenge.

Cacktus AI's pricing.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

It appears that there was previously a free trial of Caktus AI, which offered 5,000 characters at no charge. The Premium version of the AI service previously offered a two-day free trial, according to Blogger’s Grotto. Reddit users have noted that these free options have disappeared in recent days in favor of the solely subscription-based service.

Who owns Caktus AI?

Caktus AI was co-founded by Harrison Leonard and Tao Zhang in May 2022.

Editors' Recommendations

Fionna Agomuoh
Fionna Agomuoh is a technology journalist with over a decade of experience writing about various consumer electronics topics…
How to use Google Gemini, the main challenger to ChatGPT
The Google Gemini AI logo.

Google's Gemini AI chatbot has quickly become one of the major players in the generative AI space. Despite its rocky start, Gemini is one of the only true competitors to ChatGPT. Here's everything you need to know about it.
What is Google Gemini?
Google first introduced its AI endeavor as Bard in March 2023 in a free and experimental capacity. The chatbot was originally run on the LaMDA large language model (LLM).

In August 2023, it introduced Google Duet as an enterprise option featuring AI-inundated Workspace apps, including Gmail, Drive, Slides, Docs, and others.

Read more
GPTZero: how to use the ChatGPT detection tool
A MidJourney rendering of a student and his robot friend in front of a blackboard.

In terms of world-changing technologies, ChatGPT has truly made a massive impact on the way people think about writing and coding in the short time that it's been available. Being able to plug in a prompt and get out a stream of almost good enough text is a tempting proposition for many people who aren't confident in their writing skills or are looking to save time. However, this ability has come with a significant downside, particularly in education, where students are tempted to use ChatGPT for their own papers or exams. That prevents them from learning as much as they could, which has given teachers a whole new headache when it comes to detecting AI use.

Teachers and other users are now looking for ways to detect the use of ChatGPT in students' work, and many are turning to tools like GPTZero, a ChatGPT detection tool built by Princeton University student Edward Tian. The software is available to everyone, so if you want to try it out and see the chances that a particular piece of text was written using ChatGPT, here's how you can do that.
What is GPTZero?

Read more
Is ChatGPT safe? Here are the risks to consider before using it
A response from ChatGPT on an Android phone.

For those who have seen ChatGPT in action, you know just how amazing this generative AI tool can be. And if you haven’t seen ChatGPT do its thing, prepare to have your mind blown! 

There’s no doubting the power and performance of OpenAI’s famous chatbot, but is ChatGPT actually safe to use? While tech leaders the world over are concerned over the evolutionary development of AI, these global concerns don’t necessarily translate to an individual user experience. With that being said, let’s take a closer look at ChatGPT to help you hone in on your comfort level.
Privacy and financial leaks
In at least one instance, chat history between users was mixed up. On March 20, 2023, ChatGPT creator OpenAI discovered a problem, and ChatGPT was down for several hours. Around that time, a few ChatGPT users saw the conversation history of other people instead of their own. Possibly more concerning was the news that payment-related information from ChatGPT-Plus subscribers might have leaked as well.

Read more