The 6 Best Copy Editing Services (Updated 2024)

When you’re producing a lot of content, having an editor that you trust is key. Not only do you need them to work through your volume of content, but you also need them to make sure that content is correct and makes your or your client’s brand shine.

But hiring editors is hard, expensive, and can be risky. According to Zippia, a full-time editor costs $61,694 per year on average in the United States (more if you offer benefits), so the wrong full-time hire can be very expensive and set your results back significantly.

Because of this, if you’ve been through it before, you probably know that hiring a copy editing agency is likely the right direction for you. But doing that comes with its own risks.

In this article, I’m going to share with you the top copy editing agencies available online, cover what a copy editing agency is, explain why agencies can be great to work with, and point out some common pitfalls to avoid when working with agencies.

Top Copy Editing Agencies

If you are looking for a copy editing agency, here are the best online!

1. EditorNinja

First up is EditorNinja. We are the internet’s only subscription flat-rate copy editing service. Every document through EditorNinja is copy edited (and proofread!) by US-based MFA-trained editors who have also taught editing and writing at the university level.

Copy editing for content agencies, in-house brand content teams, and freelancers is what we do. We specialize in blog post editing and article editing, though we also have experience editing web pages and other types of documents.

How EditorNinja works is easy to explain.

First schedule an Intro Call to discuss your needs with our team. Our goal is to make sure EditorNinja is a mutual good fit.

Once that’s established, you can subscribe and add your documents to your queue.

You’ll be assigned an editor who is primarily responsible for your content, though you also have a backup editor who gets to know your brand and steps in to help your primary editor.

Keep your queue full to maximize your subscription, and never wonder again about quality or cost. Our editing service, powered by professional human editors, ensures that.

Our support is available 8a-7p Mountain Time Monday through Friday. Our headquarters is in Denver, Colorado, though our team is distributed around the United States and in Europe.

2. Wordy

Next up is Wordy. Wordy is a proofreading-first editing service that also offers copy editing services. Based out of the UK, they have editors in the UK, US, and Australia to handle your English-language editing needs. They provide support from 9-5 GMT every day, making them a great fit for UK-based companies. When you search them in Google, they’re one of the more frequent copy editing companies to appear in the search results.

Their proofreaders are available 24-7.

Learn more.

3. Editor World

Editor World is a Virginia-based editing service with editors in the US, UK, and Canada. They provide editing services primarily for students, authors, academics, and government professionals.

With Editor World, you submit individual documents that are charged on a per-word basis. Pricing scales based on turnaround and the number of words you need to be edited. You submit your document, select an editor, and then get your document back edited. Some of their providers also offer fuller editorial services, such as writing and strategy.

Learn more.

4. Proofed

Proofed is another editing service that offers professional editing. They offer proofreading and editing services to businesses, authors, students, and more. They also offer formatting services for content.

If you just need proofreading services, Proofed is a great option to consider. If you’re looking for fuller copy and content editing services, you’ll have to request that specifically.

Learn more.

5. ServiceScape

ServiceScape is a full marketplace that has copy editors and proofreaders for you to choose from and work with. Experience, location, and price vary by the freelancer, though most seem to be professional editors.

If you need other content services too, like translation or graphic design, then Service Scape can handle that too.

Learn more.

6. TrueEditors (UK)

Finally, you have TrueEditors out of the UK who offer proofreading and copy editing services. They also work on a per-document basis and specifically talk about experience with academics, businesses, authors, and job applicants.

Learn more.

What is a copy editing service?

A copy editing service is an outsourced organization that employs copy editors who can edit your content. If you’re producing content at scale and struggling to hire editors who can keep up or who are qualified, a copy editing agency can be a great solution to get started and get edited documents back quickly.

Why can services like these be great to work with?

Editing services can be great to work with for a few reasons.

First, you can get started with them quickly. Most services are always able to take on new customers.

Second, you know what you’re getting. Services that you work with should be specialized in the area you are hiring them for.

Third, services take care of the hardest part of hiring. They find the editors, assign them the work, train them, conduct performance reviews, and all of that. If an editor quits or is fired, they are responsible for replacing them.

What are common pitfalls to avoid when working with an outsourced editing service?

There are a few common pitfalls to avoid when hiring and working with an editing service.

First, don’t hire a service that doesn’t have a set process for how they work. They should be able to explain the steps to getting started as well as what to expect and when while working with them.

Second, services should give you an account manager. Sometimes this is seen as unnecessary overhead, but you know that a great account manager is worth their weight in gold. If you’re not paying for an account manager, you are the account manager.

Third and finally, a copy editing service shouldn’t sell you a specific number of hours if you’re using their services. Their output should be handling the volume of content you send to them and turning it around in a reasonable amount of time. If you need a specific amount of hours, it’s best to work with a freelancer or a Dedicated Editor like we offer at EditorNinja as well.

Ready To Work With A World Class Copy Editing Service?

Here at EditorNinja, copy editing is what we do. If you need a copy editing service, you can find it with the service outlined here.

Schedule a call to learn more and get started.