Urkund
Urkund is a Sweden-based text similarity and AI writing detection technology founded in 2000, serving higher education, research, and assessment institutions via LMS-integrated plagiarism checking. Its technology was acquired by Turnitin and operated as Ouriginal until being merged into Turnitin Similarity on June 30, 2026.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2000
- HeadquartersBromma, Sweden
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Urkund does
Urkund is a Swedish text-recognition and plagiarism detection technology company founded in 2000 and headquartered in Bromma, Sweden. Its core technology analyzes text-based submissions to identify potential plagiarism through comprehensive Similarity Reports that include percentage matches and source lists, and to detect when AI writing tools such as ChatGPT or AI paraphrasing tools (text spinners) may have been used in submitted work. Following acquisition by Turnitin, the technology was rebranded as Ouriginal and operated within Turnitin's product portfolio alongside Turnitin Similarity, Turnitin Clarity, Feedback Studio, Gradescope, ExamSoft, and iThenticate. Urkund/Ouriginal integrated natively with all major Learning Management Systems, including Canvas, Moodle, Blackboard, and Schoology, embedding similarity checking directly into institutional teaching and grading workflows.
The primary customer base is higher education institutions, with secondary reach into research institutions and high-stakes assessment organizations. The business employed 11-50 staff and was operated as part of Turnitin, LLC, distributing through direct enterprise sales to universities and educational institutions with dedicated account management, implementation support, and full technical and training support. Pricing was not publicly disclosed, consistent with enterprise institutional licensing. On June 30, 2026 the Ouriginal service was discontinued and customers were migrated to Turnitin Similarity as the unified successor product, consolidating Urkund's technology into Turnitin's broader academic integrity and assessment portfolio.
Urkund firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Urkund
- Legal name
- Turnitin, LLC
- Website
- https://www.urkund.com/
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2000
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Urkund is a Sweden-based text similarity and AI writing detection technology founded in 2000, serving higher education, research, and assessment institutions via LMS-integrated plagiarism checking. Its technology was acquired by Turnitin and operated as Ouriginal until being merged into Turnitin Similarity on June 30, 2026.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Urkund industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Academic Integrity Software
- NAICS
- Web Search Portals and All Other Information Services (519290)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Plagiarism Detection & Similarity Checking (EDAFALAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- AI-Generated Content Detection & Authorship Verification (EDAFALAB)
Keywords
Where Urkund is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bromma
- HQ country
- Sweden
- HQ region
- Europe
Markets served
Urkund business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Urkund product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Urkund developed automatic text-recognition and similarity detection software for plagiarism detection and academic integrity. Its technology identified potential plagiarism and AI-generated content in submitted work, providing comprehensive Similarity Reports with percentage matches and source lists. The service was integrated into Turnitin's product portfolio as Ouriginal and served academic institutions, secondary schools, and corporations globally with seamless LMS integration across Canvas, Moodle, Blackboard, and Schoology. The Ouriginal service ended on June 30, 2026.
Product overview
Turnitin offers a comprehensive portfolio of academic integrity and assessment solutions. Ouriginal was a standalone similarity checking service that has been discontinued (ended June 30, 2026), with customers migrating to Turnitin Similarity. The product suite includes Turnitin Similarity (plagiarism detection), Turnitin Clarity (AI-powered writing analytics), Feedback Studio (grading and feedback), Gradescope (online assessment), ExamSoft (secure exam platform), and iThenticate (research integrity). These products integrate with major LMS platforms including Canvas, Moodle, Blackboard, and Schoology to maintain academic integrity and simplify educator workflows.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Ouriginal: A plagiarism detection and similarity checking service that was offered by Turnitin, originally developed through Urkund's technology.
Products and services
- Ouriginal Ouriginal was a plagiarism detection and similarity checking service that was originally developed through Urkund's technology. The service ended on June 30, 2026.
Companies that use Urkund
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Urkund technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
AI capability3 records
Feature3 records
Urkund partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Canvas (Instructure)coreLMS integration partnership enabling Ouriginal to operate within Canvas environment, allowing institutions using Canvas to access similarity checking and academic integrity tools directly within their learning management system.
- MoodlecoreLMS integration partnership providing seamless integration with Moodle platform, enabling academic integrity workflows within one of the most widely used open-source learning platforms.
- BlackboardcoreIntegration partnership with Blackboard LMS allowing institutions to access similarity detection services within their existing Blackboard environment, simplifying adoption and workflow integration.
- SchoologycorePartnership enabling integration with Schoology learning management system, expanding the ecosystem of supported platforms for academic integrity checking and AI writing detection.
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights8 records
Urkund competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Turnitin: Parent company and direct operator of Turnitin Similarity, which now houses Urkund's technology. Most directly comparable given identical product category (similarity/AI writing detection) and overlapping LMS-integrated institutional sales motion.
- Copyleaks: Provides AI content detection and plagiarism checking for education, enterprise, and publishing. Closely comparable to Urkund/Ouriginal in target market (institutions, educators) and core detection functionality.
- iThenticate: Turnitin-owned plagiarism detection solution for researchers, publishers, and scholars. Directly comparable to Urkund/Ouriginal in similarity checking, with a research/publishing focus rather than student submissions.
- Unicheck: Cloud-based plagiarism detection software integrated with LMS platforms. Direct competitor in the same similarity-checking category, particularly in EMEA education markets.
- PlagScan: Plagiarism detection platform for academic and corporate use. Direct overlap with Urkund on similarity detection and education market focus.
Emerging players
- GPTZero: AI-generated text detection platform used by educators and enterprises. Comparable as a fast-moving competitor in the AI writing detection niche where Urkund also competes.
- Originality.ai: AI content detection and plagiarism checking tool used by publishers, educators, and content teams. Overlaps Urkund on AI writing detection and similarity checking, with a more SMB/publisher tilt.
Regional players
- Compilatio: European plagiarism detection provider primarily serving French and other EMEA universities. Comparable product offering and education vertical, with geographic concentration in Europe.
Broad incumbents
- Grammarly: Broad writing assistance platform with plagiarism detection features and institutional offerings. Less specialized than Urkund but overlaps in academic/enterprise writing integrity workflows.
- ExamSoft: Secure digital assessment platform within the Turnitin portfolio. Adjacent in the academic integrity category, addressing exam security rather than text similarity but serving the same institutional buyers.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Urkund social profiles
Digital presenceUrkund financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Urkund leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Urkund funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Urkund M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Urkund
What does Urkund do?
Urkund developed automatic text-recognition and similarity detection software for plagiarism detection and academic integrity. Its technology identified potential plagiarism and AI-generated content in submitted work, providing comprehensive Similarity Reports with percentage matches and source lists. The service was integrated into Turnitin's product portfolio as Ouriginal and served academic institutions, secondary schools, and corporations globally with seamless LMS integration across Canvas, Moodle, Blackboard, and Schoology. The Ouriginal service ended on June 30, 2026.
Is Urkund a public or private company?
Urkund is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Urkund founded?
Urkund was founded in 2000. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Urkund based?
Urkund is headquartered in Bromma, Sweden, in the Europe region.
Who are Urkund's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Turnitin, Copyleaks, iThenticate, Unicheck and PlagScan. Emerging players are GPTZero and Originality.ai. Compilatio is listed as a regional player. Broad incumbents are Grammarly and ExamSoft.
Does Urkund have an API?
No public API is recorded for Urkund.
What industry is Urkund in?
Urkund's product category is Academic Integrity Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAFALAA, Plagiarism Detection & Similarity Checking, with a secondary code of EDAFALAB, AI-Generated Content Detection & Authorship Verification. Its NAICS code is 519290 and its SIC code is 7372.