Look, I've graded thousands of programming assignments, and I can tell you: code plagiarism is a different beast than essay copying. Students aren't just copying text—they rename variables, add comments, reorder functions, or run it through formatters. A decent detector has to see past all that cosmetic junk and judge whether the code actually does the same thing.
Codequiry doesn't just search for matching strings. We parse code into its logical structure (ASTs), create "fingerprints" of what the code actually does, and compare behavior patterns. If two submissions solve the problem the same way with the same logic flow, we'll flag it—even if every variable name and comment is different.
MOSS only tells half the story
Don't get me wrong—MOSS is great for checking if students copied each other. But what about the kid who just Googles "python sorting algorithm" and submits what they find? Or uses ChatGPT to rewrite their stolen code? That's where most cheating happens now. Codequiry checks the web AND peer submissions, so you see the full picture.