Tool · Pricing
What each app really charges
Every coin pack on every platform we track, converted into the only number that matters: what it costs to finish a series. Benchmarked on a typical 80-episode run.
- Cheapest
- ShortMax
- Spread
- $6.03
Where these numbers come from. Every dollar figure is a price Apple lists on the app's own US App Store page, checked 2026-08-19. Only GoodShort states how many coins a purchase buys; for the rest we work the coin count back from the price at $0.00998 a coin — a rate that reproduces GoodShort's five published tiers exactly, and matches the two other coin figures we were given. Prices are real; coin counts are modelled, and every pack says which it is.
We do not know how many episodes each app gives away free. This table assumes none are, so every total is a ceiling rather than a quote. If an app front-loads ten free episodes, you will pay less than we show.
Every app charges the same per coin. All six land on about$0.010 a coin, so none of them is selling you cheaper currency. Only two things move the totals below. The first is how many coins an app charges per episode — and only FlexTV publishes that, at 65 against the 60 we model for everyone else. The second is how finely the top-up tiers are cut: a small tier lets you land close to what you actually need, while an app whose smallest pack is large strands your money in coins you cannot spend. Across the five apps we model at the same per-episode rate the entire spread is $1.09, and every cent of it is leftover coins — not a better deal. Read the cheapest tag below as “wastes the least”, not“charges less”.
| Platform | Free eps | Coins/ep | Best value pack | Cost per coin | 80-ep series | Series tracked |
|---|
| ReelShort ↗ | — | 60 | 500$4.99 | $0.0100 | $49.90 | 306 |
|---|
| DramaBox ↗ | — | 60 | 500$4.99 | $0.0100 | $49.90 | 0 |
|---|
| ShortMax ↗cheapest | — | 60 | 350$3.49 | $0.0100 | $48.86 | 463 |
|---|
| GoodShort ↗ | — | 60 | 500$4.99 | $0.0100 | $49.90 | 0 |
|---|
| FlexTV ↗ | — | 65 | 500$4.99 | $0.0100 | $54.89 | 0 |
|---|
| NetShort ↗ | — | 60 | 1,000$9.99 | $0.0100 | $49.95 | 428 |
|---|
Finishing the same 80-episode series costs $48.86 on ShortMax and $54.89 on FlexTV — a difference of $6.03 for the same amount of viewing. Catalogue matters more than price, but the gap is worth knowing before you commit to an app.
02
Every coin pack, ranked by value
Bigger packs are usually better value, but the gap between the best and worst pack on the same app can be substantial. Cost per coin includes bonus coins.
ReelShort
The biggest Western-facing vertical drama app; heavy on werewolf and billionaire lines.
Worst pack costs 1.00× more per coin than the best
- 500$4.99$0.0100/coin≈ 8 eps
- 1,000$9.99$0.0100/coin≈ 16 eps
- 1,500$14.99$0.0100/coin≈ 25 eps
- 2,000$19.99$0.0100/coin≈ 33 eps
- 2,500$24.99$0.0100/coin≈ 41 eps
- 3,000$29.99$0.0100/coin≈ 50 eps
DramaBox
Deep catalogue with a strong rebirth/revenge slate and frequent free-coin events.
Worst pack costs 1.00× more per coin than the best
- 500$4.99$0.0100/coin≈ 8 eps
- 1,000$9.99$0.0100/coin≈ 16 eps
- 2,000$19.99$0.0100/coin≈ 33 eps
ShortMax
Fast-moving release schedule; often the first Western home for a hit series.
Worst pack costs 1.00× more per coin than the best
- 350$3.49$0.0100/coin≈ 5 eps
- 500$4.99$0.0100/coin≈ 8 eps
- 1,000$9.99$0.0100/coin≈ 16 eps
- 1,500$14.99$0.0100/coin≈ 25 eps
- 2,500$24.99$0.0100/coin≈ 41 eps
GoodShort
Romance-forward catalogue with a lot of completed, bingeable series.
Worst pack costs 1.00× more per coin than the best
- 500$4.99$0.0100/coin≈ 8 eps
- 1,000$9.99$0.0100/coin≈ 16 eps
- 1,500$14.99$0.0100/coin≈ 25 eps
- 2,000$19.99$0.0100/coin≈ 33 eps
- 2,500$24.99$0.0100/coin≈ 41 eps
- 3,000$29.99$0.0100/coin≈ 50 eps
- 4,000$39.99$0.0100/coin≈ 66 eps
- 5,000$49.99$0.0100/coin≈ 83 eps
- 10,000$99.99$0.0100/coin≈ 166 eps
FlexTV
Smaller catalogue, but a reliable source of CEO and contract-marriage lines.
Worst pack costs 1.00× more per coin than the best
- 500$4.99$0.0100/coin≈ 7 eps
- 1,000$9.99$0.0100/coin≈ 15 eps
- 1,500$14.99$0.0100/coin≈ 23 eps
- 2,000$19.99$0.0100/coin≈ 30 eps
- 3,000$29.99$0.0100/coin≈ 46 eps
NetShort
Broad international slate with frequent dubbed imports.
Worst pack costs 1.00× more per coin than the best
- 1,000$9.99$0.0100/coin≈ 16 eps
- 1,500$14.99$0.0100/coin≈ 25 eps
- 2,000$19.99$0.0100/coin≈ 33 eps
Subscriptions
What a weekly pass can be worth, at most
Not one of these apps publishes what its pass actually unlocks. So we do not guess at the terms — we work out the ceiling instead. Of the platforms anywhere in our data that do state their terms, two cap a weekly pass at 2 episodes a day and two sell unlimited viewing. We model the capped version, because assuming unlimited would make every pass look better than it might be. At 2 a day a week's pass tops out at 14 episodes — so the most it can possibly save you is what those episodes would cost in coins.
| Platform | Cheapest weekly pass | 14 episodes in coins | Verdict at the cap |
|---|
| DramaBox | $5.99 | $8.38 | Pass wins |
|---|
| GoodShort | $5.99 | $8.38 | Pass wins |
|---|
| ShortMax | $9.99 | $8.38 | Costs 1.2× the coins |
|---|
| ReelShort | $19.99 | $8.38 | Costs 2.4× the coins |
|---|
| NetShort | $19.99 | $8.38 | Costs 2.4× the coins |
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| FlexTV | $29.99 | $9.08 | Costs 3.3× the coins |
|---|
Read this as a ceiling, not a recommendation. If a pass turns out to be unlimited rather than capped, it is worth more than the middle column shows. If it hands you a coin allowance instead of episodes, it may be worth less. What the table does establish is that on4 of the 6 platforms with a weekly pass, you would have to be watching more than the commonly imposed daily cap allows before the pass beats simply buying coins.
Before you buy
- Prices differ by country and by app store. The figures here are the listed US prices; your store may show something else.
- Coins bought on one platform are worthless on another. Spreading across apps is the most common way people waste money on short drama.
- Some apps raise the coin price of later episodes in a series. Budget for more than the flat rate if you are starting a long ongoing show.
- A "VIP" or "premium" tier is not always unlimited viewing — several are just a daily coin allowance. Read what the tier actually grants.
Prices are the US App Store listings as of 19 August 2026, combined with figures supplied to us the same month. Coin counts, per-episode costs and what a subscription grants are modelled, not quoted — platforms change all of this without notice, so treat every total as an estimate and confirm in the app before paying.