The cheapest short drama apps, by lowest weekly price

On the US App Store, the cheapest weekly plans are VibeShort's ($4.99), GoodShort's ($5.99), DramaWave's and StoryReel's ($7.99), and ShortMax's and Shortical's ($9.99). The other apps are ordered strictly by the lowest weekly price on their US listing, with ties broken by rating count. Prices change by country and over time, and the payment sheet is the price that counts.

The cheapest apps, in order

1. TotalShort (our app)

We make it, so read this knowing that. On Google Play (read October 15, 2026), VIP is €5.99 a week or €59.99 a year, auto-renewing and billed by Google Play, with no free trial that turns into a charge. You may not need it: the first 8 episodes of every series are free, then 1 a day per series, and a paid episode costs 30 coins (€0.30). Finishing a 12-episode series after the free ones is 4 × 30 = 120 coins, €1.20. Coins never expire. On the App Store, weekly VIP is set at $5.99 for the iPhone launch, which hasn't happened yet.

Limits: six series, AI-made, Android only, no ratings yet.

Best for: paying per episode at a price you can read before you tap. TotalShort review

2. VibeShort: from $4.99 a week

VibeShort's US listing (read October 6, 2026) shows a Weekly Pass Pro at $4.99, $9.99 and $19.99, the lowest weekly entry we found. But its description names the standard plan as "$19.99/week" and a Yearly Pro Pass at $149.99, and the listing doesn't say who sees $4.99. Bonus coins expire under its terms (July 28, 2026). Rated 18+, with 4.7 from 46,267 ratings. Its website plays the first 6 episodes free, which costs nothing to try.

Best for: adults who check which weekly price they're actually offered. VibeShort review

3. GoodShort: from $5.99 a week

GoodShort lists weekly VIP at $5.99, $9.99 and $19.99 (US App Store, October 2, 2026), with coin packs from 500 coins for $4.99 to 2,500 for $24.99, about a cent a coin either way. On its website, the series we opened charged 46 to 56 coins per episode after 9 free, so roughly $0.45 to $0.55. It holds 4.9 from 527K ratings and is rated 13+.

Best for: the lowest weekly price on a large, highly rated app. GoodShort review

4. DramaWave: from $7.99 a week

DramaWave lists weekly VIP at $7.99, $9.99 and $19.99 and a monthly VIP at $36.99 (October 2, 2026). Four weeks at $7.99 come to $31.96, under the monthly price; at $9.99 they reach $39.96, above it. So which plan is cheaper depends on the weekly price you're shown. It holds 4.9 from 180K ratings, rated 13+, and its terms say web purchases follow their own refund policy.

Best for: comparing a weekly and a monthly plan in the same app. DramaWave review

5. StoryReel: from $7.99 a week

StoryReel ties DramaWave at $7.99 and sits below it on ratings (4.8 from 46,541, read October 6, 2026). Its "Weekly Pass Pro" appears at four prices, $7.99, $14.99, $19.99 and $24.99, and the listing doesn't say who gets which. One-time purchases are $3.49 and $19.99. It arrived on the App Store in April 2026 and is rated 18+. Its website plays the first episodes of each series before sending you to the app.

Best for: a cheap first week, if $7.99 is the price on your sheet. StoryReel review

6. ShortMax: from $9.99 a week

ShortMax lists a Weekly Pass Pro at $9.99 and $19.99 and one-time purchases from $3.49 to $24.99 (October 2, 2026). The $3.49 entry is the lowest single purchase among the six ranked apps here, useful if you only want a few episodes. It holds 4.6 from 177K ratings and is rated 18+. The listing doesn't state coins per episode, so check the number on a locked episode before buying.

Best for: a small one-off purchase instead of a plan. ShortMax review

7. Shortical: from $9.99 a week

Shortical ties ShortMax at $9.99 weekly (also $19.99) and lists yearly VIP at $149.99 and $199.99 (October 6, 2026). At $149.99, a year works out under $3 a week if you keep watching. Its website sells separate plans, such as one week at $7.99 that renews at $15.00, which is more than the app's $9.99. Rated 13+, 4.7 from 53,798. On its website, Room Service gave 13 free episodes before any plan.

Best for: heavy viewers who'd commit to a year. Shortical review

Apps with higher weekly prices

These apps list weekly plans too, starting higher (US App Store):

CandyJar's $69.99 yearly plan is the lowest yearly price in dollars on the listings we read, but it only pays off if you watch all year.

Three of these need a closer look before you pay, in the same order as the table.

Playlet: from $17.99 a week. Playlet's US listing (read October 15, 2026) shows a Weekly Pass at $17.99, $19.99 and $24.99, the last one twice, without saying who gets which. It also lists a Monthly Pass at $49.99: four weeks at the lowest weekly price come to $71.96, so the monthly line is $21.97 less. Coin packs run from 1,000 for $4.99 to 10,000 for $49.99, about half a cent a coin at every size. Rated 16+, with 4.60 from 46,857 ratings. The free episode count isn't stated.

Best for: paying monthly instead of renewing every week. Playlet review

StardustTV: from $19.99 a week. StardustTV's subscription is "valid for 7 days" and billed weekly, with lines at $19.99, $24.99 and $29.99 (US App Store, October 15, 2026). While subscribed, the description says you can watch all stories. Four weeks at $19.99 come to $79.96; at $29.99, $119.96. Coins cost about a cent each, 500 for $4.99 or 2,000 for $19.99, so the bigger pack saves nothing. It holds 4.72 from 78,528 ratings and is rated 13+.

Best for: binge watchers who want one weekly price that unlocks every story. StardustTV review

Kalos TV: from $19.99 a week. Kalos TV lists two VIP lines named "vip free week" at $19.99 and $24.99 (US App Store, October 15, 2026). Despite the name, both carry a price, and the listing doesn't say whether a free period comes first. A "Coin Package Week" at $14.99 and "Coin Package Month" at $29.99 are coin top-ups with no coin counts stated, so we rank on the VIP price. All subscriptions auto-renew. Rated 13+, with 4.54 from 13,155 ratings.

Best for: viewers who'd rather buy a monthly coin package than weekly VIP. Kalos TV review

Apps we couldn't rank on price

DramaBox lists Membership from $5.99 but doesn't state the period, so we can't call it weekly. My Drama and FlareFlow also leave periods off their listings. DramaShorts sells "Weekly Coins" from $4.99, which is a coin top-up rather than a viewing pass. PineDrama shows no purchases on the US App Store, and FreeReels says it has no subscriptions; both run on other models. Details are on the compare page.

How we picked

We took the lowest price each US App Store listing labels as weekly, read October 2, 6 or 15, 2026, and sorted from lowest to highest, breaking ties by number of US ratings. TotalShort is #1 because it's ours, and its prices stay in euros, as listed. A low entry price isn't the price everyone gets: several apps list the same weekly plan at several prices. Our how coins work guide shows how to turn coin prices into money per episode, and how we rate explains the method. The overall list is on the home page.

Frequently asked questions

What is the cheapest short drama app?

By lowest weekly plan on the US App Store, VibeShort at $4.99, then GoodShort at $5.99. Both list higher weekly prices too, up to $19.99, and VibeShort's description names $19.99 as its standard weekly pass. For pay-per-episode, TotalShort charges 30 coins (€0.30) after 8 free episodes per series. Check the payment sheet: it's the only price that counts.

Is a weekly or yearly plan cheaper?

Yearly, if you'll really watch all year. CandyJar's yearly plan is $69.99 against $19.99 a week, and Shortical's is $149.99 against $9.99 a week. TotalShort's yearly VIP is €59.99, and 10 weekly payments of €5.99 come to €59.90, so yearly wins after about 10 weeks. If you only want one series, coins usually beat any plan.

How much does one episode cost?

Where the website showed it: ReelShort about $0.55 to $0.60 with small coin packs (60 coins per episode), NetShort about $0.50 (50 coins), GoodShort roughly $0.45 to $0.55 (46 to 56 coins), all on October 6, 2026. TotalShort is 30 coins, €0.30. Most App Store listings don't state coins per episode, so check the number on the locked episode.

Why does the same app show several weekly prices?

The listings don't explain it. StoryReel shows its Weekly Pass Pro at four prices, VibeShort at three, GoodShort and DramaWave at three, and Playlet and StardustTV their weekly plans at three each. You may be offered any of them, so don't assume the lowest. Read the price and the period on Apple's or Google's payment sheet before you confirm, and close it if the number isn't the one you expected.

Is ReelShort cheaper on its website?

For the first week, yes: reelshort.com showed weekly VIP at $9.99 for the first week, then $19.99 a week, on October 6, 2026. The App Store subscription is $19.99 from the start. A website plan is billed by ReelShort and cancelled in your ReelShort account, not in Apple or Google settings, so set a reminder before it renews.

How do I avoid paying more than planned?

Start with free episodes, buy the smallest coin pack before any plan, and cancel a weekly plan the day you buy it so it can't renew. Deleting the app cancels nothing. Our cancellation guide has the steps for iPhone, Android and website plans. Once a week, open the subscription list in Apple or Google settings and check what's active.

Sources

1. Google Play, TotalShort: Short Drama Series listing, read October 15, 2026: play.google.com.
2. App Store (US), GoodShort, DramaWave, ShortMax, ReelShort, NetShort and DramaBox listings, read October 2, 2026.
3. App Store (US), VibeShort, StoryReel, Shortical, FlickReels, CandyJar, MoboReels, My Drama, DramaShorts, FlareFlow and PineDrama listings, read October 6, 2026.
4. ReelShort, NetShort, GoodShort and Shortical websites, prices and episode locks, visited October 6, 2026.
5. VibeShort Terms of Service, updated July 28, 2026.
6. Google Play (US), FreeReels listing, read October 6, 2026.
7. App Store (US), Playlet (MicroShowtime Limited), StardustTV (Hongxing Media Co., Limited) and Kalos TV (Storyverse Co., Limited) listings: in-app purchases, descriptions, ratings and age ratings, read October 15, 2026.