# Shortcuts vs Widgetsmith

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Shortcuts at none against Widgetsmith's 4. Shortcuts also leads on ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). Widgetsmith's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 9 months) and review sentiment (72% vs 49%). On price, rating and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Widgetsmith sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Shortcuts asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Shortcuts against 4.6 for Widgetsmith. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Widgetsmith has 773K ratings behind it against 47K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 49% of Shortcuts's written reviews are positive against 72% of Widgetsmith's.

Shortcuts ships an update every 9 months, Widgetsmith every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on October 14, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Shortcuts | Widgetsmith |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (47K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shortcuts/id1462947752/reviews) | [4.6 (773K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/widgetsmith/id1523682319/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 47K | **773K** |
| Positive reviews | 49.2% of reviews | **72.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 9 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | **#38** |
| Size | 9 MB | 183 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Vision Pro |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Apple Distribution International](https://appshunter.io/developer/284417353) | [Cross Forward Consulting, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/295660206) |

## What reviewers say

### Shortcuts

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shortcuts/id1462947752)

Automate everyday tasks on your iPhone and iPad by creating custom workflows. Combine actions from your favorite apps to perform complex operations with a single tap, Siri command, or even automatically. Explore hundreds of built-in actions to streamline your digital life.

**Highlights:** Create custom automations, Hundreds of built-in actions, Integrates with favorite apps, Home Screen icons for quick access, Siri integration, Automatic task execution, Make animated GIFs, Create PDFs from Safari

**Features:** Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Powerful automation capabilities
- 👍 Customizable app icons and widgets
- 🎨 Aesthetic customization options
- 💡 Useful for home automation and productivity

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy, crashes, and exhibits unexpected behavior
- 🔍 Inaccessible and difficult to use
- 🔕 Annoying notification banners
- 🔌 Drains battery when running complex shortcuts

**Reported bugs**

- Shortcuts randomly stop working, requiring device restart
- Inconsistent behavior when adding/removing actions in shortcuts
- Shortcuts not syncing properly between devices
- Automations not running automatically as expected

**Requested features**

- Add 'and' statement for automations
- Allow toggling of silent mode on iPad and Apple Watch
- Provide option to disable notification banners
- Improve syncing and reliability between devices


### Widgetsmith

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/widgetsmith/id1523682319)

**Currently charting:** #38 Top Free · Productivity, #123 Top Grossing · Productivity (US App Store)

Personalize your device with highly customizable widgets for your home and lock screens. Showcase photos, track events, display weather, and launch apps directly from your widgets. Includes a wallpaper library and tools for theming.

**Highlights:** Customizable widgets, Home and lock screen personalization, Photo display, Event countdowns, Weather forecasts, App launching widgets, Theming tools

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Widgetsmith Premium | $1.99 | per month |
| Widgetsmith Premium | $3.99 | per month |
| Widgetsmith Premium | $19.99 | per year |
| Widgetsmith Premium | $29.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Customizable widgets
- 💡 Allows for aesthetic home screen design
- 🤩 Great for organizing and personalizing
- 🥰 Helpful for improving phone appearance

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Widgets turning grey or not working
- 🤔 Inability to remove 'Widgetsmith' label
- 🤨 Limited customization options for free users
- 😕 Inconsistent widget behavior

**Reported bugs**

- Widgets randomly turning grey or blank
- Calendar and time widgets not updating correctly
- App crashing or not opening
- Issues with photo widgets not displaying images

**Requested features**

- Ability to choose specific photos for widgets
- Option to adjust photo rotation interval
- Custom color selection tool
- Customizable widget labels
- Transparent widget backgrounds


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Shortcuts free?

Shortcuts is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Widgetsmith free?

Widgetsmith is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Shortcuts or Widgetsmith?

Shortcuts and Widgetsmith are both rated 4.6 out of 5 on the App Store, from 47K and 773K ratings respectively.

### Do Shortcuts or Widgetsmith have ads?

Widgetsmith shows ads; Shortcuts does not.

### Which is updated more often, Shortcuts or Widgetsmith?

Shortcuts ships an update every 9 months, and Widgetsmith every 2 weeks. Most recently, Shortcuts was updated on October 14, 2026 and Widgetsmith on October 14, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*