# Shortcuts vs Lock Screen 27

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Shortcuts at none against Lock Screen 27's 2. Shortcuts also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (49K vs 7.8K). Lock Screen 27's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 6 months) and review sentiment (71% vs 49%). On price and rating there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Lock Screen 27 sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per 7 days. Shortcuts asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Shortcuts against 4.5 for Lock Screen 27. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Shortcuts has 49K ratings behind it against 7.8K, 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 71% of Lock Screen 27's.

Shortcuts ships an update every 6 months, Lock Screen 27 fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Shortcuts | Lock Screen 27 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (49K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shortcuts/id1462947752/reviews)** | [4.5 (7.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lock-screen-27-top-widgets/id1641143233/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **49K** | 7.8K |
| Positive reviews | 49.2% of reviews | **71.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 9 MB | 231 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Apple](https://appshunter.io/developer/284417353) | [Appchi LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1716729189) |

## 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


### Lock Screen 27

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lock-screen-27-top-widgets/id1641143233)

Personalize your device's lock screen with custom text, emojis, app shortcuts, and contact links. Access your favorite websites and apps directly from your lock screen. Choose from a variety of icon packs and wallpapers to create a unique look.

**Highlights:** Custom text and emoji, Website and app shortcuts, Contact shortcuts, Icon packs, Wallpapers

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Widget & Aesthetic Wallpapers | $3.99 | per 7 days |
| One Year Access | $29.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Amazing
- 👍 Very good
- 💕 Cute
- 🌟 Unique
- 🔓 Solid App

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Doesn't work
- 💰 Too expensive
- 🚫 Useless Application
- 🔒 Free to subscription model
- 🔧 Buggy app

**Reported bugs**

- Widgets not working
- Shortcuts not functioning properly
- Wallpaper selection issues
- Blank icons
- Transition issues when opening shortcuts

**Requested features**

- More aesthetic wallpapers
- Shortcut widgets
- Custom app icons for widgets
- Larger text size
- More than 2 apps per Lock Screen


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Shortcuts free?

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

### Is Lock Screen 27 free?

Lock Screen 27 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Shortcuts or Lock Screen 27?

Shortcuts is rated higher. Shortcuts averages 4.6 out of 5 from 49K ratings, while Lock Screen 27 averages 4.5 from 7.8K ratings.

### Do Shortcuts or Lock Screen 27 have ads?

Lock Screen 27 shows ads; Shortcuts does not.

### Which is updated more often, Shortcuts or Lock Screen 27?

Shortcuts ships an update every 6 months, and Lock Screen 27 fortnightly. Most recently, Shortcuts was updated on October 22, 2026 and Lock Screen 27 on October 21, 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.*