# Shortcuts vs Widgets 27

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Shortcuts at none against Widgets 27's 2. Shortcuts also leads on ratings volume (47K vs 1.3K) and review sentiment (49% vs 41%). Widgets 27's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 9 months). On price, rating and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Widgets 27 sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 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 4.6 for Widgets 27. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Shortcuts has 47K ratings behind it against 1.3K, 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 41% of Widgets 27's.

Shortcuts ships an update every 9 months, Widgets 27 every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Shortcuts | Widgets 27 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (47K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shortcuts/id1462947752/reviews) | [4.6 (1.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/widgets-27/id6444178143/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **47K** | 1.3K |
| Positive reviews | **49.2% of reviews** | 40.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 9 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 9 MB | 59 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Apple Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/284417353) | [Irina Scelcunova](https://appshunter.io/developer/1737748446) |

## 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


### Widgets 27

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/widgets-27/id6444178143)

Transform your lock screen into a dynamic hub with custom widgets. Add app shortcuts, contacts, photos, and health tracking directly to your lock screen. Personalize your device with a built-in wallpaper editor and a vast collection of exclusive wallpapers.

**Highlights:** App Shortcuts Widget, Contacts Widget, Photo Widget, Health Widget, Wallpaper Editor, Exclusive Wallpaper Collection

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Vip for week | $2.99 | per 7 days |
| Vip for one year | $19.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Convenient app
- 💡 Excellent and very good
- 💡 Wallpaper feature

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Doesn't save changes
- 🐛 Background doesn't remove
- 🐛 Dynamic island doesn't work
- 🐛 Time widget goes past 24 hours
- 🐛 Not all widgets work

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes
- Incompatible with newer iOS versions
- Calendar widget keeps disappearing

**Requested features**

- Allow adding widgets
- Ability to type own quote


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Shortcuts free?

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

### Is Widgets 27 free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Shortcuts or Widgets 27?

Shortcuts and Widgets 27 are both rated 4.6 out of 5 on the App Store, from 47K and 1.3K ratings respectively.

### Do Shortcuts or Widgets 27 have ads?

Neither Shortcuts nor Widgets 27 shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Shortcuts or Widgets 27?

Shortcuts ships an update every 9 months, and Widgets 27 every 2 months. Most recently, Shortcuts was updated on October 15, 2026 and Widgets 27 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.*