Comparison

Toolbox Pro for Shortcuts vs Actions

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Toolbox Pro for Shortcuts

Enhance Apple's Shortcuts app with over 130 powerful new actions. Utilize advanced tools like OCR, document scanning, music integration, and NFC for deeper automation. Create custom app-like experiences and manage data across devices.

Highlights
  • 130+ powerful new actions for Shortcuts
  • On-device text recognition (OCR)
  • NFC Read + Write
  • Style and render text to images
  • Global variables for data storage
  • Create custom app-like experiences with Preview Tool
  • Apple Music integration
Features
Read full description

Toolbox Pro gives you 130+ powerful new actions to use within Apple’s Shortcuts app. Tools include the latest iOS technologies: • iOS document scanner • Lightning-fast, on-device text recognition (OCR) • Tag files • Manipulate reminders and calendar events with more options than Shortcuts • Apple Music tools give you access to the whole catalogue of 60 million songs (Apple Music subscription required) • Transcribe speech from audio files • Add contacts and contact groups • Get workouts and activity summaries from Health • TouchID/FaceID authentication • Style and render text to images • NFC Read + Write • Image filters • Create photo albums • The Preview Tool lets you present text, images, rich URLs & interactive maps with flexible layouts. Add your own buttons to create your own app-like experience • Global variables let you store data between shortcuts and devices • Menu creator • Icon generator • Recognise objects in images using machine learning • Get current motion of device (driving, walking etc) • Full-screen text input box • Remove duplicates from list • Quick-match text before, after or between words • Device details like orientation/is dark mode on/is audio playing/is silent mode on And many, many more. Get nearly 40 tools for *FREE*, unlock everything with a single in-app purchase. You can find detailed descriptions of what each tool does in the app along with *lots* of example shortcuts to get you started. This app supports dark mode, voice control and dynamic type. Privacy policy spoilers: I don’t store any of your data or track you. (Read more: www.toolboxpro.app/privacy-policy)

About

Actions

This app provides a vast collection of additional actions to enhance the functionality of the Shortcuts app on iOS. It offers a wide range of tools for manipulating data, interacting with device features, and automating complex tasks.

Highlights
  • Add to List
  • Apply Capture Date
  • Blur Images
  • Calculate with Soulver
  • Convert Date to Unix Time
  • Format Number as Ordinal
  • Get Device Details (Extended)
  • Get SF Symbol Image
Features
Read full description

Supercharge your shortcuts with lots of useful actions. It provides additional actions for the Shortcuts app. IMPORTANT: Because of an iOS bug, to make the actions show up in the Shortcuts app, you need to first launch the app and then restart your device. 重要提示:由于 iOS 错误,要使操作显示在“快捷方式”应用程序中,您需要先启动该应用程序,然后重新启动设备。 WICHTIG: Aufgrund eines iOS-Fehlers müssen Sie, damit die Aktionen in der Shortcuts-App angezeigt werden, zuerst die App starten und dann Ihr Gerät neu starten. IMPORTANT : en raison d'un bug iOS, pour que les actions s'affichent dans l'application Raccourcis, vous devez d'abord lancer l'application, puis redémarrer votre appareil. The actions are not able to run on Apple Watch or HomePod. Restart your device if the actions don't show up in the Shortcuts app. ■ Actions - Add to List - Apply Capture Date - Ask for Text with Timeout - Authenticate - Blur Images - Boolean - Calculate with Soulver - Choose from List (Extended) - Clamp Number - Color - Combine Lists - Combine Videos - Convert Coordinates to Location - Convert Date to Unix Time - Convert Location to Geo URI - Convert Unix Time to Date - Create Color Image - Create Menu Item - Create URL - Download File - Edit URL - Encrypt File - Encrypt Text - Filter List - Find Music Playlist - Format Currency - Format Date Difference - Format Duration - Format Number as Ordinal - Format Number — Compact - Format Person Name - Format Text List - Generate CSV - Generate Haptic Feedback - Generate Random Data - Generate Random Text - Generate UUID - Get All System Colors - Get Audio Playback Destination - Get Average Color - Get Average Color of Image - Get Battery State - Get Bluetooth Device - Get Bluetooth Devices - Get Boolean from Input - Get Compass Heading - Get Device Details (Extended) - Get Device Motion Activity - Get Device Motion Data - Get Device Orientation - Get Dominant Colors of Image - Get Elevation - Get Emojis - Get File Path - Get High-Resolution Timestamp - Get Image Capture Date / Set Image Capture Date - Get Image Location / Set Image Location - Get Index of List Item - Get Map Image of Location - Get Paragraphs from Text - Get Query Item Value from URL - Get Query Items from URL - Get Query Items from URL as Dictionary - Get Random Boolean - Get Random Color - Get Random Date and Time - Get Random Emoticon - Get Random Floating-Point Number - Get Random Number from Seed - Get Related Words - Get Sentences from Text - Get SF Symbol Image - Get System Color - Get Title of URL - Get Uniform Type Identifier / Set Uniform Type Identifier - Get User Details - Get Values Using JSONPath - Global Variable - Hex Encode - Hide Shortcuts App - Invert Images - Is Accessibility Feature On - Is Audio Playing - Is Bluetooth On - Is Call Active - Is Cellular Data On - Is Cellular Low Data Mode On - Is Conforming to Uniform Type Identifier - Is Connected to VPN - Is Dark Mode On - Is Day - Is Device Locked - Is Device Moving - Is Device Orientation - Is Host Reachable - Is Location Services Enabled - Is Low Power Mode On - Is Online - Is Shaking Device - Is Silent Mode On - Is Time - Is Time In Range - Is Web Server Reachable - Join Wi-Fi - Merge Dictionaries - Open URLs in Safari - Overwrite File - Parse CSV - Parse JSON5 - Pick Color - Pretty Print Dictionaries - Remove Duplicate Lines - Remove Duplicates from List - Remove Emojis - Remove Empty Lines - Remove from List - Remove Non-Printable Characters - Reverse Lines - Reverse List - Round Number to Multiple - Scan Documents - Scan QR Codes in Image - Set Creation and Modification Date of File - Show Black Screen - Show Notification - Shuffle List - Sort List - Sort Months - Spell Out Number - Toggle Boolean - Transform Lists - Transform Text - Transform Text with JavaScript - Trim Whitespace - Truncate List - Truncate Number - Truncate Text - Wait Milliseconds - Write or Edit Text

Screenshots

Toolbox Pro for Shortcuts4 screens
Actions2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Actions at none against Toolbox Pro for Shortcuts's 4. Actions also leads on review sentiment (92% vs 65%) and rating (4.8 vs 4.5). Toolbox Pro for Shortcuts's advantage is iOS requirement (14.5 vs 26.0). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Toolbox Pro for Shortcuts sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Actions asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Actions holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 432 and 469 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 65% of Toolbox Pro for Shortcuts's written reviews are positive against 92% of Actions's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Toolbox Pro for Shortcuts ships an update every 3 weeks, Actions monthly. Both last shipped on September 22, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Toolbox Pro for Shortcuts versus Actions: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterToolbox Pro for ShortcutsActions
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (432 ratings)4.8 (469 ratings) — better
Positive reviews64.8% of reviews91.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings432469 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Mac
Requires iOS14.5 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size104 MB28 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSnailed It Development LtdSindre Sorhus

Customer experience

Toolbox Pro for Shortcuts

All ratings432 ratings
Positive85.4%
Neutral3.5%
Negative11.1%
Written reviews199 reviews
Positive64.8%
Neutral8.0%
Negative27.1%

Actions

All ratings469 ratings
Positive95.5%
Neutral1.5%
Negative3.0%
Written reviews288 reviews
Positive91.7%
Neutral2.8%
Negative5.6%

User reviews

Toolbox Pro for Shortcuts

From 432 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Powerful shortcuts extensions
  • 👍 Useful free tools
  • 🔒 No data collection
  • 💡 Variety of actions
  • 👍 Premium worth the price

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Unreliable actions
  • 🔒 Premium features required for core functionality
  • 🐛 Buggy notifications
  • 🐛 Shortcuts not working as expected
  • 🐛 Broken music actions

Actions

From 469 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Powerful and flexible shortcuts
  • 👍 Intuitive and easy to use
  • 🔓 No ads or in-app purchases
  • 🤖 Impressive range of actions
  • 🔥 Indispensable for Shortcuts users

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Occasional bugs or performance issues
  • ⚠️ Compatibility concerns with newer iOS versions
  • 🕰️ Slow response times in some cases

Bugs and requests

Toolbox Pro for Shortcuts

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Restore purchase not working
  • Clipboard issues
  • List manipulation bugs
  • Haptic feedback not working
  • Example shortcuts not working

Requested features

8 requests
  • Sort numbers action
  • Custom repeat action
  • Detect if other apps are open
  • Share multiple shortcuts at once
  • Ability to read AAE files and photo edits
Show 3 more
  • SD card management
  • Detect currently running shortcut
  • Mac version

Actions

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Errors when using list manipulation actions
  • Incompatibility with HomePod mini
  • Shortcut actions not working on iPhone 15 Pro

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add support for device orientation detection
  • Integrate with more system-level APIs
  • Provide a way to create custom actions
  • Expand language support beyond English

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Toolbox Pro for Shortcuts

One-time4
  • Tip Jar - Small$0.99
  • Tip Jar - Medium$2.99
  • Tip Jar - Large$4.99
Show 1 more
  • Toolbox Pro Premium$5.99
None

Actions

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Toolbox Pro for Shortcuts free?
Toolbox Pro for Shortcuts is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Actions free?
Actions is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Toolbox Pro for Shortcuts or Actions?
Actions is rated higher. Toolbox Pro for Shortcuts averages 4.5 out of 5 from 432 ratings, while Actions averages 4.8 from 469 ratings.
Do Toolbox Pro for Shortcuts or Actions have ads?
Neither Toolbox Pro for Shortcuts nor Actions shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Toolbox Pro for Shortcuts or Actions?
Toolbox Pro for Shortcuts ships an update every 3 weeks, and Actions monthly. Most recently, Toolbox Pro for Shortcuts was updated on September 22, 2026 and Actions on September 22, 2026.

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