Comparison

Shortly vs GrepEx

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

Head to head
About

Shortly

This utility allows you to create and manage short URLs using the Bitly service directly from your iPhone or iPad. Easily copy shortened links for use in other apps and track their click statistics with helpful charts. It also includes a tool to look up existing Bitlinks and their performance.

Highlights
  • Create short URLs (Bitlinks)
  • Copy links to clipboard
  • Track click statistics
  • View charts and metadata
  • Bitlink lookup tool
  • Auto Shorten feature
Features
Read full description

Shortly is an easy-to-use utility that lets you create short URLs (Bitlinks) with your iPhone or iPad using the Bitly service. You can copy these links to the clipboard for use in other iPhone applications. Once you've created your Bitlink and pressed the button to put it on the clipboard, you can launch another application, click anywhere you can enter text and select Paste β€” it's that simple! Additionally you can track the click statistics for Bitlinks you create in the app, or Bitlinks you've shortened on the Bitly website with helpful charts and metadata. There is also a Bitlink lookup tool, so you can enter in a Bitlink you've found and see who created it, including the number of global clicks it has received this week. The app requires a Bitly account to enable the URL shortening and tracking features. If you don't have an account, signing up is easy and free. Just click on the Account tab in the app and click the button to get a new account. Auto Shorten feature: If you go into the Settings screen and turn this on, the Shortly app will look on the clipboard when it launches, and if it finds a valid URL there, it will automatically shorten it and place the Bitlihnk on the clipboard at the same time.

About

GrepEx

Features
Read full description

GrepEx is the ultimate regex and dorking toolkit for developers, security researchers, and power users. Generate production-ready regular expressions in 22 programming languages and build precise search queriesβ€”all from your pocket. REGEX GENERATOR Stop wrestling with regex syntax. Select what you need to match, and GrepEx generates the pattern with language-specific code you can copy directly into your project. β€’ 22 Languages: JavaScript, Python, Go, Rust, Java, C#, PHP, Ruby, Swift, Kotlin, TypeScript, Perl, Bash, PowerShell, and more β€’ 80+ Templates: Email, URL, IP address, phone numbers, dates, credit cards, passwords, file paths, log parsing, and dozens more β€’ Live Testing: Paste sample text and see matches highlighted instantly β€’ Pattern Explanation: Understand what each regex component does in plain English β€’ Safe Testing: Built-in protection against catastrophic backtracking (ReDoS) SEARCH DORKING ENGINE Craft advanced search queries to find exactly what you're looking for. Perfect for research, competitive analysis, and discovering hard-to-find resources. β€’ Visual Query Builder: Combine operators like site:, filetype:, inurl:, intitle:, and intext: without memorizing syntax β€’ 3,600+ GHDB Templates: Access the GHDB with categorized, searchable dork patterns β€’ Smart Exclusions: Filter out noise with preset exclusion lists for cleaner results β€’ One-Tap Search: Open your crafted query directly in your browser BUILT FOR PRODUCTIVITY β€’ History & Favorites: Never lose a pattern you've created β€’ Export & Import: Back up your patterns and transfer between devices β€’ Dark Mode: Easy on the eyes during late-night coding sessions β€’ VoiceOver Support: Full accessibility for all users PRIVACY FIRST Your data never leaves your device. No accounts, no cloud sync, no analytics, no tracking. GrepEx works entirely offline for core features. GREPEX PRO Unlock unlimited potential: β€’ Save unlimited patterns and dorks β€’ Access all 22 programming languages β€’ Full GHDB search and save β€’ Extended history (100 items) β€’ Export/Import functionality Whether you're validating user input, parsing log files, scraping data, or conducting security research, GrepEx puts professional-grade tools in your hands. Download GrepEx and master regex today.

Screenshots

Shortly4 screens
GrepEx4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: GrepEx at weekly against Shortly's every 5 months. GrepEx also leads on iOS requirement (13.4 vs 18.6). Shortly's advantage is price ($0.99 vs $1.99). On ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

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

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Shortly costs $0.99 and GrepEx $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Shortly ships an update every 5 months, GrepEx weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences Β· 5 level
Shortly versus GrepEx: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterShortlyGrepEx
Price$0.99 β€” better$1.99
Positive reviews10.8% of reviewsβ€”
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsWeekly β€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeβ€”
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS18.613.4 β€” better
Further details β€” not scored
Size9 MB12 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperChris DresslerJeremy Laratro

In-app purchases

None

Shortly

No in-app purchases

None

GrepEx

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Shortly free?
Shortly costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is GrepEx free?
GrepEx costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Shortly or GrepEx have ads?
Neither Shortly nor GrepEx shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Shortly or GrepEx?
Shortly ships an update every 5 months, and GrepEx weekly. Most recently, Shortly was updated on September 29, 2026 and GrepEx on September 21, 2026.

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