# Gmail vs Shortcuts

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Shortcuts at none against Gmail's 14. Shortcuts also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (49% vs 29%). Gmail's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 9 months) and ratings volume (2.4M vs 47K). On price and rating there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Gmail sells 7 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 — 4.7 for Gmail against 4.6 for Shortcuts. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Gmail has 2.4M ratings behind it against 47K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 29% of Gmail's written reviews are positive against 49% of Shortcuts's.

Gmail ships an update weekly, Shortcuts every 9 months. Both last shipped on October 17, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Gmail | Shortcuts |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (2.4M ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gmail-email-by-google/id422689480/reviews)** | [4.6 (47K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shortcuts/id1462947752/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **2.4M** | 47K |
| Positive reviews | 28.8% of reviews | **49.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 9 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#3** | — |
| Size | 725 MB | 9 MB |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | [Google](https://appshunter.io/developer/281956209) | [Apple Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/284417353) |

## What reviewers say

### Gmail

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/gmail-email-by-google/id422689480)

**Currently charting:** #3 Top Grossing · Productivity, #5 Top Free · Productivity, #19 Top Grossing, #24 Top Free (US App Store)

This application provides a secure and efficient email experience with advanced features like spam blocking, smart replies, and multi-account support. It integrates with other Google services for enhanced productivity and collaboration.

**Highlights:** Robust security & spam blocking, Real-time notifications, Multiple account support, Smart Reply & Compose, Undo send, Google Chat & Meet integration, Threaded conversations

**Features:** Family Sharing, Siri integration, Apple Wallet

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 100 GB | $1.99 | per month |
| 100 GB | $1.99 | per month |
| 200 GB | $2.99 | per month |
| 200 GB | $2.99 | per month |
| 2 TB | $9.99 | per month |
| Google AI Plus (2 TB) | $9.99 | per month |
| 100 GB | $19.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Efficient email management
- 👍 Easy to use interface
- 🔒 Secure and reliable
- 😊 Positive user experience overall

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bugs and glitches
- 💡 Lacking advanced features
- 🔒 Security concerns
- 🔋 Drains battery quickly

**Reported bugs**

- Notifications not working properly
- Emails disappearing from inbox
- Inability to remove accounts
- Conversation view issues

**Requested features**

- Swipe to delete/snooze emails
- Ability to mark all emails as read
- Customizable notification settings
- Improved file attachment functionality


### 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


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Gmail free?

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

### Is Shortcuts free?

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

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

Gmail is rated higher. Gmail averages 4.7 out of 5 from 2.4M ratings, while Shortcuts averages 4.6 from 47K ratings.

### Do Gmail or Shortcuts have ads?

Gmail shows ads; Shortcuts does not.

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

Gmail ships an update weekly, and Shortcuts every 9 months. Most recently, Gmail was updated on October 17, 2026 and Shortcuts on October 17, 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.*