GlowFable vs Shortcat
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
GlowFable
This app offers a vast library of English web-novels and short fiction, including romance, fantasy, and YA genres. Enjoy a customizable reading experience with continuous scroll, adjustable text, and distraction-free controls. Listen to stories with a built-in text-to-speech audio player.
- Continuous scroll reading
- Adjustable text and themes
- Distraction-free reading controls
- Built-in text-to-speech audio player
- Personalized story recommendations
- Favorites and bookshelf
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GlowFable is a mobile entertainment app featuring short-form drama series across romance, mystery, sci-fi, fantasy, adventure, crime, apocalypse, and monster themes. Browse available dramas, explore story pages, watch previews, view available episodes, and continue watching from your viewing history. Some content may require coins or a VIP subscription. All digital purchases made in the iOS app are processed through Apple In-App Purchase. Account settings provide access to support, the Privacy Policy, the Terms of Use, and in-app account deletion. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Shortcat
Experience a new way to watch romantasy anime with short, vertical episodes designed for mobile. Discover exclusive romance and fantasy stories, perfect for quick viewing or extended binges. Stay updated with new releases and enjoy immersive, fast-paced narratives.
- Vertical full-screen anime
- Short episodes for mobile
- Exclusive romantasy series
- Fast-paced storytelling
- Notifications for new releases
- Romance and fantasy genres
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WATCH ROMANTASY ANIME DIFFERENTLY. Shortcat is a new streaming app dedicated to short vertical romantasy anime, designed specifically for mobile viewing. Discover world-famous romance stories crafted to be binge-watched anytime, anywhere. ANIME, REIMAGINED FOR MOBILE Forget long episodes and horizontal screens. Shortcat brings you short-form vertical anime, with full-screen immersion, fast pacing, and stories that hook you from the very first seconds. STORIES MADE TO MAKE YOU FEEL Fall in love. Uncover mysteries. Get revenge. Explore new worlds. Repeat. From romance and fantasy to thrillers, enemies-to-lovers, vampires, and more… OVER 100 EXCLUSIVE ANIME COMING IN 2026 Discover a growing catalog of exclusive anime series, released regularly throughout the year. WHAT YOU’LL LOVE ON SHORTCAT - MADE FOR MOBILE — full-screen vertical anime - SHORT EPISODES — perfect for quick sessions or long binges - EXCLUSIVE SERIES — only on Shortcat, 100 originals to be released this year - ROMANCE-FIRST STORIES — strong emotions, addictive plots - STAY UPDATED — get notified when new episodes and seasons drop Terms of Use (EULA): https://getshortcat.com/legal/tos Privacy Policy: https://getshortcat.com/legal/privacy_policy Subscription details: - Shortcat Yearly: 12-month auto-renewing subscription - Shortcat Yearly LImited: 12-month auto-renewing subscription - Shortcat Yearly Discount: 12-month auto-renewing subscription - Shortcat Monthly: 1-month auto-renewing subscription Payment is charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription auto-renews unless turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel in Account Settings on the App Store after purchase.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Shortcat at 4.7 against GlowFable's 2.8. Shortcat also leads on ratings volume (680 vs 11) and review sentiment (42% vs 33%). GlowFable's advantage is monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. GlowFable sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $17.99 per 7 days and Shortcat sells 15 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Shortcat holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 2.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Shortcat has 680 ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 33% of GlowFable's written reviews are positive against 42% of Shortcat's.
GlowFable ships an update every 11 days, Shortcat fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | GlowFable | Shortcat |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.8 (11 ratings) | 4.7 (680 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 33.3% of reviews | 41.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 11 | 680 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 11 days — better | Fortnightly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Subscription |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 16.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 572 MB | 60 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Hangzhou Xinghe Zhiyao Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd | Flagcat |
Customer experience
GlowFable
Shortcat
In-app purchases
GlowFable
- VIP Weekly7 Days trial$17.997 Days
- vip monthly1 Month trial$29.991 Month
- vip yearly1 Year trial$199.991 Year
- coins 1100$6.99
- coins 2400$19.99
- coins 7000$49.99
Shortcat
- Monthly Membership$19.991 Month
- Yearly Membership$24.991 Year
- Yearly Membership Limited Offer$36.991 Year
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- Yearly Membership$49.991 Year
- One-time Purchase$2.99
- One-time Purchase$3.99
- One-time Purchase$4.99
Show 8 moreShow fewer
- 820 Coins$5.49
- One-time Purchase$5.49
- One-time Purchase$5.99
- 1900 Coins$9.99
- One-time Purchase$12.99
- 5240 Coins$19.99
- One-time Purchase$19.99
- One-time Purchase$29.99
