Comparison

OpenIntelligence vs ShortcutStudio

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

Head to head
About

OpenIntelligence

Transform your files into a private, searchable knowledge base. This app uses advanced AI to answer your questions with citations, supporting a wide range of document, audio, video, and code formats. It's designed for Apple devices with Apple Intelligence capabilities.

Highlights
  • Private knowledge base creation
  • Citation-backed Q&A
  • Supports 50+ file formats
  • On-device transcription and indexing
  • Hybrid search (keyword & vector)
  • Multiple query modes
  • Background file ingestion
Read full description

Ask a question about your own PDFs, contracts, lecture recordings or code, and get an answer with the exact passage it came from. Nothing you import leaves your device unless you allow it. Free to start, no account, no API key. OpenIntelligence reads what you import and answers in plain language, with citations you can tap to see where each claim came from. When your files don't contain the answer, it says so instead of guessing. ANSWERS START IN YOUR FILES Not in a chatbot's imagination. OpenIntelligence searches your library first, pulls the exact passages that matter, and only then writes, using Apple's on-device Apple Intelligence models. Requires an Apple Intelligence-capable device: iPhone 15 Pro or later, or an M1-or-later iPad or Mac, on iOS/iPadOS/macOS 26. Your device already had the intelligence. This gives it your knowledge, and rules of evidence. WHAT YOU CAN DO - Summarize long documents, recordings, or entire libraries. - Compare claims and details across multiple sources. - Find exact facts, dates, specifications, measurements, and table values. - Ask follow-up questions without losing the sources or the thread. - Choose Standard for quick factual work, Deep Think for multi-step questions, or Maximum for broader evidence synthesis. BRING YOUR OWN MATERIAL Import PDFs, Office documents, text and Markdown files, CSVs, code, images and scans, audio, or video. Pages, Numbers and Keynote files need to be exported to PDF first. OpenIntelligence extracts text, uses Vision OCR where needed, transcribes speech, and builds a searchable index for each library. HOW ANSWERS ARE BUILT Exact keyword matching and semantic search work together to retrieve the passages that matter. Apple Foundation Models turn those passages into a natural-language response. Then the app checks its own answer against the passages it actually used, so you can inspect what it's standing on instead of taking its word. If the sources do not establish an answer, the app flags weak support or abstains. No confident filler. WHERE YOUR FILES GO (AND DON'T) Reading your files, searching them, and choosing what to cite all happen on your device, start to finish, before anything is written. On-device answers need no connection at all. On a plane, in a dead zone, in a locked-down office, your library still works. For longer, evidence-heavy questions on iOS, iPadOS or macOS 27, you can optionally allow Apple Private Cloud Compute to do the writing. The app shows you how much would be sent and why, and asks you first. Apple says its servers keep nothing afterwards. Your material is never sent to a third-party AI provider. ANSWERS YOU CAN INSPECT Inline citations connect answers to their supporting pages and passages, one tap from claim to source. If you want more, response details go deeper: source snippets, retrieval quality, verification warnings, timing, and the route that actually produced the answer. The optional telemetry interface goes deeper when you want it and stays out of the way when you don't. LIBRARIES THAT FIT YOUR WORK Keep different subjects, projects, or clients in separate libraries. Choose Local Only or iCloud Drive (paid plans) for each library, and organize ongoing research in saved conversation threads. Siri and Shortcuts actions are available for common document and library workflows. PLANS Every plan runs the same model: Apple Intelligence on your device, Deep Think, and Private Cloud Compute after you approve what is sent. Free: 5 documents, one library, Maximum mode three times a day. Pro lifts that cap and grows to 1,000 documents and 10 libraries, monthly or yearly. Lifetime: one payment, unlimited documents, 20 libraries, Maximum every day, no renewal. OpenIntelligence is built and maintained by one developer. Pro and Lifetime support directly fund continued development. To everyone already supporting the app: thank you. It has been a wild journey. Privacy Policy: https://gunzino.me/openintelligence/privacy

About

ShortcutStudio

Easily build and refine Apple Shortcuts using AI. Describe your automation needs in plain English, and the app generates working shortcuts. Explore community creations and export directly to your device.

Highlights
  • Create shortcuts from AI prompts
  • Refine shortcut logic with AI
  • Browse community shortcuts
  • Export to Apple Shortcuts app
  • Manage shortcut drafts
  • Discover new automations
Features
Read full description

ShortcutStudio is the fastest way to create, refine, and install Apple Shortcuts and Automations on iPhone, iPad, and macOS. Describe what you want to automate in plain English, and ShortcutStudio helps turn your idea into a working shortcut. You can keep refining the result with AI, or explore community-made shortcuts in the marketplace, and export directly into the Apple Shortcuts app when you're ready to run it. Features: • Create shortcuts from a simple prompt • Refine shortcut logic with AI • Browse featured and community shortcuts • Search, sort, and discover new automations • Export and open shortcuts in the Apple Shortcuts app • Save, duplicate, reorder, and manage drafts Whether you are building personal automations, productivity tools, or reusable workflows, ShortcutStudio makes shortcut creation more approachable and much faster. Some features may require an internet connection. Optional paid subscriptions may be offered for expanded usage and premium capabilities: Free: • 15 messages/day • 10 downloads/day • 5 marketplace downloads/day • 350 character input limit • Auto thinking mode Plus ($4.99/mo, $49.99/year, or $99.99 lifetime) • Force Actions • Private downloads • 50 messages/day • 50 downloads/day • 5 web searches/day • Unlimited marketplace downloads • Choose thinking mode • 1,000 character input Pro ($9.99/mo, $99.99/year, or $199.99 lifetime) • Force Actions • Private downloads • 200 messages/day • 150 downloads/day • 15 web searches/day • Unlimited marketplace downloads • Import shortcuts • Choose thinking mode • 2,500 character input Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ ShortcutStudio is independent and not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Apple Inc.

Screenshots

OpenIntelligence4 screens
ShortcutStudio4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: OpenIntelligence at 4.8 against ShortcutStudio's 4.1. OpenIntelligence also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 71%) and device support (3 vs 1). ShortcutStudio's advantage is ratings volume (23 vs 4) and iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. OpenIntelligence sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month and ShortcutStudio sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

OpenIntelligence holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ShortcutStudio has 23 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of OpenIntelligence's written reviews are positive against 71% of ShortcutStudio's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

OpenIntelligence ships an update weekly, ShortcutStudio every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
OpenIntelligence versus ShortcutStudio: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOpenIntelligenceShortcutStudio
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (4 ratings) — better4.1 (23 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better71.4% of reviews
Number of ratings423 — better
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac — betteriPhone
Requires iOS26.017.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size170 MB16 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperGunnar HostetlerSEAN JASON SAULSBURY

Customer experience

OpenIntelligence

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

ShortcutStudio

All ratings17 ratings
Positive76.5%
Neutral11.8%
Negative11.8%
Written reviews7 reviews
Positive71.4%
Neutral14.3%
Negative14.3%

In-app purchases

4 purchases

OpenIntelligence

Subscriptions2
  • Pro Monthly$5.991 Month
  • Pro Annual7 Days trial$29.991 Year
One-time2
  • Document Pack$2.99
  • Lifetime Cohort$59.99
10 purchases

ShortcutStudio

Subscriptions4
  • ShortcutStudio Plus (Monthly)$4.991 Month
  • ShortcutStudio Pro (monthly)$9.991 Month
  • ShortcutStudio Plus (yearly)$49.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • ShortcutStudio Pro (yearly)$99.991 Year
One-time6
  • ShortcutStudio BYOK Free$4.99
  • ShortcutStudio BYOK (Plus)$9.99
  • ShortcutStudio BYOK (Pro)$19.99
Show 3 more
  • ShortcutStudio Plus (Lifetime)$99.99
  • ShortcutStudio Plus -> Pro Upgrade$99.99
  • ShortcutStudio Pro (Lifetime)$199.99

Questions

Is OpenIntelligence free?
OpenIntelligence is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is ShortcutStudio free?
ShortcutStudio is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, OpenIntelligence or ShortcutStudio?
OpenIntelligence is rated higher. OpenIntelligence averages 4.8 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while ShortcutStudio averages 4.1 from 23 ratings.
Do OpenIntelligence or ShortcutStudio have ads?
Neither OpenIntelligence nor ShortcutStudio shows ads.
Which is updated more often, OpenIntelligence or ShortcutStudio?
OpenIntelligence ships an update weekly, and ShortcutStudio every 4 days. Most recently, OpenIntelligence was updated on October 25, 2026 and ShortcutStudio on October 24, 2026.

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