Comparison

dicto vs ShortformBlock

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

Head to head
About

dicto

This app displays spoken or typed messages in large, clear text for easier communication. It features a unique solo voice mode to focus on your speech and disappearing messages for privacy. Works offline and is designed to be private.

Highlights
  • Large, clear text display
  • Speech-to-text dictation
  • Solo voice mode
  • Disappearing messages (Wisps)
  • Offline functionality
  • Robust language support
Features
Read full description

dicto is your new favorite communication tool! It displays your words in the largest, clearest text possible. Whether you're sitting with a loved one who is hard of hearing or showing a message to someone across the room, dicto makes sure you're heard, nearby or far away. HOW IT WORKS Press the large on-screen button or double-tap anywhere to start a new spoken message. Speak naturally and your words appear on screen, scaled as large as possible and adjusting as your sentence grows. Your speaking turn ends automatically when you stop talking. Press the keyboard button to type your message instead, when speaking isn't practical. Larger messages automatically scroll to make reading easier. Previous messages move into a conversation feed at the bottom, where you can tap to show them again. Close the app to make them all disappear. NEW! SOLO YOUR VOICE Hold the microphone button to enroll your voice from a short greeting; dicto then focuses on it - designed to show your words and ignore other voices nearby. A hands-free way to display speech when your hands are busy. In a two-way conversation the other side stays off the screen, and their speech is never transcribed at all. Your voice profile is a handful of numbers held during a session: never saved, never sent anywhere, gone after the conversation ends. WHISPER MODE Send Wisps: disappearing messages that vanish without a trace. For the messages you want seen but not kept. ROBUST LANGUAGE SUPPORT Dictation is supported in every language and dialect your device supports, currently more than 50. The dicto interface is available in 14 languages: English, Arabic, Traditional and Simplified Chinese, French, German, Dutch, Danish, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish. Your supported dictation languages and keyboard mode work fully offline, so you can display your messages anywhere, with or without signal. No network, no problem. PRIVATE BY DESIGN dicto doesn't store your enrollment in Solo or conversations. There's no account, no tracking, and no ads. Everything is ephemeral, so when you close the app, your words are gone. It's a conversation tool, not a conversation tracker. BUILT FOR CLARITY Text is always as large as it can be. High-contrast color combinations and full VoiceOver support are built in, and dicto follows your system appearance settings. Optimized for iPad, works great on iPhone. One purchase. No subscriptions. No hidden anything.

About

ShortformBlock

This extension for Safari blocks YouTube Shorts across your devices, removing them from feeds, search results, and navigation. It offers a private browsing experience with no data collection and is completely free to use.

Highlights
  • Hides Shorts from YouTube homepage
  • Removes Shorts from search results
  • Hides Shorts tab in navigation
  • Works on iPhone, iPad, and Mac
  • Private browsing, no data collection
Features
Read full description

Watch YouTube the way it was meant to be — without Shorts. ShortRemover is a free Safari extension that hides YouTube Shorts from your feed, search results, and navigation. No paywalls, no subscriptions, no nonsense. WORKS ON ALL YOUR DEVICES The only YouTube Shorts blocker available for iPhone, iPad and Mac — all in one free app. WHAT IT DOES - Hides Shorts from your YouTube homepage - Removes Shorts from search results - Hides the Shorts tab in navigation - Hides youtube community posts SIMPLE AND PRIVATE ShortRemover collects zero data. No analytics, no tracking, no servers. Your browsing stays completely private. HOW TO ENABLE 1. Open this app 2. Go to Safari Settings → Extensions 3. Enable ShortRemover and allow access to youtube NOTE: This app only works in safari browser and not in youtube app. That's it. Enjoy YouTube without Shorts.

Screenshots

dicto4 screens
ShortformBlock2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: ShortformBlock at Free against dicto's $0.99. ShortformBlock also leads on ratings volume (13 vs 2) and device support (4 vs 2). dicto's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.4) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). On 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

ShortformBlock is free to download; dicto costs $0.99 up front. ShortformBlock sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. dicto asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

dicto holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ShortformBlock has 13 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

dicto ships an update monthly, ShortformBlock every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
dicto versus ShortformBlock: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterdictoShortformBlock
Price$0.99Free — better
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better4.4 (13 ratings)
Positive reviews—75.0% of reviews
Number of ratings213 — better
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS17.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size22 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBHB Technologies, IncRiku Kuisma

In-app purchases

None

dicto

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

ShortformBlock

One-time1
  • Support Development$0.99

Questions

Is dicto free?
dicto costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is ShortformBlock free?
ShortformBlock is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, dicto or ShortformBlock?
dicto is rated higher. dicto averages 5.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while ShortformBlock averages 4.4 from 13 ratings.
Do dicto or ShortformBlock have ads?
Neither dicto nor ShortformBlock shows ads.
Which is updated more often, dicto or ShortformBlock?
dicto ships an update monthly, and ShortformBlock every 2 months. Most recently, dicto was updated on October 31, 2026 and ShortformBlock on October 24, 2026.

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