Dart vs Shortcut (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Dart grades higher than Shortcut: 3.0 against 2.6 out of 4.0.
Checked Oct 5, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 · graded Oct 10, 2026 and Nov 13, 2026 by ToolGPA
Dart grades higher on value for money and platforms. They get the same grade on the free plan, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
Dart
AI project management with agents that work on tasks
Shortcut
Issue tracking, sprints and roadmaps for software teams
Which one is for you
Pick Dart if
- Fits if you are 4 people or fewer and want AI agents to take tasks
- Works for software teams that already live in GitHub and Slack
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you have more than 4 teammates and want to stay free
- Tight if you need Slack, Discord or GitHub links, as they start at Premium at $8 a teammate
- Pricey if you need SSO, SCIM, public views or analytics, all on Business at $12 a teammate
- Watch out: the pricing page shows yearly prices by default and the monthly figures are not on the page text
Pick Shortcut if
- Fits if you're a software team that plans in stories, epics and sprints
- Works for teams of 10 or fewer who can live with 1 team and 1 workflow on the Free plan
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want a phone or desktop app, because none is listed and the old iOS app is gone
- Not for you if you need to host it yourself, as there's no on-premises or self-hosted version
- Tight if you're staying free with two teams, since the Free plan allows 1 team, 1 workflow and 5 GB
- Pricey if you need SAML sign-on or SCIM, which are paid add-ons on Business and included only in Enterprise
- Watch out: Team stops at 5 teams and 5 workflows, and objectives and key results need Business at $12
How we grade them
| 3.0GPADartVery good | 2.6GPAShortcutGood | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | BPremium is $8 a teammate a month on yearly billing, in the middle of the $6 to $15.95 that project tools charge, and the free plan covers up to 4 teammates. | CTeam is $8.50 a user a month billed yearly, which sits just past the $8 middle for project tools here and short of the $10 dear end. Ordinary, then. Monthly it's $10, Business is $12 for objectives and key results, and SAML sign-on is a paid add-on even there. |
| Free plan and trial | BThe Personal plan is free for up to 4 teammates with unlimited tasks, docs, storage and AI model use, so a small team can live on it. Past 4 people you pay. | BFree for up to 10 users, with kanban boards, a roadmap, iterations, docs and the GitHub, Slack and Figma integrations. The caps are 1 team, 1 workflow and 5 GB, so a second squad means paying. Paid features get 14 days, no card. |
| Features | BList, board, roadmap and calendar layouts, subtasks, blockers and dependencies, sprints and time tracking. The listing shows no gap in the core work, though many extras sit on Premium or Business. | BIt covers the whole job for a software team: stories in epics, workflows you shape, kanban boards with saved filters, a backlog, time-boxed iterations, roadmaps, objectives, docs and velocity and cycle-time reports. Linear and Jira cover the same ground, so nothing here is unique. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. It has boards, statuses and agents to set up before the work starts. | CNo store rating on record, and this is a web app where the work is building the thing: workflows, spaces, a backlog, teams. The vocabulary of stories, epics and sprints is a help if your team already talks that way and a hurdle if it doesn't. |
| Platforms and integrations | AWeb, Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone and Android, plus ChatGPT, Claude, Slack, GitHub, Zapier and an MCP server. | BWeb, with GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, Slack, Figma, Sentry and Zendesk, plus an API and an MCP server. That's as far as it goes, though. No desktop or mobile app is listed, and the iOS app announced in 2018 is off the US App Store. |
| Best for | AI agents working next to a small team | software teams that plan in stories and sprints |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: Dart and Shortcut. How we grade
Price against what you get
Dart starts at $8 a month for each person and scores 3.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Shortcut starts at $8.50 a month for each person and scores 2.7.
Dart scores higher and starts $0.50 a month lower. Of the other project management tools on the chart, none scores higher than Dart for less, and 14 score higher than Shortcut for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- Dart also covers natural-language input and time tracking.
- Shortcut also covers Gantt & timelines, issue tracking, goals and reports.
At a glance
| Dart | Shortcut | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free plan |
| Starts at | $8 per teammate / month, billed yearly | $8.50 per user / month, billed yearly |
| Free plan | Personal plan: up to 4 teammates, unlimited tasks, docs, storage and AI model usage, with AI agents included. | Free plan for up to 10 users: 1 team, 1 workspace, 1 workflow and 5 GB of storage, with kanban boards, a roadmap, iterations and docs. |
| Free trial | None listed | 14-day free trial with full access to Business plan features, no credit card required |
| Web | ||
| macOS | ||
| Windows | ||
| Linux | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | Dart | Shortcut Software Company |
| Price read from | dartai.com | shortcut.com |
| Checked | Nov 13, 2026 | Oct 5, 2026 |
Worth knowing
Dart
- The Personal plan stops at 4 teammates.
- SAML SSO, SCIM, public views and analytics need Business at $12 per teammate / month.
- Prices are shown with the yearly option selected and a 20% badge; the monthly-billing figures are not in the page text.
- Slack, Discord and GitHub integrations start at Premium.
Shortcut
- The Free plan is capped at 10 users, 1 team, 1 workflow and 5 GB of storage.
- SAML single sign-on and SCIM are paid add-ons on Business and are included only in Enterprise.
- Shortcut's FAQ says it does not offer an on-premises or self-hosted version.
- Shortcut's product and pricing pages list no desktop or mobile app, and the iOS app it announced in 2018 is no longer on the US App Store.
Key features
Dart
- AI agents on tasks
- Agents can be assigned tasks, execute them and report, alongside human teammates.
- Multiple layouts
- List, board, roadmap and calendar layouts with filters, sorting and saved views.
- Task structure
- Subtasks, blockers and dependencies, with task types such as epics, stories, bugs and milestones.
- Sprints and time tracking
- Sprint management and time tracking are listed in the plan comparison.
- Natural-language and keyboard control
- A command center, keyboard shortcuts, voice controls and natural-language property filling.
- MCP server
- A Model Context Protocol server lets other AI tools connect to Dart.
Shortcut
- Stories, epics and workflows
- Work is tracked as stories grouped into epics. Stories move through workflows a team can customize: 1 on Free, up to 5 on Team and unlimited from Business.
- Kanban boards and backlog
- Spaces show stories on kanban boards with saved filters, and a backlog is used to sort and prioritize work before it enters a workflow. Work-in-progress limits start on Team.
- Iterations
- Iterations are time-boxed sprints for a set of stories. On paid plans, automations can create future iterations and move unfinished stories into the next one.
- Roadmaps and objectives
- Epics are laid out on a roadmap and grouped under objectives. Strategic objectives with key results are part of the Business plan.
- Reports
- Paid plans open a Reports page with velocity, cycle time and lead time, and cumulative flow charts. Business adds reports that reach back beyond 100 days.
- Korey and AI agents
- Korey is Shortcut's AI agent for turning rough notes into specs and tickets. An MCP server connects a workspace to coding tools such as Cursor and Claude Code.
Plans
Dart
Personal$0
Up to 4 teammates with unlimited tasks, docs and storage, AI agents, AI task execution, and ChatGPT and Claude integrations.
Premium$8
per teammate / month, billed yearly
Unlimited teammates, AI chat and roadmap planning, admin and guest roles, custom statuses and properties, forms, and Slack, Discord and GitHub integrations.
Business$12
per teammate / month, billed yearly
Adds SAML SSO and SCIM, public views, charts and analytics, granular access management, customizable dashboards, a dedicated success manager and priority support.
Shortcut
Free$0
Up to 10 users, 1 team, 1 workflow and 5 GB of storage, with kanban views, a roadmap, iterations, docs and GitHub, Slack and Figma integrations.
Team$8.50
per user / month, billed yearly ($10 billed monthly)
Unlimited users, up to 5 teams and 5 workflows, 250 GB of storage, the full Reports page, work-in-progress limits, automations and all integrations.
Business$12
per user / month, billed yearly ($16 billed monthly)
Unlimited teams, workflows and workspaces, strategic objectives and key results, advanced custom fields and additional charts. SSO is a paid add-on.
EnterpriseCustom
Volume discounts, SAML SSO and SCIM included, premier support SLAs, custom terms and onboarding support.
Ways to pay less
Dart
- Annual discount
20% off with yearly billing
The pricing page marks the yearly option as 20% below monthly billing.
Shortcut
- Annual discount
Save up to 25% with yearly billing
Team is $8.50 per user / month prepaid yearly against $10 billed monthly, and Business is $12 against $16. The pricing page describes this as saving up to 25%.
- Nonprofit
Free for qualifying nonprofits
The Shortcut Nonprofit Plan gives eligible organizations with valid charitable status a full membership at no cost, on application.
- Startups
12 months of Business free for startups
The Shortcut Startup Program gives approved startups the Business plan and SAML SSO free for 12 months. Applicants must be new customers with fewer than 50 employees.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, Dart or Shortcut?
As of Nov 13, 2026, Dart is cheaper to start with: $8 a month for each person, against $8.50 a month for each person for Shortcut. Dart starts at $8 per teammate / month, billed yearly, and Shortcut starts at $8.50 per user / month, billed yearly.
Which has a free plan, Dart or Shortcut?
As of Nov 13, 2026, both Dart and Shortcut have a free plan.
Which platforms do Dart and Shortcut run on?
As of Nov 13, 2026, only Dart lists macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS and Android apps. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.