The Shorthand Insider’s Guide
Everything we know about Shorthand in one document: what it costs, its grades, getting a refund, getting help and what else to look at. Read it here, or keep a copy.
Shorthand
The Insider’s Guide
Scrolling web story and report publisher
Every plan, grade, refund rule and rival among presentation tools, read from Shorthand’s own pages.
Made by Shorthand · checked Nov 13, 2026 · toolgpa.com
Contents
- 01WelcomeWhat it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
- 02What it costsEvery plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
- 03What it doesIts main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
- 04Where it standsIts grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
- 05The alternativesThe tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
- 06Quick answersThe questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
- 07About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
ToolGPA put this guide together from Shorthand’s own pages, its app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on Shorthand’s page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Nov 13, 2026.
Part 01 · Overview
Welcome
What it is, who it suits, its grades and the ten things to know first
2.2
GPA, above 37 of the 89 other presentation tools we grade
Shorthand is a platform for building scrolling, visual web stories such as annual reports, feature articles and digital magazines. Stories are built in a browser editor and published to Shorthand's hosting or to the customer's own site or CMS. Publishing is sold through plans arranged with the vendor.
To get you started, here are 8 things to know about Shorthand, taken from its own pages and our grades.
No store rating is on record, and designing a story page by page takes learning.
- 1
Best for scrolling web stories like annual reports
Creating is free but publishing needs a paid plan, and no plan price is published.
- 2
There is a free plan
Creating stories is free; a paid plan is needed to publish or export them.
- 3
It runs on Web
Web.
- 4
Story editor
Stories are built from sections and layouts in a browser editor, and can be embedded into existing pages.
- 5
Publishing options
Shorthand-hosted publishing on annual plans, or self-hosted through S3, WordPress, Drupal plugins or API.
- 6
Branding
Themes carry a team's logos, colors and fonts across stories.
- 7
A 2.2 GPA, above 37 of 89
That is against the other presentation tools we grade, on value, the free plan, features, ease of use and platforms.
- 8
Keep it
The plain part of Shorthand you could make: templates and documents. What surrounds it you could not. The 4 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
Shorthand at a glance
- Pricing
- Free plan
- Free plan
- Yes
- Free trial
- None stated
- Runs on
- Web
- Made by
- Shorthand
- Category
- Presentations
- Our grade
- 2.2 GPA, fair
The report card
Best for scrolling web stories like annual reports
Shorthand builds scrolling, visual web stories such as annual reports and digital magazines, then publishes them on its hosting or your own site. Creating is free but publishing needs a paid plan, and no plan price is published.
| Subject | Grade | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | C | No plan price is published; Core, Unlimited and Enterprise are arranged with sales, so it sits at C. |
| Free plan and trial | C | Building stories is free, but a paid plan is needed to publish or export them, so you cannot ship anything on the free plan. |
| Features | C | A story editor, publishing, branding, collaboration and analytics. Core includes only 12 new stories a year, and publishing a story spends a credit that is not returned. |
| Ease of use | C | No store rating is on record, and designing a story page by page takes learning. |
| Platforms and integrations | B | Web, with WordPress, Drupal, Sitecore, Contentful and Adobe Experience Manager listed. No desktop or phone app. |
An A is worth 4 points, a B 3, a C 2, a D 1 and an F nothing. The GPA is the average of the five.
Who Shorthand is for
- Fits if you make long visual stories for a communications team
- Works for publishers who want stories on their own CMS
Who it is not for
- Not for you if you want a price, because none is published
- Tight if you publish a lot, as Core includes 12 new stories a year
- Watch out: a published story uses a credit that is not returned if you unpublish it
- Watch out: unused publishing credits expire at the end of each yearly cycle
Good to know
Good for
- Communications teams producing annual or impact reports
- Newsrooms and universities publishing long feature stories
- Organizations that need stories on their own domain or CMS
Worth knowing
- No plan prices are published: Core, Unlimited and Enterprise are arranged through the sales team, so pricing is recorded as unverified.
- Core includes 12 new stories per year, and publishing a story uses one credit that is not returned if you unpublish.
- Unused publishing credits expire at the end of each yearly cycle.
- Shorthand says it is SOC 2 Type II compliant and ISO 27001 certified.
Part 02 · Pricing
What it costs
Every plan, the free plan, ways to pay less and how prices have moved
Shorthand's current pricing could not be confirmed from its own site.
No plan price is published; Core, Unlimited and Enterprise are arranged with sales, so it sits at C.
We could not confirm Shorthand’s current prices from its own site, so this guide lists no plans. shorthand.com has them.
Ways to pay less
Nonprofit
Discounts for charities and NGOs
Shorthand says it offers discounted plans for registered charities and NGOs, and free educational plans for universities and colleges.
Stated on shorthand.com
Part 03 · Features
What it does
Its main features, where it runs, what it works with and who makes it
1
Place it runs: Web
Scrolling web story and report publisher. Here is what it does, as its own site describes it, and what it covers: AI features, real-time collaboration, templates, documents, presentations.
A story editor, publishing, branding, collaboration and analytics.
- Story editor
- Stories are built from sections and layouts in a browser editor, and can be embedded into existing pages.
- Publishing options
- Shorthand-hosted publishing on annual plans, or self-hosted through S3, WordPress, Drupal plugins or API.
- Branding
- Themes carry a team's logos, colors and fonts across stories.
- Collaboration
- Editors, designers and developers work in one shared workspace.
- Analytics
- Built-in cookieless analytics, plus Google Analytics, Tag Manager and other trackers.
- AI Creative Companion
- An AI feature the site describes as turning a rough draft into a designed story.
Where it runs
- Web
What it works with
- WordPress
- Drupal
- Sitecore
- Contentful
- Adobe Experience Manager
- Google Analytics
- Google Tag Manager
- Unsplash
Shorthand is made by Shorthand.
Part 04 · Standing
Where it stands
Its grades against its category, and whether to keep it or make your own
37/89
Other presentation tools it is graded above
Shorthand's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 37 of the 89 other presentation tools we grade, and level with 15.
It stands best on platforms and integrations (B, above 46 of 89) and worst on ease of use (C, above 6).
Each grade against the category
Every bar is all 90 presentation tools we grade, cut by the letter each got. Shorthand’s own letter is outlined.
- CValue for moneyAbove 22 of 89
- CFree plan and trialAbove 14 of 89
- CFeaturesAbove 8 of 89
- CEase of useAbove 6 of 89
- BPlatforms and integrationsAbove 46 of 89
Keep it, or make your own?
Whether this is something you could build for yourself with an AI app builder, and what you would give up.
Keep it
The plain part of Shorthand you could make: templates and documents. What surrounds it you could not. The 4 things listed below take a company, not a weekend.
What you could make
- Templates and documents: an app builder makes these well.
What you could not
- A slide editor.
- Several people working in it at the same moment.
- It plugs into other products, WordPress, Drupal and Sitecore among them.
- AI features, unless you pay a model provider for each request yourself.
What this rests on. Shorthand’s listing: what it does, where it runs, what it plugs into and what it costs. It is a judgement about the kind of software this is. We have not built a replacement for it, and making your own means looking after it too. How we decide, and every tool’s verdict.
Part 05 · Alternatives
The alternatives
The tools it is most often weighed against, side by side
Storydoc, Genially, Visme, Slides and Prezi
The 5 tools Shorthand is most often weighed against, with where each one differs from it.
- 1.6GPA
Storydoc
From $19.80/mo
Interactive scrolling decks with view analytics.
- Shorthand has a free plan. Storydoc does not.
- Shorthand also covers documents.
- Storydoc also covers sales pipeline and web analytics.
- 2.4GPA
Genially
Free plan · from €6/mo
Interactive presentations, quizzes, games and learning content.
- Shorthand also covers documents.
- Genially also covers surveys.
- 2.4GPA
Visme
Free plan · from $12.25/mo
Template-based design tool for presentations and infographics.
- Only Visme lists macOS, Windows and iOS apps.
- Visme also covers whiteboard and forms.
- 2.4GPA
Slides
Free plan · from $5/mo
Browser-based presentation editor with HTML, CSS and code support.
- Shorthand also covers documents.
- 2.2GPA
Prezi
Free plan · from $7/mo
Presentation platform with AI drafts, live polls and quizzes.
- Shorthand also covers documents.
Part 06 · Questions
Quick answers
The questions people ask about it, each answered in a line or two
11
Questions, each answered in a line or two
The short version of everything above, for when you only need the answer. Each one is told in full in its part of the guide.
Is Shorthand free?
Shorthand has a free plan. Creating stories is free; a paid plan is needed to publish or export them.
What platforms does Shorthand work on?
Shorthand is available on Web.
Does Shorthand offer any discounts?
Shorthand publicly lists the following: Discounts for charities and NGOs.
Does Shorthand have an Android app?
No Android app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Shorthand is listed for Web.
Does Shorthand have an iPhone app?
No iPhone app was listed when its pages were read on Nov 13, 2026. Shorthand is listed for Web.
Is Shorthand open source?
Shorthand is not described as open source on its own site, as read on Nov 13, 2026.
What does Shorthand integrate with?
Shorthand's listing names WordPress, Drupal, Sitecore, Contentful, Adobe Experience Manager, Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager and Unsplash.
Who makes Shorthand?
Shorthand is made by a company of the same name.
What are the alternatives to Shorthand?
The closest alternatives to Shorthand in our directory are Storydoc, Genially, Visme, Slides and Prezi.
How does Shorthand compare with other presentation tools?
Shorthand's GPA of 2.2 is higher than 37 of the 89 other presentation tools we grade, and level with 15.
Could I make my own version of Shorthand?
The plain part of Shorthand you could make: templates and documents. What surrounds it you could not.
Where this guide comes from
The prices, plans, platforms and features were read from Shorthand’s own pages on Nov 13, 2026, and the grades were given on Nov 13, 2026. Graded from this listing, whose facts were read from Shorthand's own pages on 13 November 2026. Not based on using the product, and shorter than our full reviews.
Every tool we list gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. How each is decided is at toolgpa.com/grades. This guide is ToolGPA’s own work; it is not made, paid for or approved by Shorthand. Prices change, so check shorthand.com before you buy.
Part 07 · About
About ToolGPA
Who made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it
7,721
Tools graded, in 95 categories
ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.
Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.
7,721
tools graded
95
categories
739
price changes on record
579
apps priced in 12 countries
What else is on toolgpa.com
- Shorthand, kept up to dateEverything in this guide, with prices and grades as they are todaytoolgpa.com/tools/shorthand
- How grades are givenThe rules behind every letter and every GPAtoolgpa.com/grades
- Value chartsWhat each tool costs against what it scores, for every categorytoolgpa.com/charts
- CompareAny two tools side by side, plan by plantoolgpa.com/compare
- Price changesEvery price rise and cut on record, each with its sourcetoolgpa.com/price-changes
- Prices by countryWhat apps cost on the App Store in 12 countriestoolgpa.com/prices-by-country
- Pay lessEvery public discount: yearly billing, students, nonprofitstoolgpa.com/save
- Keep or makeWhich tools are worth paying for, and which you could build yourselftoolgpa.com/keep-or-make
Scan for the live page
Prices and grades as they are today
Quoting this guide?
Please name ToolGPA and link to the live page, so readers can check the figures for themselves:
ToolGPA, "Shorthand: The Insider's Guide", checked Nov 13, 2026. https://toolgpa.com/tools/shorthand
Know someone choosing between presentation tools?
Send them this guide: toolgpa.com/tools/shorthand/guide
ToolGPA elsewhere: youtube.com/@toolgpa
See our other guides
The best-graded presentation tools after Shorthand, each with an Insider's Guide of its own.
- Presentations Insider's GuideEvery one of the 90 presentation tools we grade, compared
- Microsoft PowerPoint Insider's GuideSlide presentation app sold with Microsoft 365, free in the browser3.4 GPA
- Zoho Show Insider's GuideOnline presentation software, free for individuals3.4 GPA
- Canva Insider's GuideTemplate-based design platform for slides, graphics and video3.2 GPA
Choosing software? Every tool graded, every price dated.
Compare tools at toolgpa.com ›Everything in this guide is ToolGPA’s own summary of what Shorthand’s pages, its app-store listings and public reviews said on the dates shown. Grades are our judgement under the rules at toolgpa.com/grades. Every grade, review and ranking on ToolGPA is our own judgement. No company can pay for a grade or change one. Shorthand is a trademark of its owner, and this guide is not made, paid for or approved by Shorthand. Prices and plans change: check shorthand.com before you buy.