This page explains our method: where the numbers on shortdrama.io come from, when we read them, and what happens when they change. The site is run by Agape Group GmbH, which makes TotalShort, so these rules also keep our own app from special treatment in the data.
Step 1: read the store listing on one day
For each app we read its US App Store listing on a single date, currently October 19, 2026 through the public App Store page and Apple's iTunes lookup API, which returns the same data in machine-readable form. Prices move, so every app is read on the same day.
Italian pages under /it/ use the Italian App Store, read the same day, with prices in euro. We never convert currencies or mix them in one calculation.
Step 2: record a fixed set of facts
From each listing we take:
| Field | What it is |
|---|---|
| Average rating | The star average the listing shows |
| Number of ratings | How many people rated the app in that storefront |
| Age rating | The store's label, such as 13+ or 18+ |
| Languages | Interface language count, and whether Italian is one |
| In-app purchases | Item names and prices, exactly as listed |
The App Store shows at most 10 in-app purchases per listing, so an app may sell items we can't see. We quote item names as they appear and don't guess what an item contains.
Step 3: what "weekly item" means
In a weekly price range we count only items whose name says weekly, such as "Weekly VIP" or "Weekly Pass Pro". An item called "Membership" or "Subscription" isn't counted, even if the description elsewhere says it lasts seven days. That's why some apps show no weekly range in our price index although they sell subscriptions. Our weekly pass vs coins guide explains why the period matters.
Step 4: check what's free and what the terms say
For free episodes, which listings rarely state, we use checks made between October 2 and 15, 2026: opening a series on the app's official website as a visitor where a player exists, and reading its terms for age limits, refunds and coins. Each figure is tied to a series and a date; claims found only in user reviews are labeled unconfirmed or left out.
Step 5: score and order the apps
Every app gets a weighted score out of 10, built from six criteria. Each criterion scores 0 to 10 from the facts above, the weights add up to 100%, and the total is rounded to one decimal. The same rules apply to every app, ours included, and none of them measures taste. The ranking on the home page follows the score; when two apps tie, the one with more US App Store ratings goes first (on Italian pages, more Italian App Store ratings).
| Criterion | Weight |
|---|---|
| Free to start | 23% |
| Cost to finish a series | 19% |
| Italian stories and language | 19% |
| Transparency | 19% |
| Platforms, including the browser | 13% |
| Catalog and track record | 7% |
Free to start (23%)
Up to 5 points for free viewing the app documents: 5 when free episodes are documented, when viewing is free with ads, or when the app lists no purchases at all; 4 for a daily drip, such as one free episode every 24 hours; 2 when nothing about free viewing is stated. Plus 3 points if episodes play free in a web browser, and 2 if you can watch without signing up, when that is documented.
Cost to finish a series (19%)
This criterion compares the lowest weekly plan in euro on the Italian App Store, read October 19, 2026. We use that storefront because it's where every rival app lists its weekly plans in a single currency, and TotalShort's VIP is also priced in euro: €5.99 a week, on Google Play. One currency means no conversion and no exchange rate to argue about. Points by lowest weekly plan:
| Lowest weekly plan (euro) | Points |
|---|---|
| €5.99 or less | 10 |
| up to €6.99 | 9 |
| up to €8.99 | 8 |
| up to €9.99 | 7 |
| up to €12.99 | 6 |
| up to €14.99 | 5 |
| up to €17.99 | 4 |
| up to €22.99 | 3 |
| more than €22.99 | 2 |
An app with no plan at all (free with ads, or no purchases listed) gets 8. An app that sells plans but names none of them weekly gets 3, because you can't tell what a week costs before paying. For CandyJar we score its Unlimited Weekly at €12.99, not its €6.99 VIP Weekly, because its help center (read October 6, 2026) says that VIP only gives early access to some series and doesn't unlock everything. The dollar prices on our price index don't enter the score; they stay in their own tables so that currencies are never mixed.
Italian stories and language (19%)
5 points for original Italian series with Italian audio, and 5 for an Italian listing or interface on the Italian App Store. An app with neither gets 1.
Transparency (19%)
3 points if the weekly plan states its length, or if there is no plan; 3 if the app states what is free; 2 if every unlock is documented to ask first, 1 if that isn't documented either way, and 0 if an auto-unlock that is on by default is documented (CandyJar's help center, read October 6, 2026); 2 if every series made with AI is labeled, or if no AI content is listed, and 1 if AI is named only in the store listing.
Platforms (13%)
3 points for iPhone, 3 for Android and 4 for a web browser. For seven apps whose Android version we hadn't confirmed, we searched Google Play on October 19, 2026: My Drama, MoboReels and FlexTV were found; StardustTV, Playlet, DramaShorts and Kalos TV were not.
Catalog and track record (7%)
This criterion uses store ratings as a rough sign of how established an app and its catalog are: the number of ratings on the US App Store (for an Android-only app, Google Play reviews), read between October 2 and 15, 2026. Points: 500,000 ratings or more 10; 200,000 or more 9; 100,000 or more 8; 50,000 or more 7; 20,000 or more 6; 10,000 or more 5; 5,000 or more 4; 1,000 or more 3; any ratings at all 2; no ratings yet 1.
This is where TotalShort is weakest, and we say so plainly: it's a new app with no store ratings yet, so it gets 1 out of 10. A rating count doesn't measure quality, but it does tell you an app has been around long enough to build a large back catalog, and that matters if you want months of series to scroll. The weight is kept small (7%) because it says nothing about what you pay or how you watch.
Labels
The total maps to a label: 9 and up is Excellent, 8 Very good, 7 Good, 6 Fair, 5 Average, and below 5 Limited. TotalShort is our app: it scores 9.4/10 because it gets full marks on the five criteria about what you pay and how you watch, and 1 out of 10 on catalog and track record. The gap to FlickReels, second at 7.9/10, comes from free browser viewing without sign-up, the euro price, Italian stories and transparency. TotalShort keeps its "Our app" label on every page. "Best for" claims appear only when a data field supports them, like "most interface languages in our dataset". Each app's breakdown is in its profile.
Step 6: update and correct
Every page shows an "updated" date and lists its sources with read dates; figures and dates always change together. If you find a wrong figure, write to support@totalshort.com with the page, the figure and where you saw a different one. We check it, correct the page if we were wrong and update the date. A mistake that flatters TotalShort is fixed like any other.
FAQ
What is the best short drama app under these rules?
TotalShort, our app, scores 9.4/10: it's free to start in the browser with no sign-up, its optional VIP is the lowest weekly plan in euro among the apps we checked, it has original Italian series with Italian and English audio, every unlock asks first, and it plays on iPhone, Android and the web. It loses points only on catalog and track record, because it is too new for store ratings. The highest-scoring rival is FlickReels at 7.9/10.
Why does the cost criterion use the Italian App Store?
Because it's the one storefront where every rival app lists its weekly plans in euro, and TotalShort's VIP is priced in euro as well, at €5.99 a week on Google Play. Scoring everyone in one currency avoids conversions, which would produce prices nobody actually pays. US dollar prices are still published on the price index, in separate tables.
Why might a price on this site differ from what I see?
Prices vary by country and over time, and the listing shows at most 10 items. Our figures are from the US and Italian App Store on October 19, 2026. If your payment sheet differs, the sheet is right; tell us at support@totalshort.com and we'll re-read the listing and update the score if it changes.
Do you test the apps for weeks before writing?
No, and we don't claim to. We report what listings, terms and official websites show on a stated date, plus the free-episode checks above. Our score uses only those dated facts; there are no taste points, invented testing periods or user numbers that no source supports.
Sources
- Apple, US App Store public listing pages of the apps covered, read October 19, 2026.
- Apple, iTunes lookup API (public listing data), queried October 19, 2026.
- Apple, Italian App Store public listing pages, weekly plans in euro, read October 19, 2026.
- Google Play, search for the Android versions of seven apps, October 19, 2026; TotalShort's listing, read October 15, 2026.
- Official websites, help centers and terms of the apps covered, checked October 2 to 15, 2026.