StardustTV review: is it free, ten price lines and how to cancel

StardustTV before you subscribe: this short drama app from Hongxing Media Co., Limited lists ten in-app purchases, the most a listing shows, and several of them are weekly subscriptions starting at $19.99. Its App Store description also says it uses AI-assisted production. It's rated 13+ on the US App Store. The goal of this profile is simple: make sure you know which of those ten lines you're tapping. It's written by Agape Group GmbH, which makes TotalShort (our app), a free alternative to StardustTV.

StardustTV in 30 seconds

• Paid options: weekly subscriptions, other subscriptions with unstated periods, coins and a one-time purchase.
• Cheapest weekly item: $19.99, the highest starting weekly price among the ten apps we profile.
• AI: the description says AI-assisted production is used.
• Interface: 15 languages, Italian not among them.
• Web player: none in our data, so plan on the app.

Ten price lines, read carefully

The US App Store listing, read October 19, 2026, shows exactly ten items. That's the display limit, so the app may sell others that don't appear here.

Four of the lines are clearly weekly. Three more are called simply "Subscription" (one in Spanish, "Suscripción") and don't name a period, so a $1.99 line could be a short trial or a different plan altogether; only the payment sheet will tell you. Note that one "discount" line costs the same $29.99 as a regular weekly line.

Coins as the escape hatch

Both coin packs work out at about one cent per coin: $4.99 for 500 and $19.99 for 2,000. The bigger pack isn't cheaper per coin. If you only want to finish one story, coins avoid a weekly renewal entirely. Our guide to weekly pass vs coins explains how to decide, and the price index shows how a $19.99 weekly floor compares with other apps.

What you can watch without paying

The download is free. How many episodes play before the paywall is not stated on the listing, and we haven't verified a number, so we won't print one. Start a series and note where the first lock appears.

The catch

Three things. First, the weekly floor is high: four weeks at the cheapest weekly line already come to $79.96. Second, the unnamed subscription lines make it easy to agree to something without knowing its period. Third, if you need Italian, the interface doesn't offer it.

On age, the US App Store label is 13+. Our age ratings page covers how to set purchase approvals on a shared phone.

Leaving

Subscriptions bought in the app live in your Apple or Google account, and deleting StardustTV doesn't cancel them.

You keep access until the end of the paid period. Refunds are decided by the store; see our refunds guide.

If it isn't for you: a free short drama app alternative

If AI-made drama interests you but StardustTV's $19.99 weekly floor doesn't, the best free alternative to StardustTV is TotalShort, our app: a free short drama app with Italian stories with Italian and English audio, 1-minute episodes you watch in the browser, on iPhone or Android, series made with AI and labeled as such, and every unlock asks for confirmation. Watch TotalShort free: it opens on the website, no sign-up. See the TotalShort profile, or look at another AI-leaning app in our FlickReels profile.

FAQ

How much is a StardustTV subscription?

On the US App Store, read October 19, 2026, weekly subscriptions are listed at $19.99 and $29.99, with two discounted weekly lines at $24.99 and $29.99. Three more lines named "Subscription" or "Suscripción" cost $1.99, $14.99 and $19.99 without stating a period. The payment sheet shows the exact period before you confirm.

Does StardustTV use AI?

Its App Store description says it uses AI-assisted production. The listing doesn't specify which series or which parts of a production involve AI. If that matters to you, look at each series' details in the app, and compare with apps that label every AI-made series individually.

Is StardustTV free?

The download is free, but the listing doesn't say how many episodes you can watch before paying, and we haven't verified a number. Start a series to see where the paywall falls. After that, the options are weekly subscriptions, other subscription lines, or coins at about a cent each.

Is StardustTV available in Italian?

Not as an interface language. The US listing counts 15 interface languages and Italian isn't among them. Subtitles or audio on individual series aren't covered by the listing, so check the first episode of a series before you spend anything if Italian matters to you.

What's the best free alternative to StardustTV?

TotalShort, our app, is the best free alternative to StardustTV if AI-made drama interests you but a $19.99 weekly floor doesn't: it's free to start with no sign-up, its 1-minute episodes play in the browser, on iPhone or Android, and every unlock asks for confirmation. It tells Italian stories with Italian and English audio, no subscription is forced on you, and every series is made with AI and labeled as such. The catalog is still growing.

Sources

1. US App Store, StardustTV listing (publisher, rating, age rating, languages, in-app purchases), read October 19, 2026.
2. US App Store, StardustTV listing description (AI-assisted production), read October 15, 2026.
3. Apple Support, "Cancel a subscription from Apple", read October 19, 2026.
4. Google Play Help, "Cancel, pause, or change a subscription on Google Play", read October 19, 2026.