ReelShort vs DramaBox
Quick answer
ReelShort and DramaBox work almost the same way: free to download, then coins or a paid plan. The clearest difference on their US App Store listings (29 October 2026) is the plan: ReelShort sells one $19.99 subscription valid for 7 days, while DramaBox lists memberships from $5.99 to $19.99 without saying how long each lasts; DramaBox is rated 4.8 from about 888,000 ratings and 18+, ReelShort 4.7 from about 517,000 and 13+. A third option is BingeTube, which has no coins: The first five episodes of every series are free with a free account (Google or email, no card); after that one $9.99-a-month membership unlocks every episode of every series, with no coins and no ads.
Key takeaways
- ReelShort: one “Subscription” at $19.99 for 7 days, billed weekly; one-time purchases $4.99 to $29.99.
- DramaBox: “Membership” $5.99, $17.99 and $19.99 without a stated billing period; special offers $4.99 to $19.99.
- App Store age rating: ReelShort 13+, DramaBox 18+.
- A third option without coins: BingeTube, $9.99 a month in any browser.
ReelShort and DramaBox are the two best-known short drama apps, and they work in much the same way: free to download, a few free episodes, then coins or a paid plan. The clearest difference on their US App Store listings is the plan: ReelShort sells one $19.99 subscription that lasts 7 days, while DramaBox lists several memberships from $5.99 to $19.99 without saying how long each lasts.
Everything below comes from each app’s own App Store and Google Play listings and terms of use, read on 29 October 2026. BingeTube is not affiliated with either app; we run a third option, described at the end.
ReelShort vs DramaBox at a glance
Prices are US App Store prices and change often; each store shows the price for your country before you pay.
| ReelShort | DramaBox | |
|---|---|---|
| Seller on the App Store | New Leaf Publishing, Inc. (terms: Crazy Maple Studio, Inc., California) | STORYMATRIX PTE. LTD. (Singapore) |
| Paid plan on the App Store | “Subscription” $19.99, valid for 7 days, renews automatically | “Membership” $5.99, $17.99 and $19.99; billing period not shown |
| Other purchases | “One-time Purchase” $4.99 to $29.99 | “Special offer” $4.99, $9.99 and $19.99 |
| Ads | Google Play marks it “Contains ads”; ads can unlock episodes | Both stores say it contains ads; its listing names ad-free streaming as a feature |
| App Store rating | 4.7 from about 517,000 ratings | 4.8 from about 888,000 ratings |
| App Store age rating | 13+ | 18+ |
| Devices on the App Store | iPhone, iPad, Mac (Apple silicon) and Apple Vision | iPhone (and iPod touch) only |
| Languages listed | English and 21 more | English and 15 more |
| Refunds (terms of use) | Payments final, except where the terms say otherwise | All fees non-refundable |
ReelShort on the US App Store · DramaBox on the US App Store · ReelShort on Google Play · DramaBox on Google Play · ReelShort terms · DramaBox terms
Which is cheaper?
Neither listing gives enough to say for certain. ReelShort’s plan is clear: $19.99 for 7 days, so about $87 a month (52 × $19.99 ÷ 12) if you keep renewing. DramaBox’s cheapest listed membership is $5.99, but the listing does not say whether that is a week, a month or a one-off offer, so the honest answer is to open the subscription screen in the app and read the period next to the price before you tap buy.
If you only watch one series now and then, coins can cost less than any plan. If you binge several a week, a plan beats coins on both apps.
Which has better shows?
That comes down to taste, and both have large catalogs of the same story types: billionaire romance, revenge, werewolves, hidden identity. Each app makes or licenses its own titles, so a show you saw advertised is usually only on the app that ran the ad. Search for the exact title in each app before paying.
What is ReelShort? · What is DramaBox? · How to find a short drama from a clip
Cancelling and refunds
On both apps a plan bought on an iPhone is cancelled in Settings, and a plan bought on Android in the Google Play Store app. Both listings say renewal happens automatically unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the period ends. Both apps’ terms say payments are non-refundable; for purchases made through Apple or Google, refund requests go through Apple or Google.
How to cancel ReelShort · How to cancel DramaBox · Apple: request a refund · Google Play refunds · Short drama app refunds
How BingeTube works instead
BingeTube is short-drama streaming without coins or ads, in any web browser on a phone, tablet or computer. Episodes 1–5 of every series are free with a free account; then $1.99 for the first week and $9.99 a month, or $4.99 for one series. No ads, no coins. A membership unlocks every episode of every series: new members pay $1.99 for the first week, then $9.99 a month. Or buy one series once for $4.99. Prices are in US dollars; a few countries have a lower local price. You cancel online from your Account page. BingeTube is an independent service and is not affiliated with ReelShort or DramaBox.
BingeTube vs ReelShort · BingeTube vs DramaBox · What’s free on BingeTube · Best short drama apps compared
Popular on BingeTube right now
- My Homeless Bride Is a Billionaire Heiress — 499 episodes
- Touch the Don’s Wife, Pay the Price — 480 episodes
- My Cruel Shifter Regretted Losing Me Too Late — 263 episodes
- Who Is This Tramp With a Trillion-Dollar Empire? — 261 episodes
- One Month to Love a Dragon — 225 episodes
- Plus-Size Bride, Stepmom in Charge — 205 episodes
- The Mafia Princess Crashes the Elite — 45 episodes
- Everything You Took, I'm Coming For — 68 episodes
More short dramas to discover
A different handful of series from the catalog every day.
- The Devil's Contract
- She Married Her Ex at Our Wedding
- The Viper Donna Returns for Her Daughter
- A Worker with Superpower Becomes Billionaire
- The Weakest Professor Is the Strongest Wizard
- Forced Surrender
- Standing for Love: The Crippled Billionaire Dotes on His Wife
- Villain Son: His Rebellious Hot Mom Is Pure Chaos
- The Heir's Unwilling Bride
- You Called Me Trash? I'm the Five-Elements Genius!
- They Broke Me, Now They Beg
- The Fool Was the Mafia King All Along
- Absentee Husband
- Trapped in Hell: I Made the S-Class Ghost Pregnant
- When I Stopped Being Their Son
- Chasing My Rejected Mate
- Don't Mess with Grandma
- Forbidden Bride of the Dragon
- My Boyfriends Future Self Chose Her
- After I got cancer, my wife brought her lover home
- Sent to Seduce Won His Heart
- His Heart is Another's
- Drowning Love
- The Crowned Roman Guard
Questions
Is ReelShort or DramaBox better?
They are very similar: both are free to download and charge with coins and paid plans. ReelShort’s US plan is $19.99 for 7 days; DramaBox lists memberships from $5.99 to $19.99 without the billing period. DramaBox is rated 4.8 on the US App Store, ReelShort 4.7.
Are ReelShort and DramaBox the same company?
No. ReelShort is published by New Leaf Publishing and its terms name Crazy Maple Studio of California; DramaBox is published by STORYMATRIX PTE. LTD. of Singapore.
Do ReelShort and DramaBox have the same shows?
Not as a rule. Each app makes or licenses its own titles, so search for the exact title in each app.
Is there a short drama service without coins?
BingeTube has no coins and no ads: episodes 1–5 of every series are free with a free account, then one $9.99 membership unlocks every episode, in any browser.