Shorthand Pros and Cons: Top 5 Advantages and Disadvantages

Quick AI Summary Based on G2 Reviews

Generated from real user reviews

Users find Shorthand's ease of use exceptional, enabling impactful story creation without coding skills or complex software. (32 mentions)

Users appreciate the easy creation feature of Shorthand, enabling impactful presentations without the hassle of complex tools. (16 mentions)

Users love the ease of creating visually engaging stories with Shorthand, enhancing their ability to share impactful narratives. (15 mentions)

Users enjoy the ease of creation with Shorthand, enabling quick and impressive storytelling without technical skills. (13 mentions)

Users praise Shorthand for its intuitive features that enhance storytelling and streamline content creation efficiently. (12 mentions)

Users find the initial learning curve quite challenging, requiring time and adaptation for effective use of Shorthand. (7 mentions)

Users find Shorthand expensive for startups and small institutions, highlighting challenges in affordability for limited budgets. (6 mentions)

Users feel Shorthand is expensive, making it challenging for budget-conscious startups to adopt comfortably. (6 mentions)

Users find design limitations in Shorthand restricting, especially when achieving complex layouts without code. (6 mentions)

Users desire greater customization options in Shorthand, finding the current layout restrictions limiting for creative projects. (6 mentions)

5 Pros or Advantages of Shorthand

1. Ease of Use

Users find Shorthand's ease of use exceptional, enabling impactful story creation without coding skills or complex software.

See 32 mentions

See Related User Reviews

Syed Jazib A.

5.0/5

"Transforms Research with Interactive Storytelling"

What do you like about Shorthand?

I find Shorthand very easy, accessible, and creative. It's interesting how it allows me to add amazing features to my stories, transforming what could

Dodi N.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5.0/5

"Outstanding Experience from Start to Finish"

What do you like about Shorthand?

What I like most about Shorthand is how it allows complex stories and data to be presented in a clear, visually engaging, and narrative-driven way wit

2. Easy Creation

Users appreciate the easy creation feature of Shorthand, enabling impactful presentations without the hassle of complex tools.

See 16 mentions

See Related User Reviews

Syed Jazib A.

5.0/5

"Transforms Research with Interactive Storytelling"

What do you like about Shorthand?

I find Shorthand very easy, accessible, and creative. It's interesting how it allows me to add amazing features to my stories, transforming what could

Verified User

Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

5.0/5

"Effortless Creation of Stunning Content"

What do you like about Shorthand?

Easy to produce beautiful and readable brand-enhancing content.

3. Storytelling

Users love the ease of creating visually engaging stories with Shorthand, enhancing their ability to share impactful narratives.

See 15 mentions

See Related User Reviews

Syed Jazib A.

5.0/5

"Transforms Research with Interactive Storytelling"

What do you like about Shorthand?

I find Shorthand very easy, accessible, and creative. It's interesting how it allows me to add amazing features to my stories, transforming what could

Dodi N.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5.0/5

"Outstanding Experience from Start to Finish"

What do you like about Shorthand?

What I like most about Shorthand is how it allows complex stories and data to be presented in a clear, visually engaging, and narrative-driven way wit

4. Ease of Creation

Users enjoy the ease of creation with Shorthand, enabling quick and impressive storytelling without technical skills.

See 13 mentions

See Related User Reviews

Verified User

Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

5.0/5

"Effortless Creation of Stunning Content"

What do you like about Shorthand?

Easy to produce beautiful and readable brand-enhancing content.

Eric P.

5.0/5

"Highly Recommended for Educational Use, Easy Setup"

What do you like about Shorthand?

I really appreciate how Shorthand provides a lower barrier to entry for students to create engaging content. Its easy setup process has been invaluabl

5. Features

Users praise Shorthand for its intuitive features that enhance storytelling and streamline content creation efficiently.

See 12 mentions

See Related User Reviews

Syed Jazib A.

5.0/5

"Transforms Research with Interactive Storytelling"

What do you like about Shorthand?

I find Shorthand very easy, accessible, and creative. It's interesting how it allows me to add amazing features to my stories, transforming what could

Dodi N.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5.0/5

"Outstanding Experience from Start to Finish"

What do you like about Shorthand?

What I like most about Shorthand is how it allows complex stories and data to be presented in a clear, visually engaging, and narrative-driven way wit

5 Cons or Disadvantages of Shorthand

1. Learning Curve

Users find the initial learning curve quite challenging, requiring time and adaptation for effective use of Shorthand.

See 7 mentions

See Related User Reviews

Dodi N.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5.0/5

"Outstanding Experience from Start to Finish"

What do you dislike about Shorthand?

One limitation is the learning curve in fully optimizing layouts and interactive elements, especially when trying to balance aesthetics with dense con

Eric L.

5.0/5

"Interactive Storytelling at its Best"

What do you dislike about Shorthand?

I found converting from a PDF to be more complicated than expected. Additionally, being a startup, I'm very price sensitive and would appreciate a mor

2. Cost Issues

Users find Shorthand expensive for startups and small institutions, highlighting challenges in affordability for limited budgets.

See 6 mentions

See Related User Reviews

Syed Jazib A.

5.0/5

"Transforms Research with Interactive Storytelling"

What do you dislike about Shorthand?

One of the biggest issues is that it's expensive for startups or small institutions like us. While big institutions are using it and it's incredible,

Eric L.

5.0/5

"Interactive Storytelling at its Best"

What do you dislike about Shorthand?

I found converting from a PDF to be more complicated than expected. Additionally, being a startup, I'm very price sensitive and would appreciate a mor

3. Expensive

Users feel Shorthand is expensive, making it challenging for budget-conscious startups to adopt comfortably.

See 6 mentions

See Related User Reviews

Syed Jazib A.

5.0/5

"Transforms Research with Interactive Storytelling"

What do you dislike about Shorthand?

One of the biggest issues is that it's expensive for startups or small institutions like us. While big institutions are using it and it's incredible,

Eric L.

5.0/5

"Interactive Storytelling at its Best"

What do you dislike about Shorthand?

I found converting from a PDF to be more complicated than expected. Additionally, being a startup, I'm very price sensitive and would appreciate a mor

4. Limitations

Users find design limitations in Shorthand restricting, especially when achieving complex layouts without code.

See 6 mentions

See Related User Reviews

Bryan M.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5.0/5

"Awesome web service - easily the simplest, no-code way to create a compelling "scrollytelling" story"

What do you dislike about Shorthand?

That said, it is easy to make mistakes in designing your Shorthand story that will be a pain to correct later - I should know, as I made just about al

Matthew M.

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5.0/5

"Great platform experience that is easy to use!"

What do you dislike about Shorthand?

Not a whole lot, just small things. Some of the features are great but not as edit-able as I'd like - for example, the header is not movable when crea

5. Limited Customization

Users desire greater customization options in Shorthand, finding the current layout restrictions limiting for creative projects.

See 6 mentions

See Related User Reviews

Marketing P.

5.0/5

"Transforms Presentations into Modern Showpieces"

What do you dislike about Shorthand?

I find the initial learning curve to be a bit challenging initially. Additionally, I would love more flexibility in adding social media icons, such as

Verified User

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

3.0/5

"Shorthand stories look nice but are not user friendly"

What do you dislike about Shorthand?

I feel like the options to enhance a Shorthand story are very limited. I don't like that any unique text graphics or general graphics have to be made

Martha I.

Professional lecturer

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

9/10/2026

"Shorthand’s User-Friendly Interface Helps Students Create Beautiful Multimedia Projects"

5/5

What do you like best about Shorthand?

I am a university instructor and multimedia journalist. I was looking for a user-friendly interface for my students who are learning multimedia. Shorthand has been a GREAT resource for them. They find it easy to use and have built several beautiful projects. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Shorthand?

I really can't think of much I don't like. Perhaps the ability to upload videos directly -- or at very least -- to add thumbnail/cover images to YouTube or other video links. But overall, I think Shorthand is great. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Response from Rachel Byrne of Shorthand

edit

Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review, Martha.

It’s especially rewarding to hear how you’re using Shorthand in the classroom. Knowing students can focus on learning storytelling and multimedia skills, rather than wrestling with the technology, is exactly what we hope to enable.

We also appreciate the suggestion around video uploads and custom thumbnails. Feedback like this helps us understand where small improvements could make an even bigger difference to the authoring experience.

Thanks again for introducing Shorthand to your students, and we hope to see many more of their stories published in the future.

Amy B.

Editorial Marketing Manager

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

7/8/2026

"Beautiful Visual Stories Made Easy with Shorthand and WordPress Integration"

4/5

What do you like best about Shorthand?

Shorthand has been instrumental in helping us create some truly beautiful visual stories.

Our designers have been able to work easily with the drag-and-drop interface, and the overall visual flow always looks great. We’ve also been able to integrate the stories into our WordPress site, which has been really useful.

Olivia at Shorthand has been especially helpful in making sure we get the most out of our subscription, and James has supported us through all of our coding challenges.

Overall, the stories look beautiful and now load perfectly on our WordPress. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Shorthand?

Some of our designers have struggled with the platform - I believe it's a different way of how they've worked previously when it comes to designing website pages.

It also took us some time (a few months) and also some help from our own developer to get it integrated onto WordPress. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Verified User in Publishing

Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

9/18/2026

"Shorthand Supercharges Immersive Publishing and Editor–Designer Collaboration"

5/5

What do you like best about Shorthand?

Shorthand allows us to drastically increase the number of immersive articles we are able to publish. Editors and the art department can work together without needing a developer to assist in order to publish pages independently. Being able to publish directly to Google Cloud will make this even easier. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Shorthand?

Because we publish content purchased by universities it is important that all our content meets the WCAG 2.2 accessibility requirements. Unfortunately not all of Shorthand's features are compatible, so there are some features that we have to tell people not to use and/or add customised fixes. It is also easy for an editor or designer to make accessibility mistakes, such as having low contrast between text and background images or forgetting to add alt text. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Response from Rachel Byrne of Shorthand

edit

Thank you for such a thoughtful review.

One of the things we’re most passionate about is giving editorial and creative teams the confidence to publish ambitious stories without depending on developer time, so it’s fantastic to hear that’s making a real difference for your team.

We also appreciate you calling out accessibility. It’s an area we care deeply about, and feedback from experienced publishing teams like yours plays an important role in helping us continue to improve.

Thanks again for being part of the Shorthand community.

Verified User in Non-Profit Organization Management

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

10/1/2026

"Great support and fantastic collaboration opportunities"

4.5/5

What do you like best about Shorthand?

The ability to collaborate, and to look to other users for ideas on how to use the platform to avoid a cookie-cutter looking product. The product support is also outstanding. We are working on our first project but we are excited to come up with new uses once we wrap on this Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Shorthand?

The initial pricing was a bit hard to sell internally until we had proven use cases. There are some small features, like the way hyperlinks look, that we didn't love. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Response from Rachel Byrne of Shorthand

edit

Thank you for the kind words.

It’s especially rewarding to hear your team has more ownership of the publishing process. Giving teams the confidence to make changes themselves without creating extra bottlenecks is exactly what we hope Shorthand enables.

We also appreciate the honest feedback on pricing and some of the smaller product details. Those conversations help us keep improving both the platform and how we communicate its value.

Thanks again, and we’re looking forward to seeing what your team creates next.

Liz S.

Development Officer

Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

9/2/2026

"Easy, Affordable Way to Create Professional Fundraising Designs"

5/5

What do you like best about Shorthand?

I love that even though I don't have much technical, digital skills, I can produce professional looking, rich designs to promote our fundraising at a really good price. A much cheaper option than hard copy publications that we had traditionally used. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Shorthand?

Some of the design options were not that intuitive, I had to really search for them or find them in 'help'. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Response from Rachel Byrne of Shorthand

edit

Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review, Liz. It’s always great to hear from organisations using Shorthand to tell important stories, and we’re really pleased it’s become part of your fundraising toolkit.

We appreciate the feedback on discoverability too. It’s something we’re continuing to improve, and hearing where people get stuck helps us make the experience better for everyone.

Thanks again for your support.

Verified User in Higher Education

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

9/10/2026

"Easy to Use and Highly Flexible with Lots of Possibilities"

4/5

What do you like best about Shorthand?

It’s easy to use and offers many possibilities, which makes it a very flexible tool overall. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Shorthand?

There are a few features I miss. For example, I’d like more control over how the text is displayed in the different sections. In my opinion, the premise of the text feature shouldn’t be tied to the different sections. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Response from Rachel Byrne of Shorthand

edit

Thanks for sharing your experience.

We’re always trying to strike the balance between giving people creative freedom while keeping the editor straightforward to use, so feedback like yours is genuinely valuable. We’ll pass your thoughts on text controls and layout flexibility to the product team.

Thanks again for taking the time to leave a review.

Verified User in Motion Pictures and Film

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

5/29/2026

"Honestly, a joy to use for visual pitch decks"

5/5

What do you like best about Shorthand?

What I love about Shorthand is how easily it lets us create stunning, interactive 'scrollytelling' experiences. The visual output looks incredibly professional and high-end, all without needing to write a single line of code. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Shorthand?

While I love the platform, I wish it offered a wider selection of built-in fonts and standard color palettes to choose from right out of the box. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What problems is Shorthand solving and how is that benefiting you?

Before Shorthand, making those cool, interactive pages with scrolling effects took forever and usually required a developer. Shorthand completely fixes that. For me, the biggest benefit is that I can build and launch beautiful, mobile-friendly stories all by myself in no time, and they always look super professional. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Jack Henry N.

Communications Officer

Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.)

7/7/2026

"Brilliant Designs That Make Analytics Reports Shine"

4.5/5

What do you like best about Shorthand?

My work is primarily focused on analytics, so I found Shorthand really helpful for building reports for our mini site. The designs we’ve been able to publish through Shorthand are brilliant, and we’re genuinely very happy with the results. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Shorthand?

I’m afraid I don’t use the builder in Shorthand specifically, so I don’t think I’m best placed to go into detail about it. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Syed Jazib A.

Founder and Director

2/11/2026

"Transforms Research with Interactive Storytelling"

5/5

What do you like best about Shorthand?

I find Shorthand very easy, accessible, and creative. It's interesting how it allows me to add amazing features to my stories, transforming what could have been just a PDF file with text into an amazing story with little effort. I love how Shorthand makes my stories more interactive and immersive. It elevates the whole experience by bringing together text, video, and audio to tell an important story. I think it cuts a lot of work and has definitely made things efficient in our team. The initial setup was very easy and accessible as well. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Shorthand?

One of the biggest issues is that it's expensive for startups or small institutions like us. While big institutions are using it and it's incredible, there should be a way for smaller institutions to integrate it into our website without paying a lot of money. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

Dodi N.

Head of Program

Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.)

1/5/2026

"Outstanding Experience from Start to Finish"

5/5

What do you like best about Shorthand?

What I like most about Shorthand is how it allows complex stories and data to be presented in a clear, visually engaging, and narrative-driven way without requiring technical or coding skills. It helps turn reports, research, and implementation insights into immersive storytelling that feels accessible to a broad audience, including non-technical readers, funders, and policymakers. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.

What do you dislike about Shorthand?

One limitation is the learning curve in fully optimizing layouts and interactive elements, especially when trying to balance aesthetics with dense content. Additionally, collaboration features and version control could be more intuitive when working with multiple contributors, particularly in fast-paced or multi-stakeholder projects. Review collected by and hosted on G2.com.