Shortly AI Writing Assistant

🚀 Quick Verdict

The interface is almost entirely empty, which is its biggest advantage. It doesn’t distract you with 50 different templates or complex sidebars. We found the slash commands allowed us to edit and expand text faster than back-and-forth prompting in a standard chatbot.

Overall Score	8.2/10
Best For	Authors and long-form bloggers
Tested Plan	Monthly Plan at $79/mo
Testing Period	7 days
Biggest Strength	Clean minimalist workspace
Biggest Weakness	High price for few features
Best Alternative	Jasper

🤔 What Is Shortly AI?

Shortly AI is a writing tool designed to act as a co-pilot rather than a content factory. It was built to solve the problem of writer’s block by allowing the AI to continue your thoughts in your own voice. Unlike other tools that use rigid forms, this provides a blank document where you and the AI work together.

It was acquired by Jasper in 2021 but maintains its own unique, streamlined experience. It focuses heavily on the “Write for me” experience, making it a favorite for fiction writers and those crafting deep-dive articles. It doesn’t try to be a marketing suite; it just tries to be a better digital typewriter.

⚙️ How We Tested Shortly AI

We signed up for the Monthly Plan at $79 for a one-week testing window. Our team used it to complete three specific founder tasks: drafting a 1,500-word industry report, rewriting a technical product description for a general audience, and outlining a 5-part email sequence. We focused on how well the AI maintained the tone of our initial sentences.

✨ Key Features (What Actually Stood Out)

The tool is built for people who want to stay in a flow state while working on their /category/content-creation/ projects.

• Write for me — This button reads everything you’ve written so far and continues the thought. We noticed it rarely repeats itself compared to older AI models.
• Slash commands — You can type /rewrite or /expand directly in the document. It felt much more natural than copying text into a separate prompt box.
• Context slider — This lets you decide how much of the previous text the AI should consider. It’s helpful when you want to change topics without the AI getting confused by earlier paragraphs.
• Creative mode — A toggle that makes the AI more descriptive. During our tests, this mode produced much more interesting metaphors than the standard setting.
• No word limits — Most paid plans don’t cap your usage. We were able to generate several long drafts in one afternoon without hitting a credit wall.

💰 Shortly AI Pricing — Is It Worth It?

The pricing is higher than many competitors, especially since it lacks SEO tools or image generation. It’s a premium price for a focused /usecase/productivity/ tool that prioritizes the user experience over a long list of features.

Plan	Price	Best For	Watch Out For
Monthly	$79/mo	Active writers	Very expensive for occasional use
Annual	$65/mo	Professional bloggers	Paid upfront for the full year

Our pick: Monthly — It’s better to test it for one month at the higher rate before committing to the annual plan, as the minimalist style isn’t for everyone.

🧪 What We Found During Testing

The speed of the “Write for me” feature is impressive. We started a paragraph about market trends, and the AI correctly identified the logical next step in our argument without being told. The slash commands are the real stars here. Highlighting a clunky sentence and typing /rewrite gave us three better options in seconds.

A founder in our community who runs a content agency told us Shortly AI is the only tool that doesn’t feel like a chatbot when they’re trying to finish a long article.

⚠️ Limitations We Found

• No SEO tools — As of early 2025, there are no built-in keyword optimization features like you’d find in Jasper or Surfer.
• High price point — It’s hard to justify $79 a month if you only write a few emails or short posts a week.
• Limited templates — If you want a tool that writes a Facebook ad from a single product name, this isn’t it.

⚔️ Shortly AI vs Competitors

Most users compare this tool to more feature-heavy platforms that offer hundreds of templates.

Competitor	Pick it instead of Shortly AI if…
Jasper	You need a team workspace with marketing templates and SEO integrations.
Copy.ai	You are primarily focused on short-form social media and ad copy.
Writesonic	You want a cheaper option that includes an AI image generator.

👍 Pros & Cons

Fast slash command editing

✅ Pros	❌ Cons
No credit limits on paid plans	Lack of specialized marketing templates
Clean, distraction-free workspace	Much more expensive than ChatGPT Plus
No built-in plagiarism checker
Excellent for fiction and stories	No SEO optimization features

🎯 Who Should Use Shortly AI (And Who Shouldn’t)

✅ Use it if you:

• Are writing a book or a long-form series and want a distraction-free environment.
• Hate filling out forms and prefer a blank canvas.
• Need to quickly rewrite or expand existing text using commands.

❌ Skip it if you:

• Need a tool for high-volume SEO blogging; try Jasper instead.
• Are on a tight budget and can get by with standard ChatGPT prompts.
• Need a tool to manage social media posts across multiple platforms.

🔐 Data & Privacy

Shortly AI collects the text you input to generate responses. While they have a standard privacy policy, founders should be aware that the data is processed through third-party LLM providers. Avoid pasting sensitive trade secrets or private customer data into the editor.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Is Shortly AI owned by Jasper?
Yes, Jasper acquired Shortly AI in 2021, but it currently remains a standalone product with its own interface.

Does Shortly AI have a word limit?
The paid plans are marketed as unlimited, meaning you don’t have to worry about counting credits per word.

Can Shortly AI write fiction?
It is highly regarded for fiction because it doesn’t try to force a marketing structure on your story.

Is there a free trial for Shortly AI?
They typically offer a limited number of free “runs” so you can test the interface before paying.

What are slash commands in Shortly AI?
They are text-based shortcuts like /rewrite, /expand, and /shorten that let you edit text without leaving the document.

Does it integrate with Google Docs?
No, it is a standalone web-based editor and does not currently have a direct Google Docs integration.

Looking for more tools like this? See all content-creation tools we’ve reviewed →